What do you need to know about Shrek?
Knowledge of the Shrek universe is not required but does give colour through characters references and jokes.
What do you need to know about Dungeons & Dragons?
You or part of your group needs a base understanding of the D&D game mechanics, one being able to be the Dungeon Master. For a speed-course and additional tips go to this blog: How to play.
Available character options
This adventure is recommended for 3 to 6 players.
Character sheet are prepared for the following characters:
– Doris the Ugly Stepsister
– The Three Pigs
– Snow White
– Pinnochio
– Robin Hood
– The Big Bad Wolf
Other 3rd level characters can be made in consultation with the DM.
Story set-up
This one-shot adventure is set slightly before the first Shrek movie. The players live their regular lives until summoned to save the world. Will they succeed?
Running this one shot
This one-shot covers a lot that might happen during this adventure and goes into detail about the possible locations. Despite that, players tend to do stuff, meet NPC’s and go to places that are not planned. It is your job as the Dungeon Master to fill in gaps where necessary and steer them back towards the main plot.
Text in the collored blocks can be read out to the players when the conditions in or above them are met.
The other characters and fairytale creatures can be everywhere the players go. Some will be friendly while others might not be. Role-play these as you like.
The DM should read the full adventure before playing to be aware of plot points, characters and the available spells and prepare accordingly.
Turn on Shrek or fairytale themed background music and ENJOY!
Enjoying this preview?
The full Shrek D&D one-shot package includes printable documents of:
– An easy access, print ready version of this Shrek Dungeons & Dragons one shot
– 8 designs and character sheets of the playable characters
– All designs and character sheets of the NPC’s in this adventure
– 4 battle maps (print-ready and digital for online play)
– Illustrated item cards for the discoverable (magic)items
All stats, attacks and any further mechanics of this one-shot are available in the product.
There where: [Read only the selected PC’s]
[Gingy] A small, living Gingerbread man, fresh from the oven.
[Pinnochio] A wooden doll, brought to life but unable to lie without his nose growing.
[Big Bad Wolf] A wolf that just wants to be left alone.
[Doris the Ugly Stepsister] A woman, mostly know for her appearance and stepsister.
[3 Pigs] A team of porcine, naive and playful.
[Robin Hood] A man of the people, mostly in it for the glory.
[Magic Mirror] A speaking mirror without hands or feet.
[Snow White] A woman, best at ease with animals and dwarfs.
Please introduce yourselves and how you start this particularly lovely summer morning.
Let each player introduce themselves and create a small scene based on their backstory.
After that start of the day each of you hears a knock on your respective front doors. When opening, you see a mirror floating in front of you with a mask floating in it’s reflection. With the voice of a game show host, the magic mirror says: “Hello human slash being slash creature of the realm. I regret to inform you that this world is on the brink of collapse by magical forces and your country needs YOU! Yes YOU to play your part. If you are ready to take on the title of hero then take up arms, follow this portal to the gates of castle Duloc and fight with your companions for a better tomorrow.” with the sound of military trumpets the mask-like face in the mirror fades and a swirling portal opens up inside of it.
[To the Magic Mirror character:] You as Magic Mirror recognise the one in front of you as a summoning mirror. A creation that is summoned with a simple message to convey and for single use portaling to a pre-set destination, after which it will disappear.
The mirror can’t respond and is simply a message and portal.
Each of you steps through the portal and you feel yourselves fly through space towards adventure. Is this going to be the start of your fairytale or will you just be a side character? You will find out soon enough, because the swirl of color, lights and magical sounds around you abruptly stops and all of you fall face-first into stinking muck as you hear the sound of a cackling laugh in the distance.
After getting the muck out of your eyes you get your first look of your surroundings. There is a huge tree stump that someone tried to make into a house, a small wooden outhouse, a nice rock, a whole lot of reeking mud and the companions you were promised but have not met yet.
After this brief introduction amongst your group you hear a heavy foot squelch into the mud behind you. As you turn around you see a huge hideous ogre, towering over you. In a heavy Scottish accent the ogre shouts: “Get… the hell… out.. of… MY SWAMP!” as he starts charging.
