From en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Worms, in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting, the Age of Worms is an age of darkness and despair foretold in ancient prophecies. According to these prophecies, the herald of the Age of Worms is said to be the undead deity Kyuss, who is somehow involved with the Ebon Triad.
The Age of Worms adventure path is designed to take characters from levels 1-20 over the course of 12 issues of Dungeon Magazine. Though the adventure path is set in a somewhat abstracted World of Greyhawk (the Free City of Greyhawk becomes the Free City, etc.), it can be adapted to other D&D campaign worlds, and notes are provided for converting the setting to Eberron or Forgotten Realms. The Age of Worms adventure path was given an Honorable Mention in the Best Adventure category of the 2007 ENnie Awards.
The Age of Worms adventure path was the next in succession after the Shackled City adventure path and is followed by a third Adventure Path called Savage Tide.
Adventures
The entire Adventure Path consists of the following adventures:
- "The Whispering Cairn," by Erik Mona, Dungeon #124. A handful of would-be adventurers gathers to explore an ancient tomb, eager to trade their discoveries for a ticket to a better life. What they find within presages the advent of the Age of Worms, an era of darkness, decay, and writhing doom.
- "The Three Faces of Evil," by Mike Mearls, Dungeon #125. Clues discovered in Diamond Lake lead to the Dark Cathedral, a forlorn chamber hidden below a local mine. There the PCs battle the machinations of the Ebon Triad, a cult dedicated to three vile gods. What does the Ebon Triad know about the Age of Worms, and why are they so desperate to get it started?
- "Encounter at Blackwall Keep," by Sean K. Reynolds, Dungeon #126. The wizard Allustan requests the party’s company on a trip to Blackwall Keep, a militia outpost on the border of a treacherous swamp. But what of the green worms and unkillable zombies plaguing the region, and what fell secret is locked in the keep’s forlorn basement?
- "The Hall of Harsh Reflections," by Jason Bulmahn, Dungeon #127. The Free City: a shining gem in the crown of cultured civilization. Beneath the surface of this bustling metropolis is a rot, festering in the darkness, manipulating the lives of those unaware of its presence. Now a small adventuring band from out of town may be in over their heads. Their actions in Diamond Lake have attracted the wrath of one of the city’s hidden masters. A gang of infiltrators and a enigmatic mastermind plot their destruction, and only tracing the rot to the root can stop the onslaught.
- "The Champion's Belt," by Tito Leati, Dungeon #128. The Champion’s Games are here! Gladiators from around the world converge on the Free City! Yet this year, something dire festers in the arena’s foundations, for its director plots one of the final omens heralding the Age of Worms.
- "A Gathering of Winds," by Wolfgang Baur, Dungeon #129. When the PCs return to Diamond Lake to consult with their friend Allustan, they find the town in shambles and Allustan missing. Locals tell tales of a terrible dragon’s rampage through the town. Unfortunately for the characters, the dragon is only the beginning.
- "The Spire of Long Shadows," by Jesse Decker, Dungeon #130. Centuries ago, the priest-king Kyuss sacrificed his nation to fuel his lust for divinity. He left legions of the hungry dead in his wake, along with a ruined city that now hides the truth behind the coming apocalypse. A man became a god in this worm-eaten city, and the secrets hidden there may hold the key to his defeat.
- "The Prince of Redhand," by Richard Pett, Dungeon #131. Prince Zeech, the ruler of the town of Alhaster and lord of the domain of Redhand, is throwing a party. Bandits, slavers, pirates, and worse have been invited, along with a mysterious woman who holds the key to the coming apocalypse.
- "The Library of Last Resort," by Nicolas Logue, Dungeon #132. Tilagos Island does not appear on most maps of the Nyr Dyv, yet the storm-shrouded island hides the greatest repository of knowledge of ancient cabal of druids who defeated Kyuss 1,500 years ago.
- "Kings of the Rift," by Greg A. Vaughan, Dungeon #133. Dragotha’s phylactery lies hidden somewhere in the ruined city of Kongen-Thulnit, a ruin now inhabited by tribes of giants and besieged by an army of dragons desperate to claim the phylactery for their undead master.
- "Into the Wormcrawl Fissure," by James Jacobs, Dungeon #134. If the PCs are to avert the Age of Worms, they must invade the heartland of Kyuss’ power, the Wormcrawl Fissure, and destroy one of the world’s most powerful dracoliches (Dragotha!) before the Wormgod awakens.
