Something’s Cooking for 5th Edition



A short adventure for four to five characters of 4th level.

Adventure Summary

When Andolyn met Gendrew, it seemed a match made in heaven. Andolyn was a skilled wizard with a love of a good meal, looking for an excuse to settle down from adventuring, while Gendrew was a master chef looking to create new methods of cooking. Together, they took up a quiet life of baking and brewing, content to live in a small cottage on the outskirts of town.

But now one of their experiments has gone horribly wrong, and the characters must save poor Gendrew from his own delicious concoction, while defending themselves from the inhabitants of the cottage, and couple of unwelcome invaders.

Character Hooks

Any one of these suggestions could be appropriate for interesting the characters in the adventure.

The characters overhear a local complaining about “those wizards” who live on the edge of town. “They’re always brewing up something strange,” he says. “And just this morning, I smelled the foulest stench yet coming out of the chimney. They’re up to no good, I reckon.”

The characters are directed to seek out Andolyn to purchase alchemical substances or potions.

A patron of the characters has sent them to negotiate with Gendrew for the chef ’s services for an upcoming banquet.

The Cottage

The cottage of Andolyn and Gendrew is a small, unassuming structure about a quarter-mile outside town, nestled in a grove of maple trees.

1. Sitting Room

This cozy room has a large sofa and an overstuffed chair facing a fireplace in one corner. A small reading table sits next to a window. A book lies open on the table. Archways open into a dining room on one side and a hall on the other.

Years ago, Andolyn dabbled in animation magic in an attempt to create various labor-saving devices. Though she didn’t pursue the effort very far, a few of her results are here in the sitting room. Unfortunately for the PCs, the berserk state of the golem in the pantry (Area 5) seems to have affected these items as well. Though normally peaceful and obedient, the animated objects here are agitated and attack anyone that approaches them.



An Animated book lies open on the table. It will slam shut on anyone who touches it.



The Draw cords for the curtains are animated and will attempt to constrict anyone within 5 feet.





An Animated poker is leaning up against the fireplace. It will lunge out at anyone approaching it.





2. Dining Room

This fine dining room has a table set for four. A large picture window provides a view of the trees outside. Archways lead to the sitting room and the kitchen.

This room is still intact, because the golem didn’t reach it before heading to the pantry (Area 5) . The silver candlestick on the table is worth 20 gp. A side cabinet holds a box of silverware (12 pieces worth a total of 24 gp).

3. Bedroom

A large bed dominates this room. Along one wall are bookshelves above a writing desk. Half-open doors lead to a wardrobe and water closet, respectively. A bloody, battered man lies sprawled across the bed, tied at the wrists and ankles. One small batwinged humanoid creature stands on the bed next to him, another two are perched on the desk, idly tearing books to pieces.

The bat-winged creatures are an Imps who serves a devil named Woganpuck, an old enemy of Andolyn. He sent the imps to cause trouble while the wizard was away, and they succeeded remarkably. Now they holds Gendrew prisoner, torturing him periodically.



The imps will not investigate sounds of combat, assuming that any commotion they hear is just the sound of the golem breaking more objects below. They will immediately attack anyone who opens the door, though if they see any female human who looks like a wizard (robes, staff, etc.), they will mistake her for Andolyn and attempt to flee invisibly.



The battered prisoner is Gendrew, Andolyn’s husband. He looks worse off than he actually is, though he is unconscious affected by Imp's poison . Anyone investigating his wounds will note that some of the “bloodstains” are actually tomato sauce (from the wounds of the calzone golem; see areas 4 and 5).



The books on the shelves deal primarily with two topics: arcane lore and cooking. Many have been damaged, but most can be repaired with a little work.



The wardrobe is full of mundane clothing; a secret compartment in the bottom requiring a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check to find holds a box with six potions: Potion of Hill Giant Strength, Cat’s Grace, Potion of Greater Healing , Potion of Fire Resistance, Jump, and Darkvision.