The Silvyr Tower

A third-level adventure for new or experienced DMs using D&D 5E Basic Rules


What is this adventure?

This third-level adventure is designed for all players of D&D 5E--whether novice or veteran. It is written in such a way to be easy-to-follow for new DMs, and uses the free Basic Rules that can be downloaded from the Wizards of the Coast Website. It also includes all creature and item stat blocks.


So gather your friends, pick up some snacks and drinks, and gather 'round for an exciting adventure.

What do I need in order to play?

If you're going to be a player for this adventure, go make your character and stop reading now. Seriously. Stop.


If you're going to be a DM for this adventure, you should download the free Basic Rules from the Wizards of the Coast website and familiarize yourself with them. If you're feeling overwhelmed, you can find additional tips for running this adventure on the Shacknews Cortex article I've written on the subject. It contains some helpful tips and tricks for making your first D&D adventure go as smoothly as possible, as well as full-resolution versions of the maps, and numerous resources to help you with the rules and getting into DMing.

Plot summary:

The journey began with a simple fetch quest: recover the Staff of Sylneas Silvertongue--an ancient staff, rumored to contain the power to command Dragons; but after arriving at the ruins of an ancient wizard's tower, the party realizes they may have bitten off more than they can chew, and they're not the only ones who have discovered the location of the staff.

Preparing to play:

Before running this adventure, you should read it in its entirety to familiarize yourself with the story.

The final cache of treasure in this adventure is, by design, a bit bare-bones to allow you to add whatever items to it that you see fit. You should prepare these items ahead of time so that you're not scrambling to come up with items in the middle of play. There are several items in the Basic Rules, otherwise you can find additional items in the Dungeon Master's Guide, Player's Handbook, other adventure modules, or even in posts on Reddit.

You may also need to take some time to build encounters for your party. The encounters contained herein are designed for 4 or 5 adventurers of level 3. If that is what you're playing with, you should be good to go. However, if you're running the adventure for more or fewer players, or higher or lower levels, you may need to build different encounters.

Once you're prepared, gather your party, schedule the session, and optionally send the players the Hook in the read-aloud text box on Page 2 of this PDF so they have a sample of what they're in for ahead of time.

The Silvyr Tower

Welcome, Dungeon Master. This adventure is written for 3-5 adventurers of level 2-4. It is optimized for 4 adventurers of level 3--although tips will be given for scaling the encounters for more or fewer players.


This adventure is written with first-time Dungeon Masters in mind, and is great for leading a group of your friends through their first adventure.

How to use this adventure

Contained herein is everything you need to run the adventure. There are read aloud boxes, maps, and stat blocks for all of the items and creatures located in this adventure.

Read Aloud Text Boxes

Text written in white boxes like this is intended to read aloud to your party. It provides detailed description of the room or situation, and can be used to help set the mood.

Scaling and other DM tips

Tips in green boxes like this can be used to help you out, and give advice on how to scale the adventure based on your party number and level.

Why level three?

Level 1 characters are really squishy. Just one or two unlucky rolls can mean the end of the line for even a careful and prepared party of first level.

On the other hand, the rules of D&D begin to get more complicated around level 4 or 5. Level 3 is a nice balance where players have more HP, can try some slightly more powerful spells, and can explore subclasses--but the rules are still relatively simple and combat is still relatively quick.

The hook

Every good adventure needs a good hook--and a hook is especially important for a one-shot like this. Feel free to send your players the hook in the following read-aloud text box. I recommend sending the hook a week or two before you gather to play the game.

Legends are told of the Staff of Sylneas Silvertongue, which can be used to command dragons and bend them to the will of the wielder. Such a relic could grant wealth and power beyond measure to whomever holds it. Your group of adventurers have been hired by the Watchful Order of Magisters and Protectors, who have recently discovered the location of the staff--the ruins of an ancient wizard's tower in the heart of the Neverwinter Woods.

