When the adventurers stumble into a strange bog they inadvertently insert themselves into the romance of Oethea and Wymus, lovers cursed by the feylord Ciaran to an existence of undeath kept apart by the presence of the sun. Ending their torment (and reuniting) them requires venturing into the Dreaming to take the Sundark Blade from Ciaran, though the feylord is unlikely to give it up ...
2023-12-10 11:30:37 +0000 UTC View Post
With the abundance of variety among the beasts of nature there should be an abundance of statblocks for the particularly curious, quizzical, and strange animals—and here it is! This article covers 18 different CR 0 critters: armadillo, axolotl, dragonfly, dwarf seal, giant hornet, hooded vulture, hummingbird, koala, marmoset, mole, moth, otter, platypus, quokka, skunk, stick ...
2023-12-05 02:57:23 +0000 UTC View Post
From her secluded and mysterious tower in the haunted woods of Spinnelund the void mage watches the goings on of Elissar, enacts potent rituals, and pursues knowledge that has seen her rejected by even the fell sages of the Festung. Unbelievable arcane power waits within the fingertips of Harviskari—ready to be unleashed on f...
2023-11-28 04:34:23 +0000 UTC View Post
The Border Kingdoms of Elissar are all dominions of their own yet when a great enough threat arises they can be united to stand together. Now is one of those times as a massive warband of monsters and worse are on the march, a critical piece of territory between them the keystone of the defenders' plans to halt the invaders—p...
2023-11-22 20:22:55 +0000 UTC View Post
Once more an ancient draconic threat looms over Elissar, though this time it hails from the chilly south and for now the winged serpent's secretive influence is limited to its emissary: the mysterious fiery bandit known as Borok the Burning. Under his leadership the disparate raiders of the Laskian Mountains have banded togethe...
2023-11-15 20:22:32 +0000 UTC View Post
Decay is not just a part of nature, it can be a powerful system of belief and means to attain power. A potent example of that is decomposing Demois, feared far and wide as the Rotting Druid (CR 14). Completely slaying this man-turned-mass of worms is practically impossible, his consciousness spread out into thousands of wriggling creatures and intelligent rotting fragme...
2023-11-10 02:50:16 +0000 UTC View Post
Breathe more life into your bestiary with the anthill dragonette (CR 3), chimney dragonette (CR 1), fey angler dragonette (CR 2), sewer dragonette (CR 1), squirrel dragonette (CR 2), and tidepool dragonette (CR 2)! Also includes the Dragonette Whisperer feat for spellcasters keen on a unique wi...
2023-11-05 11:18:20 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello folks! Over on Kickstarter we've just launched the softcover version of the Vault of Splintered Souls which we released for our 500th issue. As Patreon backers, you already have the PDF, but if you would like the softcover there is an exclusive discount for EN5ider subscribers--after all, you folks helped bring the product about in the first place!
History is filled with tales warning not to reject the gods and none are so devastating as the ruinous fate of the Night Lark. Once a musician of such great talent that the deities themselves were in envy, when they spurned the divine a terrible curse was put upon them. All that they cared for perished and fell to ruin until their beloved abandoned them, transforming the entertainer into a supe...
2023-10-27 23:54:31 +0000 UTC View Post
It’s said that the worst villains make for horrible bosses, and yet every one of them seems to have an army of loyal goons to do their bidding. It doesn’t matter how cruel and unusual their working conditions are, these bumbling henchmen continuously throw themselves into battle to protect an employer who really couldn’t care less about them. The question on every adventurer’s mind is: ...
2023-10-22 15:47:30 +0000 UTC View Post
West of Caer Balloch is a region of rolling hills known as the Dywrion. From those lands come the Riders of Dywrion, a famous adventuring society that rose to meteoric fame a few decades before and now has more than two dozen active members. The Bold Blade Inn, run by Jalek the Bold, acts as their de facto headquarters and their figures of greatest renown—a quartet of semi-retired founders—...
2023-10-17 14:14:36 +0000 UTC View Post
Although he wasn't exceptional Karvik vos Maine was exceptionally focused on creating a wizard's tower he thought suited his inflated talents. His ambitions kept him from achieving true mastery over arcana however, and he perished some time ago leaving his home vacant. Now his former neighbors are keen to rehabilitate the magical abode—a place filled with contraptions and servants that have m...
2023-10-10 21:16:45 +0000 UTC View Post
Fill the next tavern fight with a diverse and rewarding assortment of enemies! Herein are the lowly conartist (CR 1/4), experienced shopkeep (CR 1/4), and pickpocket (CR 1/2), more formidable foes like the bodyguard (CR 1), brawler (CR 1), elite guard (CR 2), rabble rouser (CR ...
2023-10-06 00:22:28 +0000 UTC View Post
Whether the party entered an errant portal, angered the wrong god, or have gone astray while planefaring the result is the same: they are stranded on the Astral Plane! They could be left to starve or die of thirst, but where's the fun in that? Instead hit the adventurers with this three-part mini-adventure and see if they can survive the arduous trek back to the realms material! Driftingly desi...
2023-09-27 18:15:51 +0000 UTC View Post
There are many libraries in the world run by guilds accumulating trade knowledge, governments keeping their populace happy, or wizards hoarding magical secrets. Then there are the great Library Vaults run by the Librarians of Truth. These massive buildings hold books of every kind, from the most popular copper paperbacks to the rarest magical tome, and the librarians will share these books with...
