Dollar Dangers are Pay What You Want quests & encounters you find yourself doing in between adventures. They can be obtained from bounty boards, tavern patrons, local law, etc. Each Dollar Danger is broken down into digestible information:

• The Overview - What is this task or encounter about? Mostly information the Game Master needs to run it.
• Setting - Where does it take place?
• Objectives - These are the requirements to complete the encounter.
• Enemies - How many enemies are there and what are they?
• Encounter Start - Sometimes this is a hook, other times just a drop into the action.
• Traps/Puzzles - Are there any traps or puzzles? If so, here they are.
• Tactics - Suggestions for how the adversaries should behave.
• Aftermath - Tells you how things may go based on the party actions.
• Treasure - What do they get?
• Conclusion - Now that it's over, what's next?

You can read it here for free, or pay for the print-friendly PDF download.

Sometimes the rules change or our understanding of them does. If that happens, we may update the file. When that happens, you will receive an email letting you know and you can download the updated copy for free.

Hellfire on the Horizon

Battle in a fiery wasteland against an infernal nightmare, where danger lurks at every turn.

A 1-Hour Mini-Adventure for 5th - 8th Level Characters

INTRODUCTION

In a fiery inferno's heart, a nightmare is a fearsome and majestic presence. This fiendish steed, often known as a “hell horse,” is wreathed in flames that dance along its muscular, ebony body. The nightmare's eyes burn with an intense, malevolent red glow, filled with hatred that pierces the soul.

Its mane and tail are not made of hair but of roaring fire, flickering and crackling as they lash through the air. The flames cast an eerie light, illuminating the surrounding landscape of charred earth and smoldering embers. The nightmare’s hooves are jagged and molten, leaving fiery prints with every step, and its nostrils exhale plumes of acrid smoke.

The creature’s ears are sharply pointed, constantly twitching as it listens for any sound of intrusion. Its teeth are sharp and menacing, visible as it snarls. The nightmare is often adorned with dark, infernal armor – plates of blackened metal that glow with heat, etched with sinister runes that pulse with a hellish light.

The background reveals a nightmarish landscape: a volcanic wasteland under a blood-red sky, where rivers of lava flow and ash rain down. Twisted, dead trees and jagged rocks add to the desolate scenery, with distant mountains spewing smoke and fire into the sky. The entire scene is a testament to the nightmare’s origin from the deepest, most fiery pits of the lower planes.

ENCOUNTER OVERVIEW

In the remote village of Brimstone Hollow, terror grips the hearts of its inhabitants. Night after night, a fiery horse known as the inferno steed gallops through the outskirts, leaving trails of charred hoofprints and spreading fear. The village elder, a wizened dwarf named Durin Fireforge, pleads for brave adventurers to investigate the cause of this haunting presence and end the steed's nightly rampage. The journey leads to the Ember Fields, a desolate plain marred by ancient volcanic activity, where the inferno steed's fiery menace must be confronted.

The nightmare appeared in the Ember Fields due to a recent disturbance. During a minor earthquake, an ancient, cursed relic buried deep beneath the fields was unearthed. This relic, an infernal artifact known as the Fiend's Beacon, has the power to summon and bind infernal creatures. The unintentional activation of this artifact drew the nightmare from the Abyssal Depths to the Ember Fields, compelling it to wreak havoc and protect the relic until its dark power can be fully realized.

SETTING

The Ashen Fields, a desolate plain scarred by ancient volcanic activity and littered with the remnants of a forgotten war.

OBJECTIVES

• Locate and confront the nightmare.

• Stop its terrorizing of Brimstone Hollow.

• Secure the Fiend's Beacon.

ENEMIES

• 1 Nightmare

ENCOUNTER DETAILS

The nightmare appeared in the Ember Fields due to a recent disturbance in the area. An ancient, cursed relic buried deep beneath the fields was unearthed during a minor earthquake. This relic, an infernal artifact known as the Fiend's Beacon, has the power to summon and bind infernal creatures. The unintentional activation of this artifact drew the nightmare from the Abyssal Depths to the Ember Fields, compelling it to wreak havoc and protect the relic until its dark power can be fully realized. The party's mission is to defeat the inferno steed and secure the Fiend's Beacon before it can summon more malevolent beings.

ASHEN FIELDS EXPLORATION

• Challenges: The terrain is treacherous, with loose ash, volcanic vents that periodically spew fire, and areas of unstable ground that can cause minor tremors.

• Hazards: Players must make Dexterity saving throws to avoid sudden bursts of flame from hidden vents (DC 14, 2d6 fire damage on a failed save, half on a success).

INITIAL AMBUSH

• Tactics: The inferno steed uses Ethereal Stride to move unseen, emerging suddenly to strike with its Hellfire Hooves before retreating back into the Ethereal Plane.

• Combat: The inferno steed aims to scatter the party, using its speed to hit isolated members. It will dart in and out of combat, using its Hellfire Hooves to inflict fire damage and create chaos.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS

• Volcanic Eruptions: Periodic eruptions from the ground deal fire damage (2d6, DC 14 Dexterity Saving Throw) to any creature in the area. These eruptions can also create temporary barriers or force movement.

• Fiery Vents: Areas of the battlefield may suddenly burst into flames, creating zones that deal ongoing fire damage to those who remain within them (1d6 per round at the beginning of their turn).

• Obscuring Smoke: Thick plumes of smoke can obscure vision, granting creatures within them partial or total concealment.

POSSIBLE ENDINGS

• Destroying the Fiend's Beacon: The party can choose to destroy the relic, ending its threat once and for all. Destroying the beacon allows the fields to recover. It can be destroyed by one of the following methods:

• Physical Attack: The Fiend's Beacon can only be destroyed in this manner by shattering it within a consecrated area using a holy weapon.

• Failure: Attacking it in any other way causes the beacon to emit a burst of infernal energy, dealing 2d6 fire damage to the attacker.

• Arcana Check (DC 16): To channel magical energy into the beacon, disrupting its internal structure.

• Failure: The beacon releases a pulse of dark energy. Each creature in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on the relic must make a Constitution saving throw. A target takes 1d6 fire damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.

• Dispel Magic (Level 4 or higher): A spellcaster can dispel the magic binding the beacon.

• Sealing the Beacon: Alternatively, the party might decide to seal the artifact, preventing its power from being used again. This can be done by casting the hallow spell on it.

• Using the Beacon: In a twist, the party might consider using the Fiend's Beacon for their own purposes. This dark path could lead to future storylines involving the artifact's power and the consequences of harnessing such malevolent energy. Depending on the party's intentions and actions, the villagers may react with fear or admiration.

TREASURE

Sticking out of the ash, the adventurers find a broken-off piece of the infernal beast's hoof that can be used as a dagger.

• Charred Hoof Dagger: This dagger is fashioned from a nightmare's hooves. It deals an extra 1d6 fire damage on a hit. When you roll a natural 20 on an attack with this dagger, the target must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or catch fire, taking 1d6 fire damage at the start of each of its turns until a creature uses an action to extinguish the flames.

• Durin's Gratitude: Durin Fireforge gifts the party a Mab of the Ember Fields, highlighting ancient ruins yet to be explored.

• Village's Thanks: The villagers present the party with one Healing Potion for each member. As long as they remain in good favor with the village, they also sleep in the local inn for free.

CONCLUSION

With the nightmare defeated and the Fiend's Beacon dealt with, the Ember Fields slowly return to uneasy peace. The party's actions have prevented further chaos, but the story of the cursed relic and the fiery steed becomes a local legend, whispered around campfires for generations to come.