Murder and Run | Free Short Adventure for D&D and PF2e

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Murder-and-Run - 5e

Below are the details you need to run this adventure. 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 any of the location names to make them better fit your campaign setting?
Should you increase or decrease the loot, 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?

Game Master Notes

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

Creatures. This adventure features the following creatures: bandit, noble, skeleton, zombie.

Resting. It’s expected that the party will not need to take any long rests in this adventure, though they may need one short rest if the characters encounter bad luck.

H1. Scene of the Murder

The stench of iron is a punch to the nose as the scene reveals itself from around the bend. This riverbed is as dry as a bone . . . except where patches of blood spill onto the gravel-dirt ground. Several large trees have fallen into the gully from the cliffs below, the leaves still green. Four bodies lay scattered throughout the area. The closest one is a bearded male in a blue coat with several arrows sticking out of his back. Two more bodies are further in, their features hidden by the trees that are crushing their torsos, chests, and heads. One more body collapsed at the mouth of a stone archway is a lean figure in grey with arrows spilling from the quiver on her back. Flies buzz in persistent clouds around the bodies.

Creatures. The two corpses not trapped under logs reanimate if the players disturb any of the bodies by investigating them. The half-dwarf in the blue coat animates as a zombie, while the elven archer uses the skeleton stat block. They will attack the party since they don’t know what killed them.

Roleplaying Notes.

· As they are recently dead, the half-dwarf and elf have the memories and personalities from when they were alive. However, because of the suddenness of the ambush that killed them, they do not realize they have died and will “fight for their lives.” Both can still speak since they died recently.

· The half-dwarf zombie yells that the party will regret this before attacking them. He is sullen, brash, and easily angered. He died first in the ambush.

· The elf “skeleton” attempted to run after watching her companions get shot down or crushed. She is terrified and will shoot anyone she doesn’t recognize.

· One will yell to the other, “I don’t see Jerica. She must have gotten away!” This refers to their fifth group member, whose body is not present.

· When fighting, they’ll exclaim that the party isn’t so tough now that they’re not hiding in the trees.

Encounter Notes.

· The pair will animate when the party disturbs one of the corpses. Since they don’t know who attacked them, they will assume the party is responsible.

· The elf will pull her shortbow out of the gravel next to her.

· Because of the suddenness of their death, the pair will continue fighting and not listen to reason. Only when being reduced to 0 hit points will they realize the party isn’t responsible.

Causes of Death. Two of the bodies (a human male in his mid-20s and a human female in her late 30s) died when a tree fell, crushing them; the half-dwarf died from arrows, and the elf died from an axe to the chest.

Footprints. A character who succeeds on a DC 14 Wisdom (Survival) check will notice five sets of footprints coming from the bottom of the map, but only four bodies are present. If they check the stone archway, they will find the fifth set of footprints leading to the north. If the characters succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom (Insight or Survival) check, they’ll deduce that whoever left the footprints was running.

Looted Bodies. A character who succeeds on a DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check will notice someone looted the bodies. There is not a single valuable item on them, and all armor and weapons are missing from their body (except for the elf’s bow, which the looter missed). Footprints surround the bodies. A successful DC 13 Intelligence (Perception or Survival) check will properly identify five unique sets of footprints that come from the cliffs surrounding the gully and then retreat back up the cliffs.

Trapped Cliffs. The cliffs surrounding the gully are 15 feet tall. Investigating the cliffs above the gully reveals pegs and cut ropes. A successful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals that the logs were placed as traps to crush anyone unlucky enough to be under them once they rolled into the gully. Footprints on both sides of the cliff reveal that five creatures arrived and left to the north.

To the Next Scene. Characters who follow the tracks made by the fifth missing party member, or the bandits’ tracks, and succeed on two successful DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) checks before having three failures will arrive at the bandit’s hideout (areas H2 and H3). Characters that fail will lose the trail and become lost.

H2. Around the Hideout

Despite the season, the trees, bushes, and grasses in this area are dyed green, yellow, and brown. Some plants are lush and vibrant, while others are clearly dying or already dead. A wagon and several crates sit at the end of the pounded dirt road, and a large wooden building stands beside it. It is too big to be a shed, but it lacks the inviting atmosphere of a house.