2023-09-23 01:16:45 +0000 UTC View Post
The rural village of Wiksby sits along several trade roads. Most folks there are farmers and they have a regional reputation for producing excellent goat cheeses. As of late however the local wizard Fenthrymr is missing and strange creatures wander the roads, blocking the way to his tower. Without the mage's help the settlement is unprotected and a fair reward awaits whoever can find him. Deftl...
2023-09-17 17:33:27 +0000 UTC View Post
Magical resurrection is quick, clean, and simple. For those with enough coin deadly mishaps and lethal mistakes are practically nonexistent—the return to life is but a spell away. Consider making resurrections a much more interesting and character building affair. What happens if you attempt to resurrect someone a bit later than you should be able to? What if the soul has been wounded? Or if ...
2023-09-12 01:13:56 +0000 UTC View Post
Fun, sand, sun, and 8 new horrors to unleash on beachgoing adventurers! Set up sinkholes made by the tidepool trapping beach flealion (CR 2), introduce seaweed that fights back with the kelphook sealtrap (CR 5), unleash the lagoon kraken (CR 10), bring feathered fury to seaborne breezes with razor gulls (CR 1/8) or the more let...
2023-09-06 03:02:06 +0000 UTC View Post
The threat of a vampire is enough to inspire fear in all but the most foolhardy novice adventurers—which is exactly what the decidedly unvampiric Bloodsucker Gang is counting on. For weeks these murderous scoundrels have left the corpses of their victims with the telltale signs of vampire attacks, fooling authorities and the populace at large into thinking a far greater danger stalks the nigh...
2023-08-25 23:12:27 +0000 UTC View Post
Put lesser magics within reach of adventurers of all kinds with these nearly two dozen flavorful enchanted trinkets! An audacious display stone provides a flair of the magic within—surrounding the wearer with illusory spirits or woodland critters, emboldening their shadow, making them appear heroic, and the like—until the spell it is designed to contain is cast. Diligently designed...
2023-08-20 17:28:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Once again the infamous monstrous burglars known as the Florists have struck against the powers that be in Elissar, though perhaps this time they’ve bitten off more than they can chew. The target of their latest heist is none other than Charlan Olawarin, the Mirror of Morrigan’s ruling Thieves Guild, and they don’t know i...
2023-08-16 19:57:30 +0000 UTC View Post
Practicing one tradition of magic is a trying task and two even more impressive—yet adventurers that learn to weave together the spellwork of each are capable of truly remarkable things. Courageous bard paladins can inspire and motivate whole crowds with battlecry, reverent cleric druids are able to heal many injured with an elegant life ripple, and brilliant artificer wizar...
2023-08-11 00:09:20 +0000 UTC View Post
New creatures are best taken with a dash of fey—whether the goal is trickery or violence they're sure to deliver. Consider the rainbow nibbler (CR 1/4) to trip up spellcasters with it's voracious appetite for magic, the telesleuth (CR 5) to throw a wrench in the works of psionic adventurers, or unleash warplings (CR 2) to spread havoc through...
2023-08-04 15:55:54 +0000 UTC View Post
A race of sorts is afoot in the Border Kingdoms thanks to a newly discovered silver deposit, and the Vorgaths are in need of capable adventurers to sift through their old estate to find proof that it is within the borders of their lands. They weren't the only nobles with this idea however, and a rival group is looking for the same deeds—with a plan to destroy the evidence! This mini-adventure...
2023-07-26 17:39:46 +0000 UTC View Post
Equipped with capture wands, forceholds, and more enchanted equipment besides these adventurers-turned-gaolers of ghosts are dedicated to eradicating haunting spirits—but to what end? This organization might be villains (there's a CR 3 ghost warden hunter for that event), have need for the aid of capable heroes, or instead try to recruit promising applicants proven a...
2023-07-21 22:30:43 +0000 UTC View Post
An ominous storm centered on the peak of Broktoth Mountain has grown to such immense size that it can be seen from as far north as Kroppa—signs of ill-omen joined by the shuddering of unquiet magma. There are more fell tidings too with workers in the Nalpine Forest reporting agitation among its fell beasts, and on the road to Icegarten caravans are despoiled and waystations destroyed. People ...
2023-07-15 19:38:11 +0000 UTC View Post
From its Grand Gallery to the Ancient Helm the Stalactite Cave contains wonders to behold—and for every marvel there lurk monsters aplenty. Deadly attacks from above, predators springing out from behind the rocks, and more await those brave enough to venture within. Few can survive the delve but adventurers able to withstand the lethal environs will find rewards fitting for their courage! Dep...
2023-07-09 00:43:56 +0000 UTC View Post
There's a plethora of magical traditions across the breadth of arcana and those who utilize it often find themselves drawn to specialize with spells of one kind or another. Consider then these half dozen spellcasting NPCs: the corrosive acrimancer (CR 5), chilling cryomancer (CR 5), storming fulgarmancer (CR 5), bright luximancer 2023-07-04 16:54:35 +0000 UTC View Post
While serving as a haunted forest's guardian the dryad Calissa perished—yet she has not realized she died in the line of duty and still protects a portion of the woods. Her powerful connection to nature has been warped by her delusion making the ghostly fey dangerous, her every effort to help becoming lethal by way of negligence and the corruption of the animals that serve her. Attempts to he...
2023-06-26 14:49:52 +0000 UTC View Post
Of course the druid or ranger wants to forage about in the sewers or wilderness so let them have some fun with mushrooms! Here are 20 fantastic fungi for adventurers to pick up—although it's not so simple as that. Each has a counterpart that can be difficult to distinguish, and those who don't take care might find that the mushbubble they've pulled over their head to breathe underwat...
2023-06-21 13:56:03 +0000 UTC View Post