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D
uring a treasure hunt, the adventurers find
themselves in front of a shrine in the middle of a
forest. They will follow the hints hidden in the
stained-glass windows to find the hidden access
to the basement of the shrine. There lies a
mysterious artifact free for the taking, but the
strange plants covering the ruins will not
appreciate the intrusion of the adventurers.
Running the adventure
This short dungeon crawl, can be easily dropped in
any campaign with a fantasy setting.
If the character's adventures take place in
Faerûn, the location of the shrine could be the
Kryptgarden forest just outside Waterdeep, or the
woods outside Neverwinter.
The stats for the creatures highlighted in bold
can be found in the Monster Manual.
Exterior
The shrine is a small ruined chapel of white marble in a
enclosed garden surrounded by a 10ft. wall that can be
climbed with a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletic) check.
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The entire structure is overgrown with plants and vines
covering the walls and the ground. A successful DC 20
Intelligence (Nature) check identifies that the vegetation is
unnaturally dense.
The entrance to the garden is barred by a rusty iron gate.
Getting past the locked gate requires a successful DC 13
Dexterity check using thieves' tools (or a knock spell or
similar magic).
Interior
The building is composed by a singular 10ft. by 25ft.
rectangular room, with 15ft. high ceiling.
By entering the building is apparent that the plants cover
almost every possible surface of the structure, transforming
the pavement in a intricate forest floor and enclosing every
walls in thick vines.
In the middle of the room stands the stone statue of an
armored man carrying with two hand a tall banner. The
statue is 8ft. tall with the banner reaching a height of 10ft.
The feet of the statue are also covered in vegetation.
The plants and vines wrapping around the statue cover the
ground behind the soldier in a thick carpet that hides the
hatch leading to the basement of the shrine.
The characters can investigate the room to find hints that
lead them to the hidden hatch. The following table lists the
possible outcomes of the check.
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Intelligence (Investigation) check
DC Result
5 The character notices the glass windows on the walls
10 The character notices the inscription on the statue
15 The character notices the light from the rose window
shining on the floor behind the statue
25 The character notices a wooden floor under the plants
on the floor behind the statue
Glass windows puzzle
If the player notices the glass windows read these lines and
hand them the first handout:
On the walls at the side of the statue four windows depict
what seems to be a landscape in painted glass; two on the
right, two on the left.
On the back wall behind the statue, a large rose window sits
below the ceiling; vines broke through the glass and grew
inside the building.
If the players inspect the statue and reveal the hidden
inscription, read them the following lines and give them the
second handout.
At the foot of the statue you barely notice an engraving. Four
wavy runes are deeply etched in the stone, the lines are
precise and masterfully crafted; they seem to have been
placed there with intention.
The runes are not in any known language, and not even the
Comprehend language spell can decode it.
Each rune is connected to one of the stained-glass window,
and the player can decode the message by associating to each
window a word to compose a sentence.
The runes trace different lines in every window panel,
highlighted in red in the next picture, the image shows
possible translation of each rune.
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One possible translation of the inscription will be:
The sun points the way to the banner
If the characters notice the light coming from the central rose
windows, or actively search for it after solving the riddle, read
them the following lines:
From the central rose window, the sun shines in a bright
beam, illuminating the floor behind the statue of the soldier.
If the characters notice the hidden hatch on the floor, or
actively search for it by following the beam of light after
solving the riddle, read them the following lines leading them
to the hatch:
Under the dense vegetation covering the floor, illuminated by
a bright beam of light, you can barely see a wooden platform,
attached to the stone by a couple of hinges.
The characters should work to remove the thick roots and
vines covering the hatch; you can ask for a Strength
(Athletics) check, to determine how much time they will take
to uncover the door.
Once uncovered they will open the hatch to a dark drop.
The following area is considered totally dark. A character
with darkvision up to 10ft. can see the floor, that too covered
in thick vegetation.
The hatch is too small to fit more than one medium
creature at a time; the character should fall in one at a time.
The basement
The following location are keyed to the basement map.
1. Drop point
Every character that drops through the hatch without support
should make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or take 1d6
bludgeoning damage and fall prone, due to the slippery
nature of the floor. If a creature stands under the hatch while
another creature drops in, both creatures will take 1d6
bludgeoning damage, and the falling creature will end up
prone.
You find yourselves in a dark, damp, basement. Every surface is
covered in a thick layer of vegetation. There is a powerful
stench of rotten plants and the air feels almost thick from the
humidity. You can hardly see the stone structure of the walls
and the pavement.
Skittering sounds accompany every movement of the Giant
spider standing in front of you.
As soon as the first character falls in, they will find
themselves in front of a Giant Spider waiting in the middle
of the room.
Have every player roll for initiative, consider every creature
passing through the hatch as moving through a small space.
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2. Hallway
At the back of the first room, a doorway opens up to a small
corridor splitting in two directions.
On the left side from the entrance a faint light can be seen
coming from an aperture were the wall seems to have fallen
givin access to a natural cave.
From that direction the vegetation covering the ground
seems to be less dense, and parts of the ground are exposed.
This opening leads to the spider cave described in section 3.
The right side is totally dark, the ground is still heavily
covered in plants and vines, but the structure seems more
squared and artificial.
Following the right path, the adventurers will reach the
sarcophagus room of section 4.
A section of the floor at the entrance, marked by a cross in
the map is collapsed, but covered with heavy vegetation. A
successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check will reveal the
pit.
The first character stepping on the covered pit will need to
roll a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or fall through the
vegetation into the 10ft. deep pit taking 1d6 point of
bludgeoning damage and landing prone.
The bottom of the pit is covered in bones and spider
corpses. A successful DC 20 Intelligence (Medicine) check
will reveal that those bones are centuries old and mark the
presence of an ossuary below the pavement. The spider
corpses instead are more recent and seems to have been
suffocated by the surrounding vegetation.
3. Spider cave
After a few steps in the dark, you a reach a dimly lit cave. The
ground is dirty, finally free from the vegetation, the air is still
damp and vaguely smelling of rotten corpses.
The light comes from an opening on the ceiling of the cave,
were thick tree roots broke through the ground.
On the back of the room, illuminated by the light coming from
the surface, you can see few milky white oval shapes and
numerous spider webs.
Not much time passes before you see crawling out from the
dark multiple spiders.
Soon after entering the cave the adventurers will be attacked
by 1d4+1 Giant wolf spider.
A successful DC 15 Intelligence(Nature) check will reveal
to the adventurers that the oval shapes are in fact spider
eggs. They seem to have disturbed a spider colony, likely used
to hunt the creatures falling through the opening above.
4. Sarcophagus room
Passed the pit trap in the hallway, the adventurers will arrive
in the final room of the basement.
The room is covered in plants, even more than the rest of
the building. Every inch of surface is filled by a dense layer of
vegetation and thick vines hang to the walls like curtains,
altering the original shape of the room.
In the middle of the room sits an open sarcophagus, empty
of any body. On the back wall a small altar holds the relic the
adventurers have come to retrieve: a big red banner mounted
on a wooden pole, with a yellow star painted on the front.
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If they approach the altar, or in general move to inspect the
room they'll notice that the vines on the ceiling starts to
loosen as if to release part of the stone above.
As fingers grasping a doll, the vines on the ceiling above the
sarcophagus slowly pull apart, reveling something shiny above.
With a metallic clamor a full plate armor drops from the
ceiling, landing heavily on the ground below.
Soon after it starts to rise again, as the plants moves to fill
the empty gaps in the armor, which slowly stands on it's foot.
The skull of its previous owner turns to face you, creepily
animated by the vines now possessing the body.
The players are facing the Overgrown Armor, presented
below. During the battle, the plants in the room moves to
defend their territory, as descripted in the Lair actions on the
side.
Overgrown armor
Medium plant, neutral
Armor Class 17(Natural armor)
Hit Points 85(13d8 + 26)
Speed 20ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
17 (+3) 13 (+1) 15 (+2) 6 (-2) 11 (+0) 6 (-2)
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Senses blindsight 60ft. (blind beyond this radius),
passive Perception 10
Languages ---
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Regeneration. The Overgrown armor regains 3 hit
points at the start of its turn. If it takes fire damage,
this trait doesn't function at the start of the
overgrown armor's next turn. The creature dies only
if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn't
regenerate.
Actions
Multiattack. The Overgrown armor makes two
attacks, only one of each can be a Torn whip.
Short sword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach
5ft., one target. Hit 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage.
Thorn whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach
30ft., one target. Hit 3 (1d6) piercing damage and
if the target is Medium or smaller is pulled 10ft.
closer to the Overgrown armor.
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Lair action
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the
Overgrown armor takes a lair action to cause the
following effects:
Vines extend from the walls, grasping at every
creature that is hostile to the Overgrown armor.
Every creature within 5ft. from the walls must
succeed in a DC 15 Dexterity saving thrown or
be grappled. Escaping requires a successful DC
15 Strength(Athletics) or Dexterity(Acrobatics)
check.

