The Horn of

Plenty
A Level 4 Basic Rules Adventure from

Winghorn Press
W
hen a powerul magic iem is solen
rom a wealhy arming association,
he leaders urn o a band o reliable
and - mos imporanly - discree advenurers
o rerieve i.
Their journey akes hem ino a cave sysem
lled wih sickness and ro, and hruss hem
ino a debae over applying magical solutions o
practical problems. Where will heir loyalties
all when orced o make a ough choice?
What is this adventure?
A Basic Rules Advenure only uses he ree Basic
Rules published by Wizards o he Coas a:
dnd.wizards.com/articles/eaures/basicrules
This means ha you will always be able o
access he sa blocks, magic iems and oher
rules used in his advenure, wihou needing o
own a specic book or supplemen. Any
creaures or iems no included in he Basic
Rules will be included in he ex.
THE HORN OF PLENTY is a shor advenure or
level our parties. I eaures social scenes,
dungeon exploration and comba.
I also includes an ehical dilemma or he
players - and heir characers - o ackle.
By deaul he advenure is se in he
Forgoen Realms, bu his can easily be adaped
o oher setings.
Background
Around 100 years ago he Camdell Growers
Concern acquired a Horn o Pleny - a powerul
magic iem capable o magically conjuring up
huge quantities o resh rui and vegeables.
For many years hey used he Horn o
supplemen heir own production and make
hey pros, bu evenually he over-use ook is
oll. The Horn cracked and he ood ha hey
drew rom i became inesed wih parasies and
ungus.
Sripped o heir magical shorcu, he
Concern realised hey had been relying oo
much on he Horns magical powers and had
negleced heir own arms, causing a amine
ha devasaed he area.
The Horn has been locked up in heir hall
ever since, where i is used o each new
members an imporan lesson in hard work and
he utiliy o aking he easy way ou.
However, one armer didn see hings he
way ha he Concern did.
Ganz, a ormer hie who escaped a lie o
povery o buy his own arm, believes he
Concern’s decision o hide he Horn is motivaed
by selshness and greed. He believes hey should
repair he device and provide ree ood o hose
who need i.
When he Concerns council reused o
lisen, Ganz gahered a band o sruggling
armers and sole he powerul iem. The group
have since rereaed ino he Bubbling Groo, a
cave sysem guarded by a pair o angry
Owlbears, and hope o repair he damage beore
hey are orced ou. When he advenure begins
hey’ve been hiding or a enday.
Local scous have already racked Ganz and
his accomplices o he groo, bu he Concern is
waiting or advenurers o lush hem ou.
Beginning the Adventure
The Concern is keen o keep he Horn a secre,
as hey ear ha many peasans will see hings
he same way as Ganz. They need ousiders who
can discreely deal wih he problem, and as
such he advenurers may hear o he Concerns
need o aid hrough ravelling merchans,
message boards in nearby owns or by simply
wandering ino Camdell.
They are asked o mee over lunch wih he
Maser Grower, a halling emale named Deidre
Sprou, in he Growers Hall. The building is
raher grand and opulen, and hough hey
aren nobiliy he senior members are clearly
wealhy landowners.
While enjoying he meal, Sprou oulines he
basics o wha happened (see Background). She
does no reer o he Horn direcly, insead
describing is rough appearance - a huge goas
horn abou hree ee long and wo ee across. I
pressed or deails she asks he advenurers o
swear an oah no o reveal he Concerns secres
beore relaying he ull sory.
A enday has passed since he he.
The Concern will pay 300gp o each
advenurer i hey rerieve he Horn o Pleny.
Sprou is willing o raise his o a maximum o
500gp i pushed.
Sprou and a small group o her ellow
Concern council members accompany he
advenurers o he cave, and wai ouside while
hey work.
The Bubbling Grotto
A group o our Scous wach over he cave rom
a disance o around 200 ., sticking o he
reeline. Nobody has le or enered he cave
since hey arrived here a enday ago.
The cave is se ino a craggy grey clif
around 100 . high. The area around i is clear o
rees and a wide pah has been worn in he grass
around is enrance.
The Owlbears have no been seen or around
ve days, bu he scous could hear hem
hooting rom time o time and dared no
approach o investigae.

Optional Encounter:
Darkmantle Raid
As hey ravel along he road o he cave he
advenurers hear a crashing noise in he rees.
A group o Eigh Darkmanles lap drunkenly
hrough he air, bumping ino branches as
hey ry o reach he pary.
Each time a darkmanle aacks a creaure
i is no already aached o, roll a d6. On a
resul o one i compleely misses is arge,
slamming ino he ground and aking 1d6
bludgeoning damage.
I is obvious ha he creaures have
somehing wrong wih hem. Their srange
and erratic behaviour is caused by consuming
ood produced by he broken Horn o Pleny,
causing hem o become inesed wih ungal
parasies.