They are willing to pay a sum of 200GP for the safe recovery of the staff--and are willing to allow you to keep anything else you discover on your quest.

The Adventure Begins

When it comes to one-shots, it is often helpful to drop the party relatively near their destination. That said, if you're using this adventure as part of a larger campaign, or you know your party greatly enjoy roleplay and dialogue, feel free to play out negotiations with the Watchful Order of Magisters and Protectors.

If you're starting the adventure with the party already on the road, it may help to open the session with a monologue, by reading the below read-aloud description text.

You will likely find that you are nervous for your first time DMing. That's okay! Having something pre-written can help kick things off, and is one of my favorite ways of calming my pre-session jitters.

Put on some ambiance music, take a deep breath, and kick things off. You've got this.


It will be good to get back to civilization. After spending the last tenday hiking all across the Northern Sword Coast, you're sore, you're tired, and you're desperately in need of a good bath and something to eat other than travel rations.

You can hardly wait to high-tail it back to Neverwinter for some meat, some mead, and a relaxing evening surrounded by music and conversation--but first you have to find the staff, and to find the staff, you have to find the tower. The woods around you now are ancient, and it has been days since you've seen even the barest hint of another person.

At long last, you catch the glint of something bright shining through the trees--snapping you out of the daze you've fallen into while hiking. As you look closer, you see the path ahead of you opens into a clearing; the clearing rising into a low hill, covered in lush green grass and wildflowers bright enough to be clearly seen through gaps in the trees.

Atop the hill, you see the ruins of the Silvyr Tower, shining bright in the red-orange glow of the setting sun. The sun is setting behind you, and the light reflects back, almost painfully bright, off the smooth, mirror-like surface of the tower ruins.

Once you've finished the read-aloud box, it's your party's turn to let you know what they'd like to do. An experienced party may jump right into it, but if this is your party's first game you may want to prompt them with questions such as "Would you like to approach the tower?"

Once your party continues down the path, continue on the next page, and the adventure will begin in earnest!

The pathway

The pathway through the woods to the tower is 5' wide, and the surrounding area is thick with trees but free of underbrush. The trees in this area are massive, standing 50' tall with thick trunks and shaggy bark that provides many convenient hand and foot holds. The trees can be climbed with a DC 12 Athletics check to climb to the top and get a better view of the clearing and the tower ahead.

A roll of 1-6 results in the player falling to the ground while attempting to climb, taking 1d6 bludgeoning damage. Rolls of 7-11 result in the player simply not able to find a decent handhold, but not taking any damage from the attempt.

What to tell the party

Aside from read-aloud boxes, the amount of information you provide to the party is entirely up to you. For example, you don't have to tell them the trees are climbable unless they ask, or unless they seem stumped (heh) for what to do.

Give them a bit of time to try to decide their next course of action. If they are having trouble, you can present them with a few options such as "It is almost sunset, do you think you'd like to stop and set up camp before venturing into the tower? Or do you want to head in straight away?"

The clearing and tower exterior

The immaculate nature of this clearing is due to its closeness with the fae realm. The grass is green, lush, soft, and long. The flowers scent the air in a pleasant and subtle way. Use of a Detect Magic spell will detect a faint aura of Abjuration magic permeating the entire clearing, which is emanating from the tower itself, which glows strongly with Abjuration magic to Detect Magic enhanced eyes.

The tower is a shambles, with broken pieces scattered around the base. Some areas of the tower exterior are in better shape than others. The highest section of remaining wall is about 20' high, and most of the remaining walls are around 15' high. The east side of the tower is in the worst shape, and the walls there stand only about 10' high. None of the upper floors are intact, so the ground floor of the tower is open to the sky.

The exterior walls, such as they are, are highly reflective. If anyone decides to touch the tower, the surface feels slick and almost slightly oily--but there is no residue of oil left on the object which touched the tower. The broken pieces of tower, which are scattered near the tower base, are also reflective and have the same slick-feeling property.


