Grimm Encounters

IF you need some horrifying and grotesque encounters for your table, look no further. This supplement is filled with haunting
encounters based on classic fairy tales from the Grimm Brothers and their contemporaries. These encounters are perfect for
dropping into horror themed games, those set in Ravenloft or the Shadowfell, or for your yearly Halloween Special!
A Dungeons & Dragons 5e supplement for characters of any level
producers JVC Parry & Jeff C Stevens
cover art Kraken Press
contributors Jeff C Stevens, JVC Parry, Ken Carcas,
Jean Lorber, Patrick E. Pullen,
Phil Beckwith & Tony Petrecca
editor Ken Carcas

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GRIMM ENCOUNTERS 1
 Introduction

G
rimm Encounters is a D&D 5e supplement for
characters of any level. It contains encounters Contents
that can be added to your campaign during Introduction .......................................................................2
travel or downtime, that will help to give your Tips for the DM .................................................................................2
sessions a sense of horror and tension. These
encounters will only take an hour or so each, Encounters ...............................................................................3
and should be easy to drop into your game The Barbed Piper of Harmakin .....................................................3
with little preparation. Big Bad Bandit Company ................................................................5
Suggestions for adjusting encounter difficulty have been The Boy Who Doesn't Know Fear .................................................7
provided where appropriate in sidebars, making the The Fisherman's Wife ......................................................................9
encounters usable for parties of any level. Lament the Little Children ...........................................................10
With Grimm Encounters, Jeff and I reached out to a group The Little Redcap ...........................................................................11
of writers who we have previously worked with, and we The Marquis of Carabas ............................................................... 12
believed could write awesome encounters to further Not Another Cinderalla Story ......................................................14
showcase their abilities. It would mean a lot to all of us if you Red Ridings Hood ..........................................................................17
were to check out our other work! The DMsGuild community Snow Wight .....................................................................................20
is growing rapidly, and collaborations like these give us the The Tailor and the Giant ...............................................................22
opportunity to show off a little! Trapped in Iron ...............................................................................24
Thanks for buying Grimm Encounters, we all hope you Acknowledgements ........................................................27
enjoy it!
Appendix A ...............................................................................27
Appendix B ...............................................................................28
Tips for the DM
As with any supplement, Grimm Encounters should be
adapted to work for your group. If you don’t like the way an
element works, please feel free to change it. If encounters are
too difficult for your players, remove monsters or replace
them with an easier, but fitting foe. The sidebars should help
with this.
Similarly, if you would like to place Grimm Encounters in
your world, you can easily substitute appropriate plot hooks,
NPCs and items.
In order to deliver an optimum experience for your players,
it would probably be best to read the encounter, in full, before
attempting to run it. There are traps and puzzles in some that
you need to understand fully in advance.
Text to be read aloud to the players is in pale boxes. Feel
free to tinker with this text to fit your roleplaying needs, but
try to keep the original message clear as it may contain
important information. Sidebars contains information for
adjusting encounter difficulty.
Try to have fun running these encounters! They were highly
enjoyable to create and I hope that you can share in that
experience!
References
Each creature references in the encounters is in bold text.
Although page references are not provided in text, they are
given in Appendix A of this supplement.
Any new creatures and magic items can be found in
Appendix B.

2 GRIMM ENCOUNTERS
 Once the party begins to enter the town-proper, read or
The Barbed Piper of paraphrase the following:
Harmakin Night sets in as you finally enter the town of Harmakin. You
Pied Piper of Hamelin notice that the town is very quiet, apart from the melodic
Author.......Phil Beckwith (PB Publishing) tunes of the flute. Not many people roam the streets, but of
Type..........Combat, Roleplay & Intrigue those that do you notice that none could be more than ten
CR.............4 years old. They walk past you silently, their heads stooped,
Harmakin has a rat problem; easy money one might be never looking up, and their faces hidden by the shadows of the
inclined to think. This, however, is not quite the case in darkness. One building has candlelight flickering in its
Harmakin. Sure, there was a rat problem. That was before windows and seems the only place still awake despite the early
the Piper came to town and drove them away, but at what time. A sign hangs from its awnings, it reads "Mayor's Office".
cost? The town’s children it seems! Can the adventurers track
down the Piper and his evil flute music in time to save the If the party knock, there is no answer. Once they enter the
children of Harmakin? Not likely, but let’s find out! Mayor's Office, a sleepy and overweight middle-aged man will
meet them at the entrance. His name is Mayor Bloom
DMs Notes Hedgington. If the party enquire about the rat problem, he
It was a time of despair, and a time of plague. They say that politely tells them that a "man with a flute, called 'The Piper'
the piper came to the small and quiet town of Harmakin had already rectified the issue earlier today". He gently
promising sanctuary. This was the ruse of the barbed devil advises the party that their services are no longer required,
that he truly was. You see, the town had a bit of a rat problem, thanking them for their interest.
with swarms of plague-infected, unusually large rats Once the party has been turned away and they return to the
drowning the town in disease and death. The barbed piper street, read or paraphrase the following:
promised to rid the town of the rats, in return for the town's
most valuable assets. The town mayor, in desperation, agreed A woman screams from a house to the right, then another
without truly understanding what those valuable assets were. further down the street. Before long it seems that most
The barbed piper held true to his end of the bargain, just as houses in the town are up and about, calling out the names of
he held the town true to theirs. The devil always collects. The their children. Suddenly the Mayor emerges from his office.
price was the sum of the town's most valuable assets... their "It has come to my attention that our children are missing,
future... their children... and more specifically... their souls.
every last one of them! A note has been left by 'The Piper'
stating that he has collected his payment, our town’s children.
Encounter
This was not our deal, it cannot be! Please help us, return our
The Meeting children to their mother’s arms safely and receive your
The Mayor of Harmakin has put out the word to all the reward!".
nearby villages and towns. He seeks brave and trustworthy
adventurers to assist with a rat problem, with a reward of
200gp and the keys to the town on success. The party has A successful DC 8 Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence
responded to the call for work. They arrive on the borders of (Investigation) check will realise that the children seen on
the town of Harmakin just as dusk sets in: arrival to the town were headed west. Failure results in the
party having the opportunity to track the children with a
You have been travelling for the most part of the day. It has successful DC 10 Wisdom (Survival) check.
been an easier trek than most as you make your way to the
If both checks fail, the party will need to guess which way
to search for the children. If the party chooses to travel any
next job; to see the Mayor and rid Harmakin of their rat
direction other than West, after 1 hour of searching they will
problem. This should be the easiest 200 gold pieces that you hear a large rumble and see the hillside over a nearby valley
have ever made you think yourselves. Dusk starts to creep in to the west topple down in an avalanche. The party may then
as you hear the soft melodies of a flute begin to play in the investigate the valley where they will be attacked by ‘The
distance when the town appears on the horizon. Piper’. In any case, by this stage, it will be too late to save the
children (see 'Solution' below).
The Barbed Piper
Once moving west, the party can easily track the children's
movements through a light wood, and towards a small valley:
You have managed to track the children’s movements to this
valley. The flute music has grown close and you trace its origin
to a strange figure at the bottom of the valley flawlessly
playing the melody next to a cave entrance. You catch the
sight of the last of the town’s children walking into the cave,
as if possessed by the music.

GRIMM ENCOUNTERS 3
 If the party decide to save the children from ‘The Piper’, and
traverse the 200 ft. distance down the valley, three waves of
four giant rats attack them at 50-foot intervals whilst on their
way down. They are controlled by ‘The Piper’ and are
working to buy him time to complete his task.
'The Piper' is, in fact, a barbed devil, and his fee for
ridding the town of the rats is to claim souls of the children of
the town. He used his charming flute music to lull the
townsfolk to sleep whilst charming their children to follow
him to this valley. Here he has led them into the mouth of a
cave by which he plans to use the flute magic to cause an
avalanche, killing the children, and releasing their souls for
him to harvest.
Solution. The party must get to the Barbed Piper by the
end of the 5th round and stop his devilish music. Once he is
engaged in combat, his music is interrupted, the charm ends,
and the avalanche can be prevented.
At the end of the 4th round, the party will hear a noticeable
change in the pitch and nature of the tune being played. This
is ‘The Piper’ beginning the tune to cause an avalanche
within the cave. The party now has the 1 remaining round to
save the children. Any attempt at an Insight or Perception
check towards the tune change will not indicate what is about
to happen; just that the tune has taken on ‘...a more powerful
tone...’. Anyone looking toward the piper will see that he
momentarily turns toward the cave.
If the party have not made it to ‘The Piper’ and interrupted
him by the end of the 5th round, the avalanche will fall and
crush the children inside the cave, thereby releasing their
souls. The Piper may still be defeated in combat but the
children, without any souls, are forever lost.
Conclusion
On returning the children safely to their families, the Mayor
will indeed reward the players with 200gp, with the townsfolk
raising an additional 100gp from their own pockets. The
characters also gain 1,000XP, split between them evenly. The
mayor and the townsfolk will praise the party as heroes, and,
during an elaborate ceremony, offer them the keys to the
town, allowing the party free accommodation and free food
and drink in the town of Harmakin for the rest of their days.
If the children were not able to be saved, which is very
likely, the mayor will advise the party that whilst the town is
heart stricken, he feels that the party’s efforts were deserving
of 10gp each. The characters also gain 400XP, split between
them evenly. Many weeping parents scowl at and blame the
heroes for the loss of their children.

Encounter Scaling
The following adjustments can be made to change
the challenge of the encounter:

CR 3 Remove one wave of giant rats.

CR 4 As written.
CR 5 Add one wave of giant rats.

4 GRIMM ENCOUNTERS
 Characters on watch with a passive Wisdom (Perception) of
Big Bad Bandit Company 13 or higher notice something at the side of the road.
Three Little Pigs
Author.......JVC Parry The bushes at the side of the road rustle, but there is no wind.
Type..........Combat As you peer into the darkness, you see a hulking figure lope
CR.............6 along the edge of the thicket.

