Members of our Patreon campaign pledging as little as $2 a month got this book as just one part of their rewards. Join today.

Everyone—even the powerful—has enemies, and the Nameless Mage was no exception. In a hedge against future calamity, the Nameless Mage created the Hidden Sanctum—a bolthole of last resort—buried deep below present-day Dulwich. Never used, at least for its intended purpose, the Hidden Sanctum has mouldered and decayed, forgotten and abandoned, through long centuries of darkness and neglect.

Now, a wealthy merchant, carrying out repairs in the deepest part of his cellar, has made a curious discovery—a rubble-choked set of stairs and a seemingly endless array of dungeons and caverns—and needs a band of brave adventurers to explore whatever lies within…

Design Creighton Broadhurst Cartography Dyson Logos Art  William McAusland and Dean Spencer 

About Dungeon Backdrops

You are a GM, but you are busy. You want to write your own modules, but you just don’t have the time. And you don’t want to use commercial modules. You want to make your campaign your own. That’s where the Dungeon Backdrop line comes in! Each Dungeon Backdrop presents a fully fleshed-out and lovingly detailed self-contained dungeon ready for you to use as you see fit. Stock the dungeon with your own monsters (and—perhaps—their treasure), decide their back story and you are good to go.

Every Dungeon Backdrop is carefully designed to be easily inserted into almost any fantasy campaign and is compatible with virtually any fantasy roleplaying game.

Dungeon Backdrops: we describe the dungeon, you add the monsters (and the treasure).

Members of our Patreon campaign pledging as little as $2 a month got this book as just one part of their rewards. Join today.

Far below the sunlit surface lie places and things undreamt of by decent commonfolk. Some such things have never seen the light of day, while others have escaped into the Underlands to escape the hated sun. Centuries ago, another settlement stood where Dulwich now stands, and its crumbling remnants yet linger in the endless dark below the town. A wealthy merchant, carrying out repairs in the deepest part of his cellar, has made a curious discovery—a rubble-choked set of stairs leading to who knows what subterranean depth—and needs a band of brave adventurers to explore whatever lies below…

Design Creighton Broadhurst Cartography Dyson Logos Art  William McAusland and Dean Spencer 

About Dungeon Backdrops

You are a GM, but you are busy. You want to write your own modules, but you just don’t have the time. And you don’t want to use commercial modules. You want to make your campaign your own. That’s where the Dungeon Backdrop line comes in! Each Dungeon Backdrop presents a fully fleshed-out and lovingly detailed self-contained dungeon ready for you to use as you see fit. Stock the dungeon with your own monsters (and—perhaps—their treasure), decide their back story and you are good to go.

Every Dungeon Backdrop is carefully designed to be easily inserted into almost any fantasy campaign and is compatible with virtually any fantasy roleplaying game.

Dungeon Backdrops: we describe the dungeon, you add the monsters (and the treasure).

Members of our Patreon campaign pledging as little as $5 a month get this book as just one part of their rewards. Join today.

So often in our games, the tribes of evil humanoids the characters encounter are reduced to nothing more than flavourless and bland, faceless foes destined to fall before the heroes’ might. This compilation changes that by presenting eight richly detailed tribes along with their lair designed to be easily integrated into your campaign with the minimum of effort and fuss. All you need to do is add the monsters’ stats and their treasure!

This 90-page compilation presents eight detailed humanoid tribes and their lairs, ready for YOUR campaign. The book presents the following tribes:

• Orcs of the Flayed Skull

• Goblins of the Death Rune

• Gnolls of the Bleached Skull

• Hobgoblins of the Mailed Fist

• Bugbears of the Frozen Tears

• Orcs of the Severed Hand

• Lizardfolk of the Coiled Serpent

About Monstrous Delves

A Monstrous Delve is not a “proper” adventure. Rather, it is a starting point for your creativity. We provide a flavoursome overview of the delve and the monsters therein. You provide their stats and their treasure and pick a suitable adventure hook to draw the characters to the place.

Monstrous Delves are designed so that you can add them to your campaign with the minimum of fuss and effort. Have the characters got lost (deliberately or accidentally)? Have they decided to explore an area of wilderness you have yet to detail? Do you need a side trek or diversion? Simply drop a Monstrous Delve in their path!

Monstrous Delves are system-neutral; however, it is impossible to avoid all game references. A few generic terms such as elf, orc, fighter and cleric appear in the text. Modify these as necessary to suit your game and campaign world.

Pre-Order

This supplement will be released on September 23 2024, and is currently only available for pre-order.

If you buy this product at the discounted pre-order price you will be charged at checkout. When the book is released, you will receive your download link via email.

Members of our Patreon campaign pledging as little as $2 a month got this book as just one part of their rewards. Join today.

Atavistic warriors dwelling in the inner reaches of Ashlar’s Salt Mire, the Coiled Serpent tribe worship Yig—the World Serpent—who they believe will one day consume the world. The lizardfolk are indifferent to humans and their allies as long as they are left alone in their dank, dismal lair. Woe betide any who disturb them.

This System Neutral Monstrous Delve presents the Lizardfolk of the Coiled serpent, along with a detailed overview of their hidden home—the Dank Hall of the One-Eyed Oracles.

Design Creighton Broadhurst Cartography Dyson Logos Art John Latta William McAusland, Dean Spencer and Seth White

About Monstrous Delves

A Monstrous Delve is not a “proper” adventure. Rather, it is a starting point for your creativity. We provide a flavoursome overview of the delve and the monsters therein. You provide their stats and their treasure and pick a suitable adventure hook to draw the characters to the place.

