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THE ORC HUNT

A great start point for your D&D journey. This adventure is suggested for
new and seasoned players.

This is a 5E adventure for 3rd level characters.

WRITTEN BY DIMITRIS DAVOUTIS

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, WIZARDS OF THE COAST, FORGOTTEN R EALMS, THE DRAGON AMPERSAND, PLAYER’S HANDBOOK, MONSTER
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Table of contents
Introduction…………………………………………………3
Part One: A story worthy of your time………….4
Part Two: A stroll in the forest……………………..5
Part Three: Cabin in the woods…………………….6
Appendix One: Enemies……………………………….6
Appendix Two: Maps……………………………………8
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 Lives in the forest with his wife Anna and 2 daughters Lyra

Introduction 

and Nalla
Afraid for his family because of the orcs
He saw the orcs while he was hunting and followed them.
That’s how he knows where their campsite is.
The Orc Hunt is a one-shot campaign for 3rd level characters. This is
the Authors first try in writing a campaign so cut him some slack for
any shortcomings. The challenges in this adventure have been made
for 4 characters so feel free to make necessary changes according to
the size of your party. The characters have the basic equipment plus Locations
a +1 magic weapon or armor.
Westbridge Village:
A village along the Long Road, the inland trade route connecting

Summary Waterdeep in the south and Mirabar in the north. A very common
stop for travelers, merchants, and caravans.

The party is having a good time at the Harvest Inn in Westbridge Harvest Inn:
village after the completion of a not so lucrative contract. They have
decided to spend the night there and tomorrow they should seek It is located in Westbridge. The Inn’s proprietor is the Halfling Ghaliver
another employer. Sometime in the night they overhear an intense Longstocking. There are some unusual and sometimes distasteful
conversation between a halfling and a human. At some point the works of art with questionable artistic value hung on the walls of the
human offers a large amount of gold pieces for a job in the Inn. The Inn is the favorite gathering spot for the travelers on the Long
Kryptgarden Forest. Should the characters take on the mission they Road which makes it a renowned story-swapping place.
would find themselves hunting orcs alongside Arnie, the human that
was arguing with the halfling the previous night. The hunt should be Kryptgarden Forest:
a success but Arnie would either convince or trick the characters to
It is located east of the Sword Mountains and west of the Long Road
come with him to his house so he can check on his family. There they
and Westbridge Village. It’s not a big forest but it is a very thick one.
will find out that Arnie is actually a Green Hag who plans to kill them
A portion of the forest is known as “Crooked Forest” because some of
and then eat them.
the trees there have been bent by ancient creatures that dwelled
there to indicate paths through the forest.

Adventure Hooks
The players have to understand that they are mercenaries and they
won’t be able to refuse the halflings offer to enter Kryptgarden forest.
Then you must appeal to their kindness to lure them in the hag's hut.
If that doesn’t work then you would have to convince them.

NPCs
Ghaliver Longstocking (Halfling):
 A very able businessman
 Owns half the village including Harvest Inn, plus some
houses in Waterdeep
 Tries to protect himself and by extension Westbridge
 Not very courageous himself but extremely confident and
cocky
 The characters know that he is a regular at the Inn but they
don’t know him personally

Arnie Ballard (Human):

 A low-key hunter
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good luck and retires to his house to sleep. Arnie then thanks them
Part One: A Story Worthy again and tells them that he will meet them first thing in the
morning.