A merchant company requires a caravan guard to help Characters who notice the figure have three rounds to sound
them protect their goods from a notorious bandit company, the alarm.
but they are hiding a dark secret.
Suddenly, a hulking figure bursts forth from the vegetation. It
DMs Notes stands several feet higher than a man and has a face elongated
This encounter should occur whilst the characters are into a muzzle filled with wicked teeth. Vicious claws the
visiting a large city, or just before they set out on a journey length of daggers tip the ends of its fingers and toes. The
along a main road. beast pulls a wand from its waste and points it in your
The merchant brothers, Remus, Brer and Walt Finegoods
own Finegoods Materials, a prosperous trading company. direction.
Unfortunately, as of late, the roads have been targeted by a
group of bandits led by a man rumoured to be able to flip Hund the werewolf charges forth to attack. He has a wand of
caravans. This bandit company is led by Hund (a werewolf), wind (Appendix A) which he uses to topple the caravan filled
who is merciless in his attacks. with goods. He then howls out into the night, signalling for
What the merchants don’t know is that they themselves are his fellows to join him. In the second round of combat, two
cursed with lycanthropy. They offered to build a tower for a bandit captains and four bandits join the fray.
warlock, who was displeased at the quality of their work. In At the start of each of the merchant brothers turns, have
wrath, she afflicted them with lycanthropy, turning them into them make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw. If one of the
wereboars, but this curse has not yet manifested. brothers fails on the save, a horrifying transformation takes
place:
Encounter
You hear a terrified scream from behind you. As you turn to
The Meeting look for the source, you notice one of the Finegoods brothers
As the party makes ready to leave, read the following: wretching. They drop to the ground, arms and legs jerking
wildly, their eyes rolling in the back of their head. Before your
As you pack up your bags and doublecheck your supplies, you
eyes, a horrifying transformation overcomes them. Their skin
are approached by a trio of portly halflings. They are dressed in
ruptures with thick, coarse hair, their face stretches out into a
fine clothing, which bulges somewhat around their rotund
snout, from which huge tusks erupt and their fine clothes are
waists. ‘Here my dear fellows, are you adventurers?’ one of
torn to shreds as bulging muscles grow from their limbs.
them calls out.

The brothers introduce themselves as Remus, Brer and Walt

Finegoods, of Finegood Materials. They explain to the
characters that they have a shipment of straw, sticks and
stone that they are transporting to a client in the next city.
They’ve heard rumour of a particularly vicious bandit
company working the roads, and would certainly appreciate
an escort for their caravan.
A successful DC 18 Wisdom (Insight or Perception) check
reveals that there is something not quite right about the
brothers. Every now and then they snort involuntarily, and
their hair seems thicker than normal, poking out of their ears
and noses a little. Despite this, they are telling the truth.
Should the party accept the offer, the Finegoods are willing
to pay them 250gp for their service.
The Bandits
One night during the journey, the Big Bad Bandit Company
will ambush the Finegoods caravan. The DM can choose
when this happens, but isolated areas and difficult terrain will
make the encounter more realistic.

GRIMM ENCOUNTERS 5
 A failed saving throw manifests the curse of lycanthropy in a
brother, turning him into the hybrid form of a wereboar. As
they are new to the form, they only have 40 hit points and do
not have multiattack. Unfortunately, the transformation is so
overwhelming for their minds that they lose any grasp on
sanity, attacking the closest creature in untampered rage.
As each brother transforms, the save DC increases by 3.

Encounter Scaling
The following adjustments can be made to change
the challenge of the encounter:

CR 4 Remove two bandit captains and two bandits.

CR 5 Remove one bandit captain and two bandits.
CR 6 As written.
CR 7 Add one werewolf
CR 8 Add one werewolf and one bandit captain.

Conclusion
Knocking out the Finegoods brothers causes them to revert
to their humanoid forms, but their minds are shattered by the
curse. A successful DC 20 Wisdom (Medicine) check is
enough to keep them calm when they awaken. A failure or no
action results in them transforming into a boar and fleeing
into the forest.
Hopefully, the characters can save the brothers and their
caravan of goods and defeat the Big Bad Bandit Company. If
they do, they can gather 36gp and Hund’s wand of wind from
the company, and are rewarded 250gp for their valour. If one
or two of the brothers die or go insane (running off into the
forest), they are only rewarded 100gp. Should all three
brothers die or go insane, the party can take the caravan of
goods, worth 300gp, for themselves.

6 GRIMM ENCOUNTERS
 Wilhelm begs the PCs to terrify his child. From what the
The Boy Who Doesn't Lord knows of their heroic deeds, he’d rather have them to do
it than his wizard, who he doesn't fully trust. He offers them
Know Fear 200 gold pieces from his purse. If the party hesitates, he
The Story of a Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear looks pained but will increase this to 300 gold pieces. A
Author.......Jean Lorber successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check shows that this
Type..........Combat & Intrigue extra expense is stretching the lord’s finances to a new
CR.............6 extreme level.
Once the character's take up his offer, Wilhelm gives them
The PCs are witness to a Lord’s attempt to scare his child complete access to the contents of the castle.Due to the
back to humanity. - That should work, right? undead within the dagger, nothing the party does with cause
the boy to return to normal as the undead have a
DMs Notes supernatural hold on Tristan’s emotions. Any form of charm,
fear or illusion spell against Tristan is made at advantage.
A wizard in Lord Wilhelm’s employ has a terrible secret: he Should the boy fail, the spells appear to have an effect, but a
accidentally killed the Lord's 7-year old son, Tristan, in a mere 1 round later, Tristan returns to his now normal
laboratory mishap. The enchanter was forced to dabble in unemotional state, appearing to shrug off the effects of the
necromancy to revive the boy, but with grave consquence. spell, or seeing through any illusion for what it really is.
Undead spirits joined Tristan on his return to the Material Should the party cast detect magic on the boy, the dagger
Plane. Their physical bodies bound within the dagger at his at his waist will emit an aura of necromancy. Should the party
belt, the undead steal the boy’s emotions, preventing the boy ask Tristan for his dagger, the boy refuses to give it over,
from becoming his once normal, wholesome self. stating it was a present from his father which he will not part
with, under any circumstances. Although Tristan does not
The Encounter know about the undead within the dagger, a successful DC 10
Meeting Wisdom (Insight) check shows the boy is telling the truth
Hearing of the party’s endeavors, the local lord invites the about the dagger. An intimidation check of any kind meets the
group to his estate for a feast in their honour. The encounter party with an unemotional look that automatically fails.
begins after the feast in the hall of the local Lord Wilhelm If the party attempt to take the dagger, Tristan puts up a
(noble). The PCs and Wilhelm are the only ones left awake. valiant fight, but automatically fails against the expertise of
His young son Tristan lies asleep on his lap. the party. Proceed to ‘Combat with the Undead’ below.
The side-effect of a hasty and sloppy casting of a
necromantic spell on Tristan’s lifeless body caused two
recently killed undead to manifest their essence within the
dagger at Tristan’s belt. Tristan’s dagger is now the home of a
contented wight and wraith, happy to drain and feed upon
the boys once jovial emotions, including fear. The DM is
advised to role-play Tristan as deadpan-sounding, but full of
child-like questions.
The Offer
Read or paraphrase the following:
The lord stares into the dying firelight and addresses you;
“It’s my son. He’s not right now. He’d look a lich in the eyes
and not blink twice. It’s not bravery, it’s…like there’s... nothing.
Up to a month ago, he was fine. He’s not himself anymore.
That’s why I must do it. It’s for his own good... Tristan, wake
up.”

(Note: If at any time the party declines the lord's offer for
help, or the party appears to be failing in their attempt to
return Tristan back to normal, Wilhelm takes his son to the
Stables, asking the characters to accompany him.)
Wilhelm doesn’t initially get any more specific, but the
party can see that the Lord is visibly sad and conflicted,
seeming lost in his thoughts. Wilhelm explains his plan.
The Lord relates that according to the research conducted
by his wizard: “The sense must be scared back into the child”.
No such research was conducted by the wizard, with the
wizard stating what he already knew from the casting of the
ritual to return Tristan back to life.

GRIMM ENCOUNTERS 7
 The Stables The undead, now loosened from Tristan’s hold, are
When the characters enter the stable, read or paraphrase the disorientated when they make their appearance. They have
following: disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws for 2 rounds
when first released from the dagger. Being linked to the
dagger, the undead are unable to leave or escape, meaning
A figure stands in the stable’s open doorway, talking to
combat with the party is their only choice.
someone inside. As you approach, he hastily turns his Once the undead hit half hit points, a successful DC 10
attention in your direction, bowing to his lord as your group Wisdom (Perception) or (Insight) check suddenly reveals that
gets close. the undead attention has turned towards the boy. Given any
chance and knowing that the situation is grave, they will
Previously, Lord Wilhelm has informed his stablemaster, attempt to kill the boy in a hope to release themselves from
Daffir, that he plans on making an offer to the party to help his hold. This will fail as it is not the boy, but the dagger they
return Tristan back to normal. Should the party refuse or fail, are linked to.
he’s ordered the stablemaster to scare Tristan back to Destroying the dagger causes the undead to lose 50% of
normality. their remaining hit points but will allow the undead to run
The good-hearted man must do what he’s ordered, so he’s and escape if given the opportunity to do so.
planning on simply threatening the boy with an axe. A Once the undead are destroyed (or they escape and run
successful DC 5 Wisdom (Insight) check reveals that he looks from the dagger being destroyed), proceed to the Conclusion.
nervous and ashamed.
The lord's wizard Rywest (enchanter), stands just inside Conclusion
the stable, listening to the effort. Once Daffir's plan doesn't If the undead are killed, Tristan is restored to normal and
work, he will emerge from the stables, stating that he must Lord Wilhelm is overjoyed. He gives the characters their
scrutinize the boy more carefully, which will result in him prearranged reward and offers to help the party at a later
eventually snatching the previously-uninspected dagger, date should they require the influence of someone of his
thereby releasing the undead within. Proceed to ‘Combat station.
with the Undead’ below. If Tristan is killed in the process and the Lord knows of the
If the PCs enter the stable, Rywest non-chalantly closes wizard’s involvement, there is no mercy for the wizard. If the
one empty stall’s door, which still shows evidence of the Lord saw that the party did their best, he still gives them the
necromantic ritual he enacted 1 month ago. A successful prearranged reward, but the offer of help is not made.
DC7 Wisdom (Insight) check reveals that Rywest is hiding
something. A successful DC10 Intelligence (Arcana) check on
the stall reveals the necromantic ritual, and that a date of 1-
month prior is inscribed within its runes. Tristan’s skin gets
very itchy if he enters the stable; the undead inside him grow
restless around the old ritual site.
If at any time Rywest’s deception is revealed, he attacks the
PCs with the intent to kill. Once he is reduced to 10 hit
points, he surrenders and confesses. He wanted to see
Tristan restored but didn’t know how. He begs for the Lords
forgiveness. It’s up to the DM as to where he wants to
proceed from here. Maybe the Lord, in his confusion and
anger, asks the PCs for their help in deciding on what he
should do. Any reasonable suggestion is given consideration.
Combat with the Undead
Once the dagger is removed from Tristan’s body, the creatures
are released and attack.
The boy begins scratching vigorously all over and says: “Father
says I should be afraid. But he’s wrong. You should be.” Two
columns of black sand spout from the boy’s eyes and form
into humanoid shapes in front of you—one floating and one
standing. As the boy collapses to the ground, these two
visions of decaying horror seem slightly confused, but not
enough to prevent them striding forward to attack.