Nature Failing. A character who succeeds on a DC 16 Wisdom (Nature) check will successfully determine that there is no logic to the plants dying. Two trees of the same type standing next to each other will be in completely different stages of vitality. This hints that the Shard’s magic to support life is failing.

Stolen Goods. The chests next to and in the wagon are full of stolen goods the bandits have stolen over the past few weeks. They contain food, waterskins, and other items useful for survival.

H3. Hideout Interior

A large wagon sits just within the open doorway. The interior of this building is perfectly ordinary, albeit dimly lit. There are several rows of shelves with small boxes and pots on them, labeled to identify their contents. Neatly stacked medium and large crates separate the entryway from a table in one corner, surrounded by a trio of chairs. Five mugs hang from the wall; the only light comes from a lantern on the table and a torch on the wall near the door.

Creatures. Five bandits and one noble are in the hideout, splitting the loot gained from killing the adventurers in H1. They are carefree and have no reason to believe the party is on their trail. The noble is the fifth party member who willingly led her party into a trap to get a slice of the loot.

Roleplaying Notes.

· The bandits were ordinary people before things started going wrong. Fear of dying and stories of famine, death, and unrest drove them to this life from their hamlets. They want to survive above all else.

· Jerica Loz, the tiefling noble, took no joy in leading her party members to their deaths, but she regards it with a cold practicality. Things are getting bad, and they would have lacked the guts to do what they had to. In a twisted sense, she sees killing them as sparing them from having to make horrible decisions should things get worse.

· The bandits trust each other enough not to betray the rest but have minimal loyalties to Jerica since she’s the newest member of their group.

· When the party arrives, the bandits are splitting the weapons, armor, equipment, and money from their latest ambush.

· The bandits are surprised should the players reveal themselves. They’ll be confident and sure of themselves unless the party makes themselves a threat. If they think the party has something they want (money, supplies, etc.), they’ll attack.

· Jerica will quickly adapt to the party’s appearance, begging them to free her from her captors. A successful DC 14 Wisdom (Insight) check will inform the character that she is lying based on the dubious looks the bandits give her.

Encounter Notes.

· The characters can draw one or two bandits out to investigate a suspicious noise if they create a distraction.

· The bandits do not work with or try to save the noble. In fact, they will attempt to use the noble as a decoy so they can escape.

· Ultimately, none of the bandits want to die. They would rather the party take them into town for a trial so they can attempt to escape than die at the party’s hands.

One Way In. There are no windows for looking inside, and the only door is a large one that slides open for the wagon.

Something to Learn. This building once belonged to the Shard Trade Federation, and their insignia (three four-pointed stars under an arch) is burned into the support beam above the entrance. Identifying it requires a DC 16 Intelligence (History) check, though succeeding on the check doesn’t reveal any information about the group since most people don’t know what it does, who’s in it, or any meaningful information about it.

Conclusion

Should the characters succeed in taking down the bandits, they can either kill them or take them to the nearest settlement for trial. Killing them would be the easy solution, as transporting five individuals is a headache. However, bringing them in would strongly improve the characters’ relationship with the local law enforcement. The stolen supplies are in the characters’ possession; they can either keep them or distribute them (for free or for a price) to those in the community.

Unfortunately, this story is not an isolated incident. As the Shard’s magic begins to fail in many other regions, many are devolving into “every man for themselves” territories. Game masters are encouraged to use this mini-adventure throughout the characters’ journeys while making small changes to keep things fresh (such as removing the element of betrayal and replacing the deceased with raided merchants).

Murder-and-Run - Pathfinder 2e

Below are the details you need to run this adventure. 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 any of the location names to make them better fit your campaign setting?
Should you increase or decrease the loot, 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?

Game Master Notes

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

Creatures. This adventure features the following creatures: beggar, noble, skeletal soldier, zombie shambler.

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

H1. Scene of the Murder Low 1

Creatures. The two corpses not trapped under logs reanimate if the players disturb any of the bodies by investigating them. The half-dwarf in the blue coat animates as a zombie shambler, while the elven archer uses the skeletal soldier stat block. They will attack the party since they don’t know what killed them.

