Two Player DnD Module: The Sword of Witchery
This adventure can be run as a level 4 adventure for 1 player and 1 DM, or can be easily customized to a party of any size or level. It can work as a small side adventure in an existing campaign, as a standalone one-shot, or the start of a new adventure. Use the links to the tools in their relevant section to customize the adventure to your party.
You're in the town of Salish, which sits along a rolling plains covered in farms. The plains continue out into the lowlands, where a large volcano sits about a day's walk from the town. A large basin next to the volcano is where the lava has pooled from its eruptions, and has become lined with obsidian. Salish boasts a notable academy and delicious wine, making it a common stop for travelers."
If this is part of an ongoing campaign, the player could be stopping here on the way to somewhere else. If this is a oneshot or the first session, then this can simply be where they start. When they arrive they may head straight for the tavern or do some shopping and explore the town, use the Town Generator to generate some shops and NPCs as needed. At some point, they'll be approached.
A couple town guards approach you. 'Excuse me, are you an adventurer?'"
'My lord Siffress has asked me to bring any able-bodied adventurers to her. Would you grant her an audience?'"
You're brought to the keep at the highest point in town. You pass through the walls and into the audience chamber, where a woman gnome is sitting. She wears an old set of leather armor, nicked and torn by the ravages of time and battle. Her chestnut hair is greying along the sides and has receded to reveal a widow's peak. Her scarred and worn face pulls into a slight smile as you're introduced by the guard. 'I'm Siffress Pilwicken, welcome to my city. For as long as it's going to be my city, at least.'"
- Siffress speaks confidently and with grace. She's well-traveled and educated on a variety of topics.
- The populace doubts her claim to rule and she fears the city will be plunged into civil war.
- The problem has gotten worse lately as the number of kidnappings and murders has increased.
- Bodies have been found on the nearby mountain, torn apart and devoured, and several people have claimed to see the legendary beast 'Baaloch' near the town.
- She'll offer the PC 500 gold to hunt and kill the beast, but warns that it's an especially difficult beast to kill and suggest the PC speak to the town's hunter and priest to learn more.
The PC can then decide whether to seek more information or head out immediately.
If they visit the temple, they'll learn that the priest Silaqui was kidnapped last night. She was last seen performing nightly religious service and hasn't been seen by anyone since.
If they visit the hunter, they can learn more about the local legend. The hunter is a male half-elf named Hugh Withrethin, a well-nourished man wearing a blue shirt and brown tights with a coat over them. His silver hair is tied in a manbun, and his hazel eyes seem weary and dilated. He can tell the PC about the beast that seems to shrug off blows and regenerate wounds faster than other animals. The legend states that the beast jealously guards the only sword that can harm it to ensure its immortality.
You should change the Sword of Witchery to any weapon that the PC can wield. It can just as easily be the Bow of Witchery, the Staff of Witchery, or any other weapon.
Once the PC decides to head out, you can continue.
You travel across the plains and past the farmlands of the city out into the wilderness. It's a clear and sunny day with a light wind, which reaches a sweaty 38 degrees in the afternoon (100 degrees if you use farenheit)."
In the hot weather, the PC must drink twice as much water (2 gallons/day for medium) or else make a Con save every hour for exhaustion. The DC starts at 5, increasing every hour. Heavy/medium armor/clothing gives disadvantage to the save.
It's a DC 5 Survival check to navigate, with an unlikely failure resulting in an extra day of travel. If the PC needs to do some foraging, the check becomes a DC 15. Almost immediately after setting out, the PC will see a Tiger skulking out in the fields just beyond the farms. It's looking for cattle to eat, and may attack the PC if they antagonize it. It's a DC 13 to Stealth past, or a DC 12 to use Animal Handling or Intimidation to scare off the Tiger. If engaged in combat, the tiger will flee once reduced to half HP.
