Were The Party At
Below is a sample of a fully designed adventure for 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons.
Introduction
This adventure is built for a party of five adventurers at 3rd level using the D&D 5th edition ruleset. This is a coastal/sea-based adventure set underwater. The party is in a race against the clock to achieve their goal and return to land before it is too late.
Adventure Outline
Part 1: The party encounters a young family in peril. After being saved, the family tells of a terrible curse that has befallen their daughter. A cure must be retrieved to break the evil spell.
Part 2: The party must find passage into Merfolk territory and bargain with a Sea Hag for the cure.
Part 3: Upon returning to land, the party learns the innocent young girl has already turned into a beast and must either force-feed her the cure or put her out of her misery.
Reading the Entries
This adventure references the three primary 5e sourcebooks–monster entries are found
in the MM, spells, and rules for players are in the PHB, and game rules & treasures are
found in the DMG.
• Monsters are listed in bold.
• Spells are listed in italics.
• Sidebars like this, provide optional rules and supplemental adventure information.
PART 1: CAUGHT BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA
Read the following aloud:
The salty air permeates your nose once again. You’ve been traveling towards the coast for almost a week and the scent of the ocean means you’re finally close. After the close calls on your last adventure, some rest and relaxation on the warm pink sands of Sylph Beach is exactly what you need. You passed a freshwater stream not too far back and the clumps of gnarled roots from thirsty trees make it hard to walk in this area. Thankfully, the vibrant yellow star fruit hanging from these trees are juicy, plentiful, and delicious. Over time, the dark earth gives way to pale pink sand. Midstep, you’re blinded by shafts of bright sunlight making their way through the tree branches and you sink a few inches into the sand. As you step out of the treeline, you are greeted by the crashing sound of the tide breaking against the sand. You’ve finally made it to your idyllic destination. The sparkling clear topaz water and soft fine sand stretch out as far as the eye can see. It doesn’t take long for you and your compatriots to shed your gear and enjoy the cool refreshing water under the midday sun.
If the party had any levels of exhaustion or unrecovered hit points, the cool water and soft sand allow them to recover their full health. Let them dictate what they are doing over the next few hours. Driftwood is plentiful if they wish to build a crackling fire. A DC 12 Survival check is needed if they choose to fish. There are several schools of plump sea bass in the area, with one being enough to feed two medium creatures. There is a freshwater stream 10 minutes away on foot inland back the way they came. The area is completely without predators and is safe for swimming.
After two hours of enjoying the beach, the party hears a scream. Make a DC 11 Perception check to determine who is the first to hear it.
The sound of shouting shatters your peace and tranquility. Up the coast to the north, you see a family of four orcs running for their lives. Behind them are 10 villagers of mixed races and genders, each carrying either a torch or farm implement of some kind. One of the adult orcs is carrying something large in both arms that is wrapped in a blanket. The wind picks up and blows a corner of the blanket free from the bundle, revealing a young teenage orc girl in a green dress. She seems to be limp and unconscious. The chase seems to be leading right to you.
The party can choose to intercede on the family's behalf or ignore it and mind their own business. If the party chooses not to intercede, the family will run to you and plead urgently for help. If the party still chooses not to act, the family is cut down violently in front of them with sprays of blood and pitiful screams, and the teen girl is carried back to the town to be burnt at the stake.
If the party intercedes, use the Commoner stat for everyone involved. The family consists of two male adult orcs and two children, one boy age 10 and one girl age 12. The unconscious orc girl looks to be about 15. The party learns:
The “head villager” introduces himself as Tony and demands the party step out of the way of justice and that the orcs hand over the teen girl.
The orc family would rather die than let Tony and the villagers take their family member away.
One of the male orcs has a shaved head and goes by the name Dura. His partner Zakk has a thick head of hair and beard. The young boy is Ig and the young girl is Ty. The unconscious teen is Giona.
The villagers state that Giona is cursed and will kill everyone if she isn’t purified with fire. The orc family agrees that she is cursed, but they know of a cure if the adventurers will help.
