Uninvited Guests | Free Short Adventure for D&D 5e and Pathfinder 2e

This short adventure takes place at Climebriar Manor, a stately home in the heart of a frozen forest. The party may hear about this point of interest via disparaging chitchat in a pub—“Imagine having the coin to build that all the way out in the forest?”—or at an event hosting gossiping nobles—“Well, I’ve never received an invitation to Lord Heggmere’s estate, but I’ve heard he hoards quite the collection of magical items in that Manor.” Or, the party may stumble upon the Manor randomly in their travels through a wintry landscape. However they find it, the adventure begins with the characters seeing a large silhouette of a house through the trees. They hear dogs barking and thunder crashing as a storm roars at the center of the mansion, as though it is targeting this stately home.

Lord Heggmere has lived in Climebriar Manor for about five years, having won the deed to the property in a game of cards from a hapless elven mage. Since moving in, Heggmere has delighted in perusing the mage’s library and hosting parties to show off the beautiful estate. Heggmere fancies himself an amateur spellcaster, though his magic practice, at this point, remains theoretical. He has recently hired a young druid named Selbi from a local circle to teach him spells. The druid tutors the noble and cares for the tree in Climebriar Manor’s central tower. Heggmere could have hired a wizard as a tutor or attended a school, but the druid’s labor came cheap, and Heggmere preferred to stay at Climebriar.

As a large, stately manor wreathed in pale briar comes into view, peals of barrel-chested dog barks tear through the air. You see two large dogs, both silver-coated, bounding from the courtyard on the eastern side of the building to the manor’s front steps. The dogs approach with caution, growling, though their black eyes are wide and weeping.

 Roleplaying Notes.

·         The party may assume that these dogs are domesticated and frightened by something but can confirm this with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check. On a success, the character will intuit that the dogs are domesticated since they wear gem-studded collars and exhibit sociable, though nervous, traits. The dogs hesitantly wag their tails if the party uses calming gestures or voices.

Encounter Notes.

·         A character can calm the dire wolves if they succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check.

o   On a success, the dire wolves will calm down and try to lead the party through the mansion: through the courtyard (L2), the dining hall and lounge (L3), and finally to the door of Lord Heggmere’s study (L4).

o   On a failure, the dire wolves will yelp and run back through the courtyard and into the dining hall, where they will hide under the dining table.

·         If the party attacks the dire wolves, they will defend themselves. As soon as they lose half their hit points, they flee into the forest.

The manor’s facade opens to reveal a snow-laden courtyard attended by a host of celestial statues. Frosted shrubs bristling with bright red berries grow around the statues’ pedestals.

Within this grand dining hall is a large stone dining table surrounded by stone seats. A lounge area with silver couches and a rich blue carpet sits nestled in the corner to the northeast. You hear the thunder crashing from the manor’s central tower. Each time it does, a frightened yelp comes from behind a door to a small circular chamber at the room’s northern end.

This room is simply decorated, with a clear focus on practicality over décor. A single desk sits in the center of the room, surrounded by three cabinets filled with supplies suitable for a workspace.

A man dressed in noble garb yelps as he sees you enter. He quickly drops to cower behind a large, ornate desk in the center of this circular room. Holding his hands up in defense as if you are about to spit poison at him, he cries, “W-Wait! Who are you? I-I demand to know! As Lord of Climebriar Manor!”

 Roleplaying Notes.

·         If the dogs are leading the characters, they will run through the dining table and lounge area and up to the door to the study. When the study door opens, the dogs jump on Heggmere and start licking his face.

·         Selbi intimidated Heggmere with their slippers of sonority to remain in the study as the druid figured out how to solve the lightning problem.

·         Heggmere will explain that the lightning storm occurred while Selbi, his druid tutor, was tending to the tree in the central tower of the property. Heggmere will tell the party how to access the hidden library through his bedchamber. “Just tap on the forehead of the elven bust three times.”

·         Heggmere’s eyes keep darting about in a paranoid manner. Heggmere spotted an invisible stalker emerging from the mist before it turned invisible. He thinks the creature is a ghost.

Encounter Notes.

·         Lord Heggmere uses the noble stat block. However, if attacked, he will not put up much of a fight. He will surrender as soon as he takes damage.

