The Hungering Inn

Content Warning
This module contains the following disturbing content:
Cannibalism
Blood and Gore
Something living inside your body
Body Horror

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 2021 Maddison Nichol and published under the
Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.
Somewhere along the road, on a winding
path leading nowhere, sits an inn. Lonely
and desolate, the inn rarely saw travelers
unless on a stormy night when the
prospect of a warm bed and food proved
too much. Across the threshold was a
welcoming and inviting place with good
food and drink for all who came.
But in truth, the inn is a sinister being
with an insatiable hunger. It devours all
those who set foot inside, lulling them
into a false sense of safety with warm
food and drink served by mindless drones
of slime and illusion magic. Behind every
wall and underneath every floorboard is a
writhing best of flesh and blood waiting
for unsuspecting travelers to set foot
inside.
For all those who enter, none leave
wholly intact. Those lucky enough to
escape with their lives feel as if something
is missing or, worse, gained. Its as if
something they once had within them is
gone, or something has taken its place.
And for those unlucky enough to meet
their end within those grisly walls, they
become a part of the inn, cursed to serve
the next unlucky patron, or be consumed
by the walls.
The Encounter
The Hungering Inn is a body horror mini
adventure fit for any campaign world in
any genre. It is not a one-shot adventure
designed to fill up three to four hours of
play time. This short module is designed
to last thirty minutes to one hour and
create a frightening experience for your
characters that can continue to affect
them over many sessions. For these
reasons, The Hungering Inn is best suited
for an ongoing campaign.
Starting the Encounter
To begin the encounter, read or
paraphrase the following:
Storm clouds gather overhead, black
and merciless. A low rumble echoes
through the land as rain begins to pour
down on you. Even through your
cloaks, the water seeps down to your
bones, chilling you to your core.
As your spirits begin to sink and the
prospect of a dry sleep dwindle, you
catch a glimmer of light in the distance.
There, just off the road, is an ancient
looking inn. It’s crooked chimney puffs
out grey smoke and light cascades
across a well-manicured garden.
As you approach the sign swinging in
the howling wind reads “Twisted Hearts
Inn and Tavern”. The paint is faded but
the sound of live music draws you
closer to the closed oaken door.
The tavern is full of Oozeminds (See
below) who are using the bodies of long
dead patrons to disguise themselves as
patrons and staff. Three of them are even
masquerading as a group of bards with
instruments made from charnel remains.
For the first few moments, the inn
appears as a normal place with lively
patrons and good food.
The tavern only has ale or wine (each
2sp) and blames the weather for their lack
of supplies. For food they are serving a
warm and hearty meat stew that sits in a
huge black cauldron over the fireplace.
Characters who wish to partake must buy
a bowl for 1sp. Bread costs another silver.
It isn’t until the characters sit down
with food and drink that things get weird.
A character who finishes the bowl of soup
discovers a human eye at the very bottom
of their bowl that blinks at them on their
spoon. Within a piece of bread, one of the
characters feels a crunch and discover a
skeletal finger lodged in their bread
attempting to crawl out of their mouth.
Transition. Once the characters begin
to panic, the music stops and they
suddenly hear a deep pounding throb
resounding throughout the inn, as if some
colossal heart is beating above them. The
oozeminds flow out of their hosts bodies
through the eyes and mouths to take their
true form. The body they inhabited drops
to the floor like a blanket, limp and
boneless.
Content Note
If your players aren’t comfortable with
their characters accidentally consuming
the remains of humanoid people, they
can realize what the food is before
taking a bite. In this way they still grasp
the horror of the situation without
making your players uncomfortable.
The transition still occurs normally if
you decide to take this approach.
Tavern Battle
There is one oozemind per player
character in the tavern who each attempt
to surround the players and engulf them.
For a Deadly encounter, there can be two
oozeminds per player.
Should the characters attempt to flee
through the front door, they stick to the
door like glue and are grappled (escape
DC 12).
Oozemind
Medium ooze
Armour Class 8
Hit Points 45 (6d10+12)
Speed 20 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
14 11 16 7 7 7
(+2) (+1) (+3) (-2) (-2) (-2)
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion,
frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses blindvision 60 ft., passive Perception 7
Languages Common
Challenge 2
Amorphous. The oozemind can move through a
space as narrow as one inch wide without
squeezing.
Spider Climb. The oozemind can climb difficult
surfaces, including upside down on ceilings,
without needing to make an ability check.
Actions
Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit,
reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (3d6) acid
damage.
Engulf. The oozemind moves up to its speed.
While doing so, it can enter Large or smaller
creature’s spas. Whenever the oozemind enters
a creature’s space, they must make a DC 12
Dexterity saving throw.
On a successful save, the creature can choose to
be pushed 5 feet back or to the side of the
oozemind. A creature the refuses or cannot
move suffers the consequences of a failed save.
On a failed save, the oozemind moves into the
creature’s space. The creature takes 10 (3d6)
acid damage and is engulfed. The engulfed
creature is restrained, cannot breathe, and
takes 21 (6d6) acid damage at the start f each of
the oozemind’s turns. When the oozemind
moves, the creature moves with it.
An engulfed creature can escape by making a
successful DC 12 Strength saving throw. On a
success, the creature escapes and enters a
space of its choice within 5 feet of the
oozemind.
Inhabit (Recharge 5-6). If a creature restrained
by the oozemind drops to zero hit points, the
oozemind can inhabit the body. The engulfed
creature must make a DC 12 Constitution saving
throw. On a failed save, the oozemind kills them
immediately and turning them into an
oozemind 1d4 rounds later.
Something Given, Something Taken
Once the characters have defeated the
oozeminds, the Inn speaks. Read or
paraphrase the following:
A deep, throaty voice fills the room,
shaking the chairs and knocking you off
your feet.
“Something Given, Something Taken,
None who leave remain unshaken.”
From under the floorboards comes the
sound of rushing water. A thick, viscous
fluid begins to seep through the gaps
and begins rising over the tips of your
boots.
“Make you choice before you drown.”
The characters must then choose to give
something to the inn, or to take
something from it. For each character, roll
on either the Something Given or
Something Taken table, or allow the
characters to offer something suitable
instead.
Something Given
d6 Effect
1 The character offers their
sense of taste.
2 The character offers one of
their eyes.
3 The character offers a pleasant
memory.
4 The character offers one of
their bones.
5 The character offers a patch of
flesh.
6 The character offers their
sense of smell.
Something Taken
d6 Effect
1 One of the characters is
harboring an oozemind within
them. It occasionally moves
and whispers to them. It
might one day break free.
2 The character’s arm feel
rubbery and when poked they
leave an indent that lasts for
hours.
3 Whenever the character
takes a long rest, they
awaken to ooze having
dripped from their eyes in the
night.
4 Over the course of several
years, the character begins to
turn into a gibbering
mouther.
5 The character occasionally
coughs up ooze.
6 When the character dreams
they open a set of eyes inside
their own body and dream
what the eyes are seeing.