Feeding Time | Short 5e & PF2e Adventure

January 20, 2024
Posted by Luke Hart

Written by Zac Chaney
Cartography by Architect GM and Lukas Johannimloh

This short adventure is designed for level 6 and can be dragged and dropped into practically any campaign. Versions for both 5e and Pathfinder 2e are included.

If you're looking for another short adventure like this or other 5e and PF2e resources, check out our entire collection of Lair Magazine issues. This specific adventure came from the October 2023 issue, Luna & Lycan.

Getting Started

This adventure is shorter than a standard adventure, comprising about half an adventuring day. Because this is not a full-length adventure, most adventuring parties one level below the adventure level should be able to complete them. However, as the adventures are not designed for parties of that level, they may find it more challenging than expected and even face the risk of defeat.

Because this adventure is intentionally designed to comprise only a portion of an adventuring day, it does not follow the traditional quest-giver-to-adventure-location structure. Instead, consider one of the following alternative options to start the adventure:

The characters stumble upon the first part of the adventure while on their travels. This may come as they travel to another adventure location or while exploring the wilderness. It may also be an alternative to a random encounter.
The characters hear rumors about the described location and want to check it out. This can be used either to set up a larger scenario going forward or as a welcome distraction from the main campaign.
A patron or NPC asks the characters to investigate the location, using the short adventure to gauge the character’s skill. This can be particularly useful as an “induction” mission with little chance of failure to ensure that the characters survive their first real mission from the patron.

When using any of these, keep in mind the nature of your group. As written, these adventures assume the characters are good-aligned and will investigate wrongdoing of their own accord. If this does not apply to your group, consider adding incentives as appropriate.

The details needed for running this adventure are included below. However, the game master is encouraged to customize it slightly for their group and ongoing campaign. Consider questions such as the following:

Where will this adventure take place in your world?
Should you change the names of any locations to make them better fit your campaign setting?
Should you increase or decrease the loot it contains, including adding or removing magic items?
Should you adjust any of the encounters to better fit the power level of your players and their characters?

Feeding Time - 5e

Game Master Notes

Level. This adventure is designed for a group of four to six level-six characters.

Creatures. This adventure features the following creatures: werebear, wererat, werewolf.

Resting. It’s expected that the party will not need to take any long rests in this adventure. Lower-level parties may need to take a short rest.

Loot. This adventure contains treasure from one roll on the Individual Treasure: Challenge 5-10 table in the Game Master’s Core Rulebook.

The Broken Bridge

The bridge up ahead has seen better days. Even from a distance, it is clear that it hasn’t seen maintenance in at least a decade, and a large chunk has fallen into the river below. A small group of people stands on the bridge, four on the sturdy-looking part towards the back and a couple precariously close to the edge.

Two wereboars and two wererats are harassing a pair of travelers on the bridge.

Roleplaying Notes.

These four lycanthropes are from a small group that has set up residence in the area. They have been harassing people on the bridge for some time now.
The travelers are from a merchant caravan that was supposed to pass through the area. Their coach driver wasn’t paying attention, and their wagon fell into the river below, washing all the goods away.
They decided to make camp nearby to figure out what to do next, but several of them were kidnapped that night. These two tried to find the rest but ended up in their current situation.
The wereboars explain that they have no control over any of this, and it isn’t even time for them to transform right now. They just have a compulsion to feed, and these travelers seem tasty.
The travelers beg the characters to help them; after seeing the characters fight, they ask for help finding their companions.

Encounter Notes.

These four fight purely animalistically; they don’t use complex tactics or work together.
They are savage, brutal, and hungry. If they drop anybody to 0 hp, they will try to consume them and tear them apart.
They only try to throw someone off the bridge if they think it’s necessary to survive. They would rather keep everyone up on the bridge so they can eat them afterward.

The Bridge. The bridge is barely holding itself together. If it takes 50 damage throughout the fight or receives any thunder damage, it collapses into the river 50 feet below. If it collapses, any creature on the bridge must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw or take 33 (6d10) bludgeoning damage from the bridge fragments falling on them.

Hunting for the Den. Finding the start of the trail toward the den is trivial, as there is a streak of blood across the desert leading in the right direction. After a short way, the trail becomes less clear and all but stops. The characters must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check to locate the den; otherwise, they will be unable to find it. If this occurs, the game master may choose from one of the following options:

The characters can continue to search, making a new check each hour. Each time they make a new check, the DC increases by one.
The characters hear screams coming from the den. They find it after following the screams, but the people described as survivors are dead when they arrive.
The characters can’t find it, and the people taken there are lost. The monsters in the den may ambush the characters on one of the following nights, knowing they need to kill them or they will discover their den’s location.

The Feeding Den

Green crystals cover the area, emitting a sickly hue. They feel unnatural—things not meant to exist. A small gaggle of lycanthropes tear and chew at the flesh of a small pile of corpses, their hunger seemingly endless as they gulp down piece after piece. Three people watch, terrified; they do not have gags, yet they don’t utter a sound, their will to live seemingly broken.

One wereboar, three wererats, and two werewolves are feasting on several deceased people. Three others look on in horror, bound and helpless.

Roleplaying Notes.

These creatures have lost their sanity after too much exposure to the crystals. They’re little more than incredibly dangerous versions of wild animals.
They simply devour the corpses and capture more food to eat. They still retain enough faculties to fight and capture people, but they aren’t even able to operate on the same level as a common bandit.
If the characters try to talk to them, they only cry out about their insatiable hunger and return to eating. If the characters actively try to get them to do something other than eat, they turn to attack, planning to add them to the other captives.