8 GRIMM ENCOUNTERS
 A character studying the figure in the boat who succeeds a
The Fisherman's Wife DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check notices one of the below,
The Fisherman and his Wife with multiple checks revealing additional information. An
Author.......Jeff C Stevens example response from the fisherman is listed below each
Type..........Combat & Roleplay piece of information:
CR.............1 Jalella’s body appears to jerk occasionally.
A fisherman’s wife has met a horrible fate, and the “It’s got to be them darn gnats.”
fisherman does all that he can to make her comfortable.
No fishing poles can be seen on the boat.
DMs Notes
“She uses deeps lines which hang off the back of the
This encounter can be added while the party travels a road or boat.”
trail that happens to pass by a body of water.
The fisherman, who calls himself ‘the fisherman’, is a
middle-aged human (commoner) with tan skin, a small pot- There are no oars on the boat.
belly, and receding brown hair. He is an expert at his
profession. He knows what bait to use, which fish are biting, “Laziest woman you ever did meet. I still love her, though. I
and when to fish. He supplies local villages with his catch. give the boat a shove from the shore and then pull her
His human wife, Jalella, has been bestowed with a curse. back in with this here rope.”
The fisherman doesn’t know how she became cursed, he just
knows that she is in pain, her mind is lost, and she’s Jalella is very quiet.
constantly hungry – but not for fish. “Yep, she came down with a sore throat the other night.
Sad, too, ‘cuz she loves to sing."
The Encounter
As the party approaches the lake, read or paraphrase the The fisherman eventually pulls Jalella’s boat to shore.
following: When the boat strikes land, Jalella smells the humanoid flesh,
leaps from the boat, and attacks the closest adventurer. The
As you travel the trail you spot a body of water to your right, fisherman aids Jalella by making noise, banging on pans, and
but it’s difficult to tell exactly how large it is from this vantage whatever other antics he can do to give Jalella advantage.
point. From behind a cluster of cattails, a small line of smoke If the party asks the fisherman about the creature attacking
floats on the breeze accompanied by the mouth-watering them, he states, “That’s my cursed wife, you fools! And you
smell of freshly cooked fish.
are her dinner!”

The fisherman has caught a dozen fish and is preparing two Conclusion
for himself. He has two poles in the water as he tends to his The spell Remove Curse could change Jalella back to her
cast iron skillet and flips the cooking fillets. original self. If this occurs, Jalella falls to the ground,
Roughly 80 feet from shore, near the centre of the lake, a convulses, and returns to her once beautiful human form.
lone figure wearing a hooded grey cloak sits in a small white Award the party 1,000 XP if they remove the curse.
boat with no oars. A long rope is attached to the boat which If Jalella dies, the fisherman attacks the party with his iron
allows the fisherman to pull it back to shore. A successful DC skillet. If the party attempt to calm him down, they must
10 Wisdom (Perception) check notices the rope lying on the succeed on two successful DC 15 checks (skill as determined
shore, leading into the water, possibly to the boat. by the DM).
If approached, the fisherman is jovial and pleasant to talk Treasure. This is the second time the fisherman and Jalella
to. He offers to cook for the travelers if they sit and tell him a have used this trick. The first time went extremely well, but
tale or two. the victims were two young adventurers with very little
The figure in the boat is the fisherman’s wife, Jalella. The experience. Searching the area around the cattails reveals
curse has changed her into a Ghoul, and although she can two sets of leather armor, a long sword, a dagger, 7 gp, and 40
still recognise her husband, and resist the urge to eat him, cp. Adjust accordingly for higher level adventurers.
she craves humanoid flesh. The fisherman, wanting to
protect and care for his wife, wants to set the travelers at
ease before he introduces them. Encounter Scaling
If asked about the figure on the lake, the fisherman states
that it is his wife, Jalella. She doesn’t see the sport in fishing The following adjustments can be made to change
along the shoreline, and insists on fishing in deeper water. the challenge of the encounter:

CR 1/4 Use the stats for a zombie.

CR 1 As written.
CR 2 Use the stats for a ghast
CR 3 Use the stats for a wight
CR 5 Use the stats for a revenant.

GRIMM ENCOUNTERS 9
 The Hag in the Woods
Lament the Little Whenever the characters near the hut, they will be able to
Children hear the cries of the two missing children from within.
Hansel and Gretel Two voices can be heard crying nearby. They are clearly
Author.......Patrick E. Pullen children’s voices. As you approach a clearing ahead, you gasp
Type..........Combat & Intrigue at the grizzly sight. A small cabin made from sticks and bones
CR.............3 sits among a tangle of thorns and undergrowth. The cries are
The village has recently had children come up missing. A coming from within.
green hag is luring them to her tiny hut and eating them. The
two most recent abductees are still alive and will need a The green hag is preparing a soup to add the children to.
group of brave heroes to save them before they are cooked The party must be quick if they are to save them. After the
and eaten by the evil hag. green hag is dealt with, a quick search of the place reveals
bones of four children. These are the previously missing
DMs Notes children. The town will probably be grateful if the remains
The adventure takes place in a small village which can be set are returned so that a proper burial can be made.
anywhere near a dark, foreboding forest. Helga, the green Conclusion
hag, has recently moved into a small hut made from human Once the children have been returned to the woodcutter, he is
and animal bones. It was originally the home of an evil very thankful and, though not a rich man, offers the party a
necromancer. The townsfolk stay away from the hut for fear pouch of silver coins (equal to 10gp) and a +1 silvered dagger.
that it is cursed. She has acquired a macabre taste for human If you wish, you may add to the reward as the town will be
flesh and finds the meat of children to be unspoiled and thankful for the return of the child bones and to have the
sweetest. threat of the green hag gone.
So far, she has abducted four children from town using her
'Mimicry' ability to sound like a lost puppy whining in the
woods. Once the children draw near, she captures them and
keep them in a cage until she is hungry. Most recently, she
has abducted a local woodcutter’s children, Hansel and
Gretel. The woodcutter begs the adventurers to save his
children before it is too late.
The Encounter
Meeting
The adventurers are enjoying a night in the local tavern. The
mood is somber as four children have recently gone missing.
There are rumours floating about that an old necromancer’s
house in the woods could be the reason. Though the
necromancer was slain years ago, everyone believes the place
to be cursed or haunted.
At some point in the late evening, the woodcutter
(commoner) frantically enters looking for any word of his two
children who have not come home. Nobody has seen them in
the last couple of hours but one patron claims they were
playing just north of town earlier. After the characters have
received the information they may likely start making plans to
check out the hut.
Once the old woodcutter sees the group of adventurers, he
will approach them and beg for their help:
“Please help me. My children are out there alone in the woods
or maybe worse. I will give you all I have if you will please just
find my children and bring them home safely to me!”

The people in the tavern insist that it is the work of the

cursed hut in the woods. They give the best directions they
can, but being fearful of that part of the woods, nobody is
completely certain. The characters must succeed on a DC 12
Wisdom (Survival) check to pick up on a trail of bread
crumbs that the children left behind. The longer they are
missing, you can up the DC as birds begin to eat the crumbs.

10 GRIMM ENCOUNTERS
 Fungi
The Little Redcap A variety of fungi grow in this patch, some useful, and some
Little Redcap not. A summary is supplied below, but for more information,
Author.......Jeff C. Stevens you may wish to review Out of the Abyss (page 22-23).
Type..........Combat & Exploration Barrelstalk – a large cask-shaped fungus that can be
CR.............3 tapped and drained for 1d4+4 gallons of fresh water.
Hiding away in a cavern filled with fungi is Bartol, the Trillimac – the cap of this 4-foot tall mushroom can be
redcap. Normally, he is plenty happy eating the mushrooms, used to make maps, hats, and scrolls. The stalk can be
but when fresh meat appears, he finds it hard to control his cleaned, soaked in water, and then dried and eaten.
carnivorous urges. Nightlight – these tall mushrooms provide bright light in a
15-foot radius and dim light for an additional 15-feet. If
DMs Notes touched, the light goes out until the mushroom is touched
again.
This encounter is set in a subterranean cavern, possibly in Timmask – also known as the Devil’s Mushroom. Orange
the underdark or a dark, haunted forest. Bartol the redcap and red stripes adorn the cap of this two-foot- tall
lives in an underground cavern, tending to his fungal garden mushroom. If uprooted, damaged or destroyed, the
and carving totems from their woody stalks. Timmask releases spores in a 15-foot- radius. Each
Although Bartol loves the taste of his mushrooms, he also creature in this radius must succeed a DC 14 Constitution
has an unsavoury taste for humanoid flesh. Although he tries saving throw or be considered poisoned and under the
to restrain himself, the angry fey cannot restrain himself effects of the Confusion spell for one-minute, after which
when a delicious meal arrives at his front door. time both effects end.
The Encounter A creature that succeeds on a DC 16 Wisdom (Nature)
check whilst inspecting a fungus knows the properties of it
Read of paraphrase the following: and how to use it properly.
A creature that succeeds on a DC 16 Wisdom (Perception)
The tunnel opens into a large cavern with exotic fungi check notices that one ‘mushroom’ located in the centre of
covering the floor. Several bioluminescent 5-feet tall, tube- the patch has a red cap (Bartol). Unless noticed this way,
shaped mushrooms grow, interspersed with other exotic
Bartol has a surprise round when the party are within 15-feet
of him and the Timmask mushrooms. Bartol, having lived in
fungi, and light the cavern with a dim blue light.
this area for some time, has gained an immunity to the effects
There are several large cracks in the floor as well, one near of the Timmask mushrooms.
the centreer of the patch, and one along each of the side walls.
It’s difficult to tell how deep they are. Attack!
A small cave opening is seen on the far wall of the cavern. If seen, Bartol attacks, running about the patch and slicing
the three Timmask mushrooms with his sickle. He then
A redcap named Bartol stands in the middle of this fungi attacks the adventurers - kicking them with his boots and
patch. He lives in the small cave next at the rear of the tunnel, slicing them with his sickle:
and he usually sustains himself on the edible mushrooms
within this patch. However, whenever fresh meat comes "YES! Tasty peoples for my plate tonight! No more
along, he hides in the centreer of the patch and waits until mushrooms for Bartol!"
creatures are within range. Then, he runs throughout the
fungi patch, slicing up certain mushrooms that cause the Bartol hopes to confuse the adventurers with the Timmask
creatures to become confused. mushrooms, and plans for them to fall into the 10-foot-wide,
10-foot-deep fissures in the cavern. A creature falling into a
fissure takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage. The fissures are
coated with a thick tar which adheres to the characters,
causing them to become grappled (escape DC 12).
Treasure. The small cave is Bartol’s den, and he has a very
nice bedroll laid out along the back wall. A creature searching
Bartol’s den finds an empty leather scroll case, a silver fork,
and a potion of resistance to radiant damage sitting on a
small wooden crate that Bartol uses as a table. A successful
          DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals a
      hiding space under the bedroll which holds 245gp, 145sp,
and a fire opal worth 1,000 gp.