Monstrous Delves are designed so that you can add them to your campaign with the minimum of fuss and effort. Have the characters got lost (deliberately or accidentally)? Have they decided to explore an area of wilderness you have yet to detail? Do you need a side trek or diversion? Simply drop a Monstrous Delve in their path!

Monstrous Delves are system-neutral; however, it is impossible to avoid all game references. A few generic terms such as elf, orc, fighter and cleric appear in the text. Modify these as necessary to suit your game and campaign world.

Members of our Patreon campaign pledging as little as $2 a month got this book as just one part of their rewards. Join today.

Foul rumours of smuggling and piracy have ever-hung over the dismal village of Coldwater and its folk. But recently, lone travellers and the like have been going missing in the village’s environs, and some whisper that the Slaver Lords’ yellow-sailed ships have been seen in the region. Who but the characters can discover their secret hold and rescue their helpless victims?

Design Creighton Broadhurst Cartography Dyson Logos Art  Rick Hershey, William McAusland and Matt Morrow 

About Dungeon Backdrops

You are a GM, but you are busy. You want to write your own modules, but you just don’t have the time. And you don’t want to use commercial modules. You want to make your campaign your own. That’s where the Dungeon Backdrop line comes in! Each Dungeon Backdrop presents a fully fleshed-out and lovingly detailed self-contained dungeon ready for you to use as you see fit. Stock the dungeon with your own monsters (and—perhaps—their treasure), decide their back story and you are good to go.

Every Dungeon Backdrop is carefully designed to be easily inserted into almost any fantasy campaign and is compatible with virtually any fantasy roleplaying game.

Dungeon Backdrops: we describe the dungeon, you add the monsters (and the treasure).

Members of our Patreon campaign pledging as little as $2 a month got this book as just one part of their rewards. Join today.

The Orcs of the Severed Hand are a shadow of their former greatness, but, like a wounded animal at bay, are yet dangerous foes. Laid low by the long-dead adventurer-lord Valentin Ironwolf and the perfidious goblins of the Blood Moon, the tribe’s remnant claims the hidden vault of the mad, doom-obsessed adventurer Armytr Byranthyra as their home. Therein, their savage and racist chieftain dreams of reforging his tribe and eclipsing his father’s glory but can do little but raid outlying farmsteads—for now.

This System Neutral Monstrous Delve presents the Orcs of the Severed Hand, along with a detailed overview of their hidden home—the hidden vault of the mad adventurer Armytr Byranthyra.

Design Creighton Broadhurst Cartography Dyson Logos Art Paul Daly, William McAusland, Dean Spencer and Seth White

About Monstrous Delves

A Monstrous Delve is not a “proper” adventure. Rather, it is a starting point for your creativity. We provide a flavoursome overview of the delve and the monsters therein. You provide their stats and their treasure and pick a suitable adventure hook to draw the characters to the place.

Monstrous Delves are designed so that you can add them to your campaign with the minimum of fuss and effort. Have the characters got lost (deliberately or accidentally)? Have they decided to explore an area of wilderness you have yet to detail? Do you need a side trek or diversion? Simply drop a Monstrous Delve in their path!

Monstrous Delves are system-neutral; however, it is impossible to avoid all game references. A few generic terms such as elf, orc, fighter and cleric appear in the text. Modify these as necessary to suit your game and campaign world.

Members of our Patreon campaign pledging as little as $2 a month got this book as just one part of their rewards. Join today.

The past rarely stays buried forever, and forgotten and forbidden things have a way of finding their way back into the light. Centuries ago, another settlement stood where Dulwich now stands, and its crumbling remnants yet linger in the endless dark below the town. A wealthy merchant, carrying out repairs in the deepest part of his cellar, has made a curious discovery—a rubble-choked set of stairs leading to who knows what subterranean depth—and needs a band of brave adventurers to explore whatever lies below…

Design Creighton Broadhurst Cartography Dyson Logos Art  Earl Geier, William McAusland and Matt Morrow 

About Dungeon Backdrops

You are a GM, but you are busy. You want to write your own modules, but you just don’t have the time. And you don’t want to use commercial modules. You want to make your campaign your own. That’s where the Dungeon Backdrop line comes in! Each Dungeon Backdrop presents a fully fleshed-out and lovingly detailed self-contained dungeon ready for you to use as you see fit. Stock the dungeon with your own monsters (and—perhaps—their treasure), decide their back story and you are good to go.

Every Dungeon Backdrop is carefully designed to be easily inserted into almost any fantasy campaign and is compatible with virtually any fantasy roleplaying game.

Dungeon Backdrops: we describe the dungeon, you add the monsters (and the treasure).

A GM’s Resource by Creighton Broadhurst

You are a GM, but you are busy. You want to write your own modules, but you just don’t have the time. And you don’t want to use commercial modules. You want to make your campaign your own. That’s where the Dungeon Backdrop line comes in! Each Dungeon Backdrop presents a fully fleshed-out and lovingly detailed self-contained dungeon ready for you to use as you see fit. Stock the dungeon with your own monsters (and—perhaps—their treasure), decide their back story, and you are good to go.

Every Dungeon Backdrop is carefully designed to be easily inserted into almost any fantasy campaign. Dungeon Backdrops: we describe the dungeon, you add the monsters (and the treasure).

Featuring cartography by Dyson Logos

Contents

This compilation book comprises the following Dungeon Backdrops:

Cabbibal Druid of the Scorned Wood

In his remote woodland lair, the cannibal druid and his pets grew ever-hungry and creep forth to prey upon the hapless travellers and peasants using an isolated woodland track. The increasing number of disappearances on the road have been noticed, however, and the story of a hunter who saw an old, hideously ugly man chewing on what looked like a human arm has begun to circulate through the nearby settlements. Something must be done, but who is brave enough to hunt down the Cannibal Druid of the Scorned Forest?

