The Forest Came to Life, a level 20 D&D one-shot adventure!

The Forest Came to Life

A large image of the same text as on the previous page, hand-written in pencil on lined paper. A nice kinda intro cover page for the main one-shot campaign itself here.


Campaign currently posted in images-of-handwritten-pages format, until I can either scan them cleanly (ideal option), or find a way to put them in .doc format (which kinda... removes from the emotion of it, I didn't like how it felt). So for the time being... The Forest Came To Life:

The hand-drawn cover, with the title The Forest Came To Life, with two still standing spruce trees, and a pile of broken trunks and branches strewn out between them, generally taking up the bottom right third of the page. The same image as above, with the same text as the previous page, just this is where it is in order of the pages. The map, showing a trail of scribbly destruction coming from the right out of the Misty Woods, in a curved line, straight to the town of Abriel, and heading diagonally north to Wendelwall, with the text ETA 3 days shown beside the creature, a large dark circle on the map. General notes for the DM, such as noting that shops turn to that of excitement if the heroes announce themselves as the ones that have come to save the land, that the Misty Woods are a regular semi-dense woods, that if there's a total party kill, that the army eventually comes in, saves everyone, resurrects all the players, and all is well, y'know, the goodie-goodie me type of disclaimer that you won't actually lose your characters if you play this one-shot and lose. Other stuff like how long travel is between the towns and where you start.
A short rundown of the towns, Driath, the town run by Dryads, Tamlin, the big city where magical artifacts and armours are being gathered for anyone coming to save the land, Wendelwall, the town next in line to be attacked, and where you begin the adventure, Abriel, the town already destroyed, and Dorsath, the town south of the genius loci, and not in its path. Also mentioned is Shalla, which is off the map, and generally too far away to lend aid, but it filled up a bit of the map in that this is what is down that road that goes east off the page. The town of Wendelwall, where everyone is in a panic, and a constable and calling out to the people around if there is anyone who could save the land and stop the creature. Town buildings are The Resting Pony, the inn, and then continued on the next page. Wendelwall page 2! The Mighty Hammer, the blacksmith, Potions and Periapts, the potion shop, and Aowyn's Adventuring Gear, the general store. All of the stores here are generally gearing up to pack their wares and leave in the next 24 hours. Information from the Rangers that had been keeping an eye on the genius loci. They are generally confused as to why it began to rampage, but that normally it emulates a creature that it enthralls, typically an earthworm or a mouse, that it heals over time, and that if it stops moving, it's nearly indistinguishable from the regular land itself. They also note that no bones are left behind in its wake, which is confusing to them, and that there had been earthquakes leading up to the rampage, which they attribute to the creature waking up.
The town of Driath, a quaint little town run by Dryads, and the third city in the creature's path. There is slightly less panic here, and they anxiously await word of heroes that might stop the beast. Facilities here are the Bark and Leaf, the inn, Eldin's Safetywear, the armourer, The Staff and Cudgel, the weaponsmith. The last few shops are on the next page. Next shop is Carl's Componentry, the potion shop, and The Friendly Fern, the general goods store. The main city of Tamlin, where all potentially useful goods from nearby towns are being gathered to help aid in the stopping of the creature. Here, the heroes can choose three magic items from the available list (on the later tables page), or roll to see if a different magic item that they seek can be brought or teleported in. Shops include The Sleeping Ferret, the inn, the Barracks, where the heroes could recruit three guards to assist them in slaying the creature. The rest are on the following pages. The next shop is Shields and Pauldrons, the armourer, The Steely Blade, the weaponsmith, Airdrie's Artifacts, where all of the magic items are being gathered, The Temple District, where the heroes can find healing, and shrines to common deities.
The final page of Tamlin, showing The Endless Gullet, the tavern, which is packed with panicked locals, and Cloth and Kit, the genreal goods store. Guards are mentioned to be watching over all of the shops, especially Airdrie's Artifacts. The town of Abriel, which has been devastated by the beast. It details what happens if the adventurers go here (assumingly by teleport, as the creature is... currently stampeding towards Wendelwall), and what the might find, such as strangely smooth and round rocks amidst the rubble, and that indeed, only the rare bone fragment can be found amongst the rubble. The town of Dorsath, where the villagers move about strangely silently, almost as though to avoid drawing the creature's attention. Several shops here are The Snoozing Owl, the inn, Garu's House of Smash, the blacksmith, And The Healthy Potion, the local potion shop. The final shop is on the next page. The Rope and Bucket, the general goods store in Dorsath. You can buy general goods and supplies here, again assumingly if the heroes teleport here, and also fruits and vegetables that the town is known for.