GRIMM ENCOUNTERS 11
 Missing Items
The Marquis of Carabas As the days go by, the cat starts to bring gifts less and less
Puss in Boots often, but remains friendly with the party, often vying for their
Author.......JVC Parry attention. Without their knowledge, it begins attempting to
Type..........Combat & Intrigue steal things from them, and take them back to the ogre mage
CR.............7 who cursed him.
There are two ways you can introduce this fact to the
A sweet little cat begins following the party, but it's not all players.
that it seems. Can the adventurers see past the puss to its evil Firstly, if any characters have a passive Wisdom
source? (Perception) of 15 or higher, they catch the cat red-handed:
DMs Notes As you stroke the majestic puss, you start to feel something
The initial encounter for this tale starts when the characters down at your waist. Looking down, you notice that the cat has
are making their way through a small village or hamlet. They one of its front paws in your coin purse!
find themselves in the company of an irresistible little cat,
who follows them around. Alternatively, when the characters need a small but valuable
Over time, however, items belonging to the party start item, such as a gemstone for a spell:
going missing, and the cat comes and goes more and more.
What they don’t know is that the cat is a polymorphed noble, You reach down into your pockets to search for the item, but
the Marquis of Carabas. cannot find it. You quickly look through your various pouches
The Marquis was transformed by a spiteful and jealous oni,
who lives in a ruined tower which once belonged to the and bags, but the item is nowhere to be found...
Marquis. To have his curse removed, the Marquis must bring
the oni valuable gifts. From the moment of discovery onwards, any characters on
watch at night with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of
Encounter 15 or higher notices the cat slinking into tents, pawing open
bags and pinching items.
Meeting Each time the cat steals from the characters, it disappears
Whilst travelling through a small town, read or paraphrase for a day or so, often returning with a rabbit gift for the party.
the following:
Response
A strange sight up ahead catches your attention. Toeing its The party may respond to the cat’s actions in many ways, but
way carefully along a drystone wall is a fine looking tabby cat, they should all serve to forward the narrative of the
who appears to be wearing an adorably dainty pair of black encounter.
leather boots on his hind paws. As you come up alongside the
If the party catch the cat, and try to throw it out, or even
feline, it nuzzles at your elbow.
attack it, it immediately surrenders.
As you go at the cat, it deftly hops out the way, and stands up
Whether the party willingly accept their new animal on its hind legs, its golden boot buckles shining proudly. The
companion, the cat follows them around undaunted. It never
follows them into places of danger, and occasionally puss holds up its front paws in the air, in an obvious sign of
disappears for a few hours, only to return with a gift of a surrender. Then, it begins to beckon, as if imploring you to
rabbit or mouse. follow it.
A successful DC 16 Wisdom (Insight) check on the cat lets
a player know that it seems to be oddly intelligent, knowing Whether the party follows the cat due to suspicion, or
when to leave the party be and when they might need willingly after it surrenders, the cat leads them to the same
cheering up with a fresh squirrel. Ruined Tower.
Ruined Tower
One way or another, the party are likely to end up at the
ruined tower. This building was once an ornate structure
filled with valuable furniture and artwork and owned by the
Marquis of Carabas. Unfortunately, his lavish lifestyle
attracted the wrath of a jealous oni, who cast a powerful
curse upon the Marquis, turning him, perhaps permanently,
into a cat. However, preferring to torment the Marquis, the
oni offered the cat a deal. If he could steal a prize worth the
ogre’s attention, she would transform the cat back into his
human form:

12 GRIMM ENCOUNTERS
 After following the cat for several hours, you come to a ruined
tower. Looking over the skeleton of the building, you can see Encounter Scaling
that it was once a structure of majesty, but has fallen into The following adjustments can be made to change
serious disrepair. The majority ofMost of the conical roof is the challenge of the encounter:
missing, and huge chunks of stonework have fallen from the
walls exposing a ribcage of wooden beams. A strange red CR 6 Give the oni 70 starting hit points.
CR 7 As written.
moss grows out from the cracks in the masonry, like blood
CR 8 Give the oni a glaive of wounding.
dripping from a wound.

The door to the tower is barred from the inside, but can be
smashed open with a successful DC 12 Strength check.
Alternatively, characters can climb into the tower through a Conclusion
hole in the wall with a successful DC 14 Strength (Athletics) If they party manage to kill the oni, they find her treasures
or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check: behind the altar:
Inside, the tower stinks of rotting wood and mildew. The once 1,500gp worth of assorted treasures, such as gemstones,
fine carpets and tapestries are torn and mouldy, and the jewellery and art objects
paintings hanging on the walls are smeared with something the previously offered magic item
pungent. From here you can see a set of stairs heading up, and
their stolen goods
a scroll case containing a modified remove curse spell
a trapdoor leading down.
scroll that will transform the Marquis back to his true
form.
Upstairs. The characters pick their way up a battered
staircase. They find that they can go no further than the first The Marquis is incredibly grateful to the characters, but
floor as the rest of the tower going up is ruined. On this first- has nothing to his name save his boots; a beautiful pair of
floor level are the remains of a campfire, and a locked boots of elvenkind which he happily bestows them upon the
wooden trunk. It can be opened with a successful DC 15 party once returned to his true form.
Strength check or a DC 12 Dexterity check using thieves’
tools. Inside are the half-eaten bodies of young animals;
kittens, puppies, and chicks.
Basement. Characters that descend into the basement find
themselves in a damp, stone dungeon that is entirely unlit.
Characters that have darkvision, or access to a light source,
notice a hunched, ogre-like figure with blue-black skin
hunched over a stone altar at the far end of the room.
This is the oni who polymorphed the Marquis.
She is a vile creature who, if spoken to, delights in
explaining what she did to the once noble Marquis to the
characters. However, she offers them their stolen goods
and a little more if they leave her be. Pick one uncommon
magic item that your players desire; the oni sweetens the
deal by offering this to the characters if they simply turn
and leave.
If the party decide to fight the oni, she takes great
delight in taunting them whilst returning their
blows. She will also try to kill the cat if possible.
If the fight goes against her, she will use her invisibility
to escape. If escape is not possible, she will attempt to
bargain her freedom in exchange for her treasure and
transforming the cat back to its true form, stating that
should she die, the cat is forever doomed to its feline form.
Should neither escape or negotiations be possible,
she fights to the death.

GRIMM ENCOUNTERS 13
 Not Another Cinderella "Please oh please by the god's help!" he cries, "My beloved

Story Cinderella, they've got her. Those twisted sisters and their evil
mother... they intend to eat her alive! Oh, you must help,
Cinderella please... I cannot face this horror. I have money! I can pay!"
Author.......Tony Petrecca
Type..........Combat & Intrigue
CR.............6 Prince Charming (swashbuckler) over plays his role as a
helpless, spineless young fop and hastily tosses a bag with 50
A warlock Cinderella and her twisted Prince Charming gold to the nearest PC. He points toward the manor, begging
lure the PCs into an undead trap. that the strong looking group charge in and save his love
before it's too late. He offers more coin, if needed, to convince
DMs Notes the PCs to help.
This encounter takes place in and about a small, deteriorating The Manor
two- story stone manor who'swhose lawn is surrounded by a Cinderella, who is initially upstairs in area 8, listens closely to
high hedge. The manor should be placed along a road the the happenings below, with Prince Charming. The couple's
PCs are travelling, in the wilderness, or on the outskirts of a hope is that the ghoulish Lady Tremaine and her two foul
town, and ideally at night. daughters will tear the group apart when the party enters the
By way of background - our titular heroine, who toiled away manor hall. When that fails, the two initiate their backup plan
day after day and was locked up in the cellar at night, was - Prince Charming will suggest to the PCs that Cinderella is
long ago driven mad by the abuses of her step mother, Lady likely hiding in her room in the cellar under the kitchen.
Tremaine, and her two step sisters, Drizella and Anastasia. In When the group moves out of sight of the ghoul corpses
her madness, she turned to dark magics whilst locked in her Cinderella casts create undead, bringing her ghoul servants
room at night, where a wicked fey, who she calls her back to un-life, while Prince Charming directs the PCs
Godmother, empowered her, making her a warlock of the through the kitchen and into the cellar. Prince Charming will
archfey. For years she quietly grew her powers, practicing try to slyly shut the cellar door and lock it tight, hoping to trap
and improving her dark arts as she gathered firewood from the PCs while the duo and their servants set a more
the nearby woods. As luck would have it, she met a bored formidable ambush.
young man from a nearby wealthy manor, who called himself
Prince Charming. Himself dabbling in banditry to stave off 1. Manor Hall
the ennui of the idle rich, he was enraptured, and eagerly A broad porch provides egress to the grand oaken front door
succumbed to Cinderella's wicked charms. He quickly
became a willing accomplice to her plots. of the manor, which sits slightly ajar, having been thrown open
Cinderella wanted revenge for her years of brutal servitude, by Prince Charming. The door creaks as it is pulled open, and
and simple slaying would not satisfy her. No, she wanted to the stench of rot is in the air. Beyond the door is a 40x40 foot
enslave the Tremaine's as they had enslaved her all these grand hall, dimly lit by a candlelight chandelier overhead.
years. Finally, her Fairy Godmother granted her the boon she Furniture is tossed around the room, and fresh blood can be
wished to fulfill her revenge - the ability to create undead! seen glistening upon the floor and walls.
Two nights ago, the co-conspirators slew Lady Tremaine and Three closed doors, one to the east, one to the west, and
her daughters while they slept. Cinderella then used their
corpses to create the ghouls who would be her servants. The one across the hall to the north, provide exits from this hall,
trouble is the ghouls must feed... and thus a hasty plan, and a railed stair wraps itself around the northeastern corner of
involving Prince Charming as bait, was born. the room, ascending to the upper floor. Prince Charming
remains outside, terrified.
The Encounter "I, I think she fled to the dining room... t-t-t-to the north.
Maybe hiding in her r-r-room in the cellar, under the k-k-k-
The Meeting
The encounter begins when the party passes near Tremaine kitchen."
Manor:
As the PCs approach the northern door, or at another
The moon lights the road, and ahead you spy a small manor, appropriate opportune startling time, all three doors burst
it’s high hedge unkempt. A high-pitched scream wails from open, thrown open by three distinctly feminine looking
within, and you are startled to see a man running from the
ghouls, clad in tattered, blood- soaked dresses. The ghouls
snarly and charge the nearest PCs, fighting to the death as
door, fleeing in terror toward the road. He spots you and turns
Prince Charming watches from the porch.
your way. Wailing and crying, his school girl screams pierce A search of the ghoul corpses reveals a key on a chain
your ears as he approaches. With his fine purple waistcoat in around Lady Tremaine's neck. This key opens the lockbox
tatters, his billowing blouse blood stained, his feathered hat found in area 10.
tumbling down the road in the wind, this terrified, slender man
approaches. Though a rapier hangs at his hip, nothing about
this fop suggest he knows what to do with it.