Tony and the villagers get agitated easily and will attempt to take Giona by force if they have to. They can be driven off with a DC 15 Intimidation check. Otherwise, combat ensues and if three villagers die, the rest of the villagers runoff. Attempts at Diplomacy immediately fail as they will not listen to reason.
Once the villagers are driven off, the orc family visibly relaxes. Zakk lays Giona down in the shade and puts a waterskin to her lips, gently letting a dribble of water flow into her mouth. She swallows it, but a pained look crosses Giona’s face. “Thank you for your help,” Dura says. “This all happened a week ago. Giona had taken her two siblings to the beach for a swim. We let the children go together all the time as long as she was there to keep an eye on the younger ones. Something bit Giona and swam off before anyone got a good look at it. Ty bravely pulled her out of the water while Ig came to fetch us. We thought it was a normal shark bite at first, but take a look at this.” Dura kneels and unwraps a bandage on Giona's calf. You can see the huge bite mark of a creature with rows of sharp teeth, but the wound still looks fresh with blood still seeping into the bandage. The flesh around her wound is even more worrying as the area of her leg near the bite has become greyish blue and scaly.
A DC 13 Nature check confirms it is a shark bite. A DC 12 Medicine or Arcana check confirms this is a bite from a shapechanger and judging from her skin, it looks like a wereshark.
“We went to the village healer and they confirmed it was a shark bite which was concerning enough. But then they told us that we should hope she dies from the wound. They think she was bitten by a wereshark and is doomed to become a rabid shapeshifting beast herself. The healer said there is a rare blossom called the Flounder Flower that can cure her, but it only grows underwater, deep in the ocean. We spent our life savings to buy these,” Dura says as he reaches into his bag and produces several shimmering coiled sea shells, each on their leather strand. “These are Amulets of Water Life. They allow you to traverse the sea and any other waters as if it was your home. You can swim if you’d like, but otherwise the amulet will gently take you to the bottom of the ocean. While there, you can breathe the water as naturally as if it were air. I have tried all week to pluck just one flower, but the grotto where it grows is in merfolk territory. No matter what path I have tried to sneak in, I have been discovered and thrown out empty-handed. We need to get that flower today or else our daughter will finish the transformation into a Wereshark. We'll have to put her down so she can't hurt anyone. We were going to make one more attempt today, but the villagers found out about her condition and attacked us.” Dura's voice begins to crack as he clenches his fists. “I’m afraid I can’t do it. The merfolk don't care about our troubles and they know I'm coming. I'm no match for them. Only a stubborn fool won’t admit his limitations. Seeing the way you handled the villagers fills me with confidence that you can succeed where I failed time and time again." Dura falls silent and Zakk takes his hand. They close their eyes and press their foreheads together for a moment before Zakk turns to you." Please help us. It’s Giona’s birthday and we don't want it to also be her last day in this world. You can keep the amulets if you help us. Please.” he says, looking at you with desperation. All eyes are on you to make a decision.
If you agree to help the orc family, they give you the Amulets of Water Life and explain that you need to head west towards a coral reef shaped like a hook. In the grotto beneath it lies the Flounder Flower. You will only need to retrieve one.
If the party turns down the orc family, then the whole family dawns the amulets together and they enter the ocean never to be seen again.
Amulet of Water Life
Wondrous item, uncommon
While wearing this amulet, you are granted the ability to breathe underwater for 12 hours and can see as though you were on the surface. Affected creatures also retain their normal mode of respiration. Upon entering the water, you quickly sink to the bottom and can maneuver in water as if you were on land. You may swim at half speed if you so choose. All weapons and gear are kept dry while wearing this amulet.
PART 2: UNDER THE SEA
The party is free to don their weapons and armor while in the water as they can take most actions normally, but they will be unable to drink any potions or light a fire while underwater.
