MagicShopEncounters PrinterFriendly

Short Encounters for
Characters of Any Level
by Various Authors
Table of Contents
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Adventure Customs and Shorthand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
So, a Wizard and Her Simulacrum Walk Into a Magic Shop… by Alan Tucker . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
So, a Blind Man and a Boy Walk Into a Magic Shop… by Ciaran O’Halloran . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
So, a Wizard’s Apprentice and a Demon Walk Into a Magic Shop… by David McDonough . . . . . . 9
So, a Cleric and a Cultist Walk Into a Magic Shop… by Elise Cretel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
So, a Tyrannosaur and a Wizard Walk Into a Magic Shop… by Aaron M Lopez . . . . . . . . . . . 13
So, a Beggar and a Thief Walk Into a Magic Shop… by Justyn Johnston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
So a Bifurcated Bard and His Duplicate Walk Into a Witch’s Hut… by Bryan Holmes . . . . . . . .18
So, a Cleric and a Zombie Walk Into a Magic Shop… by Jeromy Schulz-Arnold . . . . . . . . . . .20
So, a Priestess of Lolth and Her Slave Walk Into a Waterdeep Magic Shop… by Andrew Bishkinskyi . . . 22
So, a Treasure Hunter Carrying a Bag of Holding Walks Into a Magic Shop… by Jeff C. Stevens . . 25
So, a Lich and His Dog Walk Into a Magic Shop… by Oliver Clegg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
So, Elminster of Shadowdale Walks Into a Magic Shop… by Eddie Gioffre . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
So, a Ghost and Her Dog Walk Into a Magic Shop… by Richard Malena-Webber . . . . . . . . . . .30
Credits
Design & Layout: Alan Tucker
Art: Forrest Imel, Jason Adams, Alan Tucker, and licensed and modified stock art from
DepositPhotos.com and DMsGuild Community Resources
Editing: Linda May and Alan Tucker
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, the dragon ampersand, and all other wizards of the Coast product names, and their
respective logos are trademarks of wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries.
This work contains material that is copyright wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content
Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.
All other original material in this work is copyright ©2019 by MAD Design, Inc., Alan Tucker, Ciaran O’Halloran, David McDonough, Elise Cretel, Aaron M Lopez,
Justyn Johnston, Bryan Holmes, Jeromy Schulz-Arnold, Andrew Bishkinskyi, Jeff C. Stevens, Oliver Clegg, Eddie Gioffre, and Richard Malena-Webber and published
under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.
Foreword Adventure Customs
Sometimes the party just wants to go shopping!
Potions, magic items, trinkets, and supplies—
and S horthand
every adventuring group ends up in a magic Within the adventure, you will see text that is set
shop at some point in the campaign. How about apart in a box, like this:
spicing up that shopping trip with an unusual
encounter? This text is meant to be read aloud or paraphrased
Following in the footsteps of the amazingly to the players.
popular So, a Cleric and a Vampire Walk Into a
Other items will be highlighted in bold, referring
Tavern, this collection of short encounters is set
to an ability check, saving throw, monster, or
in your local magic shop or apothecary. Con-
item from one of the published D&D materials,
taining a baker’s dozen of imaginative stories
such as the Monster Manual. The core published
from some of the DMsGuild’s best and bright-
books for 5th edition are abbreviated as follows:
est contributors, you’re sure to find something
PHB = Player’s Handbook
to make the party’s trip to the store one they’ll
never forget! DMG = Dungeon Master’s Guide
Also, be sure to check out the next in this MM = Monster Manual
series: So, a Blind Woman and a Medusa Walk
VGtM = Volo’s Guide to Monsters
Along the Road…—because traveling from one
place to another should never be boring! XGtE = Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
I sincerely want to thank the tremendous com- MToF = Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes
munity of DMsGuild authors, artists, and other
contributors for their amazing support. This cre-
ative collective is absolutely top notch and true
fans of this hobby we all love.
—Alan Tucker
Magic Shop Encounters | Page 3

About the Authors
Alan Tucker Bryan Holmes
Alan is a contributor and author of a number Bryan is a programmer by day, gamer and father
of bestselling products on the DMs Guild, in- by night, and DMs Guild writer by whenever he
cluding Hey, Mister, Can You Help Me? and the can find spare time. His works include Materials
highly acclaimed Myriad, City of Tiers. Alan also of the Realms and Feats of the Forgotten Realms.
has several fantasy and science fiction novels to
his name. You can find more at www.AlanTuck- Jeromy Schulz-Arnold
er.net. Jeromy has written adventures and source ma-
terial for the DM’s Guild. He spends an irrespon-
Ciaran O’Halloran sible amount of time daydreaming.
Ciaran is a new contributor to the DMs Guild.
He is a DM, Dad, and Drama teacher. Andrew Bishkinskyi
As part of the AL CCC program, Andrew’s adven-
David McDonough tures have premiered at events from Nova Scotia
David is a new contributor on the DMs Guild to Ohio before becoming DMsGuild best-sellers.
and author of the adventures The Priest, the His passion-project is developing the drow city
Witch, and the Lost Temple and Undermountain: first introduced in the adventure Six Summoned
Caverns of the Many-Legged. Swords.
Elise Cretel Jeff C. Stevens
Elise Cretel works as a technical writer and edi- Jeff is a middle-aged man living a childhood
tor in nuclear engineering by day and Dungeon dream. He’s the producer of the highly success-
Master by night. She is one of the authors of Un- ful Savage Encounters supplements and has
dermountain: The Lost Chambers and Halaster’s written many best selling adventures.
Hoard. Elise has played on a D&D podcast, D&D
live streams, and enjoys interviewing the RPG Oliver Clegg
community. Her favorite classes are Wizard and Oliver is a bookseller by trade, and brings the
Psion. She is also published through HitRecord inherent resentment of humanity implicit in that
productions. Find Elise on Twitter @DNDElise. job to his DMsguild material. He likes puppies,
though.
Aaron M Lopez
Aaron has written an adventure for the DMs Eddie Gioffre
Guild, as well as Baker Street: Roleplaying in the Eddie has contributed to several blogs and pub-
World of Sherlock Holmes by Fearlight Games lications, including Polyhedron magazine, the
and Glimpse the Beyond by Aegis Studios, He D&D Adventures League website, and the DMs-
has also contributed to additional projects on Guild Silver Best Seller, Storm King’s Barrows:
the DMs Guild. Tombs and Crypts of the North.
Justyn Johnston Richard Malena-Webber
Justyn is a new contributor on the DMs Guild Richard is a contributor and author of many
and has worked on a number of projects includ- projects on the DMs Guild, including the Ravni-
ing the highly acclaimed Myriad, City of Tiers. ca adventure The Tomb of Svogthos and Rise of
the Champions.
Page 4 | Magic Shop Encounters

So, a Wizard and Her gather information pertaining to their current
adventure, but after a short discussion, another
figure bursts into the shop…
Simulacrum Walk Into a A wild-eyed gnomish woman, dressed in deep pur-
Magic Shop… ple robes rushes inside, slamming the door behind
her. Her blonde hair, highlighted with streaks of
by Alan Tucker gray at her temples, is foiling her attempts to keep
it tied in a bun and an open cut beneath one of her
Suggested Party Level: Any blue eyes drips a bit of blood down her cheek.
After admiring the brightly painted sign of a wand
and a book hanging above the door, you step into “Constance!” the gnome shouts as she runs for-
Trinkets & Treatises. A mixture of scents, domi- ward. “I need your help. My simulacrum is trying
nated by old parchment and lavender, tickles your to kill me!”
nose as you scan a number of overstuffed book-
The gnome’s name is Mira Treehollow and she
shelves and glass cabinets in the front portion of
is an accomplished wizard who frequents Con-
the shop. Beyond these, behind a polished wood
stance’s shop for magical supplies—or at least
counter, you see the muscular form of a female
that is what she believes. This actually happens
goliath, though she appears to be of human
to be the simulacrum in question.
height. She looks up from an open book and
greets you with a smile. Constance leans forward. “Mira, slow down. What
happened?”
Constance Lightweaver is an unusual goliath
who took to reading and the mystic arts at an
Before the disheveled gnome can answer, the door
early age. Shunned by her tribe and given a
opens again, revealing a gnomish twin to the one
surname they deemed to be highly insulting,
standing before the counter and a perplexed Con-
Constance made her own way in the world,
stance.
eventually earning a spot in a prestigious magic
academy. There she discovered a talent for en-
chanting and, within a few years, earned enough “Don’t believe anything she says!” the newcomer
gold to open her own shop. declares. “I’m the real Mira!”
The front portion of the store holds books of a
The player characters can attempt Wisdom (In-
mundane nature: treatises, histories, and even
sight) checks, but both gnomes fully believe they
a large collection of novels. She looks the other
are the original and the other is the simulacrum.
way while residents of the town use her shop as a
Any magic that enables true seeing reveals which
library, taking books to read and returning them
is which, but won’t dissuade the simulacrum
for more because most can’t afford to purchase
from its convictions.
them. Constance even provides tutelage to those
The two Miras square off against one another,
who wish to learn to read. The cabinets display
preparing spells. For lower level parties, Con-
a number of common magic items, such as an
stance implores the characters to protect the
ear horn of hearing (XGtE p137) and a staff of
books and other items and stay out of the skir-
birdcalls (XGtE p139). She keeps the more inter-
mish. They can make ability checks to put out
esting and valuable items in a secure room be-
fires or prevent shelves from toppling over, etc.
hind the counter. It is left up to the DM to decide
Higher level parties may attempt to engage in
what items or spells she might have available to
the combat somehow, but which side will they
purchase.
choose? Neither version of Mira has a desire to
Interacting with Constance reveals her to be
harm the party, but will defend themselves if
extremely conscientious and personable. She
they are magically or physically attacked. Con-
is actually kneeling on some pillows behind the
stance will intervene with counterspell whenever
counter because she doesn’t want her patrons
she senses something particularly dangerous to
being intimidated by her height. The player char-
acters can ask after desired items or attempt to continued next page…
her shop being cast by any of the participants
(such as fireball). Consider her a 9th level spell-
Mira Treehollow
Small humanoid (gnome), chaotic neutral
caster with a spell save DC of 16 for this pur-
Armor Class: 15 (mage armor)
pose. Neither version of Mira will attack Con-
Hit Points: 88 (16d8 + 16)
stance as they are trying to win her to their side Speed: 25 ft.
in the fight.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
Once the conflict has been resolved, either by 8 (-1) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 20 (+5) 9 (-1) 15 (+2)
the simulacrum’s destruction, capture, or escape,
Saving Throws: Int +10, Wis +4
Mira explains she was experimenting with the ma-
Senses: passive Perception 9
terial components for the spell and added a pinch Challenge 10 (5,900 XP)
of mandrake, “for vitality and added realism.”
Constance admonishes her for meddling with tried Spellcasting. Mira is a 16th level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is
Intelligence (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). Mira has
and true methods and begin adjusting shelves and
the following wizard spells prepared:
putting things to right within the shop.
If the simulacrum manages to defeat Mira Cantrips (at will): firebolt (3d10 damage), mage hand, mending, minor
Prime, she is unswayed by any evidence, such as illusion, prestidigitation
blood or the fact that Mira didn’t become a pile 1st level (4 slots): feather fall, mage armor, shield
2nd level (3 slots): blur, invisibility, misty step
of slush upon losing consciousness, that she
3rd level (3 slots): counterspell, fireball, major image
isn’t the original Mira. The simulacrum is con- 4th level (3 slots): fabricate, locate creature, polymorph
vinced its simply a result of the additional mate- 5th level (2 slots): Bigby’s hand, hold monster
rial components in the spell. 6th level (1 slot): flesh to stone
If the party was particularly helpful in protect- 7th level (1 slot): simulacrum (expended)
ing her wares, Constance may offer a reward 8th level (1 slot): dominate monster
of gold, or a potion or two, if the DM desires. A Actions
discounted price for a magical item is another Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4
option. She can also offer aid to any characters (1d4 +2) piercing damage.
who might have been on the wrong end of flesh
to stone, or similar spell. Mira’s simulacrum is identical in every way
except that it has half Mira’s hit points (44) and
Suggestions may have some additional expended spell slots—
DMs can use either Constance or Mira as a source at the DM’s discretion—that were used in its
of information for the player characters, or as escape from Mira’s laboratory.
quest givers for further adventures. This encoun-
ter can be used as an introduction to higher lev-
About the Author
el magic or as an exercise in the creative use of Alan is a contributor and author of a number of
non-destructive spells. Constance will be quite bestselling products on the DMs Guild, includ-
upset with anyone who causes damage to her shop ing Hey, Mister, Can You Help Me? and the highly
and will refuse to help or sell to them. Recalcitrant acclaimed Myriad, City of Tiers. Alan also has
characters may have to do something extraordi- several fantasy and science fiction novels to his
nary to curry her favor if she happens to have name. You can find more at www.AlanTucker.net.
something they need.