Roll for initiative.
Shrek
Enemy stats, attacks and further mechanics are available in the full one-shot.
With that last hit the light goes out for the last of you. You don’t know how much time has passed but the first thing you see as you wake up is a Pixie hovering over you. He looks like a beefy, topless dude with butterfly wings. Looking around, you find out you are lying in a forest at the edge of Shrek’s swamp. In an Irish accent you hear: “Ah! You’re awake! I’m glad I got you all back on your feet. I am Olie the Pixie, who are you?”
Luckily all of you got out alive. As you take a breath among the safety of the trees, a portal similar to the ones you fell out of appears. This time it spits out a Pixie that falls flat on the ground and the portal quickly disappears again. As he gets back on his feet, you see the Pixie looks like a beefy, topless dude with butterfly wings. In an Irish accent he says: “Oh, hello! I am Olie the Pixie, who are you?”
Olie the Pixie
Enemy stats, attacks and further mechanics are available in the full one-shot.
When asked, the Pixie will claim that he got a call to arms and wants to know if the PCs did as well. He will lie that a magical artifact in these swamps made the portals malfunction and that they will need it for the fight against Farquaad. He secretly works with Farquaad and needs the artifact in the swamp to bring to Farquaad to cause even more chaos.
Enjoying this preview?
The full Shrek D&D one-shot package includes printable documents of:
– An easy access, print ready version of this Shrek Dungeons & Dragons one shot
– 8 designs and character sheets of the playable characters
– All designs and character sheets of the NPC’s in this adventure
– 4 battle maps (print-ready and digital for online play)
– Illustrated item cards for the discoverable (magic)items
All stats, attacks and any further mechanics of this one-shot are available in the product.
Returning to Shrek’s swamp you see that he has enforced the defenses around his terrain. He has blocked it off using wood and barbed wire. The only way towards his house seems to be through a treacherous piece of swamp at the front.
Despite the swampy exterior the inside looks homely and cosy. There is a bedroom area, dining table near a central fireplace and a comfortable looking reading chair with footstool.
The foul stench hits you like nothing you have ever experienced before. Roll a constitution saving throw.
When they open the outhouse door with a blocked nose:
A foul stench hits you (once again) and through watering eyes you see something sparkling among a pile of paper and leaves that seem to be ready to be used as toilet paper.
When they grab the sparkling paper:
After grabbing the sparkling paper and taking a few steps away from the smell you see that it appears to be most of a ripped up map. As you are looking over the map it opens is eyes and mouth and says “Hi! I’m Jack. Nice to meet you. Who are you? I’m Jack!”.
Items, stats and further mechanics are available in the full one-shot.
Coming from around the house you hear Shrek in a Scottish accent: “Back for more are you? You’re not getting out this time.” as he cracks his knuckles and charges at you once again. Roll for initiative!
As you start your trek towards Duloc castle you follow the map to cross the woods until you’re at the edge. Only now do you see what the mirror was talking about. A swirling cloud of purple and green is quickly growing larger and will swallow up the world in a matter of hours. In front of you, you see two rock walls with a mountain pass in between providing a path to the other side.
Puzzle details and mechanics are available in the full one-shot.
Giant
Enemy stats, attacks and further mechanics are available in the full one-shot.
Enjoying this preview?
The full Shrek D&D one-shot package includes printable documents of:
– An easy access, print ready version of this Shrek Dungeons & Dragons one shot
– 8 designs and character sheets of the playable characters
– All designs and character sheets of the NPC’s in this adventure
– 4 battle maps (print-ready and digital for online play)
– Illustrated item cards for the discoverable (magic)items
All stats, attacks and any further mechanics of this one-shot are available in the product.
You get away from the giant and a small trek through the gorge takes you to it’s other side. From there you overlook a wide area of grainfields and behind it a massive fortress that might suggest it’s ruler is compensating for something. Around that fortress you see masses of beings getting ready to attack it. Above it the swirling purple and green storm has started destroying the environment by throwing out lightning bolts every few seconds and creating craters all around.
You approach the crowd at the end of a speech from one who seems to be the leader of this rebellion. The crowd is cheering and collectively moves towards the closed main gate.
Now that the leader is not obscured anymore you see that it is an orange cat wearing a hat, boots and a belt. He eyes you curiously and waves you over towards him.
With a Spanish accent he says: “Ah, salutations and a hearty welcome! ‘Tis I, Puss in Boots, assuming the mantle of command. Ah, but you, my astute companions, you possess a certain… finesse… a wit, dare I say. While others charge forth, I sense in you a subtler approach, one that could tip the scales in our favor. Are you prepared, to embark on this daring quest to rescue our imperiled realm?”
Puzzle details and mechanics are available in the full one-shot.
You find yourself at the other side of the fortress walls and in a sort of arena in front of a castle. The ominously swirling purple and green clouds of doom and destruction seem to be originating from the peak of the highest castle tower and growing ever stronger.
Opening the door you see an ornately decorated entrance hall with staircases and doors leading every which way. In the middle is a guidepost that points you to nearby points of interest such as the dining hall, a bathroom, a gift shop and the “magical laboratory of world domination”.
Puzzle details and mechanics are available in the full one-shot.
Following the arrow pointing towards the laboratory you see a door with a tiny metal orb in the middle.
[When they step forward] Suddenly a green laser-light shines on [the one in front]. A second later you hear a short buzzing “ERRR” sound.
Puzzle details and mechanics are available in the full one-shot.
The ladder is very long and seems to go on all the way to the top of the castle, towards a bright glow. Once near the top you see guards around a small, small man with glowing orbs resting on pedestals around him.
Farquaad
Enemy stats, attacks and further mechanics are available in the full one-shot.
Guard
Enemy stats, attacks and further mechanics are available in the full one-shot.
Farquaad sees you and with a smile on his face he says: “My dear adventurers, how kind of you to finally join us. You see, I’ve been patiently waiting for this moment… Oh pixie!”. All of a sudden Olie the Pixie poofs the map out of your hands and into the hands of Farquaad with a cackling laugh that you have been hearing all day. “Thank you for delivering the last piece of the puzzle to me. I knew I could count on you prankster pixie to play ‘this awesome prank’ on everybody, as you would say. I had the power before but with the map I can now focus it and wipe everything from the map as I see fit, starting with you!” Roll for initiative.
Farquaad: “Do you now finally see? I am fated to rule! I have seen my destiny, and I know that I cannot be killed by anything other than being eaten by a dragon, and I don’t see any dragons. Haha, hahaha, HAHAHAHA!”.
Puzzle details and mechanics are available in the full one-shot.
With the last orb destroyed the channeling of magic stops and the storm starts to disappear.
If Shrek and Olie are still active: The Pixie looks up and seeing his plans have failed he flies away as Shrek disappears.
Looking horrified Farquaad exclaims “Impossible! How could this happen? No matter, I shall not be bested so easily! Though you may have thwarted my plans for now, know that I shall return. The name Farquaad shall not be forgotten, and my vengeance shall be swift and merciless!”. Knowing his destiny is being killed by a dragon, Farquaad runs towards the edge and leaps over the castle battlements, landing safely on a pile of hay before disappearing into the forest.
And with the storm gone the realm breathes a sigh of relief. These unlikely heroes saved the day. Although their futures might have more adventures in store for them and Farquaad will probably return, at least now there is hope, for a happy ever after.
The End
Enjoying this preview?
The full Shrek D&D one-shot package includes printable documents of:
– An easy access, print ready version of this Shrek Dungeons & Dragons one shot
– 8 designs and character sheets of the playable characters
– All designs and character sheets of the NPC’s in this adventure
– 4 battle maps (print-ready and digital for online play)
– Illustrated item cards for the discoverable (magic)items
All stats, attacks and any further mechanics of this one-shot are available in the product.