As the party nears the tower atop the hill, read the following:

The jagged ruins of the tower reach towards the sky like the clawed hand of a dying man. You spot broken pieces of tower wall scattered around the base of the ruins, and the broken pieces shine with the same mirror-like finish.

The path ahead leads directly to the stone door of the tower, which is intact in the entrance archway. The doorway is covered in intricate carvings of leaves and roses.

The door is locked, and can be opened one of several ways: either by thieves tools (DC 18 Sleight of Hand Check), through the use of a spell such as Knock, or by breaking it down (DC 22 Athletics Check). Players can also enter the tower by climbing up over the walls.

Let your party experiment

This is your party's first opportunity to problem solve. They may not be able to get the door open--and that's okay. They can also enter the tower by simply climbing up the wreckage of the ruins, and over what remains of the walls.

Your party may have spells like Jump, or they may have rope in their pack, or perhaps they find logs nearby to build a makeshift ladder, or perhaps a tall party member boosts up a small party member, who then reaches down to help the rest over the wall.

You may need to make up some skill check DCs on the spot, depending on how your party attempts to enter the tower. Here is a quick-reference table for Skill Check DC and difficulty:

DC Difficulty
5 Very Easy
10 Moderately Easy
15 Moderately Hard
20 Hard
25 Very Hard

Skill checks can even go up to DC 30 and higher, but it is unlikely that the players will encounter something that difficult in this adventure--and if they do, it is often best to just let them know they will not be able to accomplish the task, and perhaps describe their attempts for comedic relief.

However they go about solving the problem of entering the tower, encourage their creativity, and try not to lead them too much unless they start to seem frustrated. It's okay if they have to spend a bit of time figuring out how to gain entry into the tower.

Tower Ground Floor

Unless otherwise noted, all interior walls of the ground floor of the tower are more-or-less intact, although interior doors were once made of wood and have long since rotted away. Many of the door frames are still intact, and are archways made of stone, which separate the rooms.

There are no light sources in the tower, so if your party went in late in the evening or at night they may be in dim light or even darkness. The upper floors and roof of the tower are missing, so if it is still light outside, that light will shine down into the tower.

The stone floor of the tower is covered in thick, sticky spider webs. This ground is considered difficult terrain for your players, and as soon as a player comes in contact with any of the webbing, the Spiders inside become aware of them because of their Web Sense.

There is one Giant Wolf Spider in Area 3, two Spiders in Area 2, and two Spiders in Area 5. These creatures are very protective of their home, and will fight to the death.

Stat blocks for all of these spider creatures can be found on Page 8.

"I need everyone to roll initiative!"

Once the party enters the tower, the spiders will likely attack. The purpose of this combat encounter is to introduce everyone to the Initiative system (you included!) It should not be a very hard fight.

The encounter should include one Giant Wolf Spider. Additionally, you should have one Spider for every member of the party. So if you're running the adventure for a party of 5, you'll have 1x Giant Wolf Spider and 5x Spider.

Everyone in the party should have a chance to attack. If the party kills all the spiders, and not everyone has gotten to attack yet, feel free to have a couple more Spiders come out of a side room--they are fairly harmless, and fun to squash.

I have provided the stat block for the Giant Spider as well, in case you're running this adventure for higher level characters, you can replace the Giant Wolf Spider with a Giant Spider--but make sure you don't get them confused. At level 3, you'll want to make sure you use the Giant Wolf Spider stat block, NOT the Giant Spider one.

Area 1: Main Hallway

The main hallway of the tower is 10' wide, and has a stone floor which is covered in thick, sticky spider webs. There is a door leading to Area 2 and one leading to Area 5 just inside the main entrance of the tower, and a bit further down the hall is a doorway leading to Area 3, which stands across from a 10' stone staircase leading down into the basement of the tower.

Area 2: Storage Room

This area is home to two Spiders which attack anything that enters the tower.