As you wade into the water, Ty and Ig timidly wave at you and wish you luck from the shore. Dura and Zakk turn back to working to make Giona comfortable. She is stable for now, but a twinge of pain crosses her face and you know time is against you. As you trek deeper into the water, the water crashes against you causing you to rock back and forth on unsteady feet. After a minute of struggle, you make it in up to your neck before you dive in, plunging beneath the waves. The magic of the amulet activates and you feel pulled to the ocean floor. The water's surface gleams a few feet above you, looking like an undulating ceiling. Testing your movement, you realize the water's normal resistance against your limbs isn’t hampering you at all with the amulet on. You can easily stroll along the sandy ocean floor.
Schools of tropical fish in a multitude of shapes and colors swim overhead, a rainbow of movement. A curious octopus swims close to inspect your intrusion before issuing a black cloud of ink and hastily swimming away. After an hour of traveling, you finally see it, the coral reef shaped like a giant hook. The massive colorful structure looms high overhead like a mountain composed of hundreds of different types of coral, something you would have never seen while on land. Fish dart in and out of its crevices, while seaweed and anemone sprouting from its surfaces drift lazily in the current. The sound of a loud whooshing fills your ears as three merfolk swim swiftly and powerfully overhead. Following their path, you see other bands of armed merfolk patrolling the area. This must be the edge of their territory. The grotto is visible just ahead, but how do you reach it?
The patrols are constantly moving about in a pattern of overlapping paths. Thankfully, they haven't seen the party yet. If they choose to, the party can attempt to sneak past them, but it will require three out of five successful Stealth DC 13 checks from each one of the party members to be successful. If anyone in the party fails, they are confronted by four Merfolk and two Merfolk Wizards. The stats for the Merfolk Wizard can be found at the end of this module. The party may attempt to defeat the Merfolk covertly, but their overlapping patrols make this impossible to do without detection. Diplomacy is always an option. If the party can make themselves seem important in some way, a DC 12 Diplomacy check will grant them passage into the Merfolk territories as a respectable visitor. These particular Merfolk guards can be bribed to allow passage. It will cost 20 gold for the party to enter the territory.
With the Merfolk guards handled, you’re free to continue on to the grotto. Following Dura’s instructions, you continue down a small path that dips down before opening up in an underwater cave 60 feet wide by 200 feet long. The ceiling of the cave is 40 feet high. You see many flourishing plants with stems that should have held the Flounder Flower, but no matter where you look you can’t seem to find the flower. Finally, you spot one behind a large rock. The long yellow petals with turquoise speckles confirm it’s the trumpet-shaped blossom you’re looking for. As you reach down to grab it, the flower slips out of your grasp and into the gnarled blueish-green hands of an old woman. She cackles and pockets the blossom before hobbling back towards a cluster of shells that resembles some kind of house. There is a movement beneath the pile of shells as one by one octopus arms appear at the base, reaching out for the old woman. She gently places a hand on the octopus arm and strokes it lovingly. Another octopus arm appears carrying a rocking chair which it carefully places on the porch of the odd home before scooping up the old woman. An excited laugh escapes her lips as she is placed facing you into the chair. The tentacle releases her and gives her seat a push, causing it to rock. Knitting has appeared in the old woman's hands and it looks like she is creating a sheet of seaweed from nothing at all.
This is Aqua Yaga. Use the Sea Hag stats for her. Currently, she has a glamor on to appear more like a kindly old woman who happens to live under the sea. She is mischievous and will not respond well to being threatened. If the party does so, Aqua Yaga and her faithful octopus companion will fight to defend themselves. Use the Giant Octopus stats for her octopus. She will calmly listen to the party's request and hospitable offer them refreshments of sushi and Hag Honey, a thick golden drink that warms their insides and makes them a little sleepy. She doesn't want violence, but won't part with the Flounder Flower freely. A stealthy character can attempt to steal the flower, but they must make both a Stealth check of DC 15 and a Sleight of Hand check of DC 15. If they are successful, the party will possess the flower and can leave. After three rounds, the Aqua Yaga and the Octopus will notice the bloom is missing and will give chase to the party. At this point, no amount of talking will save them from her wrath.