·         If the party attacked the two dire wolves and Heggmere learns this, he will become furious and attack with renewed purpose. He will fight until near death before surrendering.

The interior of this immense tower is filled with a massive, white-barked tree. Scorch marks decorate the trunk, indicating that lightning once struck here, and even now electricity dances up and down the tree. The tower is open to the sky, allowing sun, moon, and weather to grace the interior as they see fit.

The chamber features a large bed, a stone table bearing an empty decanter and glass, writing desks, and a fireplace with an elf bust crowning the mantel.

Books line the length of this long room. In the northern half is a standing bookcase, and the southern half holds an elegantly carved wooden desk and a plush upholstered chair. An enormous book lies open on the desk, between a glowing crystal ball and a square black plate etched with a five-pointed star. A gnome scans the large tome with tired eyes.

 Roleplaying Notes.

·         In the library, the party will find a gnome druid named Selbi reading a giant tome on the desk. Selbi wears a plain brown robe and some out-of-place footwear: silver, bristling slippers of sonority.

·         Selbi is trying to find any spell that might banish or control the lightning storm. As the party enters, the druid will command them to help them search. When they do this, their voices are loud, booming—like the barks of the dire wolves. Characters who do not succeed on a DC 10 Charisma saving throw will feel intimidated to start searching the room.

·         If the party mentions Heggmere’s fear of a ghost, Selbi waves off the concern as a mere misunderstanding of wild magic.

Encounter Notes.

·         After a few minutes of interacting with Selbi, the invisible stalkers will attack the druid. Their appearance will send gusts of wind through the library, making books fly into the air.

·         The invisible stalkers whoosh in after the party, stealthily following them as they make their way through the bedchamber and fireplace. The party will feel a gust of wind as they open the fireplace, but it will take a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check to realize it is an invisible creature and not a normal draft.

·         The invisible stalker will focus on attacking Selbi until they perish or until the party proves a threat.

This short adventure takes place at Climebriar Manor, a stately home in the heart of a frozen forest. The party may hear about this point of interest via disparaging chitchat in a pub—“Imagine having the coin to build that all the way out in the forest?”—or at an event hosting gossiping nobles—“Well, I’ve never received an invitation to Lord Heggmere’s estate, but I’ve heard he hoards quite the collection of magical items in that Manor.” Or, the party may stumble upon the Manor randomly in their travels through a wintry landscape. However they find it, the adventure begins with the characters seeing a large silhouette of a house through the trees. They hear dogs barking and thunder crashing as a storm roars at the center of the mansion, as though it is targeting this stately home.

Lord Heggmere has lived in Climebriar Manor for about five years, having won the deed to the property in a game of cards from a hapless elven mage. Since moving in, Heggmere has delighted in perusing the mage’s library and hosting parties to show off the beautiful estate. Heggmere fancies himself an amateur spellcaster, though his magic practice, at this point, remains theoretical. He has recently hired a young beast tamer named Selbi from a local circle to teach him spells. The beast tamer tutors the noble and cares for the tree in Climebriar Manor’s central tower. Heggmere could have hired a wizard as a tutor or attended a school, but the beast tamer’s labor came cheap, and Heggmere preferred to stay at Climebriar.

As a large, stately manor wreathed in pale briar comes into view, peals of barrel-chested dog barks tear through the air. You see two large dogs, both silver-coated, bounding from the courtyard on the eastern side of the building to the manor’s front steps. The dogs approach with caution, growling, though their black eyes are wide and weeping.

 Roleplaying Notes.

·         The party may assume that these dogs are domesticated and frightened by something but can confirm this with a successful DC 20 Perception check. On a success, the character will intuit that the dogs are domesticated since they wear gem-studded collars and exhibit sociable, though nervous, traits. The dogs hesitantly wag their tails if the party uses calming gestures or voices.

Encounter Notes.

·         A character can calm the wolves if they succeed on a DC 20 Nature check.

o   On a success, the dire wolves will calm down and try to lead the party through the mansion: through the courtyard (L2), the dining hall and lounge (L3), and finally to the door of Lord Heggmere’s study (L4).

o   On a failure, the dire wolves will yelp and run back through the courtyard and into the dining hall, where they will hide under the dining table.