This small storage room has the rotten remains of crates and blankets in it. A careful search of the room (DC 15 Investigation Check) reveals 5d10 GP tucked in a small leather pouch.

Map of the Tower Ground Floor:

Area 3: Sitting Parlour

This area is especially thick with spider webs, and is the home to a Giant Wolf Spider which will attack anything that enters the tower, and fight to the death to defend its home.

Caught in the webbing is the dried husk of a boar, the relatively fresh corpse of a small deer, and many other bones can be found scattered across the floor. A DC 10 Medicine Check reveals knowledge that at least some of the bones are humanoid in origin.

Any character who chooses to make a search of this room locates two gold candlesticks worth 5 GP each, and a small shaving kit with an ivory-handled razor worth 2 GP.

Area 4: Library

This area was once a fine study library--although very little remains of the furniture and books that once occupied the area. One book in particular is magic, and was protected against the passing of time.

A DC 12 Investigation Check reveals a medium-sized leather-bound tome with a gold clasp holding it closed, and arcane runes etched on the outside. These runes are not any language that can be understood, but a DC 10 Arcana Check will reveal that they indicate that this is a wizard's spellbook.

The spellbook belongs to Elric Silvyr, and is trapped. Anyone other than Elric who attempts to open it must make a DC 14 Wisdom Saving Throw or be stunned and incapacitated for 2d10 minutes.

The spellbook contains the spells Alarm, Burning Hands, Arcane Lock, Dispel Magic, and Counterspell.

Area 5: Alchemy Lab

This room is home to two Spiders which attack anything that enters the tower.

This room contains a dusty metal apothecary table with drawers and shelves filled with small glass vials and jars. The vials and jars are filled with various alchemical ingredients such as animal body parts, herbs, and powders like phosphorus and sulfur.

A DC 16 Investigation Check reveals one of the vials that contains a shimmering red liquid that the players recognize as a Potion of Healing.

Basement Storage

The ceiling of this storage room is 10' high, and the only light in this room is the brazier marked with a (B) on the map. This brazier is powered by a Continual Flame spell, and provides bright light within 20', and dim light for an additional 20'. All of the walls and the floor in the storage room are stone.

As the players enter the basement, read the following:

As you begin descending the stairs to the basement below, your eyes adjust, and you notice the flicker of firelight from below. Arriving at the bottom of the stairs, you see a warm brazier just to your right. Ahead of you are four tall stand torches, reaching halfway to the 10' stone ceiling above, spaced evenly about the room. The torches are unlit.

A large, silver mirror in a black frame hangs on the north wall to your left, set into a shallow alcove

On the south wall to your right, directly opposite the mirror, is a large stone archway set into a similar alcove. The stone archway matches the door frames that you saw on the ground floor above, although this archway is simply part of the stone wall, and you see no way to pass through it.

"Wait, where's the mirror?"

It is almost guaranteed that your party will want further description of the room, or will ask you to repeat descriptions you have already given--whether because they were not paying attention, or just because they need a refresher.

Use the map of the room, along with the additional information below, to give your players as much or as little information as you see fit.

The 10' stone staircase leads down from the ground floor of the tower into this stone room. There are four stand torches around the room, marked with a (T) on the map. The torches are unlit when the players arrive. There is also a small rack of hand torches near the ever-burning brazier.

The brazier and stand torches are magically held in place, and can only be moved with a DC 22 Athletics check, although they will maintain their upright attitude even if moved.

There is a shallow, 10' wide alcove along the north wall of the room, which contains a massive mirror. The mirror is 7' wide and 7' tall, and is surrounded by a black obsidian frame. The mirror's frame is magically affixed to the wall, and cannot be removed through any means, although the mirror silver itself is relatively fragile and can be broken if a player tries.

The south wall contains an archway that looks identical to the door frames separating the rooms on the Ground Floor of the tower, although there is nothing but a stone wall in the archway.

