DND One Shots

The Haunted Mansion

Premise 

Three Adventures have been hired by a wealthy nobles, who wishes to restore their ancestral home, a dilapidated mansion that has been abandoned for years. However, the mansion holds dark secrets and is rumored to be haunted. The adventurers must explore the mansion, unravel its mysteries and exorcise its ghosts in order for the noble to reclaim its property.

Act I

The players arrive at the mansion and are met by the nervous caretaker, who informs them the mysterious disappearances of the previous explorers and the hauntings that occur. The players must start their investigation by exploring the mansion's rooms, finding clues, and evidence that will help them understand who or what haunts it. They might encounter illusions, ghosts, and creatures from other planes, each with their own agenda.

Act II

After exploring the mansion's exterior, the players discover a hidden door leading to the basement - the source of the mansion's hauntings. The basement is riddled with traps and undead creatures, which must be defeated for the players to continue. 

Here, the players learn an ancient necromancer named, Zanathia, used the mansion as a laboratory to perform evil experiments on the people of surrounding villages. The magics gone wrong caused the necromancer and the results of her experiments to haunt the house.

Act III

The players must defeat the spirits of Zanathia and her experiments in order to dispel the powerful curse that caused the mansion to become haunted. They'll explore the mansion's hidden rooms, its underground laboratories, and defeat hordes of undead and insane hybrid beasts. 

As they progress, they might learn more about the necromancer's dark history and how her past might hold the key to removing the curse all together.

Act IV

After vanquishing the hauntings, the players are rewarded with a powerful magical artifact hidden within the mansion. However, this artifact attracts the unwanted attention of other adventures or sorcerers who vie for its power. 

The players must either keep the artifact safe and return it to is rightful owner, or fend off other factions who seek it.

Epilogue

Depending on the players' choices, they may cure the curse of the haunted mansion and claim their reward or they may use their knowledge of the necromancer to plunge the mansion deeper into darkness. 

A local lord or populace might thank the adventures for their deeds by helping them out with future quests while a vengeful survivor of Zanathia's experiments might pursue them for her own goals.

Nonetheless, the adventures' names will be remembered in both awe and mystery as they braved the haunted mansion and befouled the curse.