of Your Time
One night like all the others the characters find themselves at
Harvest Inn. The night is still young and they plan to rest and find
some work in the morning, escorting a caravan or bodyguarding
For the DM
someone on their travel. Each character can be engaged in any
1. Whatever the characters choose to do at the start of
occupation they desire (darts, card games, drinking games, arm
the campaign in the Inn you can either have some set
wrestling, etc.)
skill DC’s or you can contest their rolls. I will suggest
As time progresses the level of alcohol rises and so does the some skill checks and I would recommend DC of 11
tension in the Inn. Suddenly your attention gets drawn to a heated for the aforementioned activities:
conversation between a well-dressed and noble-like halfling and a  Darts (Dexterity)
seemingly poor, dressed with rags human.  Card games (Straight Roll)
 Drinking games (Constitution)
- “I am telling you I saw them with my own eyes if you don't  Arm wrestling (Strength)
believe you are welcome to check it yourself”. Says the 2. If the characters speak with Arnie in private an Insight
human. check of 15 or more will tell them that besides his fear
- “Young man, you know perfectly well that this ain’t gonna there is also some eagerness to find someone to take
happen, but if you're telling the truth, which I doubt, then we on the mission.
have a serious problem and we must face it head-on”. 3. If the characters bargain with Ghaliver he will tell
Answers the halfling. them that the pay is more than enough. If the players
roll really well, he will tell the characters that he will
The halfling then climbs on his chair and shouts.
be willing to purchase any extra equipment you find
- Your attention, please. For those who don't know me my that you don’t want. He reminds you that the
name is Ghaliver Longstocking. I just got some very deadline is tomorrow because he doesn't want you
distressing information. This guy right here, (and points his searching in the mountains for Orcs when you fail to
finger to the human), claims to have seen orc presence in find them in Kryptgarden Forest.
Kryptgarden Forest. Of course, that is something unheard of 4. It is very important to convince the characters that it
and I seriously believe that he is lying or that he is is in their best interest to take Arnie with them so he
hallucinating. Nevertheless, I feel obligated to take this can show them the exact location of the alleged orcs.
information seriously. So, I offer 1000gp to anyone that
brings me an orc head by tomorrow night. If you are
interested come to arrange the details.

With that, the halfling sits back in his chair. Even though the
offer is unusually large the characters don’t see very much
eagerness from the crowd to take on the mission. Should the
characters choose to accept the mission they would have to go and
talk to Ghaliver. If they are indecisive the young human (Arnie
Ballard) approaches their table, as he did with several other tables,
and tries to convince them telling them that they would be of great
help to his family and to the village, that they will make a name of
themselves which everyone would know and seek for business and
that the mission will be easy because he knows exactly where to find
these orcs and you will be able to surprise them and kill them fast.
He also says that he is not making this up and you will not waste
your time if you choose to trust him. If that isn't enough to convince
the characters, Arnie asks for their forgiveness and lie to the people
in the Inn that they agreed to help him. With that, if they tell the
truth it will seem that they are backing off and that will destroy their
reputation. The final result should be the party taking on the mission
and arranging the final details with Ghaliver. When the details are
clear for both parties Ghaliver bids the party farewell, wishes them
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the monsters get a surprise round on the characters the

Part Two: A Stroll in The battle might take a very bad turn for your players. With that
in mind, I think is better to make the perception check DC