Use of a Detect Magic spell shows the brazier radiates Evocation magic, the mirror's frame gives off Abjuration magic, and the archway on the south wall, as well as the two southern stand torches give off Conjuration magic.


Map of the Basement Storage area:

The Mirror Puzzle

If a player approaches the mirror on the north wall, they will notice that it reflects the room exactly as they see it with the exception that the two stand torches on the south side of the room appear lit in the mirror--even if they do not appear lit when glancing around the room.

The goal is to make what is happening in the room match the reflection in the mirror by lighting those two torches. Lighting the two torches on the south side of the room will cause a bright purple portal to magically appear in the stone arch door frame on the south side of the room.

These two southern torches also have a higher level of ash and soot on the tops of them. This fact can be noticed with a DC 15 Investigation check of the room. Finally, these two torches radiate Conjuration magic to a Detect Magic enhanced eye.

Don't leave it ALL up to chance

As a general rule, it's a bad idea to stick plot progression behind a skill check. In other words, you don't want to make it so the party MUST succeed a DC 15 Athletics Check to open the door to the final boss.

It is absolutely okay to have skill checks in key areas, and for those skill checks to make the players' job easier, but those skill checks should not be the only path forward.

For example, in this room, a high investigation roll on the torches will show that the two southern ones show more soot, indicating they have been recently lit--but any player who glances in the mirror should be able to see that they are lit in the reflection.

You may even want to make it so a player who rolls particularly well on Perception when looking around the room notices the lit torches in the reflection from a distance, without closely inspecting the mirror.

You may think this puzzle is incredibly simple, and your party may even figure it out within minutes of entering the basement--but don't be surprised if they get stumped for a bit looking around the room. Let them squirm a little before throwing too many hints at them.

The Laboratory

The Laboratory is unlit, and unless the party is bringing light in with them, it can be considered to be in total darkness. Light from the storage area does not pass through the portal. The 15' high ceiling is held up by four 5' diameter pillars.

As the party passes through the portal read the following:

As you step through the portal, you feel it pass over your skin, almost as if stepping through a layer of icy water. Time seems to stretch for a moment, and then you find yourself standing in darkness, the faint light of the portal does little to illuminate the area.

If anyone in the party has darkvision, or has a light source of any kind (torch, Light spell, Dancing Lights spell, etc. read:

A spacious laboratory lays before your eyes. The walls are clean, white stone, and the tall ceiling is held up by four large pillars spaced evenly about the room.

Rows of shelves line the walls, and two separate alcoves on the south side of the room are filled with various crates, barrels, boxes, and stacks of goods.

You hear a scuttering in the darkness, and a soft, dry cackle echoes faintly in the room. For a brief moment, you sense a pressure on your mind, and then it fades. I need everyone to make me a Deception check please.

This deception check is Elric Silvyr attempting to use his Weird Insight against the party. Roll an Insight check for Elric (+4), and that is the DC that your party must beat in order for Elric to not learn secrets about them. In the case of a tie, where Elric matches their deception check DC, Elric will succeed.

This is the laboratory that Elric Silvyr used when he was human. After taking a step too far in his attempts to achieve near-godhood, Elric was horribly mutated, and transformed into a Nothic with the following changes: he can summon two (2) Ash Zombies once per long rest.

Stat blocks for Elric Silvyr (Nothic) and the Ash Zombies he summons are available on Page 9 of this PDF.

Elric remembers little of his former life, but he remembers how to operate the portal, and he is driven by a desire to collect magical artifacts relentlessly, as subconsciously he believes one may help him transform back to human form. He brings those artifacts here for "study", which consists mostly of just placing them in piles.

Elric may try to communicate with the party to learn their intentions, and they can attempt to bargain with him--especially if they provide him with "food" (corpses), but the moment that Elric feels that his treasure trove of magical artifacts is in danger, he will attack and defend his treasure to the death.

Because the party is ultimately here for the Staff of Sylneas Silvertongue, and because that staff is in Elric's stash, negotiations are likely to end in combat.