The details of success, should the heroes defeat the creature or creatures that rampage towards Wendelwall. There's different endings for if the genius loci Garantus is returned to the forest, if the heroes adopt it into their party, or if it's outright defeated. There is a speech from the mayor, and... next page. and a day is named in honour of the heroes for saving the land! There's a space on the page where what the party decides it should be called can be written in. Revelry is had by all, after which everone has a restful sleep after the celebration, and peace and happiness returns to the land. Next up, the tables and creatures! The tables for all of the potion shops, and their percentages of having common, uncommon, rare and soforth magical items. Each of the towns have slightly different percentages of having things, but this also means that if the heroes teleport around, they have up to four, and possibly five if the DM wants to allow them to visit Shalla, chances of finding a specific magic item that they want. The details of Airdrie's Artifacts, with 50 assorted magical items listed as immediately available, such as the Sword of Hope, Eyes of the Medusa, a Broom of Flying, an Axe of Justice, or a Rink of Telekineses. Stats for the items can be found on Zebeth's magic item table page, as I wasn't about to hand-write out the individual stats for 50 different items here lol. Yah, they're all on Zebeth's magic item table.
The first of the creature stats, this one for the people. It has stats for the guards that you could recruit, as well as the brigands mentioned in one of the inn's rumours, if the heroes want to detour to go take care of them. The four different field and forest animals that you can roll a d4 to see what is encountered, which has wolves, honey badgers, and the other two on the next page. The other field/forest creatures, a lynx, and wolverines. And general stats for them, which I got from various dungeons and dragons stats pages. Don't worry, I have the open game license at the end of the module. The stats for the genius loci, and an intro text for it, which is also the text which basically began to build the entire one-shot for myself. It began with a fight. We searched for a giant land monster for people to fight. A genius loci, a giant mass of land wreaking havoc. And then... the insects... next page for those lol. The genius loci Garantus starts with 900 health, and gains 200 per day if the heroes leave fighting it for a bit. It has a burrow speed of 10 feet per round, lots of bludgeoning attacks, and a pile of condition immunities. Generally just a big ol' brute of a chunk of land that's rampaging here. Continued on the next page.
Page 2 of Garantus's abilities. It can constrict you, it has 3 legendary actions, where it can attack, heal, attempt to dominate/enthrall a creature, and could use frenzied speed, where it can move triple the distance at the expense of 100 health. It also has some lore on the creature, that the locals only know it more as a myth than anything, as it's been so quiet and nonproblematic for hundreds of years. And then... it began to rampage. The insects mentioned earlier... beginning with the Colossal Beetle Hivequeen, the creature that has been controlling Garantus, and travelling by burrowing beneath the genius loci. It has 3 legendary resistances, a multiple damage immunities, many condition immunities, and a challenge rating of 40, which is moreso the encounter as a whole. Yah, we eschewed that whole idea that the maximum number is 30, that's just silly, you're a pack of level 20's, go fight something hard. This hivequeen has multiattack, 8 jabs in a round, it can bite and grapple you, and it has three legendary actions in which it can trample people in its path, and more on the next page. It can chomp, which is a bite or if you are already bitten, swallow you. It can dominate creature as well for two legendary actions, and it has a deafening screech, in which you must make a con save or take thunder damage, and be deafened for one minute, and blinded as well if you're within 15 feet of it at the time. It also has lore if you try to talk to it. It NEEDS TO GROW! It has a very simple mindset, and speaks primodial and vermin. It awoke from a long primordial slumber, and then yes, needed to grow! It seeks food to grow its hive and its swarms, and it took control of the genius loci that it found as a way of protecting itself while it grows its hive. The first page of the hive, starting with the Giant Hivebeetle Defender, two to start, and an additional 1 appears every 3 days if unencountered for that long. This creature has generally the same resistances and immunities as the hivequeen, but can spit poison, and have a directive to protect the hive if the hivequeen is destroyed, or if most of the beetle swarms are destroyed. It will attempt to protect the remaining swarms, and burrow beneath the earth with them. More details on this when we get to the beetle swarms.
The Hivebeetle Soldier, starting with 4, and of which you get one more every 2 days unencountered. It has an armour class of 20, and has multiattack, bite, jab, and protect the hive directives as well. They are smaller and will only offer the swarm that it protects with half cover instead of 3/4 cover, both of which becomes full cover once they begin to burrow. The Beetle Hivedrone, six to begin with, plus 1 every day unencountered. A lower armour class of 14, 50 hit points, a burrow speed of 30 feet, and simple actions such as bite, jab, and protect the hive in the same way as the others. The Swarm of Beetles, known as the Hivebeetles. There are 6 swarms, with two more appearing every day that passes. It does not have a lot of health, and is more just travelling with the hive as the juveniles that keep the hive going. They only have a bite attack, or otherwise the Protect Hive directive. If the hivequeen is destroyed or lost, or if 4 or fewer of the swarms of beetles remain, up to 3 of the remaining swarms will begin to burrow, during which a hivedrone, soldier, or defender will move on top of it to help it burrow and protect it. It will burrow up to 1000 feet down, after which the swarm will lay a new Hivequeen egg, which will hatch in a day and grow to full size in 150 years, or 60 years if constantly fed... lending the option that if the heroes can retrieve the Hivequeen baby, they could grow it into their own, in 60 years, size changing over that period, hivequeen pet! It also has some lore, that the hive uses the large, round stones, which become round by the constant impacts, to break apart and consume the bones of the creatures that it eats, to access the marrow and nutrients of the bone. The area beneath the hive is filled with these round stones. The final page, the open game license, which has all of the detailed information and all of that stuff in it.

The Forest Came To Life. Can you save the land adventurers?

Finished March 9, 2023


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