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within the ranks step forward to take the dragon’splace? If the latter, the PCs do not earn the majorquest reward until they truly stop the assembledmonsters.Shipwreck (Level 18)This adventure begins with the PCs on a sailingvessel. (You decide the vessel’s precise nature andintended destination.) On a dark night, with weatherpoor but not too dangerous, a howling wind blows.From above, an elder gray dragon attacks, targetingnot the people on deck but the ship’s mast and hull.The ship capsizes. The PCs survive in the cold waterin the short term, after which they wash up on anearby island.Strangely for such a rapacious breed, the graymakes no effort to eat or kill any of the survivors. Itcontinues to appear in the sky at intervals as thoughkeeping an eye on the PCs and the sailors, but it doesnot attack unless they attack it first or attempt to leavethe island.After experiencing any other island encountersyou choose to add, the PCs eventually discover anenormous face carved in the rock at the top of thehighest hill. The carving shows signs of long-agoritual use, suggesting that it is a religious idol. Tracksindicate to the knowledgeable that the dragon hasknelt there multiple times.Indeed, the dragon’s intent in attacking the shipwas to offer those aboard as sacrifices.Quest Hook: The sailors beg the PCs to protectthem from the dragon and from the other hazards ofthe island.Quest XP: Ten of the ship’s crew members make itto the island alongside the PCs. Each crew memberwho makes it back to civilization with the PCs isworth 1,000 XP, up to a total major quest reward of10,000 XP. Make sure that the island’s monsters andother dangers threaten the NPCs; the PCs must earntheir quest reward by struggling to keep the crewalive.Quest Hook: The PCs seek to learn the reason thedragon shipwrecked them and the reason it preventstheir escape.If the PCs’ curiosity does not suffice, the sailors’curiosity does: The sailors demand the PCs dosomething.Quest XP: If the PCs discover the dragon’s connectionto the idol and recognize that the dragonworships the idol, they earn a minor quest reward of2,000 XP.If the PCs can determine the power the idol represents,perhaps through investigation of hiddentunnels and shrines in the mountain, they earnanother reward of 2,000 XP.Decide what sort of deity, demon, or other spiritthe idol represents when you decide to run thisadventure. The idol could represent an old versionof a known evil deity, such as Gruumsh, Torog, orZehir. It might represent a demon lord, such as Orcusor Demogorgon. It could even represent a princeunknown to modern sages or an utterly alien entity.(Religion and History checks can inform the PCsof the information you wish them to have.) Afteryou determine what the idol represents, decidewhy the dragon worships it. Has the dragon discoveredpowerful magic in the idol? Has the dragonreceived a dream or visitation by a power seekinga likewise powerful servant? Or is the dragon mad,obsessed with an inanimate object devoid of any truemeaning?Crossfire (Level 22)This adventure begins traditionally. In an area strewnwith several towns and perhaps a city or two, mysteriousdeaths and disappearances are on the upswing.Livestock has been decimated. People have failedto arrive at their destinations along previously saferoads. The situation is the sort that cries out for anadventuring party. It might even seem a little old hatto an epic party—something that might have posed achallenge many years and levels ago. Now the partycan deal with it easily.Ah, the arrogance of high levels. . . .In fact, the region has recently become the battlegroundbetween a pair of elder dragons. A purpledragon has chosen to expand its territory upward, toencompass the nighttime surface directly above itsUnderdark domain. This enterprise has placed it indirect conflict with an elder red that dwells in themountain caves and high peaks nearby.Were the dragons to wage their conflict directly,the weaker purple dragon wouldn’t stand a chance.Instead, the purple has sent Underdark operativesto attack the area’s inhabitants—thereby depletingthe red’s food sources of livestock and travelers. Thepurple has captured local villagers and pressed theminto service as slaves or forced them to reveal aspectsof the terrain and environment that might provestrategically useful. The purple has also sent thievesafter the old weapons and items of several legendarydragonslayers throughout the region and wellbeyond, planning to use those weapons and items inits struggle against the red.With modification, you can use this adventurehook effectively as a sequel to the “Gathering Storm”hook presented previously. You might substitute theadult blue dragon in that adventure for the elderpurple in this one (or vice versa), setting up eventsso that the PCs never encounter the dragon directly.Perhaps the PCs destroy one of the dragon’s agentsand discover that other armies gather to even theodds in the blue (or purple) dragon’s efforts againstthe tougher red.ADVENTURESCHAPTER 2 | DM’s Guide to Dragons53