14 GRIMM ENCOUNTERS
2. Dining Room
Upon the stone walls can be seen hundreds of hash marks,
An old, 8-foot cherry wood dining table, claw marks marring carved into the stone, demarking the time she spent locked
its surface, dominates this 15x30 foot room. Eight dining within. Old blood stains and human claw marks mar the back
chairs are scattered about the room, and a bureau has been of the door, indicative of a young prisoner attempting to
dumped over in one corner. China tableware has been tossed escape.
about, broken into a thousand pieces, with a set of silverware
scattered about the floor as well. To the east is a single door, An easy search of the room reveals a diary haphazardly
presumably to the kitchen. tossed under the bed. The diary is Cinderella's, and it reveals,
in terrifying lunacy, the back ground mentioned in the DMs
Much of the estate's silver has been sold throughout the years notes above.
for needed cash, but enough to provide serving for six can be Cinderella's Ambush. As noted above, while the
gathered up from the floor, worth a total of 25 gp. characters are distracted in the dining room, kitchen, and
cellar, Cinderella, who has been hiding on the second level,
3. Kitchen moves to the top of the stairs within view of the ghoul corpses
and casts create undead, bringing them back to un-life yet
This kitchen and pantry have been recently ransacked. Shelves again. Note that she needs one minute to cast the spell, but
are torn from the walls, the oven dented and toppled, food she will begin casting as soon as the PCs are properly out of
stuffs tossed about. A trap door in the floor appears to lead to sight of her perch. Anticipating that the PCs will escape and
the cellar. eventually emerge from the dining room and into area 1 she
directs the three ghouls, and Prince Charming, to ambush the
The trap door opens to a steep, narrow wooden staircase characters in area 1.
leading down to a damp, dark cellar. Note that any inspection Two ghouls will flank the doorway to the dining room,
of the trap door would reveal that it has a slide lock, allowing taking the ready action to attack the first PC to pass through
it to be locked from above. the door. The third ghoul stands in the manor's exit, and
Though Prince Charming will direct the PCs to the cellar engages PCs as they enter Aarea 1. Prince Charming, now
he will not descend himself, claiming that he is too afraid to standing strong and brave, demonstrating skill with his rapier
do so. When Prince Charming notes that the PCs are and dagger, will be positioned at the base of the stair, a look
engrossed exploring the store room and Cinderella's bed of wicked blood lust upon his face, while Cinderella has an
room he will close and lock this trap door. Once it is locked, Eldritch blast readied, casting it at the first PC who enters the
forcing the trapdoor open requires a successful DC 15 room. Should all four of Cinderella's minions be defeated
Strength check. Cinderella will do everything she can to flee the Manor.
If the PCs are particularly engrossed they may not notice
the door closing at first. A passive Wisdom (Perception) is
required for otherwise occupied PCs in the store room to
notice the trap door closing. A successful DC 15 Wisdom
(Perception) check, made at disadvantage, is required by
those PCs in Cinderella's bed room.
4. Sitting Rooms
Broken furnishings and torn books are scattered about the
floors of this sitting rooms. Marks on the walls show where
artwork that once hung was sold long ago to keep the
Tremaine's fed.
5. Cellar Store Room
The stairs creak as you descend into this dark, dank cellar. A
millipede scurries away in a corner. The store room looks
remarkably bare, with the remains of only two small crates,
broken apart with their contents emptied, the only indication
that the manor may well have kept supplies down here. A
dressing dummy, stark and untouched, sits in one corner.
A door to the west can be seen ... with a bar on the outside.

6. Cinderella's Bedroom
Cinderella's bed room is wretched. A small bed, with two
blankets and a tattered old pillow, is accompanied by a tiny
bedside table with a stunted candle atop. These are the only
furnishings within this miserable prison.

GRIMM ENCOUNTERS 15
 7. Upper Floor Lounge
The stairs below lead to a large landing area previously utilized
as a sitting area and library. Three filthy, unkempt lounge chairs
and a love seat are placed haphazardly about, while several
bookshelves sit empty, quite possibly because the valuable
books had been sold to cover expenses of the estate. Three
oak doors provide exits from this lounge.

8. Drizella's Bedroom
This ransacked bedroom smells of rotting flesh. The
bedclothes are stained in blood and gore. The walls scarred
with ghoulish claws. The wardrobe ripped apart. It would
appear one of the step sister's was slain here in her sleep and
returned in the rage of undeath to destroy the place.

Should the room be searched, a successful DC 12 Wisdom

(Perception) check reveals an ornate silver hair comb
amongst the rubble worth 20gp.
9. Anastasia's Bedroom
Another ransacked room covered in blood and gore, this
bedroom reeks of stale blood and death.

Should this room be searched, a successful DC 12 Wisdom

(Perception) check reveals a gold chain with a small
aquamarine teardrop pendant worth 50gp.
10. Lady Tremaine's Room
This larger bedroom must have been the master bedroom, and
may well have been quite a pleasant room in the past.
However, it too was the scene of a gruesome murder and
ghoulish rampage.

A thorough search of this room may reveal the last of the

Tremaine estate's valuables. A small lock box was stored in a
hidden compartment at the bottom of Lady Tremaine's
wardrobe. The wardrobe is toppled and broken open, and a
successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals the
lock box. If the key was not found on Lady Tremaine's body, a
successful DC 15 Dexterity (Thieves Tools) check will open
the lock. Inside the box areis the last of the Tremaine estate's
wealth - 78pp and the deed to the manor house.
Conclusion
If Cinderella fled into the woods, the PCs might wish to
pursue her. If she escapes, she could become a vengeful
enemy, ever seeking her revenge upon the PCs.
If the party managed to slay the ghouls, Prince Charming,
and Cinderella then perhaps they wish to lay claim to the
manor's deed. Such a home could provide brief comfort,
though surely the grisly murders which took place within
would cast an evil, cursed and haunted feel upon the dwelling.

16 GRIMM ENCOUNTERS
 The Path
Red Riding's Hood At a place of your choosing, read or paraphrase the following:
Little Red Riding Hood
Author.......Ken Carcas (Deadmeat Productions) The trip starts out like any other stroll down a wooded path.
Type..........Combat & Intrigue The crunch of the leaves beneath your feet and the chirping of
CR.............6 local birds within the trees above should make the stroll a

A young girl called Red Riding is given a new hooded cloak pleasant experience. If it wasn’t for the fact that you quite
for her birthday, not knowing that it contains a hideous and easily notice the fading of bird chirps, the absence of the
murderous secret. breeze and a cold chill enter the air... well...
Did I also mention the scene of bloody butchery just up
DMs Notes ahead? Looks like Red Riding isn’t, or at least wasn’t the only
Although initially, it may appear that Red Riding is the villain one on the path this day. A small fox, it’s muzzle stained newly
within this encounter, the true villain of macabre is The red from its grizzly feast, looks nervously around before
Hood. It’s not until the party meets with Red Riding during silently disappearing into the surrounding underbrush.
the final encounter that they truly realise The Hood is the one
in control. Investigation. The scene on the path ahead depicts one of a
recent bloodbath. What’s left of the creature is
The Encounter unrecognisable at first. Due to the sheer brutality of the
Meeting
scene, each character must succeed a DC 10 Constitution
The encounter begins when the party is approached by a save or become poisoned for 1d4 rounds, vomiting and
concerned middle-aged human woman introducing herself as retching for the duration. For 2d6 rounds after vomiting, all
Martha Riding. She asks if the party are available to d20 rolls have a -2 modifier from the shock to the body. A
investigate a matter of family concern. Although not rich, successful result renders the character immune from further
she’s willing to compensate for the party’s time to the tune of violent and gruesome scenes for the next 24hrs.
5gp each and a place at their dinner table this evening. A successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation or Nature)
Problem. Her 8-year-old daughter, Red Riding, aptly check shows that the mutilated body was once that of canine
named due to the slight red tinge to her hair, has taken an of medium size. If the check succeeds by 5 or more, the
increasing interest in her grandmother whose cottage lies a player ascertains that it was a wolf. A successful DC 10
couple of miles within the adjoining woods. Until recently, Intelligence (Medicine or Survival) check shows that the cool
Red could not have cared less about her grandmother, but viscous blood is still tacky to the touch, revealing that the
since her birthday a couple of days ago she’s been spending creature could not be dead more than an hour. If the check
more time in the woods than home. Normally Martha would succeeds by 5 or more, the character can work out that the
not be overly concerned as the path has always been a safe creature was killed by a sharp blade of a thin design. A
route, but there has been a wolf sighted recently and Martha successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals that
is concerned Red might be at risk. the animal’s head is missing.
Solution. This morning, Martha forbid Red from going to Encounter. A freshly created abomination called The
her grandmother’s cottage unaccompanied whilst the threat Floater (Appendix A) will attempt to ambush whichever party
of the wolf is present; it appears Red had her own ideas. member the DM deems closest to the edge of the path.
Martha would like the party search for Red, and make sure Characters with a passive Wisdom (Perception) of 17 or
she’s alright. She and the village would prefer the wolf dead. more notice the floater within 30 feet of the path. The Floater
Lastly, she would like to know that Red’s grandmother is will attempt to use its Howl to gain advantage before closing
alright before escorting Red home in the evening. Finding her to attack those affected. Due to its immeasurable craving for
should be an easy task; aside from being the only person on fresh meat and mindless nature, The Floater continues to
the path, the blonde-haired Red has taken to carrying a small attack until the party are dead or it is killed. The DM is
wicker picnic basket and wearing her now-iconic red hooded advised, for visual effect, to play up each successful attack
cloak. She only left two hours ago, so should be easy to catch from The Floater, describing blood from the successful bite
up with. flowing out from the dangling dismembered throat beneath
The Floater's head.
Treasure. A successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) or
Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals a small bulge
beneath the carcass. Lifting the blood mattered and ruined
pelt reveals a blood-smeared jar of preserves (worth 2sp),
presumably dropped from the wicker basket belonging to Red
Riding.

GRIMM ENCOUNTERS 17
 The Cottage
Once the characters arrive at the cottage, read or paraphrase
the following:
You leave the grisly scene behind and continue to make your
way along the path. Shortly after, the area directly ahead
appears to open as the light at the end of the path gets
brighter. As you leave the forest, you arrive in a modestly sized
clearing, complete with the serene visage of a small cottage
embedded amongst flower beds and a small-sized vegetable
garden. A thin gravel path leads off the main path near the
front of the cottage, passes a modest wooden enclosure
containing two goats, and ends at the door of an outhouse
located amongst a garden of freshly blooming flowers.
Ever so faintly, in the distance beyond a small picket fence
and towards the whitewashed cottage can be heard singing.
What appears to be a popular children’s lullaby, the sound
waffles its way to your ever listening, and alert ears.

