I just played the One Shot with five level 3 characters and we had a blast. We all are big horror movie fans and they loved the mixture between the usual slasher/killer tropes and the throw in off a scenario similar to pet semetary. The only thing confusing was the small mistake of the AC of the main villain, but we figured it out as soon as the first attack missed and had a good laugh about it. All in all a very cool adventure, that i can really recommend.

I ran this module as my first time DM-ing. I really enjoyed it and it seems like my group did too!

Adding some music and making some maps really added to the atmosphere. Our game lasted about 4 hours and the PCs followed the plot through. Little changes made it easier to run for me, but more experienced DMs would probably have no issue.

I recommend it, it was a lot of fun!

Was honestly amazing!I went through and revised a few more things to make it more graphic... my players loved it, even though they wanted to run into the foresty snow storm as soon as the murder happened!

This was recommended by a friend for a good one shot for a first time DM. It was quite fun! Thanks for the adventure : )

An absolutely fantastic one shot. Well paced and gives that isolated and trapped feeling. Reminiscent of the classic slasher horror stories. Plenty of iconic moments, like when they finally think they killed the big bad, only to realize there is more to come! My players loved it and it drew a lot of attention on our stream.

Just ran this as a one shot for some friends and it was a great time! I'm not super comfortable with running horror usually, but the adventure did a great job guiding me to create a wonderfully effective atmosphere. This is especially true with the antagonist, the Lamplighter, who is highly evocative of a slasher villain not only through the statblock's design, but also through how the Lamplighter acts within the story (especially entering and leaving scenes). There's also a good deal of room for personalization, I ran it as a one shot with three players and easily found ways to integrate them, both using the pre-existing hooks and elements of the adventure and setting itself. You also cannot ask for better looking art and layout, it beautifully sets the tone and helps the piece really come together! This was an excellent adventure to run, I would recommend it to anyone who loves slasher movies or having a good time in general.

A great one shot adventure. I am running Rime of the Frostmaiden and had a player who was unable to make a session. Instead of continuing with the main storyline I ran this. It fits in perfectly and was a lot of fun. I loved the horror elements and the dark feel of the whole thing. suspenseful the whole time.

This is truly a horrifically magical and fridged adventure. Isaac does it again!

The tone of the adventure is set in place as soon as the adventure starts, a mysterious green light held by a shadowy figure? Not suspicious at all! I was able to hold this tone and mood through-out the whole adventure. My players were reeling at every turn, gears turning in their head what the dogs barking mean. By the conclusion of the adventure, my players could not stop talking about everything that occurred! To remain spoiler free, you'll just have to see what I mean!

I cannot recommend this adventure enough, especially with the adjusted armor class of a specific creature. Thank you for the great content, keep it up!

A fantastic adventure! I played it in Halloween and my players felt the true mood of the slasher genre. The backstory to this adventure has the ingredients of a mystery tale. Also, the art is truly useful and atmospheric.

Another great module by Isaac and Cita. This one is a perfect module for fans of the slasher horrow genre. It has all the necessary ingredients: a compelling mystery, a chilling setting, and an antagonist you actually kinda feel bad for. This module is not heavy on combat, but the few that it has are absolutely thrilling.

This adventure is an absolute blast to run and would make a great addition to any Rime of the Frostmaiden game. Issac continues to set a high standard with the presentation of this adventure, and the content is broken down to be simple to read through and digest. Accompanied by Cita's superbly atmospheric artwork, it couldn't be easier to feel the mood of a cold slasher horror and transpose that into your game. My wife and I really enjoyed playing though this one and I am excited to see what's next!

And When the Dogs Start Barking by Isaac Mandagie (@IsaacMandagie) & Cita A F (dancingberry.carrd.co)

Content Warning: Harm to Animals, Death of Animals, Referenced Suicide, Murder, Gore

A 4-hour Slasher Horror one-shot set in Icewind Dale for 4thlevel characters

“The long and harsh winter of Icewind Dale has severely affected the life of the people in Ten Towns, especially those living in Dougan’s Hole. Being the smallest village in the area, Dougan’s Hole is vulnerable to the bone-chilling dangers of this icy landscape. At the moment, however, weather is the least of their problems. People are starting to become concerned due to recent deaths following the sightings of a dark figure. And when the dogs start barking, that’s when they know it is making its way through the cold streets.”