“Tell you what,” Aqua Yaga says. “I can see this flower is important to you. I will give you one, but before I do, each of you will need to complete a challenge to prove your worth.” She leans back into her chair, rocking it slowly. “There are five challenges and each of you only need to complete one. No helping. And you better not think about cheating,” she says glaring at you suspiciously.
Aqua Yaga outlines the six challenges below. Each party member can decide for themselves what challenge they choose to face. She will give them each three chances to complete a challenge before determining it a failure. A single challenge failure will cause the party to lose their chance at receiving the flower peacefully. They can still choose to take it by force if need be.
The five challenges are as follows:
Prove your charisma - You must entertain the Aqua Yaga. Make a Performance check DC 13 to succeed.
Prove your wisdom - Solve the following riddle.
“I am four letters long, I can be seen in the sky, I am the ocean & I am the sea. Can you guess me?”
With a DC 13 Wisdom check, they realize it isn’t an animal or mineral.
The answer is the color “blue”.
Prove your constitution - You must drink this poison and live. Make a DC 13 Constitution check. A failure will cause 4d6 temporary damage. The damage is healed after two rounds and the party member wakes up unharmed and back at their original hit points.
Prove your dexterity - You must thread this needle underwater. This will require a DC 13 Sleight of Hand check to succeed.
With Aqua Yaga “defeated” and the flower obtained, the party must hurry back to shore. The Merfolk guards do not interfere with the party as they leave Merfolk territory.
PART 3: WERESHARK? THERE SHARK!
The trip back to shore took longer than you expected. The daylight that once shone overhead has faded into the orange light of sunset, then into darkness. Finally, your head breaches the water's surface. The tide has come in and the sound of screams can be heard on the winds. The light from torch topped poles pulls your attention to an outcropping of rocks that Dura, Zakk, Ig, and Ty are atop. Beneath them in the water, is the trademark fin of a shark circling. Dura is missing an arm and is hunched over clutching onto Ig and Ty protectively. Zakk stands over them, prepared to fight off any attackers as he grips a large piece of driftwood. Giona is nowhere to be seen. With a great explosion of frothy water, the beast springs out of the sea. It snaps its toothy jaws wildly in a failed attempt to grab one of the family members. You manage to get a good look at it on the orange torchlight. It has the body of a shark with muscled orc shaped legs and arms. The torn remains of a familiar green dress tell you instantly that this is Giona. She has been transformed into a bloodthirsty wereshark!
Zakk spots you and he calls out “You can still help us! The change isn’t permanent! If you have the flower you MUST feed it to her before she kills! Hurry!” He jerks backward as the water explodes again and Giona makes another attempt on his life. This time, she manages to bite the driftwood and rips it out of his hands.
Use the Wereshark stats at the end of this module for Giona and the included map for the final encounter. She is in a Blood Frenzy as she has recently eaten Dura’s arm and can not be reasoned with. If the party does enough damage to lower Giona's hit points to half, her human personality can be reached with a DC 20 Diplomacy. A success will cause her to struggle against her animal instincts long enough to ingest the flower. At any point, the flower can be forced into Giona's mouth with a DC 16 Sleight of Hand check. This attempt has advantage if she is immobilized and prone. On a failed attempt, you’re unable to get your hand safely into her mouth and you draw back your hand just in time. On a critical failure, you lose that hand. If Giona can be reduced to zero hit points with non-lethal damage, the party can force-feed the Flounder Flower to her.
IF THE PARTY KILLS Giona
Doing what must be done, you unleash the killing blow. Giona staggers back towards the shore, tripping in the shallows and falling onto her back. She leans up only slightly with a hand towards her family as she begins to change back into an orc girl. You hear her say the words “I’m sorry…” as she collapses motionless, the sea gently pulling her back and forth. Her family calls out to her. “Giona?” they all plead, each more desperate than the last as they clamber off the rock and swim to her body. The family holds her tight and they all weep for their loss. After an hour of weeping, Zakk picks her up and begins to make his way back the way they came. Ig and Ty following close behind, sniffles and tears running freely. Dura comes over to you, his bloody stump tied off with a belt, and places a hand on your shoulders and nods. He knows you did what you had to and he thanks you. True to his word you may keep the amulets.