You reach the base of the volcano by the late afternoon, and another couple hours are spent climbing up it. The sun is just starting to set behind the peak of the volcano as you come to a stone tower built into the side of the volcano. The entire area around the tower is encased in ice, including the tower itself. The last beams of sunlight reflect and glimmer in the ice, and as you wipe the sweat from your brow you wonder how such a large amount of ice can survive in this sweltering heat.
Use this dungeon, and use this puzzle for room 5:
A fuse runs from room 4 to the block of ice in room 5 along the wall, but a couple parts of the fuse have frozen over. The PC can either pick away at the ice or find some other method to melt it. They'll also need to deal with the monster in this room. Once the ice is removed, lighting the fuse with a torch will cause it to run the TNT and blow up the ice blocking the path with a thunderous shake and rumble.
Also in room 5 is the priest Silaqui, who they can rescue. She's a tall slender elf woman wearing a grey robe. She has long brown hair and several tiny ruby earrings on each pointed ear. She's unarmed and was grievously wounded by the beast, but managed to survive by healing herself. She's used up her spells, but is able to cast one last Cure Wounds at 1st level if the PC is wounded.
Silaqui is very grateful to the PC and will thank them profusely. She's a 2nd level cleric but has no more spells, no weapons, no armor (AC 11), and 11 HP. The PC can decide what to do with her, she's hesitant to fight but can be convinced to with a DC 10 Persuasion or DC 7 Intimidation. She has no food or water, so sending her back on her own is very risky (you may want to roll for her exhaustion and any random encounters if that happens)
When the PC enters room 1, they'll see the Sword of Witchery encased in a block of ice. The room is freezing cold, and if they attempt to destroy or melt the ice, they'll discover that the ice quickly renews itself. A moment later, a natural disaster hits, triggered in part by the blasting of the TNT.
You hear a distant rumbling, followed by an explosion as the ground begins to shake . An earthquake hits, causing shards of ice to fall from the ceiling. An opening on the far wall is filled with ice, but through it you can see the peak of the volcano erupting and spewing lava into the air. The shaking and rumbling continues as lava starts flowing down the cliffs and around the tower. The left wall of the room crumbles and melts away as a stream of lava cuts through it. On the other side of the lava flow you see a large beast snarling and baring its fangs at you."
The beast is Baaloch, a Barghest. If you're using a different party size or level, the Barghest can be any appropriately deadly monster. Use the Encounter Builder to select the right monster. You can use any monster you wish, but add Damage Resistance to nonmagical attacks, and Damage Vulnerability to the Sword of Witcher.
In order to free the sword, the PC will need to divert the lava flow into the block of ice. Roll for initiative as normal, but run this part as a skill challenge where they'll need to pass two DC 14 skill checks in order to successfully reroute the lava. Failing a skill check or not spending their turn attempting to free the sword can result in an attack from the Barghest. The Barghest will spend its first action casting Dimension Door to get across the lava safely, then attack on following turns. If Silaqui is present, the Barghest will try to kill her first. It has resistance to all nonmagical damage, cold, fire, and lightning (meaning it takes half damage), but will take double damage from the Sword of Witchery. It's also immune to acid and poison, and has blindsight/darkvision out to 60 ft.
If PC is having a hard time figuring out the puzzle, Silaqui can suggest rerouting the lava if she's present, otherwise you can have them make an intelligence save each turn to figure it out, starting at DC 15 and decreasing each turn.
Once the lava is rerouted onto the ice it will melt. The sword constantly replenishes the ice, but the lava is hot and continuous enough to melt most of the block enough to allow the PC to grab the sword. When they do, the sword instantly freezes to their hand and covers it in frost. It's painful and numbs their hand, and if they're a spellcaster they'll have disadvantage on concentration checks.
Once the Barghest is killed, the souls trapped within it are released, which removes the curse from the surrounding area. The sword thaws and is no longer cold to the touch, and all the ice in the tower melts. The Sword of Witchery is a +1 sword, which the PC can keep.
The PC will be rewarded with 500 gold upon their return and can keep the sword. If Silaqui survives she'll also be grateful and can provide temple services and cleric spells at a discount.
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