Good Forest Type Adventure?

[kkortekaas]

My players are fleeing from the law overland in a tense wood, can anyone recommend a decent "side track" adventure?

They're currently level 4, and I've got a large back issue selection of the old Dungeon magazine.

Suggestions appreciated.

[kkortekaas]

no one has suggestions?

[Orsen]

Hmm. I'll throw some idea's out there.
- They could stumble upon a bandit camp and deal with that in whatever way they choose (just realized that was an oots arc).
- There might be some sort of spell or evil item in the forest that are causing the animals and the fey to be more aggressive towards everything else. Or maybe the cheif fey, or a druid that protected the forest has been killed by a band of hobo's/insert appropriate challenge here and now they want someone to avenge the death.
- An evil npc has somehow caused the forest to be overrun by aberrations and is infecting all the animals (turning them dire).
- A merry band of anti-conformists halts them as they pass through the forest, takes all there money and then is later spotted spreading the wealth to the peasants.
Hope one of these can help!

[INDYSTAR188]

The law is hot on their heels so they flee into the forest. As they're being desperately pursued they decide to run into a small cave to hide. They notice in the back a small hole - looking into it they see it opens up and there is a mysterious something that works into your campaign idea. It's possible that they venture through the small hole into a network of caves and have some kind of fey/myconid/troll adventure which eventually leads them to a opening somewhere on the far side of the forest.

[SexyPlantLover]

although its 8th lvl, this module might be adaptable to your story. http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20030425a

the basics are the party wakes up right as a druid attacks a village with plant monsters. so depending on your story, the party could be spending the night when the attacks start, so they could team up with the law to save the villagers and prove they're heros or maybe stage an ambush, or run during the confusion gaining distance on the law, or have a random encounter and not even notice the village.

[Calmar]

• Savage men/beasts/beastmen
• Evil faeries
• Good faeries
• The remote tower of an evil conjurer
• A mysterious lake inhabited by fish people
• The stone circle of a druidic cult
• The overgrown ruins of a castle, now hunted by undead , monsters, or bandits (or undead monster bandits)
• The grove of an evil treant
• A band of dwarves that wants to keep them away from their mine

[MlleRouge]

Here's one that I was planning on using as a one-shot one day, but you are more than welcome to use, particularly if you want to add some black n' gray to your PCs' adventure.

They enter the forest and find a local couple (possibly lumberjacks, homesteaders, or something else that allows them to live alone). They're missing their young daughter, who they believe was kidnapped by a lone female gnoll that lives in the area. The family offers to pay the adventurers with a family heirloom magic item or something else along those lines in exchange for tracking the little girl down.

The party goes off into the uncharted and untamed regions of the forest, following the gnoll's pawprints and searching for signs of the little girl. They find scattered clues, as well as some clever traps that the gnoll has left behind. They encounter some magic obstacles, as the gnoll seems to be some sort of shaman or druid, and also some weaker beast men that the gnoll has hired/forced to protect its lair.

Eventually they find the gnoll's cave and find the little girl - perfectly unharmed and apparently comfortable. The gnoll then appears and attacks. It can have whichever (and however many) class levels you would like. After it's defeated (and it should be defeated, not killed) the little girl begs the PCs not to kill it.

It turns out that the gnoll isn't evil, she just recently lost her pups to adventurers and wanted a child of it's own to fill the void. The curious little girl was just too tempting to pass up. Being a little girl, all she saw was a big, friendly doggy-type creature that wanted to play. The gnoll explains itself and reluctantly allows the PCs to return the girl to the family.

[Dr.Epic]

Bears attack! Or, the native druids don't welcome them.

[Sir Augusta]

If any of them are nature/animal-friendly (a druid or ranger), have them stumble across a nymph, who is attracted to said nature/animal-friendly person, and aids the group in hiding from the law or passing through the forest. However, if some of them aren't nature/animal friendly, they may have to deal with an angry nymph and a few bears, wolves, etc.

[Dr.Epic]

A Blighter is burning down the forest.

[Camber_Ludwik]

I have had, what I consider, an interesting side adventure within a wooded setting that I have been waiting to spring on my PC's though it is slightly out there.

The players come upon a section of forest that has been destroyed, for what looks like miles in one direction and possibly miles in the other as well. Large trees are snapped and all flora in a 20 foot wide swath has been flattened under what is most likely some large creature that has been propelling itself along the ground. Dotted here and there are blood spatters, as well as another more curious substance. A spray of dark black viscous matter.

The cause of the disturbance is actually a giant squid that has come into the posession of a necklace of adaptation. The necklace has given it the ability to survive on land; I know that it says it wraps the creature in fresh air but I am taking some artistic license here. The creature was originally disoriented when being beached and pulled itself into the wrong direction and is now moving in a straight line hoping to reach the ocean again. It has been eating the local fauna on its journey back to the open sea.

When the players near the squid they hear trees snapping as it propels itself forward with two of its tentacles.

I changed the squids abilities as follows:
Speed 20 ft.
Can only attack with 8 tentacles as 2 are used for movement. Unless it does not take a move action during its turn.
Ink Cloud is changed from a cloud to a 15 foot cone that causes blindness reflex save to avoid.
Cannot use Jet ability.

[Hironomus]

one adventure from a dungeon magazine springs to mind for some reason. Wingclippers revenge. I think its level appropriate but I can't remember what magazine it is in. sorry! maybe you can find it from the name?

Edit: I think its in issue 132.