Random Roads: Rotten Dreams An adventure for characters on the road. Written by Neil Nolette Edited by Henry Wanat DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, D&D Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast. ©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK. Sample file Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Rotten_Dreams 1 Down a Random Road “It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your Since then, the land has lured in and consumed door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep anyone seeking shelter in the old farm area. It hopes your feet, there's no knowing where you might be to be able to control the whole of the woods in time, swept off to.” but that is beyond the scope of this encounter. —J.R.R Tolkien The Fellowship of the Ring. A Long Day on the Road To keep the mystery alive, it is very important that Introduction this encounter start like any other day of travel. This In my years of adventuring I have always found means if you normal ask the players to make checks travel in DnD to be one of the most dividing issues. to find camp then have them do so. If you travel at Some people love it: facing 2d4 bandits in the middle normal speed, then consider running having the of the day during a randomly rolled snowstorm while players stop a few times before this and deal with a on an island. Some other people think that is quite minor problem or encounter so that they aren’t mad. For this second group the game is found in the instantly looking for trouble when you start secret lairs of cults and the halls of barons. So, when describing the area. The land knows that if it seems this group is told that they will be traveling for the foreboding then less people will come this way and so next seven days to get from the lair to the hall they it waits for the party to be resting before acting in its sink in their seats, uninterested in facing down the corrupted manor. random “encounters” that come from the tables of the At the end of the hero’s day of travel ask them how DM. they would like to set up camp. If someone wants to So comes this series of encounters that can be look for a good camping site, ask for a survival check. fitted into road travel to engage the players that love If they roll low, tell them that all they really find is a the deep stories of DnD, and those that want to track run down and falling apart farmhouse. If they roll rations, liters of water, and the dead in their wake. high, then tell them that this old farmhouse they And, perhaps most importantly, this is for the DM found should keep them out of the weather and has a with the divided table. solid fireplace. This represents that the land is always pushing the heroes towards the house and may even Seed of Evil being moving itself to redirect the heroes. Consider doing a bit of acting here, check the dice This adventure is best set while the party is traveling roll and add some oh and ums as you appear to be through a forested area. As long as the area can have a trying to come up with something for the party to tree or two then you can still responsibly use this find. If the heroes take the bait and they move into the random road encounter. house, then spend a little time describing the unloved Long ago, during a massive battle, an evil druid cast field and the small one room house filled with ruined awaken on a massive tree. This evil druid and his furniture. If the heroes forgo the house and camp massive minion were defeated by a band of heroes elsewhere, that’s fine too. Go through the heroes’ during the battle and most of the tree was destroyed. normal camp set up. The heroes’ choice here will As years pasted the tree started to decompose and it change part of the encounter later on in the night. became one with the soil around it. This caused a strange magical effect to take hold of the plant life Herrings that grew there. While not fully sentient the small plot of land became aware of its surroundings and This is where some of the real trickery begins. Ask the developed a hive mind with the other plants in the heroes for a watch order for the night. If the party area. doesn’t normally post a watch order, then don’t With its newfound intelligence, the land has prompt them and instead the next part just happens. developed a strange system in order to feed itself and Roll on the table below, as a wild animal wanders continue it’s growth. It started when a farmer was towards the camp. Those on watch can roll traveling to market and was forced to stop when one perception to notice the animal coming. The animal of his wagon’s wheel snapped on a root. When he may fight the party, or simply intrigue them for a few made camp that night, the land claimed him and minutes. The goal of this part of the encounter is to consumedSample his body. Gaining the farmers knowledge of simply make the heroes believefile that this is an average the local area, the land grew and slowly claimed the encounter in the wild and to make the next part of the farm itself. encounter come as much more of a shock. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Rotten_Dreams 2 Wildlife encounter at the end of the module. Once all the minions have Biomes Forest Savanna Tundra Jungle been beaten read the following. 1 2 Deer 2d4 Owl 2d4 Hyena Giant After slaying the last of the arborous foe, the roots and Wasps weeds seem to relent their attack. From one of the 2 2d4 1d4 Brown 1d4 buildings ruined windows you can see the nearby tree Wolves Lions Bear Apes 3 2 Rhino Polar Tiger almost bend away from the building as if in fear of your Black Bear group. It seems like the land will relent its assault for now. Bears 4 Giant Giant Giant Giant Elk Boar Owl Snake At this point the heroes have a few options: go back and try to finish their rest, move camp, or go after the land. If they try the first two, the land lets them go; Grasping Earth not willing to lose more against the party. If they try and fight the land, burning trees and what not, there Now that the heroes are hopefully in a false sense of is very little effect, and nothing tries to harm them. security, it is time for the land to strike. Towards the end of the night, around two or three in the morning, Hedged Bets ask the group on watch to make their perception checks and then have them make a DC X, where x is With the heroes questioning why they had to make 10 + the heroes level, Con save if they fail then they cons saves read the following. start to fall into a trance. Heroes that are asleep are about to have a rude awakening and will suffer the The quiet night is violently broken as the earth around same effects as those who failed the above save. your camp is sundered. Hedges, trees, and brushes appear During the combat found in the next two sections and form a wall around your camp while roots and weeds heroes that were asleep or failed their save will beneath your feet come to life and begin to wrap become restrained by the plant life of the forest, themselves around the party. (Unless your party sleeps standing up this will also mean they start prone). If your party is in the house The land has decided to make its move. Unable to lead read the section Beneath the Floorboards, if they them into the house, the land has sent much of its choose to sleep in the woods then read the section power to create a minor ground swell to surround the Hedged Bets. party. This wall is only ten feet high and around two feet thick. The land’s force targets anyone that is still Beneath the Floorboards! standing and not being restrained by the roots. Those As the heroes started asking why they just had to restrained by the roots can break free by making a DC make a con save read the following: x, where x is 10 + the heroes’ level, Athletics or Acrobatics check.