Encounter Notes.

Like the others before, these creatures are animalistic and savage. Their combat tactics are simple and straightforward.
Each one of them carries some rope. If they drop someone to 0 hp, they will bind them tightly.

The Crystals. These crystals have the unique power to emit a strange light resembling moonlight. In the presence of these crystals, lycanthropes are forced into their hybrid forms and cannot change back unless they avoid exposure for at least a full day. While transformed like this, the lycanthrope feels an insatiable hunger that they think can only be satisfied by eating people; however, even after consuming someone, they are still hungry. Prolonged exposure to these crystals will eventually drive them insane. They have no effect on anyone who isn’t a lycanthrope. If shattered, the crystals lose their magic and become nothing more than a pretty stone. A DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check can uncover these properties.

If left intact, the characters can gather crystals worth 400 gp. If destroyed, the crystals are only worth one-quarter of that amount.

Conclusion

After being freed, the captives try to reunite with their companions. They’re now broke and still have to pay for the lost goods, so their troubles are far from over. If the characters left the crystals intact, the travelers tell them that the gold from the crystals would help them start over. However, since they defeated the monsters, the crystals belong to the characters.

At the game master’s discretion, these travelers could become points of contact with other merchants or even dignitaries from various cities. This is particularly true if the characters provide them with the gold from the crystals to pay their debts.

Feeding Time - Pathfinder 2e

Game Master Notes

Level. This adventure is designed for a group of four level-six characters.

Creatures. This adventure features the following creatures: werebear, weretiger, and werewolf.

Adventure Difficulty. The party can expect to encounter one low encounter and one moderate encounter in this adventure.

Loot. This adventure contains the following treasure: an assortment of mundane loot.

The Broken Bridge [Low Encounter]

The bridge up ahead has seen better days. Even from a distance, it is clear that it hasn’t seen maintenance in at least a decade, and a large chunk has fallen into the river below. A small group of people stands on the bridge, five on the sturdy-looking part towards the back and a couple precariously close to the edge.

Three wereboars and two werewolves are harassing a pair of travelers on the bridge.

Roleplaying Notes.

These five lycanthropes are from a small group that has set up residence in the area. They have been harassing people on the bridge for some time now.
The travelers are from a merchant caravan that was supposed to pass through the area. Their coach driver wasn’t paying attention, and their wagon fell into the river below, washing all the goods away.
They decided to make camp nearby to figure out what to do next, but several of them were kidnapped that night. These two tried to find the rest but ended up in their current situation.
The wereboars explain that they have no control over any of this, and it isn’t even time for them to transform right now. They just have a compulsion to feed, and these travelers seem tasty.
The travelers beg the characters to help them; after seeing the characters fight, they ask for help finding their companions.

Encounter Notes.

These five lycanthropes fight purely animalistically; they don’t use complex tactics or work together.
They are savage, brutal, and hungry. If they drop anybody to 0 hp, they will try to consume them and tear them apart.
They only try to throw someone off the bridge if they think it’s necessary to survive. They would rather keep everyone up on the bridge so they can eat them afterward.

The Bridge. The bridge is barely holding itself together. If it takes 50 damage throughout the fight or receives any sonic damage, it collapses into the river 50 feet below. If it collapses, any creature on the bridge must make a DC 20 basic Reflex saving throw or take 17 (3d10) bludgeoning damage from the bridge fragments falling on them.

Hunting for the Den. Finding the start of the trail toward the den is trivial, as there is a streak of blood across the desert leading in the right direction. After a short way, the trail becomes less clear and all but stops. The characters must succeed on a DC 15 Survival check to locate the den; otherwise, they will be unable to find it. If this occurs, the game master may choose from one of the following options:

The characters can continue to search, making a new check each hour. Each time they make a new check, the DC increases by one.
The characters hear screams coming from the den. They find it after following the screams, but the people described as survivors are dead when they arrive.
The characters can’t find it, and the people taken there are lost. The monsters in the den may ambush the characters on one of the following nights, knowing they need to kill them or they will discover their den’s location.

The Feeding Den [Moderate Encounter]

Two weretigers, two werewolves, and one wereboar are feasting on several deceased people. Three others look on in horror, bound and helpless.

Roleplaying Notes.

These creatures have lost their sanity after too much exposure to the crystals. They’re little more than incredibly dangerous versions of wild animals.
They simply devour the corpses and capture more food to eat. They still retain enough faculties to fight and capture people, but they aren’t even able to operate on the same level as a common bandit.
If the characters try to talk to them, they only cry out about their insatiable hunger and return to eating. If the characters actively try to get them to do something other than eat, they turn to attack, planning to add them to the other captives.

Encounter Notes.

Like the others before, these creatures are animalistic and savage. Their combat tactics are simple and straightforward.
Each one of them carries some rope. If they drop someone to 0 hp, they will bind them tightly.

The Crystals. These crystals have the unique power to emit a strange light resembling moonlight. In the presence of these crystals, lycanthropes are forced into their hybrid forms and cannot change back unless they avoid exposure for at least a full day. While transformed like this, the lycanthrope feels an insatiable hunger that they think can only be satisfied by eating people; however, even after consuming someone, they are still hungry. Prolonged exposure to these crystals will eventually drive them insane. They have no effect on anyone who isn’t a lycanthrope. If shattered, the crystals lose their magic and become nothing more than a pretty stone. A DC 15 Arcana (trained) check can uncover these properties.

If left intact, the characters can gather crystals worth 40 gp. If destroyed, the crystals are only worth one-quarter of that amount.

Conclusion

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