A DC10 Wisdom (Naure) check allows an
advenurer o conrm ha darkmanles never
normally leave heir suberranean lairs and
cerainly don aack prey during he day.
1. The Owlbear Lair
A broad, arching cave wih a dusy sone loor. A
naural ramp curves up o he easern wall,
rising o creae a small clif around 10. high.
The chamber smells o ur and old mea, as
well as a scen ha any characer procien in
medicine will recognise as he odour o sickness.
There are exis o he eas and norh. The
sound o lowing waer can be heard o he eas.
Encounters
Two Owlbears, one male and one emale, lie
amids he rocks. Unless he advenurers made
any loud noises hey are dozing. A DC15 Wisdom
(Naure) check reveals ha hey look sickly.
Crossing he chamber wihou waking he
owlbears requires DC12 Dexeriy (Sealh) check
rom all advenurers. I he owlbears wake up
hey immediaely aack, hough boh are
poisoned and have disadvanage on aack rolls.
An advenurer examining an owlbear up
close, alive or dead, may aemp a DC15 Wisdom
(Medicine) check o deermine ha he creaures
were poisoned by oul ood or waer.
2. The Thieves Retreat
A craggy cave biseced by a as-lowing sream,
wih he easern hal being doed wih large
rocks. A sone slab acs as a bridge he leads o
an exi on he norhern wall.
A pair o li orches are propped up on he
wesern wall, illuminating any advenurers ha
ener in brigh ligh. The res o he room is
shrouded in darkness.
Encounters
Four Bandis lurk in he shadows and shoo a
any advenurers who ener. They stick o he
cover o he rocks (counting as ¾ cover) and hide
where possible. Two Thugs aemp o inercep
any advenurers as hey cross he bridge.
I a leas hal o he gang are killed, he res
surrender.
They all come rom arming amilies who
have allen on hard times. Ganz old hem
abou he Growers Concern keeping he Horn
or hemselves and agreed o help him seal i.
Each o hem believes Ganz o be a hero.
They were assigned o sop anyone rom
coming ino he cave and sopping Ganz rom
repairing he horn. One o hem has a key o he
iron door leading o his workshop.
The group was supposed o repor back
regularly, bu he nex chamber has become
inesed wih mould and ungus. The las
member o heir group ener was killed wo days
ago, when a enacle dragged her of a sepping
sone and ino he waer.
The entire group is hungry and hirsy. They
do no rus he waer in he sream.
3. The Cave of Spores
A domed chamber wih a so, loamy loor. I is
li by wo small shas ha allow weak beams o
sunligh in hrough he ceiling. To he eas
sands a pool o waer ed by a small waerall o
he norh. I slowly lows ino a crack in he
souhern wall.
The pool smells inensely o ro and decay.
The areas where he waer is lowing seem
relatively clear, bu he more sagnan pars are
covered wih a hick lm o lh. Roen apples,
poaoes and oher produce linger in he waer.
An ironwork door o he norh blocks a
passageway leading up o Ganzs Workshop. I
is locked, and can be opened wih a key held by
Ganzs allies or a DC13 Dexeriy check using
Thieves Tools. A passage o he souh leads o
he Owlbear Lair.
A passageway o he souhwes leads o he
Thieves Rerea, bu i is on he ar side o he
waer and can only be reached by hree large
sepping sones. Jumping rom sone o sone is
rivial under normal circumsances, bu
requires a DC10 Dexeriy (Ahletics or
Acrobatics) check during comba.
Encounters
Ten Viole Fungus are scaered abou he
chamber. Four are in he pool, and six are on
solid ground.
 Shorly aer he advenurers ener he
chamber a large gas bubble emerges rom he
waer wih a plopping noise. As i disperses all
advenurers wihin 10 . o he pool mus make
a DC14 Constiution save agains poison or begin
hallucinating. This save can be repeaed a he
end o an advenurers urn, wih all efecs
ending on successul save.
You may decide he naure o he
hallucinations yoursel or use he able below.
A he beginning o each round roll a d6. On
a resul o one, he pool emis anoher gas
bubble.
4. Gantzs Workshop
The pah rom he Cave o Spores climbs
upwards until i opens ono a wide, low-
ceilinged chamber. Sections o wall have been
shaped ino shelves and sorage areas, bu he
work seems o have been carried ou long ago.
A sream runs along he easern portion o
he room. Roen ood lies discarded along is
banks and a hick lm o scum has ormed a
he poin where i disappears ino he wall.
To he rear o he chamber sand several li
orches. Behind hem he advenurers can see
wha appears o be a mass o rui and
vegeables suspended in he air. This is acually
a Gelatinous Cube ha Ganz has been using as
a es subjec or he ood produced by he Horn.
One o he sone slabs se ino he wesern
wall is li wih several candles. I holds a number
o hick books and arcane ools, as well as he
Horn o Pleny.