So, a Blind Man and spreads through his wrinkled face as he hears
you, and his eyes open to reveal milky clouds that
a B oy W alk I nto a obscure his pupils.
Magic Shop… “My uncle likes meeting new people,” says the boy.
The man is Tyriss, a local soothsayer and

by Ciaran O’Halloran prophet. Tyriss was born blind but with the
Suggested Party Level: Any insight to ‘read’ personalities. By touching a
person’s face, Tyriss can sense elements of
Opening the door causes a tiny bell to ring. As their background and motivations. The boy
the sound recedes, a stillness settles through is his nephew and has been charged with his
the shop’s clutter. Before you is the first of three safekeeping. The two of them make a tidy prof-
heavy shelves, stuffed with oddments and cu- it from Tyriss’s gift. Practice has given them a
riosities— boxes small and large, vials and jars sense of the theatrical. Wait for a PC to respond
stacked high, fabric and materials piled on each and then read the following:
other. Shafts of light spread from the pair of win-
dows above your head. The man shuffles past the boy, tapping out his
way ahead. Hitting your foot, he leans into his
There doesn’t seem to be anyone in. stick and stretches his free hand to your face.
If the party waits by the door, no one comes to Pause between each passage below. Tyriss takes
attend them. When they decide to move forward, his time and deliberately creates an awkward
read the following: atmosphere.
You edge your way around the shop, walking past His fingers touch your face. You feel them explore
shelves lined with old parchment, jars of colored your hairline, then move down along your cheek
powder, preserved insects and misshapen rocks. bone.
Once you reach the opposite side you see a heavy
wooden counter along the wall. “Ah, let me see—yes, yes”
Behind the counter more shelves and drawers He pinches your nose then presses his thumbs
reach to the ceiling. You see various boxes of lenses, softly into your eyelids.
scrolls, crystals, a box of tails, and jars of yellow
and orange paste. There is still no sign of movement He tweaks your ear gently before cupping your
and the door beyond the counter is closed. chin and raising your head.
Give the characters some time to decide on a

He brushes the backs of his fingers over your
course of action. As soon as they make a deci-
cheeks again.
sion, read the following:
The bell chimes again. The front door swings open Finally, he holds your face in both hands and
beyond your sight. You hear something tapping brings his own closer. You feel the warm draft of
on the stone floor. his breath as he nods up and down.
Wait a moment, then read the following: “You’ll have to forgive my uncle,” the boy says.
Making his way through the shop comes a small “He… sees things. He has visions… sometimes
boy. As he turns, you see his arm crosses his they overwhelm him, sometimes they fill him with
chest and grips a pale hand at his shoulder. He joy. He doesn’t really understand how to talk with
guides a figure in gray robes who taps a stick normal people. He is blind—”
against the floor as he walks. The sun shines
against the older man’s hairless head. A smile
continued next page…
• “You seem to be trying to put right a great
“No, I can see clearly,” the old man intones. “Much
wrong. But you have never learned to resist
more clearly than most…”
temptation. I see a dark path for you. I see
The old man goes on to describe details of the you at a table, drinking and eating. Your
character’s background: places, people, and friends need you, but you cannot overcome
events. Tyriss can ‘read’ a character’s traits, your selfish thirst.”
bonds, flaws and ideals. He uses his knowl- As with all popular forms of futurology, there
edge of their history to entice them into paying is enough truth in what he says for those who
to have their future told. Depending on how already believe to remain convinced. For some
the character has treated the blind prophet, he PCs, Tyriss’s prediction could become a self-ful-
either predicts that a character will realize their filling prophecy.
ideal or that their destiny will be thwarted by
their flaw. Tyriss ‘sees’ images and senses the About the Author
atmosphere each creates. He describes this to Ciaran is a new contributor to the DMs Guild.
the character. For telling the future he charges He is a DM, Dad, and Drama teacher.
50-80gp.
Here are some sample predictions:

• “Ah - I see you are all searching for some-
thing. Well, I can tell that this one will find
it. I see him on a path. He knows to follow
omens and to read the signs. My friend - you
have the gift of finding paths. Follow the
signs and you will find what you most de-
sire.”

So, a Wizard’s Soon thereafter, when Lucian’s classmates
confronted him, the demon slaughtered them all.
Fleeing his master’s tower, Lucian and the de-
Apprentice and a mon were stopped by the town guards. When the
guards pushed the apprentice out of the way to
Demon Walk Into a attack the demon, the babau “protected” Lucian,
and killed them too.
Magic Shop… For nearly a day, Lucian had attempted to
avoid contact with other people to protect them
by David McDonough from his demon “guardian.” The planar binding
Suggested Party Level: 4-5 is almost over, after which the demon will be
sent back to the Abyss. However, the demon has
Adaptable to Any tricked Lucian into believing that its stay will be
permanent – with the promise of a painful death
With nightfall approaching, the magic shop is
for summoning it. In a desperate last minute
nearly closed. The shopkeeper sits behind the
gamble, Lucian had run into this town’s local
counter, wiping dust from the wooden surface and
magic shop, hoping to find a scroll of banishment
staring impatiently at your party.
to use against the demon.
Suddenly, you hear the chime ring from the At the Magic Shop
shop’s entrance. A young man frantically enters, Characters who succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom
his white-trimmed blue cloak marked by arcane (Perception) check will notice the second fig-
runes, identifying him as a wizard, albeit just ure has long claws, needle-like sharp teeth, and
an apprentice by his age. His clothes are dirty, a horn that peeks out of its hood. Characters
weathered, and stained, including with what who succeed on a DC 18 Intelligence (Arcana
looks like dried blood. or History) check will recognize it as a babau
demon Characters who eavesdrop on conversa-
As the panic-stricken apprentice runs into the tion between Lucian and the shopkeeper, and
room, he looks behind him as though expecting who succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception)
someone to follow. He reaches the shopkeeper and check, will hear a frantic conversation about the
whispers; the shopkeeper stares at the door as well. spells banishment and planar binding.
Characters who talk to Lucian will be told the
The front door’s chime rings again, as another story about the demon, though he will avoid
form enters. Covered in blood-stained gray robes, commenting about his slaughtered classmates
the newcomer’s face is hidden in the cowl—though or guards, unless characters succeed on a DC
you notice hands that are pitch black. This figure 18 Charisma (Persuasion) check. The shop-
leans languidly against the closed door, arms fold- keeper claims that he does not have a scroll of
ed, and in a strange accent says “Come on Lucian, banishment. He is also trying to explain to Lu-
there’s no running from the inevitable.” cian that the demon should disappear in only a
few minutes, after the end of the planar binding
Background spell. Characters who know the spell, or succeed
on a DC 18 Intelligence (Arcana) check, will
The two figures who enter the shop are a wiz-
know this information about the spell as well.
ard’s apprentice named Lucian and a babau
demon (VGtM p136). Lucian, a student at a The Taunting Demon
school for wizardry, was the frequent target of The babau will ignore the adventurers; its at-
his classmates’ taunts and bullying. The night tention is fixated on Lucian. It tells the wizard’s
before, when the school’s archmage was away, apprentice:
Lucian used his master’s spellbook to summon
the demon and, with a scroll of planar binding, “Your time is nearly up,” and “You cannot run
instructed the babau to protect him from his from fate.”
tormentors. continued next page…
If the characters go close to Lucian, the demon Such encounters could lead to additional adven-
will loudly ask: turing opportunities.
“Lucian, are these adventurers bothering you in Alternatives

