Ravenholme D&D Adventure

Update 10/28/15: I've removed the 4e monster stats from here in place of monster suggestions. This makes it more of a generic adventure that can be used with any system or party level. The place names can be changed to fit your own setting.

DM Info:

Ravenholme is a small village that lies on the edge of the Bleak Forest under the shadow of the Enduring Mountains. The village was founded by a religious sect seeking freedom from persecution. The cult is known for their bizarre practices and rituals which involve cannibalization of the dead. After being separated from civilization for many years, other than the occasional merchant brave enough to venture into village, Ravenholme descended into madness.

It began when the residents were stricken with plague. One by one they began dying and the priests determined there was a witch among them causing the outbreak. Accusations flew and trials were held but the executions did nothing to stop the plague from eventually killing almost all of the villagers.
The players have been offered a reward to investigate the village after the last group of adventurers sent there failed to return.


Grey clouds are forming in the sky as you make your way towards Ravenholme. From a distance it appears to be a quaint country village. It begins raining and the dirt path you are walking on soon becomes muddy and sticks to your boots. You can make out a cluster of buildings. It appears that several of the buildings are only partially standing. Charred beams and piles of blackened rubble indicate they caught on fire before slumping to the ground. What remains of the front doors have been painted with a large red X.

There is an old well immediately in front of you. A rope tied off to a cranking mechanism descends down into the dark interior. To the east there is a horse stable. To the north four buildings remain standing, intact for the most part. The buildings flank a dirt path leading to a large church. 



Well : If the players turn the crank on the well a bucket comes up. It is filled with maggots feasting on putrid remains of indiscernible origin.
Monster Encounter : Spiders, Mold, or Writhing Tentacles

Stables : The stables are empty except for a rotting horse carcass, some old horseshoes and hand tools.


Building A : The door is unlocked. This appears to have been a shop or tavern of sorts. Most of the goods have been carried off. All that remain are empty barrels and crates. Rotten fruit lies about on the tables. Perception DC 10: reveals a bag of flour, DC 13: two bottles of wine, and DC 16: 5 gold pieces. There are several large cracks and holes at the base of the walls.
Monster Encounter : Giant Roaches or Giant Rats

Building B : There is a large red X painted on the door and it is locked. The windows are boarded up. Strength DC 16 to bash door, Thievery DC 17 to unlock. Upon opening the door a putrid smell wafts out. The interior is dark and a creaking sound can be heard coming from the second floor. A corpse lies in a bed on the second floor, its skin blackened and pulled tightly around the bones. It is clutching a bag containing 60 gold pieces.
Monster Encounter : Wraith, Spectre, or Spirit

Will try to hide until the players take the bag.

Building C : There is furniture pushed against the inside of the door. Opening the door requires Strength. DC 10, pushes it open 1 foot, DC 13, 2 feet, DC 15 opens it all the way. There is also a window on the back of the building that is partially open. Upon entering, a cat darts across the room and hops through the window. This building appears to have been a nursery. There are children’s toys strewn across the floor. Perception DC 13 reveals a Dwarven Music Box amongst the toys, DC 15 reveals a hidden door in the floor. The door leads to a small cellar where a woman and two children are hiding. She screams upon seeing the players and waves a kitchen knife at them.


Building D : The door is rigged to a crossbow mounted to a table inside. ATTACK: +4 vs. Reflex; 1d6+3. There are corpses piled onto makeshift cots on the floor. Perception 15 reveals a key hidden away. The key opens Building B.

Church : The interior of the church is covered in giant spider webs. Corpses hang suspended in the air, wrapped in sticky cocoons. There is a huge hole in the ceiling and chunks of the roof lie about. Hymn books and pages are scattered throughout the debris and stuck in the webbing, many of the pews are turned over or broken in half. Spread around the altar in the center of the room are 287 gold pieces gathered in assorted vessels, Holy Symbol +1, and an Amulet of Protection +1. Beyond the church lies a graveyard.
Players entering the web must make Athletics or Acrobatics DC 14 or become immobilized.
Monster Encounter : Giant Spiders


Graveyard : Many of the graves here have been dug up, some are covered with mounds of dead flowers. Perception DC 20 reveals some of these to be open grave traps. ATTACK: +4 vs. Reflex; 1d4 dmg. 6 foot fall. Player can make a saving throw to avoid falling in. There are zombies spread throughout the graveyard. They will ignore players that are more than 5 squares away. When one attacks, the others will follow however. There is a large tomb at the far end of the graveyard.
Monster Encounter : Zombies or Ghouls



Tomb : The entrance to the tomb is surrounded by elaborate stone carvings. Stairs lead down to a hallway. In the hall there is a green fungus growing on the walls and floor. Once disturbed it releases a cloud of poison that does 1d6+3 dmg to anyone caught in the area of effect (3x3 square radius). At the end of the hall there is a dimly lit chamber. A robed figure stands with his back to the characters. He appears to be dissecting a corpse laid out on a stone slab. If all the zombies were not killed from the graveyard they will follow the players into the tomb and fill the hallway.
Monster Encounter : Necromancer or Cultists

			The chamber contains a battleaxe+1, an ivory statue worth 250GP, and 122GP.