Forest easy to succeed. It is possible that the characters notice

some of their enemies but not all of them.
3. Arnie uses the green hag's stats for the battle except for the
The next morning the characters find themselves outside Harvest attack action. If he uses the attack action, he can either use
Inn's front door alongside Arnie and they start their journey for the his shortsword (+4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5(1d6
Kryptgarden Forest. On the road, the time passes uneventfully and + 2) piercing damage, or his shortbow (+4 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
after 2 hours the party reaches the forest. Upon entering the forest one target. Hit 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage.
all the other noises start to fade away and after some minutes all they 4. Any damage Arnie takes in the battle you can keep it for the
can hear is the wind on the leaves and the forest animals. After next battle if the characters don't rest. Also, whenever he
approximately an hour Arnie warns the characters that they are takes damage his skin turns momentarily green at the spot
approaching the spot he first saw the Orcs the day before. Continuing he is hit. The characters will be able to see that change if
the way pointed by Arnie, the characters find indeed a campsite. Now, they are watching at his general direction with a perception
depending on the choices the players make there are 3 scenarios: check with DC of 18. Don't make clear that it is his skin that
changes color. They just see a green glimpse the moment
1. The characters approach the orc camp stealthily and the blow connects and that's it. Maybe is poison maybe is
surprise the orcs. In this scenario, the characters find some other magical effect. If they don't succeed in the
one orc, two gnolls, and one wolf. The Orc is eating, the perception check, make some excuse for the perception
gnolls are keeping watch and the wolf is alert and check. For example, the see that Arnie prefers hiding than
starting smell and listen towards the character’s fighting or the orcs seem to prioritize Arnie as a target than
direction. The longer the players delay the wolf the rest of the party (because they know his true identity).
becomes more aware of their existence and he starts to 5. After the battle when Arnie begs the characters to come
warn the orc with his growl. with him try to be as convincing as possible. Tell them that
2. The characters fail to sneak up on the enemies and find he will be forever grateful and that his house is half an hour
an empty campsite with obvious signs that someone distance tops so they will be back in time for their reward.
left in a rush. Now the above-mentioned enemies take If the characters insist on going back to the village you can
the upper hand and surprise the characters. either make him run with the orc head so the characters
3. The characters fail to sneak up on the enemies and find have to follow him. If they ask him to hand over the head
an empty campsite with obvious signs that someone he will throw the sack to the ground and runs from them
left in a rush. But the characters notice some movement only to find that the sack he threw contains a big round rock
around them and avoid being surprised by the above- and not an orc head. Arnie apparently changed the sacks
mentioned enemies. and now the characters have to follow him to retrieve the
All these scenarios lead to a battle. The moment the battle ends head.
Arnie takes his knife, decapitates the orc and puts the head into a sack 6. If the characters become aware of Arnie’s illusion, he will
of his. When the group rests, if needed, after the battle, Arnie begs become invisible, without breaking character and he will
the characters to come to his house with him just to make sure his run away with the orc head so the characters have to follow
family is safe. So, the characters start for Arnie’s house. him.

For the DM
1. When Arnie warns the characters that they are approaching
the orc camp, they should stealth if they want to stay
undetected. A stealth check with DC of 12 is recommended
or you can contest their rolls. I will also recommend making
that a group check (all the players roll and you use the
average number of all the rolls) so if only one rolls low the
others can make up for his failure.
2. If the characters fail to surprise the monsters then it's time
for the players to roll perception rolls to determine if they
detect the movement of their enemies around them. Again,
if you don't want to contest the players' rolls a perception
check with DC of 9 is recommended. Keep in mind that if
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Part Three: Cabin in The Appendix One: Enemies

Woods Orc
M edium humano id (o rc), chao tic evil

Arnie's house is relatively easy to find. If the characters followed

Arm or Class 13 (hide armor)
Arnie to his house it will take them half an hour to reach the house. If Hit Points 15 (2d8 + 6)
Arnie runs away from them, it would be easy for them to follow his Speed 30 ft.
tracks. Upon their arrival at Arnie's house, they see a beautiful small
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
cottage with an attractive, well-groomed garden. The characters can’t
16 (+3) 12 (+1) 16 (+3) 7 (-2) 11 (0) 10 (0)
see or hear anything from inside or around the house. There is
absolute silence. Suddenly a woman’s scream breaks the silence. It Skills: Intimidation +2
seems to originate from inside the house. Arnie screams "Noooo" and Senses: Darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10
pleads for help. He though stays at the rear of the group apparently Languages: Common, Orc
scared. The moment any of the characters open the house door and Challenge: 1/2 (100 XP)

enter the whole landscape changes slowly. The beautiful cottage

becomes a neglected hut, the garden becomes overgrown weeds and Aggressive: As a bonus action, the orc can move up to its
speed tow ard a hostile creture that it can see.
vines and Arnie becomes a green hag laughing at the characters and
telling them that she appreciates the help with the orc that hunted
her and that she will make a great dinner out of you. The final battle
ACTIONS
begins.
Greataxe
After the battle ends the characters can, if they desire, go back to Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
Westbridge Village to return the quest and inform Ghaliver about the 9 (1d12 + 3) slashing damage
developments. If they ask for a bigger reward he will ask for proof. If Javelin
Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. or
the characters can fulfill his request, he will give them another 500gp. range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing
damage.