any way?” The babau demon can be replaced with almost
any type of medium or even large demon—
Lucian quickly responds with alarm, “No! These though, if the demon doesn’t look vaguely hu-
people are my friends and are not to be harmed in manoid, the DC check to recognize the demon
any way.” The wizard’s apprentice offers a meek, would need to be much lower or be eliminated
scared smile at you before returning to talk to the altogether. While combat could take place in this
shopkeeper. The demon remains by the door, star- encounter, characters are not meant to defeat
ing at its long claws and occasionally using them the demon, which will disappear once the pla-
to scratch the wall. nar binding is over; this could take place in the
midst of combat. As such, the CR of the demon
The demon has convinced Lucian that at the could be somewhat higher than normal for the
end of the planar binding spell, the demon will party’s size and level.
be unleashed to kill him. Without a means to
banish the demon, the apprentice wants to re- About the Author
cruit the characters to protect him. Characters David is a new contributor on the DMs Guild
are free to protect Lucian, attack the babau, or and author of the adventures The Priest, the
if they are able to do so, cast banishment (or a Witch, and the Lost Temple and Undermountain:
similar spell) on the demon. If the demon re- Caverns of the Many-Legged.
mains, Lucian goes into a panic— and starts to
beg and plead for the demon to show him mercy.
If the characters raise their voices at Lucian or
tries to restrain him, the demon will also attack
them, as per its instructions to “protect” the wiz-
ard’s apprentice.
At the end, the babau turns to Lucian and says,
“It’s time Lucian. Your spell is over,” and lunges at
Lucian. Yet, before it reaches the apprentice, the
demon starts to fade away. The characters hear
jeering laughter, with the babau’s final words be-
ing: “You mortals are all so gullible.”
What Happens Next
Lucian will try to quickly leave the magic shop
after the demon’s disappearance. If characters
learn about the dead classmates or guards, they
might try to detain Lucian for his role in the
deaths or alert the authorities. Sometime after
the end of this encounter, the character could be
visited by a variety of people connected to Lu-
cian, including guards investigating the deaths
at the magic school, hunters looking for the de-
mon, or even Lucian’s master, an archmage who
has returned to his school only to discover his
students murdered and the town guards killed.
The archmage will be trying to find further in-
formation on what happened. Characters could
also end up journeying to the school to further
investigate the circumstances of what happened.
So, a Cleric and a Tymora’s Blessing Table
d12 Encounter
Cultist Walk Into a 1 A Philter of Love appears (DMG p184).
2 Outside, a rainbow appears, and a small herd of unicorns
Magic Shop… 3
runs by gracefully.
50 gp appear in the PC’s coin purse.
by Elise Cretel 4 A spell scroll of feather fall appears.
5 A Stone of Good Luck appears (DMG 205).
Suggested Party Level: Any 6 Colorful butterflies pour out of the box and fill the room.
An ethereal tinkle fills your ears as you enter the 7 A 100 gp three leaf clover appears in the PC’s palm.
magic shop. An elderly couple is busy pulling 8 A 250 gp art object (DMG 135) appears.
potions and trinkets from behind counters for 9 A Pearl of Power appears (DMG 184).
patrons while a hurdy gurdy man winds his music 10 When the party steps outside, the wind sends cherry
box singing songs of druidic lore. Musicians play blossoms raining from the sky.
quietly as young spell casters practice their craft 11 A set of Nolzur’s Marvelous Pigments appears (DMG 183).
to illuminate the corner of the shop with beauti- 12 A portal appears in the floor with spiral stairs leading
ful dragons and lights. Enamoring potion bottles to a small crystal cave. The cave has a clear pond with
bubbling with magic and glowing elemental orbs bioluminescent creatures darting about. Stepping in the
gently swirl behind the many glass cabinets as the water brings full healing and cures any poison or disease.
chimes tinkle again. A strong cleric with engraved The only way out is back up the stairs. The portal closes once
armor walks into the shop followed by her cultist everyone has exited the cave.
friend. The cleric’s ponytail falls over her shoulder
as she easily carries a heavy wooden box. The cult-
ist’s staff gently taps the store floor with each step
as the cleric’s armor falls in stride with each turn
of the music box.
The cultist appears to be a human wearing thick

robes and a golden amulet. A DC 11 Intelligence
(Religion) check will reveal the pendant has the
symbol of the goddess Tymora delicately engraved
into the soft metal. Her beautiful voice fills the
magic shop as she asks guests to donate tribute
and offer a prayer to her goddess. If questioned,
she will honestly tell travelers that the money is
for those in need who seek help at her temple.
They say that their goddess is Tymora, the god-
dess of luck and good fortune. Treat the cleric and
the cultist of Tymora as devas (MM p16), treat the
shop keepers as mages (MM p347), the three mu-
sicians as druids (MM p346), and the two young
spell casters as acolytes (MM p342).
Anyone who puts an item they view as valu-
able in the box will be asked to say a message
to the goddess. Characters must make a DC 13
Wisdom or Charisma check (player’s choice).
On a success, the DM will roll from the Tymo-
ra’s Blessing Roll Table. For those who fail the
check or attempt to utilize Deception, Intimida-
tion, or anything ill-willed toward the women,
must roll from the Tymora is Displeased Table. continued next page…
Tymora is Displeased Table Aftermath
Note: You have angered the goddess, PCs do not have time to react to all
encounters.
When everyone is done giving tribute, both the
cleric and the cultist thank everyone. The person
d12 Encounter who rolled the highest check will notice a glim-
1 A giant centipede (MM p323) suddenly fills the adventurer’s mer of Mount Celestia in the cleric’s eye as she
backpack until it tears and the beast crawls out, attacking smiles and walks out. They feel a strong spiri-
immediately. tual sense overcome them as the chimes of the
2 The PC trips and falls taking 1d6 bludgeoning damage. door gently fall over themselves.
3 A giant vulture (MM p329) ridden by a rat (MM p335) crashes
through the store window. About the Author
4 An angry black bear (MM p318) begins scratching at the Elise Cretel works as a technical writer and edi-
store door. tor in nuclear engineering by day and Dungeon
5 When the PC steps outside, something from a large bird Master by night. She is one of the authors of Un-
lands on the PC’s head. dermountain: The Lost Chambers and Halaster’s
6 A cursed item (determined by the DM) magically appears in Hoard. Elise has played on a D&D podcast, D&D
the PC’s pack without their knowledge. live streams, and enjoys interviewing the RPG
7 An angry centaur (MM p38) runs toward the PC, steals their community. Her favorite classes are Wizard and
favorite weapon, and runs off. Psion. She is also published through HitRecord
8 A gelatinous cube (MM p242) appears and completely productions. Find Elise on Twitter @DNDElise.
engulfs the PC except for their head and begins to slide away
(out the door if inside).
9 The next time the character sleeps, a black bear (MM p318)
steals their backpack thinking there is food in it. Their gear
ends up strewn down a long path toward a bear cave.
10 An ochre jelly (MM p243) magically fills a water skin, potion
bottle, or other container on the character. Next time they
open the container, the very large jelly pours out.
11 1d4 will-o-wisps (MM p301) appear.
12 The PC is grappled by a green hag (MM p177).
Use the optional Magic Shop Patron Reaction

Table for the disruptive monster encounters.
Magic Shop Patron Reaction Table
d6 Encounter
1 The shopkeepers kindly ask everyone to go outside.
2 The patrons join the battle!
3 Everyone scatters and soon the city guard arrives.
4 Members of the Fighters Guild enter the shop and asks if
everyone is ok.
5 The music stops and guests run out the door screaming.
6 An uncomfortably loud alarm sounds off and a magic water
sprinkler system triggered.

