Accessible Adventure of the Week: The Price of Success

My Students Are My Treasures

A rural school is haunted by two banshees: former teachers who cared more about how their students made them look than the well being of the students themselves. Can you free the countryside from this threat?

This side adventure is designed for four to six characters with an average party level of 3, totaling roughly 16 levels.

“Our lives serve as either a warning or an example to others.” — Tony Robbins

This week’s adventure, designed as Halloween approaches, explores abuse and trauma. Being a horror adventure, it plays out the effects of trauma and the concealment of trauma on a community in a visceral and memorable way. It serves as a warning—not only about the need for open communication with the people in our lives who may be experiencing trauma, but also our willingness to be available to them for help. I hope your players will experience this adventure with empathy and a resulting drive to be open to potential victims looking to them for help.

Content Trigger Warning

This adventure includes death, violence, the undead, death of family, children in peril, psychological abuse of children, parents who disbelieve reports of abuse, and undead children. Because it explores realistic expressions of trauma, the Dungeon Master (DM) should discuss this adventure with players before deciding to use it. Success could be cathartic for some but tear open traumatic wounds for others.

To talk to your players about this adventure’s sensitive content without spoiling the plot, you can ask them how they feel about a horror adventure involving child abuse, death, and zombies in various combinations. If any players are even slightly uncomfortable with the topic, skip this adventure.

If you choose to use this adventure, please make use of safety tools.