My 5th Lvl Mystery Jungle Adventure

Published 5/23/21

Updated 1/7/23

The Concept

My players would pick a sealed box that contains a lvl 5 character of their creation to use for a 4 hour game session. The players would not know who they were playing until each person at the table picked a sealed box and sat down, everyone opened their boxes at once. No trading of characters were allowed.

Introduction Letter

To Whom it May Concern,


We are looking for an extraction team to find our missing research professor and his team. They were last seen a week ago at their campsite. When the last wagon of fresh supplies went to camp they found it abandoned. In full disclosure we are worried as a second crew was sent in to investigate and have gone missing too. The research that was being done is of the utmost importance and we seek the return of the research teams and the artifacts and notes from the archeological site. We offer 25 gp for each member of the team returned, 15 gp for returned notes and 5 gp per important archaeological artifact.

Please return as much as you can. Good luck and good hunting.

Sincerely,

Professor Delsaran Leokalyn

Head of Archeology

The Characters

Here you can see the hero forge images that were created for each of the characters created for my players. Feel free to click on the names to view my character sheets on D&D Beyond. One of the reasons why I created the characters is due to me making a lot of one shots- small games that the players who are not as into character building put a lot of time and effort into a pc that will only be used once. This gave me a chance to build some unique characters that may not have been the usual for my players to encounter and it was a fun experience to see my players take up a persona and role play as someone new.

The Firbolg Cleric of the Knowledge Domain

The Loxodon Monk following the way of the Open Hand

Fire Genasi Wizard of the Order of Scribes

The Tortle Druid following the Circle of Spores

Satyr Barbarian on the Path of the Berserker

The Adventure Outline

  1. (Optional) Tired of Snakes on my Terrain: Going through the jungle to the last known location of the research party. Encountering snakes and other jungle creatures… but mostly snakes.

Map: Pathfinder Flip map: The Mighty Jungle, winding river side

Encounters:

  • Snakes

  • Spiders

  • Spider Swarms



  1. Abandoned Camp/Trashin’ the Camp: Gorilla warriors have trashed the camp. After a few rounds of combat the gorillas will attempt to run off before any of them take too much damage.

Map: Pathfinder Flip map Swamp side with ruins and hut

Encounters:

  • Gorillas, 2 regular and 1 armored with a sword


Puzzle: The two statues need to face each other in order to unlock the lid of the tomb. The tomb has a map to the temple and a journal with ancient notes. This is where all of the puzzle clues can be found. If ever players get stuck they can roll checks to see what hints they can find in the journal.


  1. On the Trail We Blaze: Following a treasure map to find the lost temple and hopefully the lost researchers

Map: Pathfinder Flip map Swamp side with Fallen Tree

Encounter options:

  • Jungle Vine shambling mound

  • Crocodile

  • Hunting drakes (optional)



  1. Temple Time: The clues lead to an ancient temple. Puzzles must be completed to make it through the temple.

Map: Pathfinder Flip map Lost City side with The Ruined temple

Encounters:

  • Mimic

  • Gelatinous Cube

  • Rat swarm

  • Snake folk: (1 sword & 1 glaive wielder)


Puzzle: There are pillars that glow that allow the transportation into the temple. The players watch the snake folk do it once to know that the portal is the way in, but not necessarily how to control the pillars.


To find your way you’ll need at least

This item that will help guide the way

By pointing north, south, west and east (pillars must be activated in that order)


  1. Okie Dokie Dr. Jones

Map: Cavern tiles from D&D Dungeon Tiles Reincarnated: Wilderness

This is the classic dungeon crawl experience for caves.

Encounters:

  • Mimic

  • Gelatinous Cube

  • Rat swarm


This section ends with the party coming across the remaining researchers; a child and an elderly elf named Dr. Jones.

  • Rescuing the NPCs from 3 skeletons in indigenous Aztec like regalia.


  1. Sic Parvis Magna: Choose the correct treasure

Map: D&D Dungeon Tiles Reincarnated: Dungeon

Encounters:

  • Snake folk: (1 bow, 3 swords, 1 spear, 1 magic user)

  • 2 water elementals

  • The Temple Idol Statue


Traps include:

  • pitfall

  • gas release

  • magic warded bridge

Puzzle to cross the bridge: Pronounced as one letter, And written with three, Two letters there are, And two only in me. I’m double, I’m single, I’m black blue and grey, I’m read from both ends, And the same either way. (they must only step on the eye symbols)


Warning of water elemental: What can be swallowed but can also swallow you? (answer is Water.)


  1. (Optional) Off into the sunset: The return to civilization and celebrating the completion of a successful adventure.

Map:

Encounters:

  • Hunting drakes returning from earlier

Credits

Author: DM Wolfsfox (Jennifer Mata)

Play Testers: SleepyMata, Morga Corvus, BrotherSeamus, Timintheflesh, and Doc365.

Maps:

  • Pathfinder flip-mat The Lost City. Cartography by Jason Engle. Design by Stephen Radney-MacFarland. © 2016 Paizo Inc.

  • Pathfinder flip-mat Classics Swamp. Cartography by Corey Macourek. Design by Stephen Radney-MacFarland. © Paizo Inc.

  • Pathfinder flip-mat Forbidden Jungle. Cartography by Jason Engle. Design by Stephen Radney-MacFarland. © 2017 Paizo Inc.

  • D&D Dungeon Tiles Reincarnated: Dungeon & Wilderness © Wizards of the Coast

Terrain Pieces:

  • Jungle Shrine 4D settings by WizK!ds

  • Pools and Pillars 4D settings by WizK!ds

This work contains monsters that is copyright Wizards of the Coast. The story line was homebrew and a creation of DM Wolfsfox but it used non homebrew creatures.