So, a Tyrannosaur and magical accident, but still see each other as they
truly are. The allosaurus is trying to eat the
goat, which in turn is running for its life.
a W izard W alk I nto a
The Chaos!
Magic Shop… The demolition of the shop brings even more
problems magical components are combined
by Aaron M Lopez randomly and delicate devices are destroyed.
Magic surges everywhere!
Suggested Party Level: Any Characters must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom
Encounter Overview (Perception) check, or are surprised for one
While perusing the aisles of the most wonderful round by the sudden entrance of the tyranno-
magic shop known, the party is suddenly inter- saur and the wizard and are unable to dodge
rupted by a “tyrannosaur” bursting through the debris from the walls as the tyrannosaur bursts
walls being chased by a “wizard” causing chaos through. On a successful check characters can
and mayhem throughout the store. have the opportunity to dodge the debris by
Barashi’s Magic Shoppe: making a successful DC 20 Dexterity Saving
The shop is immense, standing 4 stories tall throw. This roll is made at advantage for those
and made of stone. The exterior is well main- who are more than 20 feet from the wall where
tained and the stones are polished to reflect the the tyrannosaur comes through. Failure results
sun/stars clearly and add to the overall mys- in 1d6 bludgeoning damage.
tique of the shop. Once ability checks are resolved, read or para-
Inside, each floor is the same size (100 ft. wide phrase the following:
by 100 ft. deep by 20ft. tall) with a single, wide The patrons of the store erupt into a frightened
staircase leading to the next floor above. The mob at the sight of the tyrannosaurus. You
room is well lit by magical means. The inside of witness a few commoners throwing things at the
the shop is a cross between a crowded general dinosaur, and a few running after the obviously
store, a museum, and a zoo with many objects mad wizard. Others try to keep shelves falling
and creatures—many still alive!—in glass cases over on loved ones, while most attempt to run out
on display. The gurgling and bubbling of brewing of the store.
potions can be heard along with various crea-
tures screeching and squawking throughout. A At this point it is a good idea to allow each char-
variety of scents assail the adventurers noses, acter to roll for initiative in order to track actions
bringing pleasant aromas, nauseating smells, and for each party member as well as the tyranno-
some that can even bring one to tears. Barashi saur and wizard.
himself can be found on any of the upper floors Due to the utter chaos and destruction, char-
wandering about the shop. In addition to the ad- acters must make a successful DC 20 Dexterity
venturers, there are also 2d10 patrons (common- Saving throw each round or take 1d6 bludgeon-
ers MM p345) on each floor. ing damage from falling debris and must roll on
the Magic Surge table below.
The Chase
The tyrannosaur and wizard should go on the
As characters wander through the crowded same initiative and, unless they are attacked, will
aisles, the following happens: only continue the chase, completely oblivious of
A tyrannosaur (MM p80) bursts into the shop, their surroundings. The DM should roll on the
recklessly charging directly through the estab- Magic Surge table once per round for each of
lishment. Immediately after, a wizard (mage MM them as well.
p347), obviously in pursuit, bursts in after the
beast. Though this is not known to players, the
wizard is really an allosaurus (MM p79) and the
tyrannosaur is really a goat (MM p330). Both
were transformed into their new forms by a freak
Magic Surge Table The Aftermath
d12 Result After three (or more) rounds, the chase makes
1 You cast polymorph on yourself. If you fail a DC15 Wisdom its way through the shop where a portal sud-
save, you become a badger (MM p318) for the next minute. denly appears in the path of the dinosaur. Both
2 You grow a long beard of beef jerky that stays with you until the tyrannosaur and wizard exit through the
the next day, or until you eat any of it. (Counts as a day’s opening, which snaps closed after they pass
rations for the entire party) through. Shortly after the portal closes, an in-
3 A confusion spell is cast, centered on yourself. dividual comes through the hole in the wall the
4 You teleport to the feet of the tyrannosaur and are stunned tyrannosaur created. His clothes are smolder-
for one round. ing and half of his beard, part of his mustache,
5 You turn into a potted plant until your next turn. While a and one eyebrow have been burned away.
plant, you have vulnerability to all damage. If you drop to 0 Obviously winded, he introduces himself as
hit points or are incapacitated, you immediately revert back Kovius of Chult and addresses the party.
to your normal form.
6 Your skin turns brilliant shades of pink and blue “Hello, so sorry about all this mess! Did anyone
7 An explosion next to you releases random creature(s) from see a tyrannosaur a minute ago? I am really eager
the cage(s) containing it. (There can only be one occurrence to find out what happened to my pet.”
of this. If a creature is already spawned, ignore this roll). See
Barashi, hearing the destruction in his shop,
Magic Creature table below
immediately appears next to Kovius, where
8 You immediately levitate to the ceiling of the room.
they talk excitedly in hushed whispers.
9 For the next minute, every time you move, a small cloud of
Barashi, who looks like a rotund human,
thick smoke erupts from each of your ears. (This will reveal your
dressed in a sari and bright blue turban, then
location if you are invisible or hidden)
turns to the party.
10 A piece of a broken table hovers near you for the next
minute acting as a shield, granting you +2 to AC. After “This is a disaster and will not do! Are any of you
1 minute, the table falls to the floor and breaks apart hurt? Can you tell me what happened?”
becoming useless.
11 A comical-looking eye appears on your forehead and remains Allow the characters a chance to describe the
until the next day. During this time you have advantage events as they saw it.
on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight, but After taking statements from the party,
disadvantage on Charisma (Intimidation/Persuasion) checks. Barashi will again turn to Kovius and continue
12 On your next action, instead of performing said action, you their hushed conversation.
cast magic missile on three random creatures in the room A successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception)
(including party members!) check will allow the characters to learn the
following:
• Barashi, hearing the destruction in the
Magic Creature Table shop, caused the portal to open
APL Creature(s) • The “tyrannosaur” and “wizard” are now safe
2 5 Stirges (MM p284) in individual cages elsewhere in his shop
4 2 Griffons (MM p174) • The “tyrannosaur” and “wizard” are actually
6 a suit of Animated Armor and a Mummy (MM p19, 228) an allosaurus and a goat, respectively
8 a Treant (MM p289)
• They were transformed due to an accident
10 2 Yuan-Ti Malisons riding Elephants (MM p309, 322)
that happened in his laboratory
12 5 Weretigers (MM p210)
14 a Mind Flayer Arcanist and a Vampire Spawn (MM p222, 298) • Apparently, the creatures only see each
16 2 Medusas and 4 Succubus/Incubus (MM p214, 285) others true form and have no idea they have
18 a Balor (MM p55) been transformed
20 a Solar driven insane by a previous captor (MM p18)
Following the conversation, the shop, its owner,
and Kovius disappear leaving the party and a lot
of stunned patrons standing in an empty field/
space where the magic shop had been a few mo-
Alternatives
ments earlier.
As an alternative, the portal can be opened in
Roleplaying Barashi the shop where the tyrannosaur and wizard
Barishi, an ancient being of considerable mag- run from it, through the shop, through the
ical means, is a collector of magical items and wall, and off into the wilderness or city. In this
curiosities. His shop, though extensive, is really alternative scenario, the portal is caused by the
filled with items that he has studied and got- same magical accident that polymorphed the
ten bored with. Though he will be angry at the two creatures. Additionally, Barashi will capture
destruction of his shop, his ire will be quickly the two using magic and trap them into cages
overshadowed and turned to excitement and in the shop.
even happiness at the
discovery of a mystery
About the Author
involving magic. He Aaron has written an adventure for the DMs
will take the discovery Guild, as well as Baker Street: Roleplaying in
of Kovius’ accident as the World of Sherlock Holmes by Fearlight
another adventure to Games and Glimpse the Beyond by Aegis
embark on. Studios, He has also contributed to ad-
ditional projects on the DMs Guild.
Roleplaying
Kovius
Kovius is powerful
archmage. He is kind
but occasionally ab-
sent minded. He had
just served lunch (a
goat) to his pet allo-
saurus and returned
to his laboratory when an
explosion caused the magic accident
which transformed the two beasts. The goat’s
sudden increase in size broke the cage and it
immediately ran in fear. The allosaurus, being
exceedingly hungry, followed after his lunch.
Note: Neither Kovius nor Barishi will attack the
party or any other creature in this encounter.
Should any attack be made on either of these,
Barishi will use his legendary actions to disap-
pear along with Kovius and cause the shop to
teleport to parts unknown leaving the party and
bystanders in a field alone.

So, a Beggar and a up at you, he lurches and stumbles, crashing into
the table, sending items flying everywhere. Half fall-
Thief Walk Into a ing as he tries to untangle himself from the myriad
of items on the floor, he apologizes profusely for his
Magic Shop… clumsiness. The store owner comes running over,

scolding the drunken beggar as he busies himself
cleaning up the mess, declaring that, “one way or
by J ustyn J ohnston
another, you will pay for the damages.”
Suggested Party Level: 1-4
A 10-foot-radius area around the table is now
A small, silver bell hangs down from the ceiling difficult terrain.
behind the wooden door at the front of the long Amid the commotion, and unaffected by the
and narrow store. The glass windows on either difficult terrain, the young man (see the Thief
side of the front door have an array of weapons stat block at end of the encounter) will stealthily
and armor on display. There are dusty, wood- make his way toward the back counter that the
en bookshelves lining the walls, and a couple of store owner has just vacated, reach behind it,
wooden tables run right down the length of the unlock a small wooden box, and grab the mag-
store’s middle. Scattered on the tables are a range ical ring of realms, before simply disappearing
of oddities and gimmicks, ranging from weap- out the back door and into the shadows.
ons, to trinkets, to potions. The store’s owner, a Roll a Dexterity (Stealth) check (+5) for the
rotund, balding man, in his late fifties, is busy young man, contested by the player characters’
behind the glass counter at the back of the store, Wisdom (Perception) checks. On a failure, the
arranging his wares and tidying the cabinet. character notices broken glass amongst the
recently made mess. On a success, the char-
The characters should already be in the store,
acter sees the young man heading towards the
so get the players to choose and/or describe any
counter and can now make a DC13 Intelligence
action(s) that their characters are taking here.
(Investigation) check; on a failure, the charac-
Read the following to all players who succeed on
ter wonders just how drunk someone must be to
a DC13 Wisdom (Passive Perception) check;
cause so much havoc in a store. On a success,
You hear the ring of a bell, signaling the entrance the character realizes that the beggar’s ‘stumble’
of another patron. A young man of slight build, was a staged decoy for the young man.
dressed in dull, plain robes, walks in. Hot on his If none of the player characters realize this was a
heels is another man, one with the distinct look staged robbery, read the following;
of a beggar: dressed in dirty, tattered clothes that
After cleaning up after the drunken beggar, es-
perfectly match his unkempt and scruffy face. The
corting him to the front door, and kindly kicking
first young man walks casually towards the front
him out, the owner of the store returns to the
of the store glancing at the different trinkets and
back counter. A moment later, you see him look
magical items on display, ignoring the beggar who
at the floor before throwing his hands to his head,
followed him in.
and yells, “I’ve been robbed!”
The beggar approaches a table next to one of
The thief will have disappeared by now and head-
the player characters. Have all characters within
ed to meet with the kidnappers (or others, if the
5 feet of the beggar roll a DC13 Constitution
list of alternative motives is used). The beggar can
check. On a failure, the character gags at the
be easily found in the street. Questioning the beg-
smell of the beggar. Struggling to concentrate,
gar can yield the following information:
any Wisdom or Intelligence checks the player
• He was approached by the young man in the
makes in the store are done with disadvantage.
nearby alley.
The beggar approaches a table next to (player char- • He was supposed to get food and drink for
acter) and even before he reaches you, your nose is his services.
assaulted by the fumes coming off of him. Looking

• He doesn’t want to talk until he’s been paid self spell immediately upon leaving the store.
what he’s owed (some food and drink)
Speaking with the store’s owner, the player

Thief
Medium humanoid (human), chaotic neutral
characters will be able to get a description of the
Armor Class: 13
ring, along with the basic information about the Hit Points: 20 (3d8 +6)
ring’s abilities. Speed: 30 ft.
Ring of R ealms STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