This is a bone-chilling, spine-tingling murder mystery adventure set in a snowed in Icewind Dale Town perfect to add white out horror to Rime of the Frost Maiden campaigns or any game where cold-blooded killings and fiendish frights fuel fun times!

Adventure Primer

The backstory to this adventure is a doozy and one of the most original concepts I’ve come across. A lamplighter loses their dog to a blizzard. This sad event is seized upon by a fiend who offered to resurrect the dog, but the demon failed to mention it would be possessing the hound and taking its soul in the bargain. When the now demonic doggo was harassed by some local kids it lashed out, only for the kids and a watchman have the dangerous dog put down. Consumed with grief the lamplighter took their own life, but the demon, a dybbuk, a disembodied fiend, did what it does, bringing the lamplighter back to a sick reflection of life, exacting revenge on those who they felt had wronged them. Now they stalk the streets of Dougan’s Hole with their grizzly lantern fashioned from the dogs’ head...

I already have chills!

Adventure Overview

The adventure comprises three chapters, altogether taking approximately 4 hours. The first chapter should take an hour, followed by 2 hours for the second chapter, and 1 hour for the third. •Chapter 1: Red over White. The adventurers find themselves in Dougan’s Hole, get a glimpse of the lamplighter and start investigating. •Chapter 2: The Lamplighter’s Fire. The adventurers have a run in with the undead fiend and discover how dangerous they really are. •Chapter 3: Under the Skin. The adventurers follow the trail back to where it all began and face the unholy lamplighter.

Adventure Hooks

A variety of hooks are provided, including being hired to investigate the murders, being related to one of the victims or simply curious passers-by stuck in town due the weather. If there’s nothing better to do in town why not try and solve the murders?

Chapter 1: Red over White.

A broken carriage and blizzard see the adventurers stuck in Dougan’s Hole’s lively tavern, despite or possibly in direct response to the murders and weather. A glimpse of the recently absent lamplighter piques the interest of the head of the watch, Sigi, a beautifully rendered non-binary goliath who brings me no end of joy!

There’s not much time to have a drink as the exceedingly creepy descriptions of the barking and then whimpering of the dogs, which announce another murder. At the crime scene, if not already directly hooked into the story, Sigi can bring them into the investigation and appraisal of the grizzly crime scene with helpfully bullet pointed information and checks, which give DMs a wealth of information to provide players without giving the gruesome game away just yet.

Chapter 2: The Lamplighter’s Fire.

A temporary morgue has been set up at the watch house, which Sigi invites the party to discuss the facts of the case and examine the bodies. With the rest of the watch escorting the Speaker of the village to the next town for their safety, the protection of the town lays solely with Sigi, a single other remaining member of the watch, Sten, and the adventurers. The information and advice given allows for an interesting, if grim, discussion of the facts and examination of the bodies, with time and encouragement for those with the Murdered Relative hook to roleplay a final farewell.

It’s not long before a terrified Milo, the sole surviving member of the kids who harassed and ultimately killed the lamplighter’s dog, bursts in absolutely terrified for their life and begging for protection. The intuitive and persuasive can find out why Milo is so afraid and gain greater insights into the case.

Battening down the hatches and boarding the windows of the watch house to keep Milo safe allows for a moment of surprise and levity when Sten goes missing, only to be found unconscious in the storeroom, awakening with a start after having simply had a tumble. This diffusion of tension last only a moment as the dogs start barking, before the door is broken down, though no-one seems to be there...until the green light caches the characters’ eyes and they turn to see the lamplighter behind them Axe in hand!

Combat breaks out and whether or not the lamplighter manages to take Milo’s head, and even if the adventurers manage to put the killer down, in true slasher fashion, the undead fortitude brings them unexpectedly back to unlife, magically disappearing.

With a moment to breathe and grieve if necessary, the survivors head to the lamplighter home. This means heading into the blizzard outside, which makes things very dangerous with a variety of checks and mechanical difficulties, as well as a random table of environmental hazards the party may encounter, including getting caught in a snow drift, finding themselves on slippery or dangerously thin ice, each with their own associated descriptions and checks. If this was the character’s first instinct, rather than blockading the watch house, the lamplighter can lurch out of the squealing snow to strike.