Any advenurer wih knowledge o alchemy
or procien in Arcana would recognise ha
boh books and ools are very expensive,
estimating heir cos a around 500gp.
Encounters
Ganz sis by he Horn. He wears brass-rimmed
goggles on his head, which advenurers may
recognise as Goggles o Nigh.
D6 Hallucination
Any non-poisoned advenurers are
1 changelings, mimics or some oher kind o
imposor
2 The waer in he pool is solid ground
3 The growhs o viole ungus are some
riend, loved one or ally
4 They are sood on he ceiling
5 Their weapon or spellcasting ocus has
ransormed ino a dangerous creaure.
6 Their eeh, ngernails and horns (i
applicable) are alling ou
GANTZ
Medium humanoid (Human), Chaotic Good
Armor Class 15 (leather)
Hit Points 55 (10d8 + 10)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 17 (+3) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 16 (+3)
Skills Deception +5, Insight +4, Perception +6,
Persuasion +5, Sleight of Hand +5, Stealth +5
Senses passive Perception 16
Languages Common, Thieves’ Cant
Challenge 2 (400 XP)
Cunning Action. On each of his turns, Gantz can use a
bonus action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide
action.
Sneak Attack (1/Turn). Gantz deals an extra 10 (3d6)
damage when he hits a target with a weapon attack and
has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is
within 5 feet of an ally that isn't incapacitated and he
doesn't have disadvantage on the attack roll.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. Gantz makes two Shortsword or Hand
Crossbow attacks.
Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.
Hand Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit,
range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing
damage.
The hie has jus compleed his repairs. He
appears o be calm and relaxed, hough a DC15
Wisdom (Insigh) check will reveal a glin o
madness in his eyes.
Ganz is happy o cha o he advenurers.
He rmly believes ha he is in he righ and is
conden ha he can alk hem round o his
way o hinking. He admis o being a hie
beore becoming a armer, and claims ha his
entire lie has been a sruggle agains he selsh,
inconsiderae elie - like he leaders o he
Growers Concern.
Penaly
Does no rea non-poisoned advenurers as allies
or he purposes o sneak aack, ec, and canno
willingly be he arge o heir spells and abilities.
None
Canno willingly aack or harm viole ungus
Mus pass a DC14 Wisdom save beore moving
Mus drop heir main weapon or spellcasting ocus
All aack rolls, skill checks and saving hrows are
made wih disadvanage
 I questioned abou he roen ood being
dumped in he sream, Ganz admis ha he
didn wan o boher esting he obviously
spoiled ood on his cube.
He will allow an advenurer o examine he
repaired horn, hough he is paranoid and wary
o any ricks.
A DC 13 Inelligence (Arcana) check reveals
ha a crack running across he rim o he horn
has indeed been repaired, bu i is unclear
wheher he work will hold or long. A resul o
16 or more allows hem o estimae ha he horn
has a roughly 1% chance o permanenly ailing
each time is used.
I a gh breaks ou Ganz extinguishes he
candles on his desk, kicks over he orch and
dons his goggles o nigh. Wih no re o hold i
back he gelatinous cube aacks.
Ganz knows how he gelatinous cube acs
and ries o avoid being is closes arge. He
ocuses his aacks on creaures who canno see
in he dark, which provides him wih advanage.
Completing the
Adventure
The advenure can nish in several diferen
ways, depending who he pary chooses o
suppor and wha hey do wih he Horn. A ew
more likely scenarios are described below.
I he advenurers fnish heir job and
hand back he damaged Horn he Growers
Concern happily pays hem. I Ganz remains
alive hey speak wih wih passes or local law
enorcemen and hand him over or a lenghy
prison senence, while any surviving armers
are ned and sen home.
Horn of Plenty (Damaged)
WONDROUS ITEM, LEGENDARY
This wondrous iem has en charges. While
holding he Horn o Pleny you may expend
one charge o produce enough rui and
vegeables o eel 50 people or one day.
The Horn o Pleny regains all spen charges
a dawn.
Deec: Each time he Horn o Pleny is used roll
a D100. On he resul o a 1, he Horn o Pleny
explodes, showering roen rui and vegeables
wihin a 10 f. radius.
I he advenurers side wih Ganz and
suppor his use o he Horn he Growers
Concern reuse o pay (obviously). Ganz reely
supplies ood o anyone who needs i, bu wihin
a ew monhs i ails. Wheher his causes unres
or oher consequences is up o he GM.
I he advenurers aemp o broker a
compromise beween Ganz and he Growers
Concern hey will need o hink up a persuasive
argumen ha can bring boh sides o he able.
This may include a provision or he Horn o be
used in emergencies only - hough who denes
an emergency will be a conroversial issue.
Any oher resuls will require some
improvisation rom he GM.

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