For the DM
Gnoll
1. If the characters interact with the garden, they will perceive M edium humano id (gno ll), chao tic evil
the illusion because it is only made to look different and not
feel different. In that case, the change in the scenery will Arm or Class 15 (hide armor)
happen sooner. Hit Points 22 (5d8)
2. When the garden takes its real form the weeds and the Speed 30 ft.
vines try to grapple the characters that stand within 5 feet
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
of them. A strength save with DC of 13 would set them free, 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 11 (0) 6 (-2) 10 (0) 7 (-2)
otherwise, they would be considered grappled.
3. In the hut, there is magical darkness. So, the characters Senses darkvision 60ft., passive perception 10
would be completely blind in there and they will have Languages Gnoll
disadvantage to their attack rolls, ability checks and saving Challenge 1/2 (100XP)
throws that rely on sight, but the green hag is familiar with
it so she would be able to move with no problem. She would Ram page. When the gnoll reduces a creature to 0 hit
also have disadvantage but only to her attack rolls. points w ith a melee attack on its turn, the gnoll can take a
bonus action to move up to half its speed and make a bite

ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
creature. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage..

Spear . Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5

ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing
damage, or 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage if used w ith tw o
hands to make a melee attack.

Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range

150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) piercing damage.
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Green Hag
M edium fey, neutral evil

Wolf Arm or Class 17 (natural armor)

M edium beast, unaligned
Hit Points 82 (11d8 + 33)
Speed 30 ft.
Arm or Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 11 (2d8 + 2)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
Speed 40 ft. 18 (+4) 12 (+1) 16 (+3) 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 14 (+2)

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Skills Arcana +3, Deception +4, Perception +4, Stealth +3
12 (+1) 15 (+2) 12 (+1) 3 (-4) 12 (+1) 6 (-2) Senseses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Common, Draconic, Sylvan
Skills Perception +3, Stealth +4 Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages -
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) Am phibious. The hag can breath air and w ater.

Innate Spellcasting. The hag's innate spellcasting ability

Keen Hearing and Sm ell. The w olf has advantage on is Charisma (spell save DC 12). She can innately cast the
Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell. follow ing spells, requiring no material components:
Pack Tactics. The w olf has advantage on attack rolls
against a creature if at least one of the w olf's allies is At w ill: dancing lights, minor illusion, vicious mockery
w ithin 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
ACTIONS Mim icry. The hag can mimic animal sounds and humanoid
voices. A creature that hears the sound can tell they are
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one imitations w ith a successful DC 14 Wisdom (Insight) check.
target. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) piercing damage. If the target is a
creature, it must succeed on a dc 11 strength saving throw
or be knocked prone.
ACTIONS
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage.

Illusory Appearance. The hag covers herself and

anything she is w earing or carrying w ith a magical illusion
that makes her look like another creature of her general size
and humanoid shape. The illusion ends if the hag takes a
bonus action to end it or she dies.
The changes w rought by this effect fail to hold up to
physical inspection. For example, the hag could appear to
have smooyh skin, but someone touching her w ould feel
her rough flesh. Otherw ise, a creature must take an action
to visually inspect the illusion and succeed on a DC 20
Intelligence (Investigation) check to discern that the hag is
disguised.

Invisible Passage. The hag magically turns invisible until

she attacks or casts a spell, or until he concetration ends
(as if concetrating on a spell). While invisible, she leaves no
physical evidenceof her passage, so she can be tracked
only by magic. Any equipment she w ears or carries is
invisible w ith her.
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Appendix Two: Maps

1. Orc camp in Kryptgarden Forest:

2. Arnie’s Cottage and garden:

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3. Green Hag’s hut: