The Horn of

Plenty
A Level 4 Basic Rules Adventure from

Winghorn Press
W
hen a powerful magic item is stolen When the Concern's council refused to
from a wealthy farming association, listen, Gantz gathered a band of struggling
the leaders turn to a band of reliable farmers and stole the powerful item. The group
and - most importantly - discrete adventurers have since retreated into the Bubbling Grotto, a
to retrieve it. cave system guarded by a pair of angry
Their journey takes them into a cave system Owlbears, and hope to repair the damage before
filled with sickness and rot, and thrusts them they are forced out. When the adventure begins
into a debate over applying magical solutions to they’ve been hiding for a tenday.
practical problems. Where will their loyalties Local scouts have already tracked Gantz and
fall when forced to make a tough choice? his accomplices to the grotto, but the Concern is
waiting for adventurers to flush them out.
What is this adventure?
A Basic Rules Adventure only uses the free Basic
Beginning the Adventure
Rules published by Wizards of the Coast at: The Concern is keen to keep the Horn a secret,
dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules as they fear that many peasants will see things
the same way as Gantz. They need outsiders who
This means that you will always be able to
can discreetly deal with the problem, and as
access the stat blocks, magic items and other
such the adventurers may hear of the Concern's
rules used in this adventure, without needing to
need to aid through travelling merchants,
own a specific book or supplement. Any
message boards in nearby towns or by simply
creatures or items not included in the Basic
wandering into Camdell.
Rules will be included in the text.
They are asked to meet over lunch with the
THE HORN OF PLENTY is a short adventure for
Master Grower, a halfling female named Deidre
level four parties. It features social scenes,
Sprout, in the Growers' Hall. The building is
dungeon exploration and combat.
rather grand and opulent, and though they
It also includes an ethical dilemma for the aren't nobility the senior members are clearly
players - and their characters - to tackle. wealthy landowners.
By default the adventure is set in the While enjoying the meal, Sprout outlines the
Forgotten Realms, but this can easily be adapted basics of what happened (see Background). She
to other settings. does not refer to the Horn directly, instead
Background describing its rough appearance - a huge goat's
horn about three feet long and two feet across. If
Around 100 years ago the Camdell Growers' pressed for details she asks the adventurers to
Concern acquired a Horn of Plenty - a powerful swear an oath not to reveal the Concern's secrets
magic item capable of magically conjuring up before relaying the full story.
huge quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables.
A tenday has passed since the theft.
For many years they used the Horn to
The Concern will pay 300gp to each
supplement their own production and make
adventurer if they retrieve the Horn of Plenty.
hefty profits, but eventually the over-use took its
Sprout is willing to raise this to a maximum of
toll. The Horn cracked and the food that they
500gp if pushed.
drew from it became infested with parasites and
fungus. Sprout and a small group of her fellow
Concern council members accompany the
Stripped of their magical shortcut, the
adventurers to the cave, and wait outside while
Concern realised they had been relying too
they work.
much on the Horn's magical powers and had
neglected their own farms, causing a famine
that devastated the area.
The Bubbling Grotto
A group of four Scouts watch over the cave from
The Horn has been locked up in their hall a distance of around 200 ft., sticking to the
ever since, where it is used to teach new treeline. Nobody has left or entered the cave
members an important lesson in hard work and since they arrived here a tenday ago.
the futility of taking the easy way out.
The cave is set into a craggy grey cliff
However, one farmer didn't see things the around 100 ft. high. The area around it is clear of
way that the Concern did. trees and a wide path has been worn in the grass
Gantz, a former thief who escaped a life of around its entrance.
poverty to buy his own farm, believes the The Owlbears have not been seen for around
Concern’s decision to hide the Horn is motivated five days, but the scouts could hear them
by selfishness and greed. He believes they should hooting from time to time and dared not
repair the device and provide free food to those approach to investigate.
who need it.
 enter in bright light. The rest of the room is
Optional Encounter: shrouded in darkness.
Darkmantle Raid Encounters
Four Bandits lurk in the shadows and shoot at
As they travel along the road to the cave the
any adventurers who enter. They stick to the
adventurers hear a crashing noise in the trees.
cover of the rocks (counting as ¾ cover) and hide
A group of Eight Darkmantles flap drunkenly
where possible. Two Thugs attempt to intercept
through the air, bumping into branches as
any adventurers as they cross the bridge.
they try to reach the party.
Each time a darkmantle attacks a creature If at least half of the gang are killed, the rest
it is not already attached to, roll a d6. On a surrender.
result of one it completely misses its target, They all come from farming families who
slamming into the ground and taking 1d6 have fallen on hard times. Gantz told them
bludgeoning damage. about the Growers' Concern keeping the Horn
It is obvious that the creatures have for themselves and agreed to help him steal it.
something wrong with them. Their strange Each of them believes Gantz to be a hero.
and erratic behaviour is caused by consuming They were assigned to stop anyone from
food produced by the broken Horn of Plenty, coming into the cave and stopping Gantz from
causing them to become infested with fungal repairing the horn. One of them has a key to the
parasites. iron door leading to his workshop.
A DC10 Wisdom (Nature) check allows an The group was supposed to report back
adventurer to confirm that darkmantles never regularly, but the next chamber has become
normally leave their subterranean lairs and infested with mould and fungus. The last
certainly don't attack prey during the day. member of their group enter was killed two days
ago, when a tentacle dragged her off a stepping
stone and into the water.
1. The Owlbear Lair The entire group is hungry and thirsty. They
do not trust the water in the stream.
A broad, arching cave with a dusty stone floor. A
natural ramp curves up to the eastern wall, 3. The Cave of Spores
rising to create a small cliff around 10ft. high. A domed chamber with a soft, loamy floor. It is
The chamber smells of fur and old meat, as lit by two small shafts that allow weak beams of
well as a scent that any character proficient in sunlight in through the ceiling. To the east
medicine will recognise as the odour of sickness. stands a pool of water fed by a small waterfall to
There are exits to the east and north. The the north. It slowly flows into a crack in the
sound of flowing water can be heard to the east. southern wall.
Encounters The pool smells intensely of rot and decay.
The areas where the water is flowing seem
Two Owlbears, one male and one female, lie
relatively clear, but the more stagnant parts are
amidst the rocks. Unless the adventurers made
covered with a thick film of filth. Rotten apples,
any loud noises they are dozing. A DC15 Wisdom
potatoes and other produce linger in the water.
(Nature) check reveals that they look sickly.
An ironwork door to the north blocks a
Crossing the chamber without waking the
passageway leading up to Gantz's Workshop. It
owlbears requires DC12 Dexterity (Stealth) check
is locked, and can be opened with a key held by
from all adventurers. If the owlbears wake up
Gantz's allies or a DC13 Dexterity check using
they immediately attack, though both are
Thieves' Tools. A passage to the south leads to
poisoned and have disadvantage on attack rolls.
the Owlbear Lair.
An adventurer examining an owlbear up
A passageway to the southwest leads to the
close, alive or dead, may attempt a DC15 Wisdom
Thieves' Retreat, but it is on the far side of the
(Medicine) check to determine that the creatures
water and can only be reached by three large
were poisoned by foul food or water.
stepping stones. Jumping from stone to stone is
2. The Thieves' Retreat trivial under normal circumstances, but
A craggy cave bisected by a fast-flowing stream, requires a DC10 Dexterity (Athletics or
with the eastern half being dotted with large Acrobatics) check during combat.
rocks. A stone slab acts as a bridge the leads to Encounters
an exit on the northern wall. Ten Violet Fungus are scattered about the
A pair of lit torches are propped up on the chamber. Four are in the pool, and six are on
western wall, illuminating any adventurers that solid ground.
 Shortly after the adventurers enter the
chamber a large gas bubble emerges from the
water with a plopping noise. As it disperses all
GANTZ
Medium humanoid (Human), Chaotic Good
adventurers within 10 ft. of the pool must make
a DC14 Constitution save against poison or begin Armor Class 15 (leather)
hallucinating. This save can be repeated at the Hit Points 55 (10d8 + 10)
end of an adventurer's turn, with all effects Speed 30 ft.
ending on successful save. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 17 (+3) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 16 (+3)
You may decide the nature of the
hallucinations yourself or use the table below. Skills Deception +5, Insight +4, Perception +6,
At the beginning of each round roll a d6. On Persuasion +5, Sleight of Hand +5, Stealth +5
a result of one, the pool emits another gas Senses passive Perception 16
bubble. Languages Common, Thieves’ Cant

4. Gantz's Workshop
Challenge 2 (400 XP)
Cunning Action. On each of his turns, Gantz can use a
The path from the Cave of Spores climbs bonus action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide
upwards until it opens onto a wide, low- action.
ceilinged chamber. Sections of wall have been Sneak Attack (1/Turn). Gantz deals an extra 10 (3d6)
shaped into shelves and storage areas, but the damage when he hits a target with a weapon attack and
has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is
work seems to have been carried out long ago. within 5 feet of an ally that isn't incapacitated and he
A stream runs along the eastern portion of doesn't have disadvantage on the attack roll.
the room. Rotten food lies discarded along its ACTIONS
banks and a thick film of scum has formed at Multiattack. Gantz makes two Shortsword or Hand
the point where it disappears into the wall. Crossbow attacks.
To the rear of the chamber stand several lit Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.
torches. Behind them the adventurers can see
Hand Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit,
what appears to be a mass of fruit and range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing
vegetables suspended in the air. This is actually damage.
a Gelatinous Cube that Gantz has been using as
a test subject for the food produced by the Horn.
One of the stone slabs set into the western The thief has just completed his repairs. He
wall is lit with several candles. It holds a number appears to be calm and relaxed, though a DC15
of thick books and arcane tools, as well as the Wisdom (Insight) check will reveal a glint of
Horn of Plenty. madness in his eyes.
Any adventurer with knowledge of alchemy Gantz is happy to chat to the adventurers.
or proficient in Arcana would recognise that He firmly believes that he is in the right and is
both books and tools are very expensive, confident that he can talk them round to his
estimating their cost at around 500gp. way of thinking. He admits to being a thief
Encounters before becoming a farmer, and claims that his
Gantz sits by the Horn. He wears brass-rimmed entire life has been a struggle against the selfish,
goggles on his head, which adventurers may inconsiderate elite - like the leaders of the
recognise as Goggles of Night. Growers' Concern.

D6 Hallucination Penalty
Any non-poisoned adventurers are Does not treat non-poisoned adventurers as allies
1 changelings, mimics or some other kind of for the purposes of sneak attack, etc, and cannot
impostor willingly be the target of their spells and abilities.
2 The water in the pool is solid ground None
The growths of violet fungus are some
3 Cannot willingly attack or harm violet fungus
friend, loved one or ally

4 They are stood on the ceiling Must pass a DC14 Wisdom save before moving

Their weapon or spellcasting focus has

5 Must drop their main weapon or spellcasting focus
transformed into a dangerous creature.

6 Their teeth, fingernails and horns (if All attack rolls, skill checks and saving throws are
applicable) are falling out made with disadvantage
 If questioned about the rotten food being
dumped in the stream, Gantz admits that he Horn of Plenty (Damaged)
didn't want to bother testing the obviously
spoiled food on his cube. WONDROUS ITEM, LEGENDARY
He will allow an adventurer to examine the This wondrous item has ten charges. While
repaired horn, though he is paranoid and wary holding the Horn of Plenty you may expend
of any tricks. one charge to produce enough fruit and
A DC 13 Intelligence (Arcana) check reveals vegetables to feel 50 people for one day.
that a crack running across the rim of the horn The Horn of Plenty regains all spent charges
has indeed been repaired, but it is unclear at dawn.
whether the work will hold for long. A result of Defect: Each time the Horn of Plenty is used roll
16 or more allows them to estimate that the horn a D100. On the result of a 1, the Horn of Plenty
has a roughly 1% chance of permanently failing explodes, showering rotten fruit and vegetables
each time it's used. within a 10 ft. radius.
If a fight breaks out Gantz extinguishes the
If the adventurers side with Gantz and
candles on his desk, kicks over the torch and
support his use of the Horn the Growers
dons his goggles of night. With no fire to hold it
Concern refuse to pay (obviously). Gantz freely
back the gelatinous cube attacks.
supplies food to anyone who needs it, but within
Gantz knows how the gelatinous cube acts a few months it fails. Whether this causes unrest
and tries to avoid being its closest target. He or other consequences is up to the GM.
focuses his attacks on creatures who cannot see
If the adventurers attempt to broker a
in the dark, which provides him with advantage.
compromise between Gantz and the Growers
Completing the Concern they will need to think up a persuasive
argument that can bring both sides to the table.
Adventure This may include a provision for the Horn to be
The adventure can finish in several different used in emergencies only - though who defines
ways, depending who the party chooses to an emergency will be a controversial issue.
support and what they do with the Horn. A few Any other results will require some
more likely scenarios are described below. improvisation from the GM.
If the adventurers finish their job and
hand back the damaged Horn the Growers
Concern happily pays them. If Gantz remains
alive they speak with with passes for local law
enforcement and hand him over for a lengthy
prison sentence, while any surviving farmers
are fined and sent home.

Credits & Legal

Author: R.M. Jansen-Parkes
Art: Supplied by Adobe Stock Images. Cover by
Grandfailure.
Maps: Designed by R.M. Jansen-Parkes using
Campaign Cartographer 3
Playtesters: Lauren Jansen-Parkes, Fran Lane, Dr. Emily
Temple, and the folks at Spaghetti ConJunction 3A
Legal: DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the
Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon
ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of the Coast
product names, and their respective logos are
trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other
countries.
This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of
the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used
with permission under the Community Content
Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.
All other original material in this work is copyright 2019
by R.M. Jansen-Parkes and published under the
Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters
Guild. WINGHORNPRESS.COM