10 (+0) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 11 (+0) 12 (+1)
Ring, very rare. Requires attunement.
Saving Throws: Dex +5, Int +2
While wearing and attuned to this ring, you can Skills: Acrobatics +5, Investigation +2, Sleight of Hand +5, Stealth +5,
travel to any plane of existence that you have Thieves’ Tools
physically been to before. You can use this abili- Senses: passive Perception 12
ty once per day. Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
The ring can be located with the locate object Sneak Attack. Once per turn, the thief deals an extra 7 (2d6) damage
spell (or similar magic). whenever she hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage
If any of the player characters succeed on a on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of her’s
DC13 Intelligence (Investigation) check, they that isn’t incapacitated.
see the young man behind the counter, unlock- Actions
ing a small wooden box, before taking ‘some- Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range
thing’ out. Player characters can roll a DC15 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 +3) piercing damage.
Wisdom (Perception) check to see that the
object is a ring. The young man then makes his The thief is tall and slender, with red hair, green
escape out the back door, closing it softly. eyes, and fair skin. She is in her early 20s and
Shortly before entering, the young man had ap- a member of the Shadowstalkers, a local thieves
proached the beggar in a nearby alley and offered guild. Such is their reputation that they are vir-
him food and drink, for a small favor. The beggar, tually unseen and rarely spoken of out loud.
already half drunk, quickly agreed and was given She needs to deliver the ring before her family
his rather simple assignment: “Follow me into the is slaughtered by their kidnappers. She has no
magic store and make as much mess and noise as idea of their whereabouts and is dealing with the
you can. I will take care of the rest.” kidnappers via a sending stone (DMG p199).
Unbeknownst to the beggar, and most likely all If confronted by the player characters, she will
witnesses as well, the thief is in fact a woman with throw herself on their mercy and ask for help. She
disguise self cast on herself (spell save DC15). Her explains she has only limited time to deliver the
plan was as simple as her ring to the kidnappers. If using the alternative mo-
instructions to the beggar: tives list, adjust the thief’s reaction to best reflect
wait for the owner to deal her motivations.
with the disturbance, Alternative motives list:
sneak behind the • She’s being paid a lot of money to steal it
counter, steal the • It’s her initiation to become a fully fledged
ring, and slip unno- member of the thieves guild
ticed out the back
door. The hapless • It was a family heirloom stolen by an ‘ac-
beggar will most quaintance’ of the store’s owner
likely be left with- About the Author
out food or drink,
Justyn is a new contributor on the DMs Guild
but with plenty
and has worked on a number of projects includ-
of explaining
ing the highly acclaimed Myriad, City of Tiers.
to do. The
thief will
drop the
disguise
So a Bifurcated Bard and notice or remember.
DC Perception
His Duplicate Walk Into 10 The twins aren’t letting either get a word in edgewise. It
seems one knows precisely what the other is about to say
a Witch’s Hut…
and counters it early, making it hard to follow along.
13 You spy tattoos visible just under their vests. An intricate
delicate design. Whoever created the sigil must have a very
by Bryan Holmes
steady hand to be able to mirror it so perfectly.
Suggested Party Level: Any 15 It takes you a while but you realize from their conversation:
they’re not twins. They’re both Cade Delvicious.
Background
DC History
Cade Delvicious is a tiefling bard. Legends tell
10 The twins look exactly like the fabled bard, Cade Delvicious.
how the gods conspired to make a bard who had
Although he’s far more famous for being a primadonna than he
an ego so great, it was more than the sum of all
is for having good musical talent.
bardic egos ever. Of course, the way Cade tells
13 Cade Delvicious was recently visiting some of the larger
this story, he replaces “egos” with “talent.”
cities of the region and was thrown out of nearly every
So great is his legend that no other bard would
tavern he could find. Each tale describing why is more
work with Cade. This brought him to a witch
unbelievable than the last.
named Agatha. Cade wished for a backup per-
15 Not long ago, Cade was searching for assistants. He wanted
former with as much talent as himself.
to perform more elaborate musical pieces, and was unable to
The crone granted his wish, but it resulted in
secure partnerships with any other talented musicians.
a horrible curse that created an exact duplicate
of himself. Agatha stomps through the beaded curtain, lifts
Setup a finger and both tieflings are rendered silent by
a spell. She smiles crookedly. “Good. Now please
The party should already be assembled in the hut
customers, excuse this lout. He’s unhappy with
of Agatha, the witch. She’s a snarky old woman,
services rendered and refuses to accept that his
but not without charm. Her hut resides near a
fate is out of my hands.”
large town where folk come asking for their for-
tunes told or charms to ward away sickness. If asked, Agatha explains her story: Cade came to
her wanting a magically created backup singer.
You’re browsing the wares laid out for display:
She cast a spell which split Cade into two, but
silken head scarves and wooden carvings. Agatha
unfortunately his copy has an equally large ego.
even mentions having some more lewd carvings in
the back, beyond a beaded curtain. The wooden “I told him the only way to reunite his halves is
walls of the hut seem to store more on the inside get along with himself. And—”
than appeared possible from the road.
Suddenly free of her magic, Cade interrupts. “This
Your concentration is broken when you hear a horrific, warted hag cursed me! It’s embarrassing,
shouting match outside. A moment later, twin being around someone who is always trying to—”
tieflings walk in through the door arguing with
one another. Their crimson skin is beaded with “Cut you off!” his duplicate finishes, to the visible
sweat, cascading down their faces as they contin- annoyance of Cade.
ue to shout louder and louder.
Cade and his duplicate are identical. Red skin, Agatha smiles and motions to you “Please allow
blackened horns, and taut physiques. Each me to offer a proposal. I don’t want either of these
wears a vest, which does nothing to hide their charlatans in here. Finish your purchases, take
muscular frames. Their eyes are pools of liq- them with you, and help break this so-called
uid orange and yellow, shifting constantly. The curse. If you do, I’ll return your money on whatev-
characters can make either Wisdom (Perception) er you buy.”
or Intelligence (History) checks to see what they
The two are getting along, but the duplicate is
Cade pipes up. “And, I’ll let you come to all my
still here.
shows, for free, for life. That’s a Delvicious prom-
Proceed to Agatha’s Bargain.
ise and those are as good as gold. Better, really.
In fact there are some banks in distant lands who
Conflicted Success:
now only accept my word as their local currency.”
“Well we don’t sound bad, but honestly I still don’t
Cade’s duplicate nods enthusiastically. think this is going to work. We did manage to play
a song together, perhaps the hag will be nice and
The Task lift the curse anyway. Couldn’t hurt to ask nicely,
The characters must try to get the two halves to could it?”
work together. This must take the form of the
Cade seems unsure, but you can see some-
duplicate (whose tattoo is backwards) playing
thing has changed. His larger than life ego has
backup to the original Cade and successfully
shrunk just a little. Maybe Agatha will lift the
performing a song.
curse after all.
The players need to roleplay this encounter
Proceed to Agatha’s Bargain.
outside the hut. The DM should roleplay Cade
and his duplicate as total divas, refusing to play
Total Failure:
second fiddle (even if it’s to the greatest musician
that ever played). The song, as predicted, is horrible. Each performer
Have the players use their character’s skills to tries harder to play louder than the other. It ends
help the two agree to perform a song together. up in an all out fist fight that requires you all to
Allow them to determine what skills to use, but pull them off of each other. It’s obvious this will
don’t allow them to simply say “I use persua- never work.
sion.” Ask them, “How do you persuade them?”
For each check, the DC is 14. If they come up That’s when a voice from within the hut calls out
with a particularly good idea, or use magic in a ‘I’ve had enough of you two. All of you, get in here
creative way, grant them advantage on the roll or now!’. She sounds mad, and you doubt ignoring
even an automatic success. her would have any good come of it.
Depending on how quickly you want the en-
counter to go, allow each player one or two at- Proceed to Agatha’s Bargain.
tempts at convincing the bards. Keep track of how
many successes they achieve. Agatha’s Bargain
Time To Shine You all enter the hut, where Agatha holds a pen-
dant in the shape of a silver harp. “I’m feeling
“Alright, alright, we’ll do it.” the duplicate relents, generous. I’ve shifted Cade’s curse to this pen-
with an annoyed expression. After taking a moment dant. Cade, you can decide to break it and absorb
to figure out which song to play, the bards begin. the other Cade. Duplicate, you can break it and
absorb the original. Or, one of you can take it and
Make a DC 16 Charisma (Performance) check trust the other to never break it, allowing you to
for each version of Cade. Their bonus is +6 and keep your new compatriot.”
add +1 for each success earned above. If both
bards succeed, then you have a great success. Great Success: At this juncture, Cade offers
If only one succeeds, you have a conflicted suc- the players the silver harp pendant in order to
cess. If neither succeeds, you have total failure. keep it safe, and know that their trust will never
Great Success: be tested.
Conflicted Success: For this condition, the DM
“Ok so maybe that’s not so bad. Hey, we sounded should have whoever played better take the pen-
great, harmonized perfectly and maybe I’ve been dant. Give the players a moment to bargain, but
a bit rough on you, but I have such high expecta- unless they come up with a good argument, the
tions when someone is as talented as we are.” harp is broken and the other Cade disappears.
Total Failure: Read the following:
As Agatha holds out the pendant, Cade steps

So, a Cleric and a
forward. ‘No tricks, hag?’ he skeptically asks. She
shakes her head. “Well then I…’ is all that comes
Zombie Walk Into a
out of Cade’s lips. Faster than you realize, his du-
plicate glides over and slides a dagger in his back.
Magic Shop…
As Cade bleeds out over the floor, his duplicate by J eromy Schulz-Arnold
looks at you with sad eyes. “I didn’t ask for this. I
don’t want to die.” Suggested Party Level: Any
The PCs are shopping when a cleric and a zombie
How the players deal with the repercussions of walk in and the cleric asks for help. She explains
this should be left up to the table. that the zombie used to be her friend until he
Aftermath drank some potions and, due to potion misci-
bility, he was turned into a zombie. She thinks
Dealing with the infamous Cade Delvicious is cer- that if the correct combination of ingredients are
tainly going to stay with you for a long time. You get combined by mixing potions, the effect can be
the feeling you’ll never meet anyone quite like him reversed. She pleads with the shopkeeper and the
ever again. But you find yourself having a greater PCs to help restore her friend.
appreciation for the phrase “We are our own worst This is a logic puzzle with the goal of recreating
enemies.” a Potion of Zombie.
About the Author The puzzle works as follows:
Bryan is a programmer by day, gamer and father • Each character begins by knowing the ingre-
by night, and DMs Guild writer by whenever he dients of a number of potions equal to their
can find spare time. His works include Materials Wisdom or Intelligence modifier (whichever
of the Realms and Feats of the Forgotten Realms. is higher). Characters may select the potions
for which they know the ingredients. Char-
acters with a negative or zero ability modifier
in both Wisdom and Intelligence know at
least one potion’s ingredients.
• The shopkeeper knows the ingredients for
a Zombie Potion but does not have one in
stock, nor does she have the ingredients.
• Only two potions can be mixed at a time.
• Once two potions are mixed, the DM con-
sults the ingredient list of both potions. Any
ingredient that is common to both potions
“cooks off” in the bubbling reaction. A new
potion is formed (if possible) from the re-
maining ingredients. For example, if a Po-
tion of Invisibility is mixed with Potion of
Heroism:
Dragon Blood, Silver Dust, Yew Ash
Eye of Newt, Grave Dirt, Silver Dust
Dragon Blood, Eye of Newt, Grave Dirt = Potion
of Zombie
Yew ash remains but the puzzle is solved! (Potion

of Zombie takes precedence over any other potion
that can be created)
The new potion can be ladled out of the caul- during the puzzle solving process. One wonders
dron or it can be left and another potion added. if all that mixing may have created some flawed
Any leftover ingredients can also be ladled out or potions with interesting quirks. If this is run as
left in the pot. first adventure, this might be a good chance to
Always remove doubles of ingredients first, provide PCs with weaker forms of potions they
then see if any new potion(s) can be formed. might need but that they can’t yet afford.
If two potions could be formed, the DM choos- Alternately, if the PCs are more experienced
es the potion to be formed. Again, the Potion of (and richer) the cleric could forget to pay for the
Zombie takes precedence over all other potions. potions and depart; leaving the PCs to foot the
Once the Potion of Zombie is made and given bill for the potions used. The potions the PCs
to the zombie, he returns to human form. The acquire may turn out to be extremely potent,
cleric thanks the PCs and the shopkeeper for perhaps even permanent.
their help.
About the Author
Finishing The Encounter Jeromy has written adventures and source ma-
The cleric offers payment for potions used in the terial for the DM’s Guild. He spends an irrespon-
encounter and leaves. The the shopkeeper gives sible amount of time daydreaming.
the PCs the potions made by mixing the philters
Potion Formula Table

Potion Name Potion Ingredients
Potion of Animal Friendship Dragon Blood, Eye of Newt, Yew Ash
Potion of Clairvoyance Eye of Newt, Faerie Tears, Silver Dust
Potion of Climbing Faerie Tears, Silver Dust, Yew Ash
Potion of Diminution Eye of Newt, Grave Dirt, Yew Ash
Potion of Fire Breath Dragon Blood, Grave Dirt, Silver Dust
Potion of Flying Faerie Tears, Grave Dirt, Silver Dust
Potion of Gaseous Form Eye of Newt, Faerie Tears, Yew Ash
Potion of Giant Strength Dragon Blood, Eye of Newt, Faerie Tears
Potion of Growth Dragon Blood, Eye of Newt, Silver Dust
Potion of Healing Eye of Newt, Silver Dust, Yew Ash
Potion of Heroism Eye of Newt, Grave Dirt, Silver Dust
Potion of Invisibility Dragon Blood, Silver Dust, Yew Ash
Potion of Invulnerability Dragon Blood, Faerie Tears, Yew Ash
Potion of Longevity Eye of Newt, Faerie Tears, Grave Dirt
Potion of Mind Reading Dragon Blood, Faerie Tears, Grave Dirt
Potion of Poison Dragon Blood, Faerie Tears, Silver Dust
Potion of Resistance Grave Dirt, Silver Dust, Yew Ash
Potion of Speed Eye of Newt, Grave Dirt, Silver Dust
Potion of Vitality Dragon Blood, Grave Dirt, Yew Ash
Potion of Water Breathing Faerie Tears, Grave Dirt, Yew Ash
Potion of Zombie Dragon Blood, Eye of Newt, Grave Dirt

So, a Priestess of Lolth Adjusting the Encounter
• This is a social interaction encounter that can
and Her Slave Walk Into be done by a party of any level.
• It is recommended that the DCs for the skill
a Waterdeep Magic Shop… checks are set at 15, with any particularly
outlandish ideas being set higher.
by Andrew Bishkinskyi • For a low-level party, the checks can be low-
Suggested Party Level: Any ered to DC12 or raised to DC17 for high-lev-
el parties.
The pleasant scent of cinnamon that always
permeates the magic shop dissipates as the en- Character Intervention
trance door is flung open. Crisp cold wind rush- After setting the scene, characters should be
es in only a moment before the complex bouquet given the opportunity to make checks and inter-
of an exotic elf’s perfume hits you like a runaway vene if they so wish. Some appropriate checks
flower cart. The dark-skinned elf’s sharp voice here are as follows.
has the unmistakable air of superiority and Intelligence:
causes all—patrons and clerk alike—to pay heed. • ARCANA can be used to ascertain that there
“Shopkeep! This whip is entirely inadequate! We are spells used for disguise and one may be
must have something louder! Something sharper! at work here.
How is this slave to receive his proper beatings
• HISTORY to recall that there are no known
with this pathetic thing?”
Lolth temples in the city.
The drow female is dressed in an exquisite black • RELIGION to determine that neither the
and silver dress adorned with spiderweb motifs. whip, nor the various symbols on the wom-
On a leash she holds a male drow, dressed in an’s dress are actual Lolth symbols.
dark clothing. One of the male’s shirt sleeves
• INVESTIGATION can substitute for some of
is tattered and on his bare dark shoulder can
these checks if the character specifies them.
be seen a number of hideous scars, caked with
It can also determine that the woman seems
what looks to be fresh blood. In her other hand,
to be speaking perfect Common, while most
the female holds an elaborate multi-tailed whip,
drow not only despise the language, but
its handle clearly broken.
have an accent when they do use it.
Background (DM Only) Wisdom:
Lady Luskana Tobelshaw is one of Waterdeep’s • MEDICINE reveals that the male’s scars and
social darlings. Known for her bubbly personal- blood do not look real.
ity and questionable fashion choices, the hu- • INSIGHT that the female is being purposely
man female is the talk of every noble ball. For over-dramatic.
tonight’s Midnight Masquerade, she has talked
• PERCEPTION that the whip, while broken,
her male companion into a “pairs costume” that
does not actually have any blood on it or
features her as a drow priestess of Lolth and him
even looks like it has been used.
as her drow slave.
“Costume” in this case refers to the clothing If the adventurers wish to intervene, it’s easy
and makeup, as turning into drow has been enough to draw the couple’s attention. Should
accomplished with the alter self spell. The idea the party aim to do something violent, Luskana
that dressing up as a member of an evil religion squeals: “Oh no! Ruffians! Kidnappers! Call the
and a slave might be inappropriate has entirely watch!” and the store’s clerk rushes to clear up
escaped Luskana’s attention. the confusion.
If the characters do not intervene at this point,
the scene continues. If they do intervene, adjust
the clerk’s reaction as needed.

helping Lady Luskana and her companion either
The startled clerk, who was busy helping anoth-
complete their costumes or (if the party wishes)
er customer, drops what she is doing and rushes
in coming up with different costumes. Some of
toward the drow. “Oh my! Wow! That’s just… wow!
the store’s magic items are offered as reward for
When you said you were doing something special,
the adventurers’ gear and their help.
I didn’t think… wow. Ok, yeah, new whip. Hrmm…
well, as you know, that was a special order…” Resolving the Encounter
Success Criteria. To prevail, adventurers must
The drow interrupts, “I care not what you do. You succeed on at least one skill check per character
have thirty minutes, make it happen. Surely there in their chosen activities. These are in addition
must be props here that can be sufficiently en- to any Charisma checks needed to convince
chanted to act as a weapon? What about those, Lady Luskana to allow them to help.
those look very realistic!” and she points directly at Failure. If they fail to help, Lady Luskana
the party’s weapons. The clerk rushes toward you. storms off—either intending to go to the mas-
querade or crying and going home. The clerk is
The clerk asks where members of the party got
also distraught.
such realistic-looking weapons. Once it’s ex-
What checks to use? For the enchanting to
plained that they’re real, she visibly saddens.
work, the character must succeed on a special
“But perhaps they can be enchanted to be less
Arcana check using their main spellcasting abil-
deadly?” At this point, the clerk shares that Lady
ity—the DC of the check is reduced by 1 for each
Luskana is an extremely well-paying customer
level of the spell used (multiple spell slots can be
and someone that absolutely cannot be told “no.”
used in the same check). Checks for non-magical
If they haven’t already, the adventurers now find
ideas can use tool proficiencies, strength, dex-
out that these are not real drow.
terity or deception.
The desperate clerk asks for assistance in
Changing the Costume
Lady Luskana and her compan-
ion have six-hour versions of
alter self cast on them and can
change their physical form. Their
makeup and costumes, howev-
er, are already done to match
drow forms. Convincing them to
change costumes requires not
only a Charisma (Persuasion)
check, but also ideas for what
to change them to and how to
do with what’s available at the
magic shop. After all, the mas-
querade is in an hour!
Characters can use their own
clothing and armor if they wish
(the clerk offers to pay for it,
exchange it, or have it returned).
The magic shop sells all com-
mon magic items listed in XGtE,
other than weapons and armor.
The clerk knows how to create
more elaborate illusions for
items but is out of magic energy
for the day. The clerk can guide
other casters in applying their own Illusion or
Rewards
Transmutation spells to enchant items with illu-
sionary sights and sounds. As reward for their successful assistance, the
Characters without magic can help construct owner of the magic shop provides each charac-
mechanical ways of enhancing the costume using ter with a common magic item of their choice as
various magical and mundane items at the shop. listed in XGtE, other than weapons and armor.
Additionally, the clerk helps each character to
Fixing the Costume create a minor illusionary enhancement for one
Lady Luskana has a broken magical whip that magic item they already own. This gives their
would make it look like her companion is being item the Minor Property: Illusion, as listed in the
hit—there was a snapping sound and an illusion DMG p143 (those rules apply).
of blood splashing. Fixing the item is hopeless,
even with mending. However, a new item can be
About the Author
made. If the adventurers do not have a whip or As part of the AL CCC program, Andrew’s adven-
a flail for her, they must persuade Luskana to tures have premiered at events from Nova Scotia
accept a different weapon. to Ohio before becoming DMsGuild best-sellers.
In either case, the new weapon needs to be His passion-project is developing the drow city
dulled and enchanted. The dulling can be done first introduced in the adventure Six Summoned
by the clerk, who is able to cast a basic spell Swords.
making the weapon inert. However, the clerk
doesn’t have enough magic energy to enchant it
with the sort of magic that’s needed to make it
into the same sort of prop as the whip was. She
can, though, assist in a ritual to do it and char-
acters can channel their own Illusion or Trans-
mutation spells to provide power.
If the characters do not possess magic, the
clerk can dull the weapon, but the sound and
blood illusions need to be crafted mechanically.
The store is full of knick-knacks and various po-
tions and fluids. Allow the characters to come up
with a way to construct something that makes
noise and splashes blood.