Cursed Refuge of the Valley of Tears

Once the last friendly place in the so-called Valley of Tears the Hall of Nuraduum is now known by a different name of far more sinister demeanour—the Cursed Refuge. Some travellers who pass through its stone door do not emerge again, while others tell terrifying stories of the nameless horrors they encounter in the enduring dark of the old dwarven fastness. Persistent rumours tell of old treasures hidden in the place, and a few old dwarves dream of reclaiming the refuge—so that at least a fragment of long-fallen Vongyth may again be held by dwarves. Will the characters dare the rumour-shrouded refuge, or will they flee the horrors that yet lurk within?

Decaying Citadel of the Fated Warlock

Lost to time and battered by the foulness of its surrounds, the decrepit and mouldering Decaying Citadel of the Fated Warlock slowly sinks into the Salt Mire. Wreathed in lurid tales of legendry and foul doings, the lonely citadel is now little more than a crumbling shell, yet peasants tell of its mistress’s great power and great wealth. Atavistic lizardfolk haunt the surrounding fens and bogs and keep casual explorers away, but the legend of the Fated Warlock refuses to die. What yet lurks in her ruined castle? Are unfound treasures lurking therein waiting for those brave and clever enough to find them? And what befell the Fated Warlock herself? Only brave adventurers can answer such questions…

Nightmare Lodge of the Insane Armiger

Mired in madness and delusion, the Insane Armiger watches over his domain and demands tribute from all who would pass through. The broken corpses of those failing to offer the proper respect and tax serve as warnings to those who would use his road. Dare the characters enter the Nightmare Lodge of the Insane Armiger and end the mad warrior’s reign of terror?

Lost Cellar of the Nameless Mage

Centuries ago, another settlement stood where Dulwich now stands. Much of the area's ancient history has been forgotten—lost to time's remorseless advance and the fading memories of even the longest-lived folk. However, buried or lost fragments of the past yet remain. A merchant, carrying out repairs in the deepest part of his cellar, makes a curious discovery—a stone trapdoor hidden in a sealed-up room—and needs a band of brave adventurers to explore whatever lies below.

Members of our Patreon campaign pledging as little as $2 a month got this book as just one part of their rewards. Join today.

In the dark, wild places far below the wave-flecked flanks of a forlorn, wave-lashed island lurk the degenerate troglodytes of the Ebon Lake. Dwelling amid the tumbled cyclopean ruins of a forgotten epoch, the troglodytes toil in their labyrinthine, stench-filled caverns at the behest of their bloated, tentacled master. Emerging on fog-shrouded nights when a sullen, gibbous moon hangs low in the sky, the troglodytes raise their croaking voices to the ebon heavens in terrible, half-forgotten rites of veneration to unknown, elder beings.

This System Neutral Monstrous Delve presents the  Troglodytes of the Ebon Lake tribe, along with a detailed overview of the Cave of Susurrant Whispers.

Design Creighton Broadhurst Cartography Dyson Logos Art  William McAusland, Matt Morrow and Justin Russell

About Monstrous Delves

A Monstrous Delve is not a “proper” adventure. Rather, it is a starting point for your creativity. We provide a flavoursome overview of the delve and the monsters therein. You provide their stats and their treasure and pick a suitable adventure hook to draw the characters to the place.

Monstrous Delves are designed so that you can add them to your campaign with the minimum of fuss and effort. Have the characters got lost (deliberately or accidentally)? Have they decided to explore an area of wilderness you have yet to detail? Do you need a side trek or diversion? Simply drop a Monstrous Delve in their path!

Monstrous Delves are system-neutral; however, it is impossible to avoid all game references. A few generic terms such as elf, orc, fighter and cleric appear in the text. Modify these as necessary to suit your game and campaign world.

Members of our Patreon campaign pledging as little as $2 a month got this book as just one part of their rewards. Join today.

The mangled clifftops of the White Cliffs shelter a terrible menace, for when the night air fills with the sound of invidious croaking, the Frozen Tears bugbears are on the hunt. These sadistic bugbears stalk the snow-choked passes on their bloated ice toad steeds, seeking those foolish enough to venture out after dark. Chasing their prey, the Frozen Tears seek to prolong their quarry’s fear as long as possible. At the climax of their hunt, they strike, taking their victim’s head as a trophy, the moment of fear forever frozen in ice by vile magic. It is these horrific expressions that earn the bugbears their standing in the tribe and the favour of their horrendous and profane witch-mother.

This System Neutral Monstrous Delve presents the mercenary Bugbears of the Frozen Tears tribe, along with a detailed overview of the crumbled Frigid Halls of the Inhuman Ones.

Design Creighton Broadhurst Cartography Dyson Logos Art  William McAusland and Matt Morrow

About Monstrous Delves

A Monstrous Delve is not a “proper” adventure. Rather, it is a starting point for your creativity. We provide a flavoursome overview of the delve and the monsters therein. You provide their stats and their treasure and pick a suitable adventure hook to draw the characters to the place.

Monstrous Delves are designed so that you can add them to your campaign with the minimum of fuss and effort. Have the characters got lost (deliberately or accidentally)? Have they decided to explore an area of wilderness you have yet to detail? Do you need a side trek or diversion? Simply drop a Monstrous Delve in their path!