After the overgrown armor is defeated the Lair effect

ceases; if a creature is still grappled by the plants they are
released immediately and the vegetation seems to slightly
retreat.
The players are free to loot the room. They won't find
anything on the armor itself but will find their reward in the
sarcophagus and the magic item on the altar.
The item is the Banner of the Valiants, the stats of which
are available at the end of this booklet.
The sarcophagus contain a small treasure, probably left
there during the burying of its owner.
Roll on the Treasure hoard: challenge 0-4 table (DMG
pg.137) for coins and gems; avoid any magic item reward
since they will already take the Banner of the Valiants.
Closing the adventure
After retrieving the item, take into consideration the
encumbrance caused by the object. If they don't have an
Banner of the Valiants alternative solution (such as a bag of holding or similar
object) one character should use both hands to hold the large
Wonderous item, very rare
banner, making it difficult for them to use any weapon or cast
This item is a large red banner on a wooden pole. spells.
The fabric is painted with a gold star. Have them encounter obstacles during the return, such as
attacking creatures or a chase in the forest, to both provide
The banner weighs 20 pound. A medium or larger challenge and create opportunities for them to learn the
creature can use an action to hold this item with
two hands. When the banner is held with two
effect of the magic item.
hands, it activates. It remains activated until it is
dropped, or one hand is lifted from the item.
You and every creature in a radius of 10 ft. from the
item is warded against attack until the item is  
active.
Any creature who targets a warded creature with an Playtest: Mattia De Bonis, Daniele Giberti,
attack or a harmful spell must first make a DC 13 Andrea Maffia, Lorenzo Marucelli
Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the Cover: Kapelle im Wald by Joseph Höger
creature must choose a new target or lose the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten
attack or spell. The new target cannot be a creature Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all
warded by this item. other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos
This ward doesn’t protect creatures from area are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries.
effects, such as the explosion of a fireball.
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 Simone
Rossi Tisbeni and published under the Community Content Agreement
for Dungeon Masters Guild.

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Basement map

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Handout 1

Handout 2

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