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 willingly and his current guests make taking it a most difficult endeavor. Deftly designed by RK Rob...
2023-12-10 11:30:37 +0000 UTC
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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 bug, sugar glider, and turtle. Don't GM in the wilderness without it! Diligently designed by Andrew ...
2023-12-05 02:57:23 +0000 UTC
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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 fools that dare stand between her and that which she seeks. Dastardly designed by Mike Myler, illustr...
2023-11-28 04:34:23 +0000 UTC
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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—provided that the adventurers can hold it long enough. Dutifully designed by Tyler Omichinski, illust...
2023-11-22 20:22:55 +0000 UTC
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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 together into the formidable Pyre, raising settlements across the tundra with abandon. Tonie Ankrifkadótti...
2023-11-15 20:22:32 +0000 UTC
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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 fragment (CR 12) copies created to serve his will! Disgustingly designed by Michael McCarthy, ill...
2023-11-10 02:50:16 +0000 UTC
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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 winged companion. Draconically designed by Andrew Engelbrite, illustrated by Indi Martin.
2023-11-05 11:18:20 +0000 UTC
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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!
2023-10-31 16:35:22 +0000 UTC
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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 supernatural force for woe and dismay. Dauntingly designed by Marc Kenobi, illustrated by Yeysson Bellai...
2023-10-27 23:54:31 +0000 UTC
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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: why? Where does this endless supply of madcap morons even come from? While some of the higher-ranked...
2023-10-22 15:47:30 +0000 UTC
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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—can usually be found there. Yet there is treachery afoot in this hallowed hall! A murderer is on the...
2023-10-17 14:14:36 +0000 UTC
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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 made it quite dangerous indeed! Dutifully designed by Tyler Omichinski for 4 PCs of 5th level, illust...
2023-10-10 21:16:45 +0000 UTC
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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 2), and veteran guard (CR 2), and finally the utterly lethal slasher
2023-10-06 00:22:28 +0000 UTC
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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 designed by Charlie Brooks for 4–5 PCs of 5th level, illustrated by Indi Martin, and featuring the car...
2023-09-27 18:15:51 +0000 UTC
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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 anyone who asks—so long as they haven’t accumulated any late fees, of course. Descriptively des...
2023-09-23 01:16:45 +0000 UTC
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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. Deftly designed by RK Robison, illustrated by Yeysson Bellaiza, with cartography by Kate Moody.
2023-09-17 17:33:27 +0000 UTC
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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 the soul can't come back, and someone or something else answers the call of the resurrection? Psycho...
2023-09-12 01:13:56 +0000 UTC
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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 lethal flock of razor gulls (CR 5), hide the enormous shipwrecker crab
2023-09-06 03:02:06 +0000 UTC
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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 night than criminals eager to fleece the pockets of frightened townsfolk. Despicably designed by Anthony...
2023-08-25 23:12:27 +0000 UTC
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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 by Andrew Engelbrite, illustrated by Indi Martin.
2023-08-20 17:28:48 +0000 UTC
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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 it but the well-meaning criminals have taken something that the masters of the City of Rogues will re...
2023-08-16 19:57:30 +0000 UTC
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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 wizards can cast spell tinker to interfere with magic as it is brought into the world! Dividedly...
2023-08-11 00:09:20 +0000 UTC
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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 throughout a settlement as doors suddenly lead to inexplicable places nearby! Dynamically designed by Austi...
2023-08-04 15:55:54 +0000 UTC
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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 for 4–6 PCs of 6th level was dedicatedly designed by Tyler Omichinski, illustrated by Indi Martin...
2023-07-26 17:39:46 +0000 UTC
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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 able to contend with the undead. Darkly designed by Charlie Brooks, illustrated by Indi Martin.
2023-07-21 22:30:43 +0000 UTC
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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 seek safety in the village of Kroppa, but with commerce at a standstill it is becoming increasingly ...
2023-07-15 19:38:11 +0000 UTC
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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! Depth-defying designs by Anthony Pryor, illustration by Hannah Seakins, and featuring the cartography o...
2023-07-09 00:43:56 +0000 UTC
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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 (CR 5), fiery pyromancer (CR 6), and shadowy umbramancer (CR 5)...
2023-07-04 16:54:35 +0000 UTC
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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 help Calissa understand her plight are met with a potent rage, and those who cross paths with her in t...
2023-06-26 14:49:52 +0000 UTC
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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 underwater is actually a frogwallop that tries to suffocate, or that the frost agaric they...
2023-06-21 13:56:03 +0000 UTC
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