Nothing in the grounds of the house is unusual.

Red Riding is not expecting to be disturbed, so she is not
actively listening for noises outside. If the characters make
any noticeable sound, including talking above a whisper, she
may notice. Red’s passive Wisdom (Perception) is 12 but she
may attempt an opposed Wisdom (Perception) check vs. a
character's Dexterity (Stealth) check anytime she could
notice something going on outside the cottage. If successful,
Red is aware that something is outside and will not be
surprised if the party attempt an ambush.
The cottage is a whitewashed single-story building with
three rooms (common living/cooking area, small bedroom
and a small larder) with two windows and a single simple
door in the front. The shutters to the windows are presently
closed and secured from the inside. Though the front door is
closed and has a simple lock it is not locked nor trapped.
If characters enter the cottage, read or paraphrase the
following:
You open the door to a scene resembling the inside of an The Hood
abattoir. Expecting to find the neat and tidy interior, you find Characters must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving
the old lady strung up via thin rope by her wrists to a beam throw or become frightened and incapacitated, spending the
within the ceiling, her feet dangling just above the floor. The
next 3 rounds vomiting. In addition, the character must
succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw at disadvantage or
floor is slick with blood, and the old woman’s organs are
be affected by Short-Term Madness; failure by 5 or more
scattered about. Standing on the stool with her back to you, results in Long-Term Madness. A natural 1 yields an
merrily singing to herself, is a small girl in a bright red, blood Indefinite Madness. Tailor the madness to the situation. For
splattered cloak. 2d6 rounds after vomiting, all d20 rolls have a -2 modifier. A
As you take in the gruesome scene, she slowly turns toward successful result renders the character immune to further
you. She holds a blood-smeared butchers knife in one hand violent and gruesome scenes for the next 24hrs.
and what appears to be the partially eaten remains of a kidney
Red Riding is under the control of The Hood (Appendix A).
Due to the compulsion exerted by the symbiotic connection
in the other. She stops singing, and as blood drools from her
with The Hood, Red will attack the party until they kill her or
mouth, she chants “Feed the Hood … Feed the Hood” and knock her unconscious. At the start of combat, Red attacks
steps down from the stool. the closest character. There is no reasoning with her, and any
character looking directly at Red’s face will see her eyes
Red Riding’s picnic basket contains a half loaf of freshly contains nothing but pure emotionless murder; any
baked rye bread, some recently churned butter and a half interaction will yield nothing but the continued chant of
ration of both salted fish (freshwater river mullet) and “Feed the Hood... Feed the Hood”.
smoked pork hoke.

18 GRIMM ENCOUNTERS
If Red Riding is killed during combat, read or paraphrase the
following:
As you strike the killing blow, your eyes meet with those of an
innocent Red Riding, seeing recognition previously not there
suddenly return. As she slumps to the ground amongst the
gore of her grandmother and the carnage of combat, you
faintly hear her whisper, ‘Im... sorry... Tell... mother...’ as her last
breath leaves her withered... and frail... childish frame.

The horror and shock of killing such a young child not in

control of her actions attacks the deep subconscious of the
characters. They must succeed on a DC 25 Charisma saving
throw or suffer an Indefinite Madness. The DM is strongly
encouraged to tailor the Madness to the situation, especially
connecting it to young children and/or the colour red.
Treasure. Red Riding wields The Blade of Butchery
(Appendix A). She also has the keys to the cottage.
Conclusion
Knocking out Red Riding and removing the cloak restores
Red to her normal, though slightly battered self. She has no
recollection of events after receiving her new and much loved
red hooded cloak. She will be slightly distressed over its loss
but more distressed if informed of what she has done to her
grandmother. A DC 10 Intelligence (Nature) check, or a DC
10 Wisdom (Insight), (Medicine) or (Perception) check, will
unconsciously inform a character that keeping this from her
is in the best interest of the child’s sanity. Keeping these
events from her and ensuring she doesn’t see the scene she
caused will earn each character 200XP.
Martha Riding rewards the characters with the 5gp each
and a place at their table for dinner. She is highly disturbed if
told of the events, promising to keep them from Red for as
long as possible. She will arrange for Red’s grandmother to
receive a decent burial (thanking the party if they already saw
to it) and for the cottage to be cleaned before Red can return.
If asked, she mentioned that she obtained Red’s new cloak,
which came already wrapped, from a travelling gnomish
merchant who passed through the area a few weeks ago. The
butchers knife is a family heirloom which she allows the
party to keep as an additional thank you on Red’s behalf.

GRIMM ENCOUNTERS 19
 The Truth. Everything prior to the dwarves taking the body
Snow Wight of Snow White is true. The truth is that both the Prince and
Snow White Snow White were supposed to die. Snow White, realizing
Author.......Ken Carcas (Deadmeat Productions) this, chose to take the entire burden upon herself. Later,
Type..........Combat & Intrigue during the confusion, the dwarves find Snow White’s body
CR.............4 missing after they chose to sneak in a visit and pay their
respects to their dead friend. Concerned about body, without
The deceased body of the fair and beautiful Snow White, notifying anyone of their intentions, they chose to track down
betrothed of the local handsome Prince has gone missing the villain and return the body back to the Prince themselves.
hours after their failed wedding. Suspicious circumstances They had tracked the body to the nearby snow-capped hills
point to the curse placed upon their union and seven missing where they found Snow White holed up in a cave and already
dwarves. transformed into an undead wight. Failing to escape, the now
Snow Wight kills all seven dwarves and now waits as they
DMs Notes transform into zombies under her control.
Once the transformation is complete, she intends to travel
According to variations to the fairytale, at the end, the queen onwards to her stepmother’s castle, where she hopes to
arrives at the wedding and sees that the bride is Snow White, taking control and ‘live’ out the remainder of her days in
whom she thought dead. She chokes with rage, falls, and solitude.
dies. This is my adaptation of that as if the queen had cursed
the wedding as she dies. Tracking
The party is required to track down the missing dwarves in a
The Encounter hope of finding Snow White’s missing body. A successful DC
15 Wisdom (Survival) check is required twice before they
Meeting track the dwarves to the cave. Success indicates that they
After his fair bride collapses and dies during their wedding, find the company still in the cave at nightfall, before all the
the local Prince sends out a call for adventurers in the area to dwarves have risen as zombies. A failure results in the party
find her now missing body. The party arrives to answer the arriving late and finding the company has already departed.
call. Once they search the cave, they can pick up the trail as it
The prince’s bride dies moments before the conclusion of makes its way towards the castle.
his wedding to Snow White after her evil stepmother arrives Should the party choose to search the cave, a successful
and dies on the steps whilst placing a curse of undeath upon DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check or DC 10 (Investigation)
their union. As the stepmother dies, Snow White’s body check turns up some small objects belonging to the dwarves,
slumps beside the Prince, also dead. The Prince has her body confirming they were here. They also find a red hair ribbon
removed to another part of the castle, under guard, until a and bow, and a piece of white ruffle from a petticoat, also
solution to returning her back to life can be found. The confirming that Snow White was here. A DC 10 Wisdom
following day, her body is reported missing. Surprisingly, her (Survival) check confirms the dwarves are continuing their
former companions, seven portly dwarves are also reported trek towards the castle; succeeding by 5 or more shows that a
missing. there is an extra set of footprints resembling a pair of dainty
The Prince has concluded that the dwarves are responsible female dress shoes.
for the disappearance of Snow White’s body. He charges the
party to track them down and whilst returning Snow White, Catching Up
are ordered to return the bodies of the dwarves, dead or alive. Snow Wight uses the statistics of a wight but wields a +1
If successful, he’ll compensate each member of the party with battle axe and wears a ring of warmth.
200gp and a minor nobility title. Cave. Should the party arrive at the cave before Show
Wight and the dwarves leave, combat is inevitable. It is
suggested to have two zombies hiding in the shadows near
the cave entrance waiting to ambush unsuspecting victims; a
successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check allows the
zombies to be seen watching the party as they enter. Combat
here also warns Snow Wight further within the cave to
expect trouble, she is accompanied by another two zombies.
Path. If the party chase down Snow Wight and her seven
zombie dwarves on their trek toward the stepmother's castle,
the party should catch them on a secluded forest path or
maybe feasting on a presently killed deer.
In either case, Snow Wight has no desire to return to her
previous life. She feels the urges of traditional wights; the
need to consume all living creatures but is successfully
suppressing these desires … for now. If left on her own, these
desires eventually take over, forcing her to seek out and drain
the lives of those in the area. Fortunately (or unfortunately)
this will not occur before reaching the castle but will,
temporarily, surface during combat with the party.

20 GRIMM ENCOUNTERS
As the killing blow is struck; read or paraphrase the
following:
Just prior to your attack successfully striking Snow Wight, you
briefly see a spark of consciousness, maybe a fleck of her
previous soul, return to her eyes. Too late to stop the attack,
Snow Wight slumps to the ground. A faint white wisp
momentarily slips from the now to the afterlife as what
remained of the former Snow White moves forever beyond the
mortal realm.

Treasure. Searching the bodies of Snow Wight and the seven

zombie dwarves yeild a +1 battle axe which previous
belonged to a dwarf, a ring of warmth worn by Snow Wight
and several pouches still on the dwarves which contain
various coins and gems totaling 312gp.
Conclusion
Returning the body of Snow White back to the Prince will be
a symbolic gesture at best. She is totally beyond saving,
having already made the transition to undeath. What
remained of her soul will never be enough to return her to
her place with the living. The Prince is forever doomed to a
life of longing and loneliness. Providing the body of Snow
White is returned, the Prince honours the stated reward.

Encounter Scaling
The following adjustments can be made to change
the challenge of the encounter:

CR 3 Remove the +1 battleaxe and decrease the hit

points of the wight by 20.
CR 4 Decrease the hit points of the wight by 20.
CR 6 As written.
CR 7 Increase the hit points of the wight by 20.
CR 8 Give the wight a +2 battleaxe and increase it's
hit points by 20.

