The party dies. It doesn’t matter much how it happens, and the DM can set up the circumstances however fits the campaign, but the adventure begins with the characters waking up somewhere unfamiliar and figuring out quickly that they’re no longer among the living. The land of the dead has its own logic, its own inhabitants, and its own version of danger. Magic works differently here, or not at all, and the abilities and gear the party depends on in the living world may be unreliable or gone entirely.
The only way back is to complete a particular task, which may not be obvious at first. Clues from where they came from (the land of the living) provide hints. Maybe the party needs to find a specific soul and deliver a message. Maybe something was buried with the dead that shouldn’t have been, and it needs to come back. The point is that the task should demand more than combat, because combat, and especially magic, may not work the way the party expects it to.
That’s the real hook here. Take away the tools the party relies on and you find out what they’re actually made of. Magic weapons are no longer magical, and spells either do something unexpected (like wild magic) or they don’t work at all. Only certain clerical spells work, such as those which are anti-evil (and perhaps they work too effectively), but healing doesn’t work at all. The way back exists, but the party has to use their ingenuity and adapt to the environment to find their way back to the land of the living.
Party Level: 5-12. The level of the characters matters less than the experience of the players. This adventure requires players who can use their creativity and intelligence to solve unusual problems.
World: Any
Rules-set: Originally ran in 5e but can use any rules-set.
Note: I played a 5e (2014) bard of 12th level when the DM ran us through this adventure. Our method to return to the land of the living was unknown to us at first but we pieced together clues and realized there was some redemption required in order to escape. Plus, we found there was a clock ticking, and if we didn’t make it out in time, our characters would forever remain in the land of the dead.
If this made your session better, buying me a coffee keeps the Vault stocked.