Map of the Laboratory:

A well-played Nothic can be a super creepy and fun encounter. They are sneaky, inhuman, and can read minds. We're going for Ridley Scott's Alien style of atmospheric horror here.

Describe scurrying sounds and perhaps a box that tips over just as the party turns to look, or a flash of movement out of the corner of the eye, but as the party investigates, they find nothing.

When you're ready, they can catch a good look, and you can describe the creature in more detail before summoning the Ash Zombies and kicking off the combat encounter.

Elric instinctively continues to keep his workshop extremely tidy. He snacks on corpses out in the storage area, and then carries them up to the ground floor for the Giant Wolf Spider to finish off when he is done with them.

After the players defeat Elric, they can explore more thoroughly, and they will find the treasures that Elric has stashed here.

I have included stat blocks for a few different "fun" items that you can include, and you can feel free to add other items to the stash based on what you believe your party may be interested in finding. These items should not be more rare than Uncommon, and at least some of them should probably be "mundane" magic items, which are mostly just flavor magic items, such as the Broomba and Ring of Fire Detection found on Page 10. The Staff of Sylneas Silvertongue can also be found among the goods herein, along with the Boots of Elvenkind and Cloak of Billowing.

There is a lot of debate in the D&D world about how much of play is a game with strict rules, and how much of it is group storytelling.

Regardless of which side of that fence you land on, for first-time players running a one-shot, it is usually best if the party saves the day and feel like heroes. To be clear: the final battle should FEEL very close, but it is probably best if you do not Total Party Kill (TPK) on your very first adventure.

Wrapping Up

Once the party has defeated Elric, and claimed the staff and other goods, the adventure is basically over, and the party should decide what they choose to do.

If the party decides to take the loot and run, the Watchful Order of Magisters and Protectors will almost certainly send spellcasters and mercenaries to track them down and take the staff (and likely the other goods collected would be forfeit at that time as well). This could be a fun sequel adventure, but those events are outside the scope of this particular module.

It is likely that the party willingly returns to the Watchful Order of Magisters and Protectors, and bring them the staff. In that case, upon closer inspection of the staff through use of an Identify spell, the spellcasters of the Watchful Order realize that the powerful staff does not actually allow for total domination over dragonkin--it simply allows one to summon a small, relatively harmless pseudodragon familiar to be a companion to the wielder of the staff.

The Watchful Order loses interest in the staff at that time, and allows the party to keep it as well if they wish.

Cats of the dragon world

Pseudodragons are fun companions that are often described as the "cats of the dragon world". They are small and playful, and love to chase rodents and critters. They are fiercely loyal to their owners.

This particular familiar can only be summoned through use of the staff, and if it drops to 0 HP, it cannot be re-summoned until the following dawn.

This pseudodragon familiar cannot attack, although it may be able to use the Help action at the DMs discretion. A stat block for the Pseudodragon is available at the bottom of this page.

The staff also enhances the spellcasting abilities of the wielder, and it would likely be best utilized in the hands of a party member who can cast spells--although it is up to the party to determine who receives what loot.

Saying goodbye is always hard

Wrapping up your adventure in a meaningful way is always difficult. It can be helpful to have a specific tavern or inn that the party is going to travel to, in order to talk about the adventure and celebrate their success.

Describe how the bard in the tavern wishes to hear more of their exploits, and begins to compose a ballad about their adventure. This song spreads across the land, and their adventuring party becomes known across the Northern Sword Coast.

Congratulate the party on a job well done, and let them know they leveled up. Tell them you enjoyed your time with them, and ask if they have any feedback for you so that you can learn to be a better DM. This may also be a good time to have a discussion about whether or not they'd like to play as a group again sometime--although you may want to save that discussion for later.

Relax, take a deep breath. You did it. And in case no one in your party takes the time to tell you: you're a good DM.



Drake (Pseudodragon)

Tiny dragon, neutral good


  • Armor Class 13
  • Hit Points 7(2d4 + 2)
  • Speed 15ft., fly 60ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
6 (-2) 15 (+2) 13 (+1) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 10 (+0)

  • Skills Perception +3, Stealth +4
  • Condition Immunities weak-kneed
  • Senses Blindsight 10ft., Darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 13
  • Languages Understands Common and Draconic but cannot speak
  • Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)

Keen Senses. The pseudodragon has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight, hearing, or smell.

Magic Resistance. The pseudodragon has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Limited Telepathy. The pseudodragon can magically communicate simple ideas, emotions, and images telepathically with any creature within 100 ft. of it that can understand a language.

Pseudodragon art by Wizards of the Coast



Giant Wolf Spider

Medium beast, unaligned


  • Armor Class 13 (Natural Armor)
  • Hit Points 11 (2d8 + 2)
  • Speed 40ft., climb 40ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
12 (+1) 16 (+3) 13 (+1) 3 (-4) 12 (+1) 4 (-3)

  • Skills Perception +3, Stealth +7
  • Senses Blindsight 10ft., Darkvision 60 ft.,
    Passive Perception 13
  • Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)

Spider Climb. The spider can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

Web Sense. While in contact with a web, the spider knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.

Web Walker. The spider ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.

Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 11 CON save, taking 7 (2d6) poison damage on a failure, or half on a success. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 HP, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way.



Giant Spider

Large beast, unaligned


  • Armor Class 14 (Natural Armor)
  • Hit Points 26 (4d10 + 4)
  • Speed 30ft., climb 30ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
14 (+2) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 2 (-4) 11 (+0) 4 (-3)

  • Skills Stealth +7
  • Senses Blindsight 10ft., Darkvision 60 ft.,
    Passive Perception 10
  • Challenge 1 (200 XP)

Spider Climb. The spider can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

Web Sense. While in contact with a web, the spider knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.

Web Walker. The spider ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.

Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 9 (2d8) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way.

Web (Recharge 5-6). Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 30/60 ft., one creature. Hit: The target is restrained by webbing. As an action, the restrained target can make a DC 12 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 5; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage).



Spider

Tiny beast, unaligned


  • Armor Class 12 (Natural Armor)
  • Hit Points 1 (1d4 - 1)
  • Speed 20ft., climb 20ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
2 (-4) 14 (+2) 8 (-1) 1 (-5) 10 (+0) 2 (-4)

  • Skills Stealth +4
  • Senses Darkvision 30 ft., Passive Perception 12
  • Challenge 0 (10 XP)


Spider Climb. The spider can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

Web Sense. While in contact with a web, the spider knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.

Web Walker. The spider ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.

Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: (1d1) piercing damage. The target must then succeed on a DC 9 Constitution saving throw or take (1d4) poison damage, taking none on a success.



Elric Silvyr (Nothic)

Medium aberration, neutral evil


  • Armor Class 15 (Natural Armor)
  • Hit Points 45(6d8 + 18)
  • Speed 30ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
14 (+2) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 13 (+1) 10 (+0) 8 (-1)

  • Skills Arcana +3, Insight +4, Percep +2, Stealth +5
  • Senses Truesight 120ft, Passive Perception 12
  • Languages Common, Undercommon
  • Challenge 2 (450 XP)
  • Proficiency Bonus +2

Actions

Multiattack. The nothic makes two claw attacks.

Claw Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.

Rotting Gaze. The nothic targets one creature it can see within 30 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw against this magic or take 10 (3d6) necrotic damage.

Weird Insight. The nothic targets one creature it can see within 30 feet of it. The target must contest its Charisma (Deception) check against the nothic’s Wisdom (Insight) check. If the nothic wins, it magically learns one fact or secret about the target. The target automatically wins if it is immune to being charmed.

Call of the Dead. Calling on insights buried deep from his past life, Elric can use his necromantic abilities to summon Ash Zombies. As an Action, once per long rest, Elric Silvyr can summon two (2) Ash Zombies into existence within 10' of himself.

Keen Sight. The nothic has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

Elric Silvyr

Elric was once a powerful wizard, whose lust for power eventually drove him to his own destruction. After stumbling upon what he believed to be the secret to immortality, he began a dark ritual.

The ritual was successful, after a fashion, as Elric will no longer age. He is driven by an impulse to collect magic objects, in hopes that one may contain the secret to reversing his hideous transformation.

Elric, like all Nothics, possesses a strange, magical insight, which allows him to extract knowledge from other creatures he can lay eye on.

Nothic art by Wizards of the Coast



Ash Zombie

Medium undead, neutral evil


  • Armor Class 8
  • Hit Points 22 (3d8 + 9)
  • Speed 20ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
13 (+1) 6 (-2) 16 (+3) 3 (-4) 6 (-2) 5 (-3)

  • Saving Throws: WIS +0
  • Damage Immunities Poison
  • Condition Immunities Poisoned
  • Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 8
  • Languages Understands the language of its creator, but can't speak
  • Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  • Proficiency Bonus +2


Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces the zombie to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, the zombie drops to 1 hit point instead.

Ash Puff. The first time the zombie takes damage, any living creature within 5 feet of the zombie must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or gain disadvantage on attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on it early with a successful save.

Actions

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage.


Staff of Sylneas Silvertongue

melee weapon (simple, staff)


  • Category: Item (weapon)
  • Damage: 1d6 (1d8 2-handed)
  • Damage Type: Bludgeoning
  • Item Rarity: Artifact
  • Properties: Versatile
  • Weight: 5

Legends have been told for generations of the mighty staff of Sylneas Silvertongue, which grants ultimate power over dragons.

Adventurers have sought this artifact far and wide, as it is well known that the wielder of the staff will have wealth and power beyond measure.

Upon discovery of the artifact, it was found that all it could do was summon a pseudodragon familiar. But he's really, really hecking cute.

Proficiency with a quarterstaff allows you to add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll for any attack you make with it.


Equipping this staff increases your Spellcasting Attack modifier as well as your Spell Save DC by +1 each.

This staff can be used as a spellcasting focus.

Actions

Find Familiar. This staff can be used to cast the Find Familiar spell. Casting the spell this way allows it to be cast without material components--but the summoned familiar will always be a red Pseudodragon who responds to the name "Drake".

If the summoned familiar drops to 0 hit points, it is returned to the fae realm, and cannot be resummoned until the following dawn, regardless of when it was originally summoned.


Broomba

wondrous item (broom)


  • Category: Item
  • Item Rarity: Uncommon
  • Weight: 1.2

Actions

Clean Sweep. As an action, the wielder of this broom can speak the command word, and the broom will begin meticulously sweeping the room it is in.


Ring of Fire Detection

wondrous item (ring)


  • Category: Item
  • Item Rarity: Uncommon
  • Weight: 0.2

A curious ring with a clear red garnet fixed in a delicate setting. Elaborate carvings of flames wrap around the band, inside and out.

Actions

Detect Fire. As an action, the wearer of this ring can determine whether or not an object is fire. If the object is fire, the garnet will glow with a red light. This detection spell has a range of touch.


Potion of Healing

potion


  • Category: Item
  • Item Rarity: common
  • Weight: 0.5

Actions

Drink. As an action, a creature can drink this potion and regain 2d4 + 2 hit points.


Boots of Elvenkind

wondrous item (boots)


  • Category: Item
  • Item Rarity: Uncommon
  • Weight: 1

While you wear these boots, your steps make no sound, regardless of the surface you are moving across. You also have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks that rely on moving silently.


Cloak of Billowing

wondrous item (cloak)


  • Category: Item
  • Item Rarity: Uncommon
  • Weight: 0.5

While wearing this cloak, you can use a bonus action to make it billow dramatically.