GRIMM ENCOUNTERS 21
 Once the skeletons are defeated, Micks sits up, says ‘thank
The Tailor and the Giant you’, and introduces himself. He explains he is a tailor and
The Brave Little Tailor that he has a very important client to meet. He’s already late
Author.......Jeff C. Stevens for the meeting, so he must be going.
Type..........Combat & Roleplay As Micks begins to climb the wagon, a loud thudding is
CR.............1 heard from further down the road. Micks becomes irritated
and anxious.
A tailor, returning to his shop in the wilderness, is attacked
by a group of the undead. The tailor becomes nervous when the thudding begins. “Oh,
now we’re in for it. Tymora help us!”
DMs Notes The thudding becomes louder, and the ground slightly
The tailor, Micks Pandel, is a human (commoner) who lives shakes with each thud. Soon, a dirty hill giant, wearing a tan
in a small house in the countryside. He’s not very fond of city loincloth with a bloody sack tied to his side and a black top-
living, preferring the quiet of the countryside. Once a week, hat with a couple feathers sticking out of it, rounds the bend
he travels to the city to replenish his supplies, but this week is in the road. He looks at the tailor and says, “Why you late?”
very important. Micks has a new client, and he’s afraid that if The giant slams his club on the ground a couple of times, and
he doesn’t please the client, he may be eaten. then continues, “Measure now! You late for measures!”
Budge, a hill giant, has requested Micks tailor him a suit.
Budge is getting married in a few days, and he wants to look This is the hill giant named Budge. He’s anxious for his final
good for his new bride, Gushy. It’s taken Micks several weeks measurements and is upset that the tailor is late to the
to gather all the necessary material for the gigantic suit, he meeting. He’s already found his large top-hat and has
only has one week to complete the suit and he knows that he decorated it with a few griffin feathers. Budge is familiar with
doesn’t have enough time to order more cloth. the Common tongue, but he isn’t very good with it. A
successful DC 12 Wisdom (Insight) check shows the party
The Encounter that the hill giant is not combat aggressive - he’s just not
Micks is being attacked by three skeletons that have happy to have been kept waiting.
wandered out of the woods. The skeletons have yanked him Micks explains that, while on his way to the final
from his wagon and he’s now prone on the ground, attempting measuring, he was attacked. Before Micks can explain
to fend off the skeletons with a shortsword. further, Budge charges the party, thinking they are a group of
Micks is desperate to end the confrontation; he and Budge bandits who have attacked the tailor. Micks yells “STOP!
are to meet for final measurements of the suit before Micks These are the GOOD guys!”. Budge stops quickly with a
finishes the design. perplexed look on his face. Micks continues with his story
and allows the adventurers to interject as well.
As you approach a tree-lined bend in the road, you begin to Budge then explains that the wedding has been moved up.
hear a man shouting, and the clanging of sword against sword. Gushy has grown tired of waiting, and she demands a
wedding tomorrow! He needs the suit coat completed as soon
“Get back!” you hear the man yell. “Oh... why today?”
as possible, and he plans to stay with Micks until it’s
Rounding the bend, you see a neatly-dressed, grey-haired complete. If Micks doesn’t finish the coat, Budge says he will
human man wearing spectacles lying on the ground and give Micks to Gushy as a wedding gift.
fending off a skeleton with his shortsword. Two other Micks blushes, begins to sweat, and pleads with the
skeletons stand next to a wagon filled with rolls of what looks adventurers.
like black cloth. These two skeletons see you and charge.
“Oh…oh, no. What am I going to do? I can’t make this in one
night by myself!” He kicks at the ground and says, “Would you
be willing to help me create the suit? To save my life?”

If the party attack Budge, he fights. Those who do not fall in

battle are scooped up and taken to Gushy as a wedding
present. He intends to marry Gushy even if he doesn’t have
his suit coat.
If the party offers to help Micks, he excitedly accepts the
offer. He works frantically as he barks out orders to the party.
Creating the suit, with the adventurers’ assistance, takes 1d4
+ 2 hours if they successfully pass their skill checks (see
below).

22 GRIMM ENCOUNTERS
If the adventurers do not assist and leave the area, Micks Assisting Micks
soon after attempts to run, knowing he’ll fail to create the suit Assisting Micks requires two skill checks from each of the
in time. As the party are nearly out of sight, they hear a adventurers, and they may only use a skill once. To
scream. They turn in time to see Budge looming over the successfully help Micks create the coat, the party must pass a
prone body of the tailor. The Hill Giant flicks the tailor’s head total of 1 X the number of party members helping +1 skill
with an index finger, which knocks him out. He then stuffs checks (DC11). Example, a party of five with only four
Micks in his sack and leaves the area in the opposite members helping must pass a total 5 skill checks. A player
direction with his gift to Gushy. may use another skill if they can relate it to the creation of a
suit coat. Being a professional tailor, Micks does not have to
Creating the Suit Coat make skill checks:
If the situation goes to plan, Budge sits on the ground and Wisdom (Survival) Check. Success – you recall how to
watches the events. He has no idea what is necessary for use a needle and thread and assist in the sewing of the suit.
creating a suit coat, but he asks questions or makes Failure – while attempting to use a needle and thread, you
comments every so often while the party works: pierce your finger and take one point of piercing damage.
“Sure that fit me?” Wisdom (Insight) Check. Success – the idea of a pattern
“What you do?” for the suit makes perfect sense to you as you match up the
“I love Gushy” seams perfectly.
“No skimp on material … Budge have big gut” Failure – you thought you had the fabric match correctly to
the pattern, but Micks quickly and quietly corrects you.
Budge also snacks on a few recently captured (some dead, Intelligence (History) Check. Success – you apply the
some not) humanoids he’s carrying in the sack attached to his memories of sitting in your grandmother’s home while
hip. Select a few of the below, or create your own, and watching her sew clothes for the family.
describe them to make the PCs a little squeamish: Failure - you had no idea people had to do this kind of work
Budge removes a dead goblin from his sack, pops off its to make clothing.
head, loudly sucks out the brains, and then crushes the
skull with his teeth. He makes a ‘yummy’ sound as he
finishes the head and then throws the goblin’s body into Encounter Scaling
his mouth. The following adjustments can be made to change
Budge removes a nearly-dead human man, pulls off an the challenge of the encounter:
arm, and uses it to pick the remains of the goblin from his
teeth. The man screams and cries until Budge takes hold CR 1 & 2 As written.
off the man’s legs and then yanks, splitting the man in half CR 3 & 4 Change skill check DC to 12.
– doing so directly overhead one of the adventurers. CR 5 & 6 Change skull check DC to 13, give Budge
Budge takes his hand to one of the adventurers and softly    a +1 greatclub and give him 15 more hit points.
squeezes its head between his thumb and index finger. CR 7 & 8 Change skill check DC to 15. Budge
“Crunchy!” he says excitedly.    brings his best man Blimp the hill giant with him.
Budge removes a dead bugbear from his sack and tosses    Edit descriptive text as needed.
it aside. The body lands next to an adventurer. It lands like CR 9 & 10 Change skill check DC to 17. Budge
a tossed ragdoll and appears to have been flattened, most    brings his best man Blimp the hill giant with him.
   Edit descriptive text as needed. Give Budge a +1
likely by a heavy fist landing on it. The eyes bulge from the    greatclub and give him 15 more hit points.
sockets. “No like hairy men!” He then looks at an
adventurer, licks his lips, and says, “You no hairy!”
Budge stands over a party member and takes a deep
breath. “Yum! Ha ha! Tasty for Gushy!” he says as a glob of
mucus falls from his nose and onto the adventurer.
Budge removes a nearly-dead dwarf woman from his sack. Conclusion
She wakes up from her daze and begins screaming when If the adventurers fail in their attempt to help Micks create
she sees the giant. Using his thumb and index finger, he the suit coat in time, Budge becomes very angry and begins
pinches her body a couple of times. Unsatisfied with the slamming his club on the ground. He now plans to fight, and
meat’s tenderness, he holds the woman by her legs and hopes to capture a few of the adventurers and give them to
slams her back and forth on the ground a few times, Gushy as a wedding gift. Roll initiative.
seemingly trying to tenderise the meat – the screams of If the adventurers are successful, Budge puts on his new
the woman stop after the first slam to the ground and the suit coat, looks about with a handsome grin, drops a bag of
crushing of bones is heard with each slam. Budge then 50 gp next to the tailor, and then with greatclub over his
tightly rolls the bleeding and intestine exposed body into a shoulder, he lumbers off to his wedding.
ball and pops it into his mouth. Suggested XP for successfully creating the suit coat: 250
XP per successful skill check, in addition to XP awarded by
the DM for creative roleplay.

GRIMM ENCOUNTERS 23
 Prince Farringway goes on to explain that he was trapped by
Trapped in Iron his betrothed. She came to him the night before their
The Iron Stove wedding and took him deep into the forest. Foolishly he
Author.......JVC Parry followed, where she transformed into a devil and trapped him
Type..........Combat & Roleplay in the iron flask. The last memory of the Material Plane he
CR.............4 has is the hut to which she led him, a ‘ghastly shack of
crudely sawn logs, with a tremendous tree-stump in the fore’.
After stumbling upon a magic prison in the forest, the The prince believes it is due south from the party’s current
honourable party agrees to help the trapped prince within. location.
Whilst a normal iron flask can be opened with an action,
DMs Notes this one requires a key. The succubus Tentiga keeps this on a
leather cord around her neck at all times.
In the original tale; The Iron Stove, a princess finds a
handsome prince who has been trapped inside a cooking The Shack
range by a succubus. Whilst trying to help him escape, she The party can find their way to the shack with ease, as it is at
finds herself in a house of frogs and toads, where she must the end of a small trail through the woods. Oddly, the
pass a trial to recover her betrothed. In this version of the vegetation grows worse the closer the characters get to the
story, the party are tricked by an insidious succubu and her hut:
banderhob accomplice, who has been temporarily
imprisoned in an iron flask. Following the trail south, you notice that the trees and shrubs
are getting worse. The trunks are bleached ivory and are
The Encounter twisted and cracked as if they have tried to pull themselves
Meeting from the earth.
When the characters are walking through a forest or After a short while, you find yourselves looking at the shack
woodland, read or paraphrase the following: which Prince Farrignway described. It is shoddily constructed
of logs, and one corner of the building is sagging in
As you stroll through the dark forest, you notice that the trees precariously. Out front, as the prince described, is a tree-
around you are becoming less and less healthy. Their blighted stump nearly fifteen feet across. Burned into the stump are
limbs reach out across the trail, finger-like twigs claw at your ugly symbols, not dissimilar to the ones on the metal bottle.
clothes as you try to make your way past. The whole place stinks of rotting eggs.
“Help me!” you hear a voice call out “Please help me! I’ve
been trapped!” This shack is but a disguise for the true lair of Tentiga. Once
The voice echoes around in your head, sending shivers the characters open the door, a waft of thick, green smoke
down your spines. washes over them, completely blocking their vision. Each
character must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving
Characters with a passive Wisdom (Perception) of 15 or throw or fall unconscious for 1d4 rounds, or until they take
higher immediately notice a flask of iron cradled among the damage. A character that succeeds can use an action to
roots of a withered tree, from which the sound seems to be shake their fellow party members awake.
emanating. The flask is covered in arcane symbols, which are
Infernal in origin, and has a lock at the top. A thick cloud of green smoke overwhelms you. The stench of
If the characters do not notice the flask, read the following: rotten eggs burns the back of your nose as you inhale the
toxic fumes. As they clear, you start to feel dizzy, but can just
“Down here, please, I’m trapped in this vessel of iron! Trapped make out a lengthy stone corridor.
by a witch most foul!”

