THE SHOW MUST GO ON

An abandoned manuscript holds untold secrets. Can your

party navigate its pages without becoming a part of it?

Introduction: A slightly worse for wear manuscript is found

abandoned. Once you start reading, you won’t be able to put it down,
I promise.

A 4-hour adventure for any level characters

by Guillermo Garrido

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, D&D Adventurers League, all other
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of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the
express written permission of Wizards of the Coast.

©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square,
Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK.
The Sh
The Sho
Show
ow Must
Must Go
Go On

A
The SSetup
The etu
tupp
The Play Itself
The lf

Running th
Running thee P
Play
lla
a
ayy

Setti
Setting
ttin
ng the
th Stage
tta
age

Splitti
Splitting
ttin
ng the
the P
Pa
Party
arrty
ty

A or/
Actor/Audience
or/A
Audieence Interaction
In
nte on
Depending on your group and objective, you might
want to give these a try!
The more dramatic and over the top the scene,
the lower the DC is. Rule of Cool is king!
Characters caught inside can call for "LINE!",
and an audience member can use their reaction
to yell a suggestion to assist and add 1d6
1d6 to the
roll. This can be done after the roll, but before
the result is announced by the DM.
You or the players inside the play can roll on the
Persona table to randomly assign the
personality the actors will be playing. Add 1d4
1d4
Rew
Rewriting
ng the
the Playy to skill checks if they stay in character!
If you want to make this a competitive party
game, as those inside tell their story, those
outside can use their reaction to heckle the
actors by having them subtract 1d41d4 from their
rolls.

Ta
T
Take
ak a Bo
Bow
w
Variant O
Options R
Random T
Tables
Persona
World-Changing Effects
ts 1d8 Archetype
yp
1 Comic relief
2 Damsel in distress
3 Hero
4 Villain
5 Innocent waif
6 Flunky
7 Young child
8 Crazy uncle

S
Setting thee T
To
Tone
one
Currttta
Curtainain C
Call
all ((Cursed
ed M
Manuscript)
a ript)
1d20 Location 1d20 Genre
1d20
1 Pirate ship 1 Action
2 A coffee shop 2 Comedy
3 The circus 3 Drama
4 A burlesque show 4 Romance
5 A spaceship 5 Horror
6 Inside a human body 6 Martial arts
7 Magic school in a 7 Superhero
castle in a secluded
region 8 Noir
8 The desert 9 Western
9 Zero G 10 Nature documentary
Mon
Monster Manual
ual 10 Underwater 11 Musical
11 Edge of a volcano 12 Gangster
12 A library 13 Spy
13 The moon 14 Silent film
14 Inside a whale 15 Anime
15 A park that spared no 16 Adventure
expense 17 Sci-fi
16 A china shop 18 Ghosts
(optional bull)
19 Zombies
17 A grand cathedral
20 Fantasy
18 A desert island
19 A long line at the
market
20 A clown car
Wo
W
Wondrous
on Item
I m NPC
NPC

The
Th Chiaroscuro
roscuro Zydeco
Zydeco C
Chiaroscuro
hiaroscuro
Ma
Manuscript
pt (Ghost)
t)
Wondrous Item, Legendary Humanoid Ghost, amazing
A leather bound, heavily dog-eared, hand written
manuscript. The smell of the paper and ink provide whoever is Armor Class 16
Hit Points 101 (14d8)
near with a sense of relaxation, as if comfortably seated in a
Speed 30 ft.
warm bookstore, holding a nice cup of hot chocolate.
Sentiencee STR
STR DE X
DEX CON
CON IN
INT
NT WIS
WIS
S CHA
CHA
The Manuscript is a sentient item, with a piece of the Bard's
soul caught inside. The author's spirit is always ready for flair,
8 (-1) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 10 (0) 20 (+5)
dramatism and heroics (think Jeff Goldblum).
Condition
d Immunities Sleep, shape-changing effects
Dam
Damaged Manuscript (Lawful Neutral)
tral)
tra Proficiencies perception, stealth
Upon interaction, the manuscript calls forth the actors and the Senses passive Perception 13
stage is set. A number of characters, determined by the DM, Languages Common, Draconic, Elvish, Infernal
are transported to the world within the manuscript, where they
have the chance to alter the outcome of the play.
Bardic Inspiration.
on. As a bonus action, a creature
(other than you) within 60 ft. that can hear you
Restored Manuscript (Lawful
ul Good)
Good) gains an inspiration die (1d10). For 10 minutes, the
Upon completion of the play, the damaged sections of the creature can add it to one ability check, attack roll,
manuscript are restored. It becomes an attunable item (Bard or saving throw. This can be added after seeing the
roll, but before knowing the outcome (5 uses,
class restriction), it no longer captures actors, and the
recover on short or long rest).
following spells are added to the prepared spell list of the
attuned character: Actions
Sp Levell
Spell Spell
Spell Dress Rehearsal.
al.. As an action, you can change the
outfit of any humanoid creature within 5 ft.
Cantrip Minor Illusion
1st level Disguise Self, Silent Image Reactions
2nd level Magic Mouth, Silence Direction.
tion. As a reaction you can allow a creature you
3rd level Major Image can see within 30 ft. (other than you) to re-roll a
Performance check.
4th level Hallucinatory Terrain
5th level Mislead, Seeming Spell Casting
See the spell list mentioned in The Chiaroscuro
Cursed
Cur Manuscript Variant (Lawful
ul Manuscript wondrous item entry.
Evil)
Evil)
Upon interaction, the script calls forth the actors and the stage
is set. Everyone within 60 ft. is transported to the world within
the manuscript, where they must embody the characters and
play the roles assigned to them. Every 1d4+1 rounds, the C
Credits
ts
player can make a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw to escape to
the real world. Contributors
A DC 15 Arcana check reveals that a Remove Curse spell Twitter Handle Rolee
Role
can lift this curse, and turn it into a Damaged Manuscript. @Will_Knight3 Designer, writer
@CrossingNewLeaf Editor, proofreader
@Nlafountaine Editor, proofreader

Speciall mention
mention
on
@XPWebSeries and @JaredEMason.