IF THE PARTY SAVES Giona
The flower is gnashed about a few times before swallowed by Giona. She doubles over in pain as you see her body shudder and begin to transform violently. She retches and chokes a little before disgorging Dura’s arm. Little by little, she turns back into the orcish teenager you saw at the beginning of the day. Her family rushes off the rock to embrace her. The joy and love radiating off them is palpable. Giona sees Dura’s stump and begins to wail and apologize. He tells her not to worry and pulls her in tight for a warm hug. Zakk snatches up Dura’s arm out of the surf and stuffs it into a sack. “Maybe the healing woman can do something about this,” he says. Giona looks mortified, but the rest of the family laughs. Zakk turns to the party with a wide grin, “Thank you, heroes! We can never repay you enough for this gift. We have birthday cake and presents for Giona at our hut and we would be honored if you could join us for our celebration.” he says
True to his word, Dura lets you keep the valuable Amulets. The healing woman is overjoyed to see that Giona has been cured and they are able to reattach Dura's arm as well as mend everyone's wounds. Giona unwraps a sturdy spear, as well as cloth for a new outfit, and a handmade necklace of wire wrapped sea glass. The cake is sweet and contains chunks of pineapple, Giona’s favorite. The family enthusiastically insists that you stay overnight, lulled to sleep by the crashing waves. In the morning, they cook you a hearty breakfast of fried battered shellfish and award each of you 10 gold for your trouble. The family waves goodbye as they see you off and assures you that you will always have a place to stay when you’re in the area.
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MEREFOLK WIZARD
Medium humanoid (merfolk), Neutral
Armor Class 12 (15 with mage armor)
Hit Points 28 (4d8 + 8)
Speed 10 ft., swim 40 ft.
STR 10 (+O)
DEX 14 (+2)
CON 14 (+2)
INT 16 (+3)
WIS 13 (+1)
CHA 11 (+O)
Skills Arcana +5, Perception +3
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages any one language (usually Common)
Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Amphibious. Merfolk can breathe air and water.
Spell Casting. The merfolk wizard is a 4th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 13. +5 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following wizard spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): friends, mage hand, prestidigitation, ray of frost
1st level (4 slots): disguise self, fog cloud, mage armor, witch bolt
2nd level (3 slots): gust of wind, Melf's acid arrow, misty step
ACTIONS
Quarterstaff. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage.
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WERESHARK
Medium Humanoid (human, shapechanger), Neutral Aggressive
Armor Class 11, 13 in shark or hybrid form (natural armor)
Hit Points 90 (12d8+36)
Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft. (0 ft., swim 60 ft. in shark form)
STR 18 (+4)
DEX 13 (+1)
CON 17 (+3)
INT 10 (+0)
WIS 13 (+1)
CHA 10 (+O)
Skills Perception +7, Stealth +7
Damage Immunities bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non-magical attacks not made with silvered weapons.
Senses blindsense 30 ft. (shark or hybrid form only); passive Perception 17
Languages Common (can’t speak in shark form)Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
Amphibious. The wereshark can breathe air or water.
Blood Frenzy. The wereshark has advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that doesn’t have full hit points.
Shapechanger. The wereshark can use its action to polymorph into a shark-humanoid hybrid or into a hunter shark, or back into its true form, which is humanoid. Its statistics, other than its AC, and its size, are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
ACTIONS
Multiattack (hybrid form only). In humanoid form, the wereshark makes two slam attacks. In hybrid form, it can substitute a bite for one melee weapon attack.
Bite (Shark or Hybrid form only). Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage. If the target is a humanoid, it must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be cursed with wereshark lycanthropy.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: (1d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage.