Contents
Scream of the Crop
An Adventure for Level 2 Characters
This adventure is designed to fill one or two sessions of play.
If you aren't using the Map of Greyhawkins, it can take place near any agrarian settlement.
Key Plot Points
This information is key to the adventure's story:
- Plot Point 1. Rillard Senior, a local farmer, hires the characters to find his missing granddaughter, Rilly June, and investigate a string of unusual events around his farm.
- Plot Point 2. During their search, the characters stumble on a network of tunnels beneath Rillard Family Farm.
- Plot Point 3. The characters follow the tunnels to the source of the trouble: a Gulthias tree, a wicked sapling spawned from the stake of a slain vampire. Along the way, the characters confront subterranean monsters and living plants corrupted by the Gulthias tree.
- Plot Point 4. The characters find Rilly June and destroy the Gulthias tree and the demonic hounds that guard it.
DM Preparation
Before running the adventure, prepare as follows:
- Step 1. Read the "x" section.
- Step 2. Familiarize yourself with the x and the x.
- Step 3. Familiarize yourself with the creatures in this adventure, which are as follows:
- 1 Ankheg
- 1 Commoner
- 3 Demodogs
- 3 Needle Blights
- Rilly June
- 1 Scarecrow
- 2 Vine Blight Tanglers
- 2 Violet Fungi
- Step 4. Familiarize yourself with the magic items in this adventure, which are as follows:
Player Assistance
You can simplify the DM's role by having the other players handle tasks typically assigned to the DM. Before play begins, work with the other players to divide the following tasks among them:
- Monster Wranglers. Whenever the characters encounter Hostile monsters, one or two players can run these monsters using the referenced stat blocks.
- Rules Consultant. One player references the D&D Beyond Basic Rules as needed.
Adventure Background
In decades past, the vampire Gunthar the Gluttonous terrorized the people of Goldenwheat. Gunthar and his three faithful hounds threatened to drink the farmers and their livestock dry. When all hope seemed lost, a group of brave heroes slew Gunthar in his crypt and plunged a stake into his heart. They left the crypt victorious, sealing the crypt behind them and leaving a stake buried in the vampire's corpse.
Over time, the blood-soaked stake warped and sprouted a Gulthias tree, a plant infused with evil essence. Malignance spreads from this tree, destroying crops, corrupting soil, and spawning awakened plants with a taste for blood. The tree's evil was contained for a time within Gunthar's crypt, and farms flourished in a land the vampire had filled with despair—until now.
An ankheg hungry for local livestock recently tunneled into Gunthar's crypt. The Gulthias tree's roots reached into the ankheg's tunnels, infecting them with blights and fungi and spoiling the crops above. The tree's vile tendrils even worked their way into the corpses of Gunthar's hounds. Returned to life and mutated by the tree, these bloodthirsty dogs loyally guard their master's resting place and destroy any who threaten the Gulthias tree.
A local farmer has reached out to the characters, hoping they can put an end to the blight affecting his crops and those of other nearby farms. If the disease continues to spread, the ensuing food shortage could prove disastrous.
[image: Rillard Senior, a halfling farmer, looks out at his blight-ridden farm]
Beginning the Adventure
The bucolic hills of Goldenwheat hold fields of corn, seas of grain, and patches of plump pumpkins. Located along a prominent trail in southern Greyhawkins, these fertile farms regularly supply the region with bountiful harvests. At least one farm, however, has been struggling recently.
A brutal blight has struck Rillard Family Farm. For years, Rillard Senior, his granddaughter, and their hired hands have been a reliable source of wheat, producing hundreds of bushels each fall. If the blight isn't dealt with soon, some towns might go without bread this winter.
The adventure begins in Goldenwheat and assumes the characters have already accepted this heroic undertaking. Read or paraphrase the following text to begin the adventure:
If the characters disturb the scarecrow, it falls apart. Otherwise, when a character next looks toward it, the scarecrow has mysteriously vanished.
Arriving at Rillard Family Farm
Rillard Family Farm grows crops and raises livestock as part of the Goldenwheat farming collective. When the characters arrive at the farmhouse, read or paraphrase the following text:
Rillard (Small, Neutral Good Commoner) is a lifelong farmer who periodically hires adventurers to help around his farm and ward off varmints. He is Friendly toward the characters and treats them with respect. After a brief introduction, Rillard explains that strange happenings have befallen his farm. He shares the following details:
- Blighted Crops. The crops on the farm are dying, even after magical intervention by a traveling mage. Rillard doesn't know the blight's cause.
- Missing Person. Rillard's granddaughter, Rilly June, is missing. Rillard says she's a tough cookie who can hold her own even after a hard day's work on the farm, but he's starting to worry. He hasn't seen her in two days.
- Stolen Scarecrows. Meddlesome whippersnappers have been stealing Rillard's scarecrows, each of which has a pumpkin for a head. If the characters mention they saw one along the road (see "x"), Rillard remarks that one of his scarecrows was plucked from that very spot a few days ago, but he hadn't replaced it yet. He jokes that the scarecrow might have "up and run off on its own."
- Vanishing Livestock. Someone has been poaching Rillard's heifers. He locks the barn every night, but one cow disappears every other night.
Rillard's Request
Rillard asks the characters to find his granddaughter and investigate the unusual events around his farm. He offers them 200 GP to find Rilly June and unearth the source of the blight.
If the characters accept, Rillard provides them with a sketch of Rilly June that he was planning to give to the authorities. Show your players the Missing Person Poster. Rillard also loans the party his great granddaddy's Poison-Soaked Kukri, hoping it will aid them in their exploration.
Story Time
If the characters accept Rillard's quest, he thanks them kindly and says they remind him of the brave heroes who saved these lands long ago. Rillard then briefly recounts the story of the vampire Gunthar the Gluttonous (as detailed in this adventure's background), though he knows nothing of the ankheg tunnels or the Gulthias tree beneath his farm.
Rillard adds that some say Gunthar cursed these farmlands with his last breath, while others say the vampire haunts these lands still. The old farmer believes the story is simply used to scare young children so they return home before nightfall.
Exploring the Farm
The characters can investigate any of the events Rillard observed, each of which leads them to one of the tunnels beneath the farm (detailed in the following section). Rillard can point them in the right direction as follows:
- Blighted Crops. If the characters go into the fields to investigate the crops, they stumble on a tunnel entrance hidden behind a rotten bale of wheat. The tunnel slopes down to x.
- Missing Person. If the characters search the farmhouse for clues to Rilly June's whereabouts, they happen on several loose floorboards in the basement that, when pried up, reveal an earthen tunnel. The tunnel descends to x.
- Stolen Scarecrow. If the characters return to where they last saw the scarecrow, they quickly find a trail of straw that leads to a hole in the ground. It leads to x.
- Vanishing Livestock. If the characters explore the barn, they find a hole beneath a partially collapsed hay pile. It leads to x.
Farm Tunnels
Beneath Rillard Family Farm lies a network of tunnels dug by a ravenous ankheg. The ankheg inadvertently burrowed into the sealed crypt of Gunthar the Gluttonous, unleashing the roots of the Gulthias tree that grows there. The tree's roots have spread rapidly from the dead vampire's resting place, overtaking the tunnels and releasing a rash of blights to wreak havoc on the surrounding farms.
When the characters enter the tunnels, the Player Characters' starting location on the Farm Tunnels Map is based on which event they investigated (see "x"). Don't reveal the locations of the tunnels' other contents at the outset, as they aren't yet visible to the characters.
Tunnel Features
Unless otherwise noted, the tunnels have the following features:
- Ceilings. The ceilings are 10 feet high.
- Lighting. The tunnels are unlit. Creatures rely on Darkvision, Blindsight, or Tremorsense to see. Area descriptions assume the characters have a light source or other means of seeing in Darkness.
- Roots and Vines. Writhing, ink-black roots and vines pervade the tunnels. Areas covered in roots (as denoted on the map) are Difficult Terrain. As a Study action, a character can inspect the plants and make a DC 13 Intelligence (Arcana) check; a successful check reveals the vegetation is corrupted by a malevolent supernatural force.
Tunnel Locations
[image: Tunnels covered in the Gulthias tree's invasive roots wind beneath Rillard Family Farm]
The following locations are keyed to the Farm Tunnels Map. That map also shows the locations of characters and monsters in the tunnels.
T1: Entrance Tunnel
The howl originated in Gunthar's crypt (x), where the late vampire's monstrous hounds reside. A character who hears the howl and succeeds on a DC 13 Wisdom (Nature) check knows that no ordinary dog or wolf can produce such a sound.
The tunnel exits to a field on Rillard Family Farm.
T2: Fungus-Infested Tunnel
- DM Secret!. Don't reveal the location of the Vine Blight Tanglers yet. These monsters are hiding. At the start of combat, any character who didn't notice these blights has Disadvantage on their Initiative roll.
The purple plants are two Violet Fungi. Two Vine Blight Tanglers hide among the Gulthias roots. As a Search action, a character can survey the area and make a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, detecting the blights on a successful check. The fungi and blights are Hostile toward all non-Plant creatures. If such a creature comes within 10 feet of the plants or otherwise disturbs them, they enter combat.
T3: Spore-Filled Tunnel
- DM Secret!. Don't reveal the Scarecrow yet. This monster is hiding. At the start of combat, any character who didn't notice the scarecrow has Disadvantage on their Initiative roll.
Though most of the scarecrows in this tunnel are inanimate, one of them is a Hostile Scarecrow. It remains motionless, hoping to ambush the characters. As a Study action, a character can inspect the scarecrows and make a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check. On a successful check, the character recognizes the living scarecrow hiding among the inanimate ones.
If the characters disturb the pendant or the scarecrow, the scarecrow begins combat, surprising any characters who didn't identify it as a threat.
Stalking Scarecrow
If the characters don't fight the scarecrow in this area, it follows them after they leave this tunnel. It strikes when the characters are most vulnerable, such as immediately after combat with the ankheg (see x).
At your discretion, if the characters later return to this area, one or more scarecrows might be missing, suggesting that others might be hunting them.
Toxic Spores
A cloud of toxic spores fills this area. When a creature enters the area, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or have the Poisoned condition for 1 minute. A creature that fails the save repeats it at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. A creature that succeeds on its save is immune to the effect of these spores for 24 hours.
Treasure
The pendant that hangs from the ceiling is a Periapt of Health.
T4: Ankheg's Nest
- DM Secret!. Don't reveal the Needle Blights yet. These monsters are hiding. At the start of combat, any character who didn't notice these blights has Disadvantage on their Initiative roll.
The ceilings in this chamber are 20 feet high. The tunnels that lead into this area end abruptly in a 10-foot drop. Along the sunken floor, wicked roots curl around the remains of the ankheg's meals.
Three Needle Blights hide among the roots and carcasses. As a Search action, a character can examine the floor and make a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, detecting the blights on a successful check. The blights are Hostile toward the characters. If the characters step on the roots or disturb the carcasses, the blights begin combat.
Carcasses
As a Study action, a character can inspect the dead livestock and make a DC 13 Wisdom (Medicine) check. On a successful check, the character discerns that the cows were violently slain and dragged here by a hulking creature with acidic mandibles.
A character who inspects the carcasses can make a DC 13 Intelligence (Arcana) check. If the check succeeds, the character realizes that this area is an ankheg's nest.
Treasure
Amid the carcasses is a burlap sack that contains a loaf of two-day-old bread, three apples, 5 GP, and a Potion of Resistance (Acid). The sack has the initials "R.J." stitched on it.
T5: Foggy Chamber
- DM Secret!. The ankheg has Tremorsense, which means it has no trouble finding its way through the fog or noticing the characters when they approach.
An Ankheg is using its mandibles to slowly widen this chamber. It is Hostile toward all other creatures and starts combat once it detects them.
Fog
This tunnel is Heavily Obscured by fog.
T6: Boneyard
- DM Secret!. Don't reveal the Vine Blight Tangler yet. These monsters are part of the Gulthias Tree's roots and manifest only if those roots are attacked.
The disembodied voice is that of Justine Fobarb, a human adventurer slain long ago. Her spirit is trapped within her entangled remains. Justine doesn't have a Monster Stat Block and can't be targeted by any attack, spell, or other effect. She is initially Indifferent toward the characters, promising to share her story once freed.
The Gulthias tree's evil roots tether Justine's spirit to this area. A character who inspects the roots and succeeds on a DC 12 Intelligence (Religion) check realizes that by destroying the roots, they can set Justine free.
Destroying the Roots
The Gulthias roots have AC 10; HP 15; and Immunity to Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Psychic damage. If the roots take damage, read or paraphrase the following text:
[image: Two blights emerge from a root-tangled wall to deal with intruders]
The two Vine Blight Tanglers fight the characters.
If the roots are destroyed, Justine's spirit passes to the afterlife, but not before warning the characters of the dangers that lurk within these tunnels.
What Justine Knows
If the characters free Justine's spirit, her attitude improves to Friendly, and she shares the following information:
- Ankheg. A big, acid-spitting bug roams these tunnels. It preys on the cattle above and drags them to its nest (x).
- Demodogs. The vampire Gunthar had three bloodthirsty hounds. Long after they met their end, they've returned as doglike monsters that guard Gunthar's final resting place (x).
- Gulthias Tree. A Gulthias tree is an accursed plant that might sprout from the blood-soaked stake of a slain vampire. Justine believes such a tree grows in Gunthar's crypt (x) and is the source of the blight that poisons this land. Fire can weaken a Gulthias tree, but the only way to truly destroy this evil is to uproot it completely.
- Vampire. The vampire legends are true. Long ago, Justine's adventuring party hunted down Gunthar and drove a stake through his heart. But Justine was slain by one of Gunthar's minions, and her fellow party members abandoned her in their quest for glory. Justine's spirit lingered, vainly hoping they would return; eventually, the roots became her cage.
After Justine shares what she knows, the twinkling motes fade, and silence falls over the tunnel once more.
Treasure
After destroying the roots, a character can inspect Justine's remains. Around her skeleton's neck hangs a silver emblem of Heironeous, a god of chivalry, honor, and justice. The emblem is shaped like a lightning bolt and is worth 25 GP.
T7: Vine-Covered Tunnel
- DM Secret!. Don't reveal the Vine Blight Tangler yet. These monsters are hiding. At the start of combat, any character who didn't notice these blights has Disadvantage on their Initiative roll.
Two Needle Blights use a stolen rake to scratch each other's backs in this tunnel. Two Vine Blight Tanglers hide among the vines along the walls, waiting to ambush any non-Plant creatures that pass through this area. The blights are Hostile toward the characters.
As a Search action, a character can scan the vine-covered walls and make a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. On a successful check, the character spots the Vine Blight Tanglers.
Treasure
Among the rusty farming tools are a pair of gardening gloves, a hoe, a shovel, and an heirloom ring worth 10 GP.
T8: Crypt Antechamber
The adventurers who defeated Gunthar sealed the doors to his crypt (x). When the ankheg began burrowing beneath Rillard Family Farm, it demolished the doors, unleashing the Gulthias tree and the blight it brings.
[image: The Gulthias tree's roots restrain Rilly June]
The farmhand is Rilly June, Rillard's granddaughter, whom the characters can easily identify thanks to the sketch her grandfather provided. Rilly June has the Restrained and Unconscious conditions, but she is otherwise unharmed.
Freeing Rilly June. As an action, a character can make a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check to free Rilly June from the vines, doing so on a successful check. Once freed, Rilly June wakes up and introduces herself. She is Friendly toward the characters, and can share the following information:
- Tunnel. Rilly June heard digging sounds in the farmhouse basement, where she found a tunnel. She followed the tunnel, hoping it might reveal clues about the blighted crops, but she was ambushed by strange creatures and brought here.
- Unusual Tree. Rilly June caught a peek at the crypt (x). Somehow, there's a tree growing underground there.
- You Have My Pitchfork!. Rilly June volunteers to accompany the characters as they confront the source of the blight. Her farm is in peril, so she has a right to help defend it.
A character can try to convince Rilly June to return to the surface by using an Influence action to make a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check. On a successful check, Rilly June begrudgingly returns to the safety of the farmhouse. Otherwise, she accompanies the characters for the rest of this adventure.
T9: Gunthar's Crypt
This crypt once belonged to Gunthar the Gluttonous. The tree that protrudes from Gunthar's coffin is a Gulthias tree, sprouted from the stake plunged into the vampire's chest. Though the vampire is long vanquished, the tree's magic resurrected his three loyal hounds and transformed them into Demodogs. The Demodogs are Hostile toward all non-Plant creatures and defend their master's remains.
Gulthias Tree
This Gulthias tree is a Huge object that has AC 15; HP 50; Immunity to Necrotic, Poison, and Psychic damage; and Vulnerability to Fire damage. If the tree is reduced to 0 Hit Points, read or paraphrase the following text:
Unless the Gulthias tree is uprooted, it regrows in 3d10 days. As a Study action, a character can examine the tree and make a DC 13 Intelligence (Arcana) check. On a successful check, the character knows the Gulthias tree will regrow if left in the earth.
To uproot the tree, a character must succeed on a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. If Rilly June is with the characters, she takes the Help action to assist them with this endeavor.
If the tree is uprooted, its effects end immediately, and all remaining Needle Blights and Vine Blight Tanglers within the tunnels die.
Treasure
After uprooting the Gulthias tree, the characters can access the contents of Gunthar's wrecked coffin. Inside are the vampire's desiccated corpse and the following items:
- A +1 Dart in the shape of a strange pollywog
- An amulet sporting a delicate crystal spider, which is worth 25 GP
- A blue silk handkerchief with gold embroidery, which is worth 5 GP
- A pouch that contains 50 GP
Fearing these items were cursed, the adventurers who slew Gunthar refused to take them.
Conclusion
When the characters return to the farmhouse, Rillard awaits them on the front porch. How he greets them depends on whether his granddaughter made it home safely.
If the characters rescued Rilly June from the tunnels beneath the farm, Rillard is elated to see them. Read or paraphrase the following text:
Rillard invites the characters to stay the night and enjoy a home-cooked meal. He pays them before they set out on their next adventure. Rilly June and her grandfather invite the characters to revisit the farm any time, providing free, comfortable lodgings and a hot meal whenever the characters stop in.
If the characters return without Rilly June, read or paraphrase the following text:
If Rilly June met her end in the tunnels beneath the farm, Rillard's reward is the same, but he pays the characters solemnly and doesn't invite them to stay. Otherwise, Rillard urges the characters to return to the tunnels and rescue his granddaughter.
Rillard's Reward
Rillard pays the characters 200 GP as promised. He also lets the characters keep his great grandaddy's Poison-Soaked Kukri.
Character Advancement
After the characters receive Rillard's reward, everyone in the party gains 1 level. Direct each player to record any treasure they found over the course of this adventure.