After this, the characters find the iron flask with ease.
Unusually, this particular flask seems to allow the trapped
creature inside to communicate telepathically with those
nearby. Trapped inside the flask is a banderhob, a creature
forged of shadows and flesh.
The banderhob pleads telepathically with the characters,
claiming to a be Prince Farringway, hailing from a local city. A
successful DC 15 Intelligence (History) or Wisdom (Insight)
check allows characters to ascertain that this is not truly the
prince. Should the characters state their disbelief, he pleads:
“I know not how much time has passed in this eternal prison.
Perchance I am from an era that has already passed…
Nevertheless, I can surely reward you with treasures beyond
measure, if only you can release me from this cursed domain.”

24 GRIMM ENCOUNTERS
T1. Antechamber Once the pyramid has been broken, the gelatinous cube is
The characters find themselves in the company of five giant able to attack the characters.
toads. These warty creatures will attempt to swallow any
conscious characters, leaving the unconscious ones until the
last moment before attacking.
The floor is covered with a greasy slime which makes it
difficult terrain for the characters, but not the toads.
Characters can choose to move at normal speed but must
succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw. Failure results in
the character falling prone and ending their turn.
You find yourselves in a strange, hot chamber. The ceiling is
dripping with a greasy black slime, which has coated the floor,
making it slick. As you look down at your ooze-covered feet,
you realise that the gunk holds strings of gelatinous
toadspawn. On the far side of the room is a stone door.

Characters with a passive Wisdom (Perception) of 18 or

higher notice the outline of a rectangle on the eastern wall. A
successful DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals T4. Piercing Swords
this to be a secret door, which can be opened by smearing the
greasy slime over it in an infernal symbol. Dried flakes of the An empty corridor stretches out before you. The walls are
slime can be spotted from prior opening. made of black iron, and give off an unnatural heat. The floor is
covered with splatterings of dried blood.
T2. Workshop
As the stone door slides into the wall, you gag as the stench of Characters who succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) or
rotting flesh flows over you in a wave. Hundreds of tiny flies Intelligence (Investigation) check notice thin slits between the
escape the chamber and begin buzzing around you. Swatting stone tiles that make up the corridor’s floor. If the check
the away, you peer into the secret chamber, and immediately succeeds by 5 or more they also notice a row of pressure
wish you hadn’t. Within are piles of dismembered limbs from
plates. These can easily be stepped over.
Any character to stands on a pressure plate activates a
all manner of beast, and hunks of flesh hanging from meat
trap. A viciously sharp sword thrusts into every 5-foot-square
hooks in the ceiling. of the corridor. Each creature in the corridor must succeed
on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 3 (1d6) piercing
Characters must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving damage. Any creature that starts its turn in the corridor must
throw or become poisoned for one hour. If the check fails by 5 repeat the saving throw. There is no way to deactivate the
or more they also contract Sewer Plague (see Dungeon trap once set off.
Master’s Guide, p.257). T5. Great Lake
Treasure. Digging through the gore allows characters to
find two potions of healing and a potion of poison. Flying in circles above a large body of water is a winged fiend,
T3. Glass Pyramid cackling and screaming with delight. Its feminine form is at
once seducing and repulsive. The fiend has a comely figure,
Before you is a pyramid made of glass sheets. It seems nearly and a face of true beauty, but has claws as long as daggers,
impossible to clamber over, and there’s certainly no way to wings of stretched skin, webbed with capillaries and a mouth
squeeze around it. full of needle-like fangs.
“I suppose you’re looking for this?” the creature asks,
The glass pyramid has a gelatinous cube inside it. drawing an iron key on a leather cord from its bosom. “You’ll
Characters who succeed on a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) or have to catch me first”.
Dexterity (Acrobatics) check can clamber over the pyramid to
the far door. If the check fails by 5 or more they shatter the
pyramid. Any characters who can teleport can make it to the Cackling with infernal malice is Tentiga the succubus. She
door without the risk of shattering the pyramid. Alternatively, will try to charm the most foolish members of the party,
due to its fragile nature, characters can automatically smash turning them into her thralls.
the pyramid with any melee weapon (no roll required). Although she prefers not to, she will use her Draining Kiss
The character who shattered the pyramid must succeed on if necessary. Tentiga wields a +1 hand crossbow made of
a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw at disadvantage taking 10 bone, with the words ‘heart-piercer’ carved into the handle in
(3d6) piercing damage on a failed save or half as much on a infernal characters.
success. Any character within 5 feet of the pyramid when it
shatters must also make the saving throw; failure results in
the damage previously shown.

GRIMM ENCOUNTERS 25
 The character who holds the iron flask is beleaguered with
telepathic messages from Prince Farringway who pleads for
release, begging the character to retrieve the key. This
charcater has disadvantage on all actions, ability checks and
saving throws whilst in Tentiga’s line of sight.
The water in the room comes to a height of 3 feet and is
considered difficult terrain.
After one round, the key falls from around Tentiga’s neck.
Characters with a passive Wisdom (Perception) of 13 or
higher notice she has let it fall on purpose. It lands at the
point marked X on the map. Any character who picks up the
key is also bombarded with telepathic bequests from the
prince and suffers the same effects as if holding the flask.
If the key and flask are within 5 feet of each other, a
character can use an action to open the flask, releasing the
banderhob trapped within. Tentiga, if still alive, screeches
with glee as her foul creation attacks the characters.
Conclusion
Once Tentiga and the banderhob have been killed, the
characters fall unconscious, and awaken some time later in
the shack.
As with many Grimm Tales, there are no real winners in
this scenario. At the very least, the characters can take the
iron flask and +1 hand crossbow for themselves, and feel glad
that they have rid the world of a manipulative fiend.

26 GRIMM ENCOUNTERS
Appendix A Acknowledgements
The Barbed Piper of Harmakin Thank you to the artists who contributed to this project:
barbed devil - Monster Manual p.70 Kraken Press - Cover
giant rats - Monster Manual p.327 Publisher's Choice Quality Stock Art © Rick Hershey /
Fat Goblin Games - Page 4 & 22
Big Bad Bandit Company Bartek Blazczec - Page 14
werewolf - Monster Manual p.211 Wiki Commons & Wizards of the Coast
wereboar - Monster Manual p.209 DungeonographerTM - Page 16 Cartography
bandit captain - Monster Manual p.344
bandit - Monster Manual p.343
The Boy Who Doesn't Know Fear
noble - Monster Manual p.348
wight - Monster Manual p.300
wraith - Monster Manual p.302
enchanter - Volo's Guide to Monsters p.213
The Fisherman's Wife
commoner - Monster Manual p.345
ghoul - Monster Manual p.148
Lament the Little Children
green hag - Monster Manual p.177
The Little Redcap
redcap - Volo's Guide to Monsters p.188
The Marquis of Carabas
cat - Monster Manual p.320
noble - Monster Manual p.348
oni - Monster Manual p.239
Not Another Cinderella Story
warlock of the archfey - Volo's Guide to Monsters p.219
ghoul - Monster Manual p.148
swashbuckler - Volo's Guide to Monsters p.217
Snow Wight
wight - Monster Manual p.300
zombie - Monster Manual p.316
The Tailor and the Giant
commoner - Monster Manual p.345
hill giant - Monster Manual p.155
skeletons - Monster Manual p.272
Trapped in Iron
giant toad - Monster Manual p.329
succubus - Monster Manual p.285
banderhob - Volo's Guide to Monsters p.122

GRIMM ENCOUNTERS 27
 Appendix B
This appendix contains the additional monsters and magic The Hood
items required to play the encounters. Small fiend, neutral evil

Armor Class 18
Hit Points 27 (6d8)
The Floater Speed 0ft.
Tiny undead, unaligned
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
Armor Class 16
Hit Points 36 (4d10 + 8) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 14 (+2)
Speed 0ft., 30ft. (hover)
Saving Throws Wis +5, Cha +5
Skills Deception +5, Perception +5, Persuasion +5
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Damage Resistances necrotic
10 (+0) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 8 (-1) 8 (-1) 12 (+1) Damage Vulnerabilities cold, radiant
Condition Immunities charmed, paralysed, prone
Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 15
Saving Throws Con +2, Cha +2
Languages Abyssal, Common
Skills Acrobatics +7, Stealth +7
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
Damage Resistances bludegoning, piercing and
slashing from nonmagical weapons
Damage Vulnerabilities force, radiant False Appearance. While it remains motionless, The
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, petrified, Hood is indistinguishable from a normal red
poisoned, prone hooded cloak.
Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 9
Symbiosis. The wearer of The Cloak becomes
Languages -
involved in a symbiotic relationship with it. All of
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
the Cloak's statistics replace those of the wearer,
unless they are inferior. This includes hit points.
Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces The Floater to
0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving
throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless
Actions
the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a Hooded Charming. As an action the fiendish will of
success, The Floater drops to 1 hit point instead. The Cloak exerts its will on another. The victim,
who must be touching the cloak, must succeed on
a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw; failure results in
Actions The Cloak taking full control of the target. A
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5ft., successful save means the target is immune to the
one creature. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage. Hooded Charming for the next 24 hours.
   If the attempted possession fails, the target can
Horrifying Visage. Each non-undead creature within make a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) or (Perception)
60 feet that can see The Floater must succeed on a check. Only on a success does the target know
DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 realise that The Cloak attempted a possession.
minute. A frightened target can repeat the saving
throw on its turn with disadvantage if The Floater is
within its line of sight, ending the effect on itself on
a success. If the target is successful or the effect Wand of Wind
ends, the target is immune to The Floater's Wand, uncommon This wand has 5 charges. While holding it,
Horrifying Visage for 24 hours. you can expend 2 charges as an action to cast the gust of
wind spell from it (spell save DC 13). The wand regains 1d4
Reactions charges daily at dawn.
Howl. As a reaction, The Floater can produce a
blood-curdling howl. Each creature that can hear The Blade of Butchery
The Floater within 30 feet of it must succeed on a Weapon (dagger), rare (requires attunement) This seemingly
DC 13 Wisdom saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) innocent-looking cook’s kitchen knife has an unnaturally
psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much on sharp blade that never requires sharpening.
a successful one. This dagger functions as a sword of wounding but deals
1d4 piercing damage.

28 GRIMM ENCOUNTERS