So, a Treasure Hunter Bag-Of-Not-So-Holding
Wondrous item, uncommon
Carrying a Bag of This bag appears to be a bag of holding and
resembles one if targeted by an identify spell. In
Holding Walks Into a fact, the interior of the bag is cloaked in a contin-
ual darkness spell and holds a portal that leads
Magic Shop… to another location. Anything placed in this bag
is teleported to a hidden room in the merchant
by J eff C. Stevens shop and is not retrievable.
Since it is not a true bag of holding, a creature
Suggested Party Level: 1-6 may enter the bag, passing through the portal
Wilhelm Holt, a well-dressed, self-proclaimed and being teleported to the hidden room in the
master treasure hunter, walks into a magic shop magic shop, where one or more of the con art-
in which the characters are shopping. He greets ists may be counting their coin or polishing their
them cheerfully while striking up a conversation treasure.
with the merchant Jacob Gobb. If asked about the strange darkness inside the
Wilhelm wants to sell his newfound bag of bag, Wilhelm shrugs and says, “Eh, I never no-
holding but Jacob explains he already has an ticed that.” If the characters succeed on a DC 17
overstock of such items. Wilhelm continues to Wisdom (Insight) check, they will know Wil-
press the merchant into buying the bag of hold- helm is lying.
ing, but to no avail. The bag loses all properties if targeted by the
Wilhelm them approaches the party, asking dispel magic spell.
them if they would be interested in purchasing
the magic item for 50 gp. He can be haggled NPCs
down to 20 gp. You may use whichever NPCs from the Monster
Wilhelm allows the item to be inspected and Manual for Wilhelm, Jacob, and Larch you would
tested. Though the interior of this particular bag like. Suggestions include:
of holding can’t be seen, reaching into the empty • 1st–3rd level party: Jacob (Priest), Wilhelm
bag, a character retrieves one of the below: (Scout), and Larch (Thug)
d4 Item • 4th–6th level party: Jacob (Mage), Wilhelm
1 A silver candlestick worth 10 gp (Veteran), and Larch (Bandit Captain)
2 A spell scroll of identify
3 A small leather purse containing 30 sp About the Author
4 A finely crafted dagger with a pearl on each side of the hilt Jeff is a middle-aged man living a childhood
(worth 15 gp) dream. He’s the producer of the highly success-
The Ruse ful Savage Encounters supplements and has
written many best selling adventures.
Wilhelm and Jacob are deceiving the charac-
ters. This is not a true bag of holding. Instead,
this is a bag-of-not-so-holding: a bag created
to resemble a bag of holding but instead with
a portal at the bottom. The portal leads to a
room in the back of the shop, where the third
accomplice Larch sits, placing an object in the
character’s hand who reaches into the bag.
The trio want the party to take the bag, hoping
the characters place valuable loot in it, which
then drops into their hidden room in the shop.

So, a Lich and His Dog If the characters interact with the lich, it rath-
er curtly introduces itself as Maximus Dire the
“archwizard extraordinaire.” With the shopkeeper
Walk Into a Magic dead, Maximus knows he will have trouble locat-
ing the book he wants. He asks nicely if the char-
Shop… acters will help him find the book. While doing so,
he subtly casts a variant of guards and locks to
by Oliver Clegg seal the store shut (he doesn’t like taking chances
Suggested Party Level: 5 and up on the inherent goodness of human nature). The
lich has the following spells prepared:
Level Spells
Summary 1st charm person, tasha’s hideous laughter, disguise self
A lich walks into a bookstore/magic shop to collect 2nd hold person, levitate, suggestion
a book it has ordered. Unfortunately, things do not 3rd counterspell, dispel magic, slow
go according to plan, when the gray render (MToF 4th confusion, private sanctum
p209) it has on lead decides to eat the vendor. The 5th animate objects, dominate person, geas
lich “requests” help from the characters to find 6th globe of invulnerability, mass suggestion
the book it was looking for. Pointedly. Characters 7th reverse gravity
need to either help find the book, or find a way to 8th mind blank
excuse themselves...while avoiding the playful (and 9th invulnerability
lethal) embrace of the murder puppy.
Finding A Book
Setup The lich is not satisfied until he finds what he
The characters need to be in their local book- came for. The book in question is actually Maxi-
store, or passing through a store in the area. mus’s spellbook, sold long ago to a second hand
Like most bookstores, the area is filled to the book store by unhappy accident, and which he
brim with stacks of disorganized books. How has finally tracked down to this store after some
anyone ever finds anything in here is a mystery. considerable inconvenience. He can’t remember
the title (like all liches, he is a little mad) but
It’s late in the morning, and the store is qui-
knows he hid the spells between the cover of a
et with the sound of turning pages. Suddenly,
storybook (to keep it concealed from prying eyes).
the door slams open, and a rather gaunt man,
Once Maximus has sealed the store shut with
bedecked in pompous finery, walks in with a tiny
guards and wards, the shop becomes rather
(but noisy) dog trailing behind him on a thin
difficult to escape from (DC30 to break open or
leash. “I’m here for the book I inquired after,” he
pick the sole door to the establishment, behind
demands imperiously.
where the lich is standing.) He uses suggestion
and mass suggestion liberally to convince peo-
The store owner wilts a little, then scuttles past the
ple to look for the book. The lich has no inten-
dog toward one of the bookshelves. Suddenly, the
tion of killing anyone except in the most dire of
dog’s jaw distends to a gruesome size and it swal-
circumstances.
lows him whole with barely a pause for breath.
Searching: Takes 1d4 minutes, and characters
can make DC 15 checks with Intelligence (Ar-
The owner turns around and curses. “Bad, Mr Bit- cana), (Investigation), or Wisdom (Perception).
ey!” He begins smacking the dog with a newspaper. Success finds a Suspicious Book from the table
below. The fourth book found will be the one the
As the lich beats the dog, it accidentally breaks
lich needs.
the illusion it was using to disguise itself, reveal-
ing the full horror of its undead appearance to
the shop’s clientele, most of whom scream and
run— either hiding in the book stacks or dash-
ing out the door— while the abomination ad-
monishes its ‘dog.’
Suspicious Books Table Barely Plausible Disaster Table
d8 Suspicious Books d4 Barely Plausible Disaster
1 One Thousand and One Wights 1 The gray render is still hungry, and starts devouring the other
2 Tess of D’Undercroft customers or party members
3 The Mayor of Casketbridge 2 The shop is lit by candles (what foolishness), one of which is
4 The Picture of Dorian’s Grave knocked over and sets the books alight.
5 Morte D’Aboleth 3 The lich can’t decide which book he needs, so demands the
6 MacDeath characters fetch ALL of them.
7 Salesman: Return from the Grave 4 One of the terrified customers tries to break out of the store
8 Great Exhumations by rushing past the lich. Their end is likely to be grisly.
Characters who fail their check by four or less When the lich finds the book he wants, he leaves
instead find a terrified customer, who panics without a farewell, completely forgetting about
and either attacks the character or attempts to his pet gray render, which the beast doesn’t
flee (DM’s choice). Roll on the table below. seem to mind.
Terrified Customers Table About the Author
d4 Terrified Customer Oliver is a bookseller by trade, and brings the
1 Snark the goblin (MM p166), clutching a pile of spoons. He inherent resentment of humanity implicit in that
has wet himself. job to his DMsguild material. He likes puppies,
2 Madame du Ponce, (LE noble, MM p348) wealthy heiress and though.
socialite, hiding behind a hatstand.
3 Basil, a halfling book thief (NE spy MM p349) who has since
decided that today was a bad day to venture outside.
4 Tomas, an apprentice wizard (VGtM p209) on an errand for
his master. He’s rapidly regretting choosing to become a
wizard.
Characters who fail by 5 or more trigger a Bare-
ly Plausible Disaster. Roll on the table below to
determine what happens.

So, Elminster of He rushes up to the main counter of the shop.
“Good person,” the old man begins, “I’m Elmin-

Shadowdale Walks ster of Shadowdale, and I’m fighting a terrible
Demonbane Lichmonger from the Other World.
Into a Magic Shop… I need your most powerful magic item for a spell
of Banishing Destruction that will protect the
by Eddie Gioffre Realms forever!”
Suggested Party Level: Any At the slightest hesitation, Elminster will appear
The following encounter can be easily added to slightly disgruntled, and add, “On my good word,
an existing campaign the next time your par- I will return the item promptly! Now make haste!”
ty finds itself in a large city. With a little work, If the party takes no action, the store worker
DMs can make this part of a larger adventure or (an apprentice wizard to the store’s owner) hands
campaign. over a magic item (DMs choice) and the Sage of
Shadowdale rushes out of the store.
Overview
The party is in town when an Elminster impostor
Detecting the Ruse
attempts to steal a magic item from a local magic If the party is watching the exchange, allow indi-
shop. The heroes will be asked to use all their vidual characters to make whatever skill checks
skills to track down the thief and retrieve the might be appropriate for them. Depending on
stolen item. what skill checks the party is successful with,
they may learn all or some of the following:
The Ruse • While Elminster initially asks for “the most
A few months ago Ever Parkman was just a small powerful item”, he was actually pointing to
time criminal in the backstreets of Shadowdale. the nearest item in the store [DC 12 Wisdom
One night, after a very successful burglary, Ever (Perception)]
found himself in possession of a hat of disguise • Elminster kept his back to the party as
(DMG pg173). Having seen The Old Mage on an much as possible. Ever is afraid the party
occasion or two (from a distance), the young may know the real Elminster and can see
criminal cooked up his most ambitious plan to through the disguise [DC 15 Wisdom (Per-
date. With the aid of the magical hat, Ever would ception or Insight)]
cloak himself in the guise of Elminster and at-
tempt to swindle magic items from local shops. • Elminster is more concerned with getting
Through trial and error, Ever learned that he can to the door than in making sure the item is
only approximate Elminster’s appearance, so the powerful enough for his spell [DC 12 Wis-
disguise falls short for anyone who has actually dom (Insight)]
meet the mage. This is when he started traveling • There is no such creature as a “Demonbane
to nearby towns, where the Sage of Shadowdale Lichmonger” [DC 12 Intelligence (Arcana)]
was likely to be heard of, but not well known • There is no such spell as a “Banishing De-
enough where his disguise would be detected. His struction” [DC 12 Intelligence (Arcana)]
typical plan is to pose as Elminster and “acquire”
a magic item in one town, and sell it off (under a • There is no such outer realm called the
different disguise) in another town. “Other World” [DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana)]
The Encounter If the party tries to start a combat within the

magic shop, its magical defenses cast a hold per-
The party finds itself in a magic shop for what-
son spell on the attacker (DC 17 Wisdom save).
ever reason within a local town in the Dalelands
At this point Elminster rushes out of the shop,
(except Shadowdale). While they are waiting in
even if he doesn’t have a magic item in hand.
the shop, an older man rushes in. His white hair
is slicked back, and a thick beard covers his face.
He’s wearing various robes, rings and pendants.