- "Dawn of a New Age," by Tito Leati, Dungeon #135. Alhaster is in flames, choking on the poison mists of the Wormgod’s first tentative breaths on the Material Plane. The Age of Worms has begun, and unless the PCs can kill a god, this new age will be dark indeed.
FAQ
Questions and answers (or links to forums with answers) for frequently asked questions applying to the AP overall as opposed to adventure specific FAQ
MAPS
Map of Diamond Lake
AP Resources
The Age of Worms adventure path also included player-friendly articles in Dragon Magazine and additional GM resources in both Dungeon Magazine and Dragon Magazine.
- Age of Worms Overload, by Erik Mona, Eric L. Boyd, and Keith Baker. Available online. A summary of all 12 adventures and conversion notes for the Forgotten Realms and Eberron.
- "Backdrop: Diamond Lake," by Erik Mona, Dungeon #124. Kick off Dungeon's new 12-adventure Age of Worms Adventure Path campaign with this overview of Diamond Lake, a run-down mining community nestled in hills laden with the tombs of a dozen lost civilizations.
- "Wormfood: Surviving the Age of Worms Adventure Path," by Jason Bulmahn, Dragon #333. As the Age of Worms begins, craft your characters' first home.
- "Womfood: Surviving the Age of Worms Adventure Path," by F. Wesley Schneider, Dragon #334. Support Diamond Lake's economy.
- "The Ecology of the Grimlock," by Mark A. Hart, Dragon #327. Sightless beasts from the lightless depths.
- "Ecology of the Lizardfolk," by Amber E. Scott and F. Wesley Schneider, Dragon #335. Stalk the shadows with these scaly swamp savages.
- "Wormfood: Surviving the Age of Worms Adventure Path," by Mike McArtor, Dragon #335. The characters of the staff of Dungeon and Dragon. Three new cohorts from Diamond Lake.
- "Backdrop: The Free City," by Richard Pett, Dungeon #128. Welcome to Midnight's Muddle, a lively Free City neighborhood packed with friends and foes alike. As the Age of Worms marches ever forward, the Muddle offers your PCs new contacts and a new home.
- "Ecology of the Spawn of Kyuss," by James Jacobs, Dragon #336. Worming their way into your heart (and brain).
- "Wormfood: Surviving the Age of Worms Adventure Path," by Jeremy Walker, Dragon #336. Ready for a night on the town in the Free City?
- "Monsters of the Mind: Minions of the Mind Flayers," by Kevin Baase, Eric Jansing, and Oliver Frank, with Bill Halliar, Dragon #337. A mind is a terrible thing to waste. Unless, of course, you're one of these horrors: brainstealer dragon, illithocyte, mind worm, nerve swimmers, ustilgator.
- "Wormfood: Surviving the Age of Worms Adventure Path," by Erik Mona, Dragon #337. Buying magic items in the Free City.
- "Wormfood: Surviving the Age of Worms Adventure Path," by James Jacobs, Dragon #338. With this prestige class, you really are worm food: the wormhunter.
- "Wormfood: Surviving the Age of Worms Adventure Path," by Jason Bulmahn, Dragon #339. Drink from the fountain of fortune's folly.
- "Backdrop: Alhaster," by Richard Pett, Dungeon #131. Tour the dark streets of the only port in the Bandit Kingdoms -- the troubled town of Alhaster. As the Age of Worms nears its epic conclusion, the city will become an important part of the unfolding events.
- "Wormfood: Surviving the Age of Worms Adventure Path," by F. Wesley Schneider, Dragon #340. Making an entrance: a new system to reward players who go beyond the basic noble's outfit.
- "Wormfood: Surviving the Age of Worms Adventure Path," by Mike McArtor, Dragon #341. The Heart of Darkness: high-level wilderness exploration, with speeds and carrying capacities of various mounts.
- "Wormfood: Surviving the Age of Worms Adventure Path," by Jeremy Walker, Dragon #342. Magic items of worm and wyrm.
- "Spellcraft," by Jesse Decker, Dragon #343. Worm Bound: The Secrets of Kyuss. Flesh-crawling spells of the worm.
- "Wormfood: Surviving the Age of Worms Adventure Path," by the Dragon staff, Dragon #343. Six planar allies to oppose the Age of Worms.
- "Ecology of the Dracolich," by Richard Pett and Greg A. Vaughan, Dragon #344. Death can't defeat some dragons.
- "Wormfood: Surviving the Age of Worms Adventure Path," by James Jacobs, Dragon #344. What to do when your Age of Worms campaign becomes truly epic.
A few other fan-created resources that may prove useful.