Roleplaying Notes.

· The half-dwarf zombie yells that the party will regret this before attacking them. He is sullen, brash, and easily angered. He died first in the ambush.

· The elf “skeleton” attempted to run after watching her companions get shot down or crushed. She is terrified and will shoot anyone she doesn’t recognize.

· One will yell to the other, “I don’t see Jerica. She must have gotten away!” This refers to their fifth group member, whose body is not present.

· When fighting, they’ll exclaim that the party isn’t so tough now that they’re not hiding in the trees.

Encounter Notes.

· The pair will animate when the party disturbs one of the corpses. Since they don’t know who attacked them, they will assume the party is responsible.

· The elf will pull her shortbow out of the gravel next to her.

· Because of the suddenness of their death, the pair will continue fighting and not listen to reason. Only when being reduced to 0 hit points will they realize the party isn’t responsible.

Footprints. A character who succeeds on a DC 15 Survival check will notice five sets of footprints coming from the bottom of the map, but only four bodies are present. If they check the stone archway, they will find the fifth set of footprints leading to the north. On a critical success, they’ll deduce that whoever left the footprints was running.

Looted Bodies. A character who succeeds on a DC 10 Perception check will notice someone looted the bodies. There is not a single valuable item on them, and all armor and weapons are missing from their body (except for the elf’s bow, which the looter missed). Footprints surround the bodies. A successful DC 15 Survival check will properly identify five unique sets of footprints that come from the cliffs surrounding the gully and then retreat back up the cliffs.

Trapped Cliffs. The cliffs surrounding the gully are 15 feet tall. Investigating the cliffs above the gully reveals pegs and cut ropes. A successful DC 15 Crafting check reveals that the logs were placed as traps to crush anyone unlucky enough to be under them once they rolled into the gully. Footprints on both sides of the cliff reveal that five creatures arrived and left to the north.

To the Next Scene. Characters who follow the tracks made by the fifth missing party member, or the outlaws’ tracks, and succeed on two successful DC 15 Survival checks before having three failures will arrive at the bandit’s hideout (areas H2 and H3). Characters that fail will lose the trail and become lost.

H2. Around the Hideout

Nature Failing. A character who succeeds on a DC 15 Nature check will successfully determine that there is no logic to the plants dying. Two trees of the same type standing next to each other will be in completely different stages of vitality. This hints that the Shard’s magic to support life is failing.

Stolen Goods. The chests next to and in the wagon are full of stolen goods the bandits have stolen over the past few weeks. They contain food, waterskins, and other items useful for survival.

H3. Hideout Interior Severe 1

Creatures. Three outlaws (using the beggar stat block) and one noble (with weak modification) are in the hideout, splitting the loot gained from killing the adventurers in H1. They are carefree and have no reason to believe the party is on their trail. The noble is the fifth party member who willingly led her party into a trap to get a slice of the loot.

Roleplaying Notes.

· The bandits trust each other enough not to betray the rest but have minimal loyalties to Jerica since she’s the newest member of their group.

· When the party arrives, the bandits are splitting the weapons, armor, equipment, and money from their latest ambush.

· Jerica will quickly adapt to the party’s appearance, begging them to free her from her captors. A successful DC 15 Perception check will inform the character that she is lying based on the dubious looks the bandits give her.

Encounter Notes.

· The characters can draw one or two bandits out to investigate a suspicious noise if they create a distraction.

· The outlaws do not work with or try to save the noble. In fact, they will attempt to use the noble as a decoy so they can escape.

· Ultimately, none of the outlaws want to die. They would rather the party take them into town for a trial so they can attempt to escape than die at the party’s hands.

One Way In. There are no windows for looking inside, and the only door is a large one that slides open for the wagon.

Something to Learn. This building once belonged to the Shard Trade Federation, and their insignia (three four-pointed stars under an arch) is burned into the support beam above the entrance. Identifying it requires a DC 16 Society check, though succeeding on the check doesn’t reveal any information about the group since most people don’t know what it does, who’s in it, or any meaningful information about it.