Chapter 3: Under the Skin

Inside the lamplighter’s abode the adventurers must brave the frigid temperatures and search the detritus for clues. The lamplighter’s home holds many hints, but their diary tells the heart-breaking tale of him discovering a puppy in the woods shortly after his 71st birthday only to lose them to the blizzards, filling in the rest of the grim details leading to him taking his life.

In the basement the grizzly trophies of the victim’s heads, eerie candlelight emanating from inside them, including anyone left at the watch house as a nasty twist and cautionary tale about splitting the party, before the lamplighter appears, terrifyingly bursting out of the shelving for the final encounter. Great advice about having the lamplighter return home and head to the basement while the characters are upstairs is given to ensure noone misses out on the gruesome discoveries down there is provided, which gives them a chance to sneak up on them. Either way when combat begins they place their lamp on the ground and the party see a floating spectral hound’s head begin to bark and howl, which is a freaking epic reveal!

Once the lamplighter has been slain and the undead fortitude failed one of the most awesomely gruesome descriptions I’ve had the pleasure of reading is to be read, as the survivors get to see the dybbuk tear itself from the body, fighting for its cursed life. It is truly amazing to see this horrifying creature really get its moment and spectacular artwork of the creepy jellyfish ghost demon. It will have many more of if the party are slain, but there is always a chance for second run at it with the Speaker hiring more adventurers to free the slaughtered town from the fiend’s tyranny.

The appendix contains a full dramatis personae with background, objective and personality traits for all the NPCs, statblocks for the lamplighter, buddy (the spectral hound) and the dybbuk, and beautifully detailed maps of the lamplighter’s house for both DMs and players.

One of the most original, horrifying and inspired uses of a D&D creature...and dogs head for that matter in a chillingly creepy cool tale of horror in the snow with quality writing and drop dead (and resurrected by a demon) gorgeous artwork. Add some morbid mystery sure to keep players guessing to your Rime of the Frost Maiden, Icewind Dale or any bitter cold game.

The way that tension and terror are handled, particularly in the second chapter, show a true understanding of the horror genre and create seriously awesome scenes bound to cause all manner of panic and nervous laughter at the table. It’s always great to see horror written well with a knowledge that the valve of tension does need to be released, albeit momentarily and often comically, to ultimately aid the effectiveness of scares and spooks.

The art throughout is truly something else with a wonderful style so perfect for this haunting adventure! I have absolutely loved everything I’ve seen of Cita A F’s work and thoroughly look forward to seeing more of it on the Guild and beyond! This is a bone-chilling, spine-tingling murder mystery adventure set in a snowed in Icewind Dale Town perfect to add white out horror to Rime of the Frost Maiden campaigns or any game where cold-blooded killings and fiendish frights fuel fun times! After making a big splash with their respective RPG Writer Workshop Adventures Isaac Mandagie (@IsaacMandagie) and Cita A F (dancingberry.carrd.co) are definitely one’s to watch, and I’m excited to see what they do next!

Acknowledgements

Lead Designer: Isaac Mandagie Creative Consultant, Editing, Design, Illustration, Cartography: Cita A F Map Assets: Dungeondraft Playtesters: Chelsie G. Lin, JeStBag, Juan A. Pangestu, MyrrenTheGreat Special thanks to our TTRPG and pop culture communities, The Archipelago and Rigor Mortis, for supporting our work.

About the Authors

Isaac Mandagie is an International Relations major who worked as a voice actor, content researcher, and scriptwriter. During his downtime, he becomes a Dungeon Master, a Keeper of Arcane Lore, a Storyteller, and a Master of Ceremony for several tabletop role-playing groups. Other than that, he is an amateur film reviewer who loves to share his thoughts about movies on YouTube and his social media.

You can follow him on Twitter (@IsaacMandagie) and Instagram (isaac.mandagie).

Other titles on dmsguild.com:

“When Madness Calls” (with Cita A F)

Cita A F is a creative at heart who loves to explore multiple fields as a writer, illustrator, and designer. She plays TRPGs for fun and run them for the same reason.

You can find her on dancingberry.carrd.co

Other titles on dmsguild.com:

“I Wanna Go Home” “Wrench’s Useless Magic Items” “Print Your Own Spell Card” (with Andreas Elnatan Christian) “Covers & Papers Packs Bundle”

Other title on drivethrurpg.com:

“The (Un)Life of A Vampire Lady’s Minions”