Monstrous Delves are system-neutral; however, it is impossible to avoid all game references. A few generic terms such as elf, orc, fighter and cleric appear in the text. Modify these as necessary to suit your game and campaign world.

Members of our Patreon campaign pledging as little as $2 a month got this book as just one part of their rewards. Join today.

Once the last friendly place in the so-called Valley of Tears the Hall of Nuraduum is now known by a different name of far more sinister demeanour—the Cursed Refuge. Some travellers who pass through its stone door do not emerge again, while others tell terrifying stories of the nameless horrors they encounter in the enduring dark of the old dwarven fastness. Persistent rumours tell of old treasures hidden in the place, and a few old dwarves dream of reclaiming the refuge—so that at least a fragment of long-fallen Vongyth may again be held by dwarves. Will the characters dare the rumour-shrouded refuge, or will they flee the horrors that yet lurk within?

Design Creighton Broadhurst Cartography Dyson Logos and Creighton Broadhurst Art William McAusland and Dean Spencer

About Dungeon Backdrops

You are a GM, but you are busy. You want to write your own modules, but you just don’t have the time. And you don’t want to use commercial modules. You want to make your campaign your own. That’s where the Dungeon Backdrop line comes in! Each Dungeon Backdrop presents a fully fleshed-out and lovingly detailed self-contained dungeon ready for you to use as you see fit. Stock the dungeon with your own monsters (and—perhaps—their treasure), decide their back story, and you are good to go.

Every Dungeon Backdrop is carefully designed to be easily inserted into almost any fantasy campaign and is compatible with virtually any fantasy roleplaying game.

Dungeon Backdrops: we describe the dungeon, you add the monsters (and the treasure).

Members of our Patreon campaign pledging as little as $2 a month got this book as just one part of their rewards. Join today.

The crumbled ruin of the Watchtower of Auku Vaino has long kept a lonely watch over the wild borderland. Now, reports of heavily armed warriors camped at the site and sightings of something huge flying across the night sky have terrified the local peasants. Has bloody war come to the borderlands? Will all soon be in ruin? Who will shield the borderland folk?

Equally renowned for their battle skills and mercenary hearts, the warriors of the Mailed Fist serve anyone with sufficient coin. Heavily armoured, disciplined and well-trained, those who stand below the Mailed Fist's banner are formidable fighters capable of great slaughter. High above, their winged cavalry—elite warriors and battlecasters astride gigantic black bats—hurl missiles and spells down upon their hapless foes.

This System Neutral Monstrous Delve presents the mercenary Hobgoblins of the Mailed Fist tribe, along with a detailed overview of the crumbled ruin of Auku Vaino’s watchtower.

Design Creighton Broadhurst Cartography Dyson Logos Art Philippa Broadhurst and William McAusland

About Monstrous Delves

A Monstrous Delve is not a “proper” adventure. Rather, it is a starting point for your creativity. We provide a flavoursome overview of the delve and the monsters therein. You provide their stats and their treasure and pick a suitable adventure hook to draw the characters to the place.

Monstrous Delves are designed so that you can add them to your campaign with the minimum of fuss and effort. Have the characters got lost (deliberately or accidentally)? Have they decided to explore an area of wilderness you have yet to detail? Do you need a side trek or diversion? Simply drop a Monstrous Delve in their path!

Monstrous Delves are system-neutral; however, it is impossible to avoid all game references. A few generic terms such as elf, orc, fighter and cleric appear in the text. Modify these as necessary to suit your game and campaign world.

Members of our Patreon campaign pledging as little as $2 a month got this book as just one part of their rewards. Join today.

Lost to time and battered by the foulness of its surrounds, the decrepit and mouldering Decaying Citadel of the Fated Warlock slowly sinks into the Salt Mire. Wreathed in lurid tales of legendry and foul doings, the lonely citadel is now little more than a crumbling shell, yet peasants tell of its mistress’s great power and great wealth. Atavistic lizardfolk haunt the surrounding fens and bogs and keep casual explorers away, but the legend of the Fated Warlock refuses to die. What yet lurks in her ruined castle? Are unfound treasures lurking therein waiting for those brave and clever enough to find them? And what befell the Fated Warlock herself? Only brave adventurers can answer such questions…

Design Creighton Broadhurst Cartography Dyson Logos and Creighton Broadhurst Art William McAusland, Dean Spencer and Matt Morrow

About Dungeon Backdrops

You are a GM, but you are busy. You want to write your own modules, but you just don’t have the time. And you don’t want to use commercial modules. You want to make your campaign your own. That’s where the Dungeon Backdrop line comes in! Each Dungeon Backdrop presents a fully fleshed-out and lovingly detailed self-contained dungeon ready for you to use as you see fit. Stock the dungeon with your own monsters (and—perhaps—their treasure), decide their back story, and you are good to go.

Every Dungeon Backdrop is carefully designed to be easily inserted into almost any fantasy campaign and is compatible with virtually any fantasy roleplaying game.

Dungeon Backdrops: we describe the dungeon, you add the monsters (and the treasure).

Members of our Patreon campaign pledging as little as $2 a month got this book as just one part of their rewards. Join today.

The depraved gnoll shaman Grirr Duskclaw lurks in the lightless dungeon below the Hill of the Sunken Skull. There in the endless dark, he toils over the blasphemous, blood-soaked creation of a legion of bloodspawn treants he plans to unleash on the nearby human settlements. A chance discovery leads to the characters learning of the Hill of the Sunken Skull, but not the horrors lurking beneath, and sets them on the path to bloody confrontation and death.

Designed for The Lonely Coast but easily adapted for virtually any other setting.

This System Neutral Monstrous Delve presents the tree-obsessed gnolls of the Bleached Skull tribe, along with a detailed overview of the Hill of the Sunken Hill dungeon.

Design Creighton Broadhurst Cartography Dyson Logos Art William McAusland, Dave Peterson and Marc Radle

Free Resources

Get a free preview of the tribe here and download this supplement’s maps here.

About Monstrous Delves

A Monstrous Delve is not a “proper” adventure. Rather, it is a starting point for your creativity. We provide a flavoursome overview of the delve and the monsters therein. You provide their stats and their treasure and pick a suitable adventure hook to draw the characters to the place.

Monstrous Delves are designed so that you can add them to your campaign with the minimum of fuss and effort. Have the characters got lost (deliberately or accidentally)? Have they decided to explore an area of wilderness you have yet to detail? Do you need a side trek or diversion? Simply drop a Monstrous Delve in their path!

Monstrous Delves are system-neutral; however, it is impossible to avoid all game references. A few generic terms such as elf, orc, fighter and cleric appear in the text. Modify these as necessary to suit your game and campaign world.

Members of our Patreon campaign pledging as little as $2 a month got this book as just one part of their rewards. Join today.

Mired in madness and delusion, the Insane Armiger watches over his domain and demands tribute from all who would pass through. The broken corpses of those failing to offer the proper respect and tax serve as warnings to those who would use his road. Dare the characters enter the Nightmare Lodge of the Insane Armiger and end the mad warrior’s reign of terror?

Design Creighton Broadhurst Cartography Dyson Logos and Creighton Broadhurst Art William McAusland, Dean Spencer and Matt Morrow

About Dungeon Backdrops

You are a GM, but you are busy. You want to write your own modules, but you just don’t have the time. And you don’t want to use commercial modules. You want to make your campaign your own. That’s where the Dungeon Backdrop line comes in! Each Dungeon Backdrop presents a fully fleshed-out and lovingly detailed self-contained dungeon ready for you to use as you see fit. Stock the dungeon with your own monsters (and—perhaps—their treasure), decide their back story, and you are good to go.

Every Dungeon Backdrop is carefully designed to be easily inserted into almost any fantasy campaign and is compatible with virtually any fantasy roleplaying game.

Dungeon Backdrops: we describe the dungeon, you add the monsters (and the treasure).

A GM’s Resource by Creighton Broadhurst and Bart Wynants

You are a GM, but you are busy. You want to write your own modules, but you just don’t have the time. And you don’t want to use commercial modules. You want to make your campaign your own. That’s where the Dungeon Backdrop line comes in! Each Dungeon Backdrop presents a fully fleshed-out and lovingly detailed self-contained dungeon ready for you to use as you see fit. Stock the dungeon with your own monsters (and—perhaps—their treasure), decide their back story, and you are good to go.

Every Dungeon Backdrop is carefully designed to be easily inserted into almost any fantasy campaign. Dungeon Backdrops: we describe the dungeon, you add the monsters (and the treasure).

Featuring cartography by Dyson Logos and Bart Wynants.

This compilation book comprises the following Dungeon Backdrops:

Blasted Donjon of the Erdukr Dwarves

For decades, the Erdukr dwarves have been a dwindling folk. But now, all contact with their ancient hold has ceased. What doom has befallen the dwarves? Did they dig too deep, did their ancient enemies, the Orcs of the Flayed Skull, finally triumph, or did some other doom befall them? Whatever the cause of their fall, the answer lies in the Blasted Donjon of the Erdukr Dwarves!

Cursed Tower of the Astromancer

Strange things have started to happen at the Tower of the Astromancer. Its mistress, the half-elven wizard Tuulitar Vihas, has not been seen for weeks and the locals whisper that the tower is cursed.Odds lights and sounds emanate from the place and calls that something must be done grow louder and more insistent. Dare the heroes brave the Cursed Tower of the Astromancer?

Drowned Fane of the Elder God

Bitter black ichor sprays your face as your axe blade bites into blubber, severing yet another tentacle. As the bloody appendage flops helplessly in the water, the others release their grasp on your companions to slither back towards the beach, offering you a brief respite. Between ragged breaths, you come to realise the full horror of your predicament: there is no way back. With the monster blocking your escape and the waters around you slowly rising, you are faced with a choice: withdraw deeper into the primaeval fane and face its mind-bending horrors with fire and sword, or drown and sink softly into oblivion’s deep, dark embrace. What troubles you most, however, is that the latter option seems to be the most reasonable one by far…

A GM’s Resource by Creighton Broadhurst

You are a GM, but you are busy. You want to write your own modules, but you just don’t have the time. And you don’t want to use commercial modules. You want to make your campaign your own. That’s where the Dungeon Backdrop line comes in! Each Dungeon Backdrop presents a fully fleshed-out and lovingly detailed self-contained dungeon ready for you to use as you see fit. Stock the dungeon with your own monsters (and—perhaps—their treasure), decide their back story, and you are good to go.

Every Dungeon Backdrop is carefully designed to be easily inserted into almost any fantasy campaign. Dungeon Backdrops: we describe the dungeon, you add the monsters (and the treasure).

Featuring cartography by Dyson Logos and Bart Wynants.

This compilation book comprises the following Dungeon Backdrops:

Hidden Redoubt of Gilak Urser

Hidden for long years and wreathed in legendry, the Hidden Redoubt of Gilak Urser ever looms large in treasure-seeker’s dreams. Variously described as a pirate or adventurer in myths and folklore, Gilak Urser is universally thought to have been fabulously wealthy. His hidden lair—and his treasure hoard—has never been found…until now…

Lost Eyrie of the Demon King

An otherworldly evil festers in the bowels of the Lost Eyrie of the Demon King. And now that evil has attracted a powerful servant—a servant wreaking death and destruction on the surrounding countryside and villages. The local villagers need adventurers to eradicate this terrible threat, but will the heroes realise that something even worse lurks in the eternal dark of the Lost Eyrie of the Demon King?

Shattered Halls of the Undying Oracles

For centuries, the adherents of a strange cult have harvested the skulls of learned folk and interred them in the so-called Halls of the Undying Oracles. Thus, their knowledge is safeguarded for future generations. Now an earthquake has severely damaged the Halls. Was it a natural event, divine punishment for the cult’s blasphemous works, or is something more sinister going on?

Are you a busy GM? Does session prep take too long? Do you never have time to work on the cool little details that can bring your session to life? Well, fear not! That’s where the One-Pager line comes in. This compilation gives you, the time-crunched GM, the system-neutral tools to effortlessly add verisimilitude and detail to your adventure.

Use the material herein either before or during play to bask in your players' adulation.

The material herein is compatible with virtually any fantasy roleplaying game

The contents of this book are available free in individual downloads here at Raging Swan Press. By buying this book at the retail price, you are supporting Raging Swan Press and helping us to release more free One-Pagers for the community.

About One-Pagers

Are you short on time? Do you need a quick and easy GM’s Resource to help add depth and flavour to your game? Would you like it to be free? Yes? Then One-Pagers are for you!

One-Pagers are System Neutral resources designed to give you, the time-crunched GM, just enough detail to get through the session. Each One-Pager comprises several random tables focused on a different environment, dungeon type or urban feature.

Every download comprises a lightweight, printer-friendly one-page PDF and a .txt file. The PDF is for your GM’s file. The .txt file is for your adventure manuscript or VTT.

This sample bundle comprises the following System Neutral supplements from Raging Swan Press:

• 20 Things #70: Urban Landmarks

• 20 Things #72: Urban Oddities

• Monstrous Lair #71: Striges Domain

• Monstrous Lair #77: Necromancer’s Sanctum

• Urban Locale #03: Slum Tavern

• Urban Locale #04: Wizard’s Tower

Games set in a richly detailed, immersive world are better than games that are not.

Are you a busy GM? Does session prep take too long? Do you never have time to work on the cool little details that can bring your session to life? Well, fear not! That’s where the One-Pager line comes in. This compilation gives you, the time-crunched GM, the system-neutral tools to effortlessly add verisimilitude and detail to your adventure.

Use the material herein either before or during play to bask in your players' adulation.

The material herein is compatible with virtually any fantasy roleplaying game and comprises the first 52 instalments in the line.

The contents of this book are available free in individual downloads here at Raging Swan Press. By buying this book at the retail price, you are supporting Raging Swan Press and helping us to release more free One-Pagers for the community.

About One-Pagers

Are you short on time? Do you need a quick and easy GM’s Resource to help add depth and flavour to your game? Would you like it to be free? Yes? Then One-Pagers are for you!

One-Pagers are System Neutral resources designed to give you, the time-crunched GM, just enough detail to get through the session. Each One-Pager comprises several random tables focused on a different environment, dungeon type or urban feature.

Every download comprises a lightweight, printer-friendly one-page PDF and a .txt file. The PDF is for your GM’s file. The .txt file is for your adventure manuscript or VTT.

GM's Miscellany: 20 Things V comprises over 70 pages crammed full with system neutral tables designed to help you add depth, detail and verisimilitude into your games with virtually no effort.

If you have alchemist's laboratories, archives and libraries, black dragon's lairs, ghasts, ghouls, green dragon's lairs, items most wondrous, local landmarks, mummies, ruined cities, ruined monasteries, ruined wizard's towers, skeletons, smugglers' villagers, vampires castles, wights or zombies in your campaign GM's Miscellany: 20 Things V has got you covered!

This System Neutral GM’s Resource can be used either before or during the game session.

A System Neutral Edition GM’s Resource by Creighton Broadhurst and Steve Hood.

About 20 Things

Are you a busy GM? Does session prep take too long? Do you never have time to work on the cool little details that can bring your session to life? Well fear not! That’s where the 20 Things line comes in. Compiled from the free 20 Things posts available at Raging Swan’s website, this short, focused compilation gives you, the time-crunched GM, the tools to effortlessly add verisimilitude and detail to your adventure. Use the material herein either before or during play and bask in your players' adulation.

Are you a busy GM? Does session prep take too long? Do you never have time to work on the cool little details that can bring your adventures, dungeons and campaign to life? Each Monstrous Lair instalment gives you, the time-crunched GM, the tools to effortlessly add verisimilitude and detail to your dungeons. Use the material herein either before or during play and bask in your players' adulation.

The Monstrous Lairs Mini Collection comprises the following instalments in the line:

• Monstrous Lair #23: Troglodytes’ Warren

• Monstrous Lair #28: Smugglers’ Hidden Den

• Monstrous Lair #29: Vampire’s Crypt

• Monstrous Lair #40: Drow Outpost

• Monstrous Lair #43: Wolves’ Den

• Monstrous Lair #45: Hydra’s Den

The Monstrous Lair Collection is a System Neutral GM's Resource

If you enjoyed these books, check out the Complete Monstrous Lair Collection which comprises all 46 instalments in the line!

Tired of glossing over the details of your PCs’ overland journey (except for the inevitable, violent random encounters)? Want to add in minor features of interest to their journeys? Want to make their journeys seem more “real”? Then GM’s Miscellany: Wilderness Dressing is for you! A compilation of the Wilderness Dressing line, each instalment focuses on a different type of wilderness or a feature therein and gives the harried GM the tools to bring such features to life with interesting and cool noteworthy features.

GM’s Miscellany: Wilderness Dressing presents loads of great features and details to enliven your PCs’ travel both overland and by sea. Designed to be used both during preparation or actual play, GM’s Miscellany: Wilderness Dressing is an invaluable addition to any GM's armoury!

A System Neutral GM's Resource by John Bennett, Creighton Broadhurst, Seamus Conneely, Brian Gregory, Eric Hindley, Brian Wiborg Monster, David Posener, Josh Vogt and Mike Welham

Tired of your towns and cities being boring, bland places in which your PCs show little or no interest? Want to bring your towns and cities alive with cool, interesting minor features of note? Then GM’s Miscellany: Urban Dressing is for you! Presenting tons of cool, interesting features for common urban fixture such as shops, stalls, thieves and so on GM’s Miscellany: Urban Dressing provides the harried GM the tools to bring such features to life with interesting and noteworthy features.

A System Neutral Edition GM's Resource by Ben Armitage, Creighton Broadhurst, Brian Fitzpatrick, James Graham, Richard Green, Brian Liberge, Brian Wiborg Mønster, Julian Neale, Marc Radle, Brian J. Ratcliff, Liz Smith, Jacob Trier, Josh Vogt and Daron Woodson

Tired of your towns and cities being boring, bland places in which your PCs show little or no interest? Want to bring them alive with cool, interesting minor features of note? Then Urban Dressing is for you! Each instalment in the line focuses on a different kind of town and gives harried GMs the tools to bring such locales to life with interesting and noteworthy features.

This compilation presents loads of great features, NPCs and minor encounters to add to the towns in your campaign. Designed to be used both during preparation or actual play, GM’s Miscellany: Urban Dressing II is an invaluable addition to any GM's armoury!

A System Neutral Edition GM's Resource by Josh Vogt

A System Neutral Compatible GM’s Resource by Creighton Broadhurst, Fabian Fehrs, Jeff Gomez, Steve Hood, Greg Marks, Jacob W. Michaels, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, David N. Ross and Mike Welham

Village Backdrops are short, richly detailed supplements that each present a single village ready to insert into almost any home campaign. Perfect for use as a waystop on the road to adventure, as an adventure site themselves or as a PC’s home, Village Backdrop present the details so the busy GM can focus on crafting exciting, compelling adventures.

GM’s Miscellany: Village Backdrops IV comprises the following villages:

• Arcmoor (by Fabian Fehrs)

• Aubade (by Jacob W. Michaels)

• Azagirn (by Creighton Broadhurst)

• Brackendale (by Steve Hood)

• Carillon (by Jacob W. Michaels)

• Don Galir (by Steve Hood)

• Edgewood (by Mike Welham)

• Feigrvidr (by Stephen Radney-MacFarland)

• Gloya's Bridge (by David N. Ross)

• Hopespyre (by Jacob W.Michaels)

• Hornwall (by Jeff Gomez)

• Poxmire (by Mike Welham)

Arcmoor

For much of its life, the village of Arcmoor was a sleepy place, far removed from the doings of heroes, kings and warlords. All that changed, however, when an orcish horde was destroyed near the village by the hero Therald Arcmoor. Therald died at the moment of his greatest triumph, and his death—strangely—heralded great change in the village. A shrine raised in his honour has grown increasingly popular of late and Arcmoor is slowly being transformed from a sleepy backwater into a popular destination for pilgrims, visiting warriors and the like.

Recent sightings of two dragons, and their depredations, have cast a pall over the village. The fearsome pair apparently dwell somewhere in the nearby Tuskwood, and the villagers fear the dragons will bring economic (or actual) ruin down upon the village. Villagers fear adventurers flocking to the village could make the situation worse; thus far, the dragons have stayed away from Arcmoor proper but if the heroes fail to slay the scaly beasts the pair could destroy the village in retaliation. Thus, Arcmoor’s future hangs in the balance.

Aubade

Laid low by a witch's curse, life in the once-prosperous village of Aubade is lived in reverse. At dawn, the streets empty, residents remaining hidden inside during the daylight hours avoiding the sun’s caress. At night, lamps lining the village's cobblestone streets blaze to life, and the residents emerge to tend their fields and cast their nets into the lake as best they can.

While the village was once a centre of piety that drew the faithful from miles around to hear the beautiful dawn descants of the children's choir, now no one comes to Aubade. Whispers of vampires swirl around the remote region and dissuade frighten travellers from stopping at the village, where residents equally dread visitors will discover their shameful secret.

Azagirn

Eschewing the deep, dark homes of their ancestors, the survivors of the reputedly cursed dwarven clan of Azacral now dwell amid the stark beauty of high, windswept hills. But life is not idyllic for the dwarves as their ancient enemy—tribes of half-mad, homicidal trolls— ever lurk nearby. While the majority tend herds of sheep and goats with the aid of their domesticated wolves, an unknowing, accidental threat lurks within the village—a threat that could return herald the return of the ancient slaughter and bloody death that birthed the village a century ago.

Brackendale

Brackendale was once a bustling borderland village beset by savage humanoids lurking in the nearby woods and hills. Then, the village was a busy place and wandering adventurers, sellswords and mercenaries were a common sight on its streets. The arrival of the Six—a band of adventurers charged with securing the village’s environs—changed all that. Their annihilation of the goblin and orc raiders along with the completion of extensive defensives work brought peace and security to Brackendale.