Finding Elminster The Resolution
Once Elminster makes his way out of the magic This depends on whether or not the party was
shop, the party should be encouraged to give successful in their chase (did they get their 6
chase. If the party needs any prompting, the successes before getting 3 failures).
shop worker will beg the party. The shop worker If the party failed the skill challenge, Elminster
can also release any under the effect of the hold gets away. The party may choose to look for Elmin-
person spell mentioned above. ster in neighboring towns, and may even be hired
by a group of local mages that have all fallen victim
“I think I’ve tricked by a con man!” the shop work- to this con.
er shouts. “That couldn’t have been Elminster! If the party succeeded in the skill challenge,
Please, I can’t leave the shop, but if can get back they catch up to Elminster, either in an aban-
what he took before my master returns, I’ll help doned building, a dead-end alley, or some other
get you a good deal on anything in the store.” location of the DM’s choosing. Ever will imme-
diately drop his disguise (if he hasn’t done so
Instead of just tracking movement each round,
already) and beg mercy. He’s willing to turn over
the DM should treat the chase through the city
whatever he’s taken. He’s hesitant to turn over
as a skill challenge. The rules for the skill chal-
the hat of disguise, but will do so if threatened
lenge are as follows:
(DC 10 for characters using Intimidation or
• The party needs to achieve 6 successes be-
Persuasion).
fore getting 3 failures.
Alternately, for DMs and players who want a
• PCs can use any skill they can reasonably bit more combat in their games, the chase could
justify to the DM. DM has final say on the lead to an ambush, where several of Ever’s allies
use of any skill. lie in wait. In this case, if the party fails the skill
• Each PC can use each skill only once during challenge, Ever and his allies surprise the party
the skill challenge. during the first round (with the enemies using as
• DMs should set the DC for each check some- many readied actions or sneak attacks as possi-
where between 15 and 17 (depending on the ble), if the party is successful, they catch Ever’s
skill and the rationale for the check). allies unprepared.
No stats are provided for Ever or his possible
• (Optional) PCs can only use skills they are allies. DMs are encouraged to build out this
proficient in. party based on the party level, and their appe-
If the players need some suggestions, the follow- tite for combat.
ing skills will definitely aid the party: Wisdom
About the Author
(Perception), Wisdom (Survival).
DMs are encouraged to use each success and Eddie has contributed to several blogs and pub-
failure to describe in “action movie” detail what’s lications, including Polyhedron magazine, the
happening during the chance. Perhaps have the D&D Adventures League website, and the DMs-
party describe their success, while DMs describe Guild Silver Best Seller, Storm King’s Barrows:
their failure. Tombs and Crypts of the North.
Examples of descriptions might include:
Successes
• The party sees Elminster ducking down an
alley
• The party sees Elminster change from the El-
minster disguise into his true form.
Failure
• The party briefly chases the wrong target
• Someone trips on debris in the street.
Have fun with the chase!

So, a Ghost and Her and wastes no time making her demands before
attacking the heroes. Given the opportunity,
Amalia only speaks three times before using her
Dog Walk Into a horrifying visage.
“There you are, Mister Buttons! Kind adven-
Magic Shop… turers, if you wouldn’t mind, please bring me my
dog.”
by Richard Malena-Webber “I have no patience for wasted time. Give me
Suggested Party Level: 5-10 my pet.”
“Thrice I ask and done, fools. Return my dog to
Summary me. Now.”
The door to the magic shop is just about to close
Encounter Tactics
behind the PCs when a small dog bursts inside,
fleeing from its ghostly owner, Amalia. The ghost Amalia is a canny combatant and has been
attacks the party with a barrage of powerful preparing to use her horrifying visage as soon as
spells. However, if the ghost is destroyed, Ama- the heroes come into sight. She is free with her
lia’s polymorph enchantment fails, and the dog spellcasting, though she won’t allow any of her
suddenly becomes a raging owlbear. spells to hit Mister Buttons, who remains behind
the character who it chose as its guardian.
Encounter
Hazards
A bell rings when you enter the small magic shop, As the battle begins, characters have little room
and the smiling shopkeeper takes a deep breath to maneuver without bumping against one shelf
as he prepares to tell you all about his mystical or another. If a character casts a spell affect-
wares. Just as the door is about to fall closed being an area or misses with a melee attack, have
hind you, it flies open and slams against a shelf of them roll a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw.
potions as a small, gray puppy wearing a big, red Characters that fail knock a potion or trinket off
bow bursts through. The shopkeeper cries out as the shelf. Roll 1d6 for the resulting effect.
two potions shatter on the floor in a hissing, bub-
d6 Result of Failed Saving Throw
bling pool, but the puppy’s attention and sharp
1 The shopkeeper groans, “My shop! Who’s going to pay for all
barks are wholly pointed at the shop’s front door.
these damages?”
As the dog arrives, have each character make 2 A shattered potion eats away at the carpet and deals 1d6
a DC 13 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check. acid damage to the nearest character.
Players who succeed can tell that the barks are 3 The shopkeeper shouts, “Get out of my store, you
frantic and terrified. The young dog seems to be a whippersnappers!”
Moorhound who might someday reach the size of 4 A fallen trinket’s aura lashes out, cursing a random character
a small pony. It looks up at the heroes, immedi- with disadvantage on their next attack.
ately running to stand behind the character who 5 The shopkeeper whines, “Not my prized umber hulk tusks!”
rolled the highest on the check. 6 A broken vial glimmers with divine light and grants a
Within a few moments, a voice is heard from random character five temporary hit points.
outside the shop. “Where are you, Mister But- Development
tons? Come out, come out, wherever you are!”
The girl who strides through the open door As Amalia dissipates under the heroes’ attacks,
seems to be a well-dressed noble carrying a her cane clatters to the floor. One turn later, the
formal cane. However, Amalia is slightly trans- dog starts making an odd noise mixing a high-
parent and floats slightly above the ground. pitched bark, a squeal of pain, and a sudden
Her mouth freezes into a manic grin when she deep growl. The heroes now see the dog writhing
sees her dog hiding behind the heroes. Though amidst some kind of transformation. Within mo-
she appears in the form of a young girl, Amalia ments, the dog has become an owlbear covered
is more than a hundred years old. The power- in some kind of ectoplasmic ooze. It wipes the
ful spellcaster is uninterested in conversation, fluid from its eyes, roars, and attacks its recent
defenders.
Spectral Rod Amalia, the Ghost Girl
Rod, rare (requires attunement) Medium undead, chaotic evil
The wood forming this formal wooden cane was Armor Class: 11
Hit Points: 45 (10d8)
harvested from a haunted forest and exists in both Speed: 0 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)
the Material and Ethereal planes. While held, it
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
doubles the duration of any spell or effect which
7 (-2) 13 (+1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 17 (+3)
grants the frightened condition.
Damage Resistances: acid, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning,
About the Author piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities: cold, necrotic, poison
Richard is a contributor and author of many Condition Immunities: charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled,
projects on the DMs Guild, including the Ravni- paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
ca adventure The Tomb of Svogthos and Rise of Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
the Champions. Languages: Common, Elven
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Ethereal Sight. Amalia can see 60 feet into the Ethereal Plane when
she is on the Material Plane, and vice versa.
Raging Owlbear Incorporeal Movement. Amalia can move through other creatures and
Large monstrosity, unaligned objects as if they were difficult terrain. Amalia takes 5 (1d10) force damage
Armor Class: 13 (natural armor) if she ends its turn inside an object.
Hit Points: 59 (7d10 +21)
Spellcasting. Amalia is a 7th-level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability
Speed: 40 ft.
is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). She has the
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA following wizard spells prepared:
20 (+5) 12 (+1) 17 (+3) 3 (-4) 12 (+1) 7 (-2)
Cantrips (at will): firebolt (2d10 damage), mage hand, minor illusion,
Skills: Perception +3
prestidigitation
Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
1st level (4 slots): charm person, color spray, magic missile
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
2nd level (3 slots): hold person, phantasmal force, suggestion
Keen Sight and Smell. The owlbear has advantage on Wisdom 3rd level (3 slots): fear, fireball, tongues
(Perception) checks that rely on sight or smell. 4th level (1 slot): ice storm, polymorph (expended)
Actions
Reckless Attack. The owlbear throws aside all concern for defense to
Withering Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
attack with fierce desperation. While attacking, the raging owlbear
target. Hit: 13 (3d6 + 2) necrotic damage.
gains advantage on melee weapon attack rolls, but attack rolls against
it have advantage. Etherealness. Amalia enters the Ethereal Plane from the Material
Plane, or vice versa. Amalia is visible on the Material Plane while she is
Actions in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet she can’t affect or be affected
Multiattack. The owlbear makes two attacks: one with its beak and by anything on the other plane.
one with its claws.
Horrifying Visage. Each non-undead creature within 60 feet of Amalia
Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 that can see her must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be
(1d10 + 5) piercing damage. frightened for 2 minutes. If the save fails by 5 or more, the target also
ages 1d4 × 10 years. A frightened target can repeat the saving throw at
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 the end of each of its turns, ending the frightened condition on itself
(2d8 + 5) slashing damage. on a success. If a target’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends
for it, the target is immune to Amalia’s Horrifying Visage for the next 24
hours. The aging effect can be reversed with a lesser restoration spell.

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Short Encounters for

Characters of Any Level

Adventure Customs and Shorthand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

So, Elminster of Shadowdale Walks Into a Magic Shop… by Eddie Gioffre . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Magic Shop Encounters | Page 3

Page 4 | Magic Shop Encounters

Page 6 | Magic Shop Encounters

a B oy W alk I nto a obscure his pupils.

The man is Tyriss, a local soothsayer and

Give the characters some time to decide on a

Here are some sample predictions:

Page 8 | Magic Shop Encounters

“Lucian, are these adventurers bothering you in Alternatives

The cultist appears to be a human wearing thick

Use the optional Magic Shop Patron Reaction

Page 12 | Magic Shop Encounters

Magic Shop Encounters | Page 15

Magic Shop… clumsiness. The store owner comes running over,

Page 16 | Magic Shop Encounters

Speaking with the store’s owner, the player

Ring of R ealms STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

As Agatha holds out the pendant, Cade steps

Yew ash remains but the puzzle is solved! (Potion

Potion Formula Table

Magic Shop Encounters | Page 21

Page 22 | Magic Shop Encounters

Page 24 | Magic Shop Encounters

Magic Shop Encounters | Page 25

Magic Shop Encounters | Page 27

“Good person,” the old man begins, “I’m Elmin-

The Encounter If the party tries to start a combat within the

Page 28 | Magic Shop Encounters

Have fun with the chase!

Magic Shop Encounters | Page 31

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