[Copper+] Adventure - Shadowrock (5th-Level) with The Griffon's Saddlebag and Dyson Logos

Dungeon Crawl • Horror • Vampire • Magic Items

• GM Difficulty: Intermediate 

• Player Difficulty: Hard

• Length: Medium-Length (3-4 Sessions)

• Campaign Setting: Agnostic

Everyone likes a good vampire-hunting adventure. And this one gets straight to the point.

This Fifth Edition adventure is designed to suit a party of three to five 5th-level characters, but can be adjusted to suit parties as high as 13th level. Adjustment tables are included in the text to help you scale accordingly based on the characters’ Average Party Level (APL). Note that the main challenge of this adventure is a vampire in its lair, an extreme challenge for a 5th-level party; this is by design. The idea is that the vampire should horrify the players, especially those familiar with the game. If you’re afraid that this challenge is too much for your players, consider running it for a party of 8th-level characters instead.

This adventure starts media res—in the middle of the story—after the party has been tasked to rid the land of the dreadful vampire, Graf Alarich von Schattenfels. The party will have time to prepare for the encounter “off camera”, meaning they are allowed to purchase anything they need before they head to the castle. Although this is set loosely in the Echo, you can put it into any campaign setting of your choice where an ancient, decaying castle would make sense.

Adventure Background

For decades, the shadow of Graf Alarich von Schattenfels, the infamous Count of Schloss Shadowrock, has loomed over the village of Steinbruck. His presence is marked by plague, misfortune, and the ominous disappearances of villagers who dare to cross him. Though the villagers speak his name in hushed tones, none can deny his influence. Many claim to see the Count’s dark figure on stormy nights, moving like a phantom through the woods or watching from the high spires of his castle.

When Elsa Krauss, a beloved herbalist known for her kindness, is found drained of blood along the riverbank, the grief of the villagers turns to anger. Desperate to end the Count’s reign of terror, they rally behind the adventurers, imploring them to take on the impossible task of confronting the vampire. But the villagers’ hope is tinged with fear, for this is not the first time someone has tried to rid the land of the Count.

Graf Schattenfels is no ordinary foe. Each would-be hero who has climbed the steep path to Schloss Shadowrock has met a gruesome end. Stories of his sadistic methods circulate in the village—bodies flayed and displayed, heads sent rolling back into Steinbruck as grim warnings, or worse, victims returning as thralls to carry out the Count’s will. Each failed attempt has only strengthened the Count’s grip, his wrath falling upon the people of Steinbruck as punishment for their defiance.

Now, the villagers look to the adventurers with a mix of hope and dread. Will they succeed where others have failed, or will they become the next series of bodies to float down the river? In the face of such an ancient and powerful enemy, the odds seem grim. Yet, with desperation and defiance in their hearts, the people of Steinbruck entrust their future to these outsiders, knowing that this may be their last chance at salvation—or their final mistake.

Download Options

• Get the full-length adventure and maps using the attachment link below.

• Get card art and other resources for the multitude of featured Magic Items from The Griffon's Saddlebag's Patreon.

• Get Shadowrock's maps from Dyson Logos.

Creative Team

• Writing and design DMDave and The Griffon's Saddlebag

• Cartography Dyson Logos

• Illustrators The Griffon’s Saddlebag, Matias Lazaro, Nacho Lazaro, Dyson Logos, Shutterstock