But peace it seems had a price. With nothing to hunt adventurers passed by without stopping at the village; the village traders and merchants sold less and less each year and most now barely scrape a living. Now disgruntled villagers resent the adventurers that once brought peace to their little village.

Carillon

Ringing day and night, the many bells of Carillon echo through the village, a nearly constant tolling that serves as both protection from, and reminder of, the danger lurking beyond the village's borders. Deep in the otherwise idyllic Elysian Valley that is otherwise an endless bounty for the so-called village of bells, something sinister—the Hush—lurks and plots harm to the hunters who inhabit and visit Carillon. Fortunately, the noise of the bells—from the village's central bell tower, hanging on every home's doors, even sewn onto clothes or worn as jewellery— keeps the Hush away; thus the villagers trade peace for safety.

Don Galir

Last known hold of the dwarves in Ashlar, shadow-cloaked Don Galir lies hard against Lake Thraren dark, cold waters in a massive cavern buried directly beneath the human village of Wellswood. Dozens of wells, illuminating the lake’s dark, unknowable deep waters with faint shafts of light and link the lake below with the village above. Strange fungi and mushrooms grow around the lake’s shore and stranger fish dwell in its lightless watery depths. Humans and dwarves fish the lake and harvest these unique plants in an increasingly uneasy peace. Now the jealous attentions of the greedy lord of the village above fall on Don Galir and taxes slowly increase. The reclusive, secretive dwarves of the Erdikr clan work hard to fortify their hold and to attract more of their brethren to Don Galir while some secretly plot to regain their fallen dragon-infested holds lying far to the south.

Edgewood

The thriving village of Edgewood stands in the very shadow of the Shadetimer Forest. For a century, it has prospered. Wars, droughts and pestilence striking other nearby settlements never seem to affect the village, and yet tragedy mars life in Edgewood. For every year, terror stalks the village and its inhabitants die seemingly random, but horrible and gruesome, deaths. Thus, despite its prosperity, Edgewood remains a small place, and few travellers remain there for long.

Feigrvidr

Most dwarven holds are vast and ordered halls filled with solemn and stoic craftsfolk. But that’s not Feigrvidr. Some say it’s not a dwarf hold at all, but rather a lawless mining camp ruled by dwarf thugs and ruthless agents of the ruling thane.

Founded less than three years ago by Svingal Halfbeard, the ore coming from a vale carved out of the headlands of the Titan Peaks is of the greatest purity and the works coming forth from Feigrvidr’s forges are both subtle and ingenious, rivalling those of any traditional dwarven stronghold. The great wealth coming from the foot of the Titan Peaks was only the beginning, now with the discovery of ancient and abandoned giant halls deeper among the mountains’ spires adventurers are flocking to the camp, increasing its wealth and its danger.

Gloya's Bridge

Gloya’s Bridge is a village swathed in secrets. Wearing masks and veils in the streets is normal, giving a chance at unparalleled anonymity and the freedom to indulge in a variety of entertainments with minimal restrictions. Those who want a second chance flock here, in no small part because an unconventional order offers a chance for criminals to leave their pasts behind and be recognised as reformed. Yet, not everyone has the will to reform or the patience to prove it, and the work of the Merciful Order is not enough for all the foes dogging some troubled souls. The offer of a new life for anyone is an important promise to many in Gloya’s Bridge, but the richest patriarch has designs on a new, firmer order. And deep below the surface, a conspiracy threatens to dim or even extinguish this beacon of hope as it gathers the hidden secrets of dangerous and troubled people who have come here from across the region.

Hopespyre

Their beliefs considered heretical by the Church of the God of the Sun and their presence viewed as a threat to the cruel ruler of their homeland, the members of the Church of the Redemptive Flame fled and founded a new home in remote Hopespyre. The cult now wants nothing more than to live a sin-free life in their new refuge but events conspire against them. The evil elemental lord of fire has set his sights on the cult and schemes to subvert its good intentions. Ageing church leader Dagor Thursh edges closer to death each day, and a struggle is growing for the right to succeed him, its flames fanned by followers of the elemental lord who have infiltrated the village.

Hornwall

Five years ago, the bandits won. They overwhelmed the village of Hornwall, killed its citizens and looted their treasures. Then, they settled down. The bandits of Hornwall now reside within the very defences meant to keep them out. They have given up the sword and taken up the ploughshare, exchanging a life of danger for one of safety. The villagers hide their secret well, but bodies keep appearing—floating in on the current, dug up by dogs and even emerging from the thawing winter snows. And the citizens who wish to return to the old ways are murdered in their sleep by their loved ones and business owners who wish to keep the past dead and buried. If passing travellers learn the truth, they have a choice. Forgive and forget? Or avenge the uncaring dead and leave Hornwall nothing but ashes.

Poxmire

Poxmire’s disease-ravaged residents choose lingering death over execution. The secluded island village is the destination for those who have incurable, contagious ailments, and those who cannot (or refuse to) pay for curative magic. As is the nature of such places of exile, Poxmire serves as a convenient place to also send fallen political rivals and the like. A sizeable donation to the appropriate temple is enough for a declaration that a foe’s malady cannot be treated.

Despite the village’s unfortunate nature, most inhabitants are content with their lot, thanks in part to the plentiful fish supplementing kitchen gardens growing in a pleasant climate. Poxmire could have been so much more were it not for rumours of terrible, centuries-old sacrifices carried out by cultists devoted to a now-dead deity of pestilence. Superstitious people worry about sending diseased folk to a location dedicated to the spread of disease, but the lack of cult activity for two decades has allayed most fears.