·         If the party attacks the dire wolves, they will defend themselves. As soon as they lose half their hit points, they flee into the forest.

The manor’s facade opens to reveal a snow-laden courtyard attended by a host of celestial statues. Frosted shrubs bristling with bright red berries grow around the statues’ pedestals.

Within this grand dining hall is a large stone dining table surrounded by stone seats. A lounge area with silver couches and a rich blue carpet sits nestled in the corner to the northeast. You hear the thunder crashing from the manor’s central tower. Each time it does, a frightened yelp comes from behind a door to a small circular chamber at the room’s northern end.

This room is simply decorated, with a clear focus on practicality over décor. A single desk sits in the center of the room, surrounded by three cabinets filled with supplies suitable for a workspace.

A man dressed in noble garb yelps as he sees you enter. He quickly drops to cower behind a large, ornate desk in the center of this circular room. Holding his hands up in defense as if you are about to spit poison at him, he cries, “W-Wait! Who are you? I-I demand to know! As Lord of Climebriar Manor!”

 Roleplaying Notes.

·         If the dogs are leading the characters, they will run through the dining table and lounge area and up to the door to the study. When the study door opens, the dogs jump on Heggmere and start licking his face.

·         Selbi intimidated Heggmere with their slippers of sonority to remain in the study as the beast tamer figured out how to solve the lightning problem.

·         Heggmere will explain that the lightning storm occurred while Selbi, his beast tamer tutor, was tending to the tree in the central tower of the property. Heggmere will tell the party how to access the hidden library through his bedchamber. “Just tap on the forehead of the elven bust three times.”

·         Heggmere’s eyes keep darting about in a paranoid manner. Heggmere spotted an phade emerging from the mist before it turned invisible. He thinks the creature is a ghost.

Encounter Notes.

·         Lord Heggmere uses the noble stat block. However, if attacked, he will not put up much of a fight. He will surrender as soon as he takes damage.

·         If the party attacked the two dire wolves and Heggmere learns this, he will become furious and attack with renewed purpose. He will fight until near death before surrendering.

The interior of this immense tower is filled with a massive, white-barked tree. Scorch marks decorate the trunk, indicating that lightning once struck here, and even now electricity dances up and down the tree. The tower is open to the sky, allowing sun, moon, and weather to grace the interior as they see fit.

The chamber features a large bed, a stone table bearing an empty decanter and glass, writing desks, and a fireplace with an elf bust crowning the mantel.

Books line the length of this long room. In the northern half is a standing bookcase, and the southern half holds an elegantly carved wooden desk and a plush upholstered chair. An enormous book lies open on the desk, between a glowing crystal ball and a square black plate etched with a five-pointed star. A gnome scans the large tome with tired eyes.

This encounter is designed with the assumption that Selbi will be of significant assistance to the characters. Even with her assistance, this fight will be extremely difficult. If you feel that it’s too much for your players or if you just want to make the encounter easier, apply the weak modification to the phades and have Selbi sit the encounter out. The encounter will still be severe, but it will be a more natural severe encounter.

 Roleplaying Notes.

·         In the library, the party will find a gnome beast tamer named Selbi reading a giant tome on the desk. Selbi wears a plain brown robe and some out-of-place footwear: silver, bristling slippers of sonority.

·         Selbi is trying to find any spell that might banish or control the lightning storm. As the party enters, the beast tamer will command them to help them search. When they do this, their voices are loud, booming—like the barks of the wolves. Characters who do not succeed on a DC 10 Will save will feel intimidated to start searching the room.

·         If the party mentions Heggmere’s fear of a ghost, Selbi waves off the concern as a mere misunderstanding of wild magic.

Encounter Notes.

·         After a few minutes of interacting with Selbi, the phades will attack the beast tamer. Their appearance will send gusts of wind through the library, making books fly into the air.

·         The phades whoosh in after the party, stealthily following them as they make their way through the bedchamber and fireplace. The party will feel a gust of wind as they open the fireplace, but it will take a successful DC 20 Perception check to realize it is an invisible creature and not a normal draft.

·         The phades will focus on attacking Selbi until they perish or until the party proves a threat.

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