Frostfall: D&D 5e Survival Adventure Where the Dragon Isn’t the Monster
A dragon is hunting you. You stole something precious. You just don’t know it yet. Frostfall is a D&D 5e survival adventure that subverts everything you expect from dragon encounters. When your airship crashes in frozen wilderness, survival seems like the goal. But as companions die and secrets unravel, you’ll discover the real monster has been walking beside you the whole time. Complete 2.5-3 hour adventure for 2-3 players at levels 3-4.
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âď¸ The Premise: Survival Becomes Something Darker
The airship Skyward Maiden carried you toward civilization. Routine passage. Nothing special. Then a white dragon tore through the hull, and everything changed.
You crash in frozen tundra miles from anywhere. The cold is deadly. The dragon circles overhead, never attacking, never leaving. And the only other survivors are strangers: Harlen Voss, a charming smuggler who takes charge; Mira Ashford, a hopeful young woman clutching a family portrait; and Galt Fenwick, a nervous merchant who complains but means well.
This D&D 5e survival adventure begins as a desperate trek toward distant town lights. The group battles cold exposure, predators, and dwindling hope. But something doesn’t add up. Why won’t the dragon just kill you? Why does Harlen guard his backpack so carefully? Why do his stories about past adventures feel rehearsed?
The answers transform a survival scenario into something far more disturbing. And by the time the truth emerges, your players will question everything they assumed about monsters, victims, and the people they chose to trust.
đ A Dragon Encounter Unlike Any Other
Reframing the Monster
Most dragon encounters follow a predictable pattern: dragon threatens, heroes fight, someone wins. Frostfall tears up that script entirely.
The white dragon pursuing your group isn’t hunting for sport. She isn’t protecting territory. She’s a mother searching for her stolen child. Three weeks ago, someone took her egg from the nest while she hunted. She’s been tracking the thief ever sinceâpatient, relentless, grieving.
This D&D 5e survival adventure uses that grief as its engine. The mournful cries players hear across the tundra aren’t predator calls. They’re a mother calling for her baby. The dragon’s patience isn’t tactical cunning. It’s hope that her egg might still be recovered without violence.
When the truth finally emerges, every previous dragon sighting recontextualizes. The circling wasn’t stalkingâit was searching. The landing nearby wasn’t an attack setupâit was exhaustion. Players who assumed they understood the threat discover they understood nothing.
The Confrontation That Defies Easy Answers
The climax puts players on a frozen plateau with the dragon, the thief, and a choice that has no clean resolution.
Return the egg? The dragon leaves peacefullyâbut Harlen murdered two people during this journey. Do his victims deserve no justice? Fight the dragon? You’re battling a grieving mother defending her child. Even victory feels like loss. Run to the nearby town? The dragon will follow. Innocents will die for a crime they didn’t commit.
This D&D 5e survival adventure doesn’t provide a “correct” ending. Every choice costs something. Every choice reveals something about your players. That moral weight transforms a one-shot into a session tables remember years later.
đ NPCs Who Feel Like People
Harlen Voss: The Monster in Plain Sight
Harlen seems like the ideal survival companion. Experienced. Calm under pressure. Knows the terrain. Has a compass pointing toward civilization. He shares stories around campfires, offers encouragement when morale flags, and makes everyone feel like maybe they’ll survive this after all.
He’s also the reason you’re in danger. That backpack he guards so carefully? Contains a stolen dragon egg wrapped in furs. Those charming stories about past adventures? Rehearsed justifications for a lifetime of bad decisions. That helpful compass? His escape plan, not the group’s.
The adventure provides detailed guidance for playing Harlen’s slow reveal. Act One: genuinely helpful, maybe a little too smooth. Act Two: nervousness creeping in, defensive about his belongings. Act Three: the mask slipping, desperation replacing charm. By the time players realize who he really is, they’ve already trusted him with their lives.
Mira Ashford: Hope That Makes Loss Hurt
Mira travels to reunite with family she hasn’t seen in three years. She clutches a painted portrait locketâmother, father, teenage brother, herself as a young woman. She’s optimistic despite circumstances, kind to everyone, and determined to see her family again.
She doesn’t survive the journey.
This D&D 5e survival adventure uses Mira’s death to establish stakes and Harlen’s growing desperation. The specific death scenario variesâa wolf attack, a fall, exhaustionâbut the result lands hard because players spent time with her. They know her hopes. They’ve seen her portrait. When she dies, it matters.
The adventure includes Mira’s portrait as a potential keepsake. Players might deliver it to her family after reaching town. That small moment of closureâa quest completed that no one asked forâembodies the “unsung heroes” philosophy that defines Anvil & Ink adventures.
Galt Fenwick: Annoying Doesn’t Mean Disposable
Galt complains constantly. His feet hurt. The cold is unbearable. He’s not built for this. He’s clearly a pampered merchant who has never experienced real hardship. Every table has met someone like Galt.
He also asks the right questions at the wrong times. Why does Harlen seem more scared now that we’re underground, away from the dragon? What’s in that backpack he never opens? Why won’t he let anyone else carry supplies?
Galt’s death comes directly from Harlen’s hands. When Galt reaches for the backpackâcurious, suspicious, or just trying to help redistribute weightâHarlen shoves him into a crevasse without hesitation. The annoying merchant dies because he got too close to the truth.
This D&D 5e survival adventure uses Galt’s death as the breaking point. Players can no longer ignore their suspicions about Harlen. The confrontation that follows determines whether Harlen survives to face the dragonâor meets justice before the climax arrives.
đ¨ď¸ Survival Mechanics That Build Tension
Cold Exposure Without Tedium
Many survival adventures bog down in resource tracking. Count your rations. Track your water. Roll for exposure every fifteen minutes. Frostfall takes a different approach.
Cold exposure uses simple Constitution saves at dramatically appropriate momentsânot constant dice rolling. The DC increases as conditions worsen. Failure brings exhaustion levels that create genuine mechanical pressure. But the system stays invisible until it matters.
When the blizzard hits in Act Two, cold becomes deadly. When players find shelter in the ice tunnels, they earn a reprieve. The mechanics reinforce narrative beats rather than interrupting them. Players feel the cold’s threat without the cold’s tedium.
Skill Challenges for Critical Moments
Two major skill challenges drive this D&D 5e survival adventure forward. The first: surviving the dragon’s attack on the airship. Players must accumulate three successes before three failures, choosing from a list of actionsâgrab supplies, help passengers, secure the cargo hold, brace for impact. Each choice has mechanical weight and narrative consequence.
The second challenge: finding shelter during the Act Two blizzard. The dragon has landed nearby. The storm is lethal. Players must locate the ice tunnel entrance before cold exposure claims them. Different skill checks offer different approachesâSurvival for tracking natural shelters, Investigation for spotting the entrance, Athletics for pushing through drifts.
Both challenges provide meaningful player agency without complex subsystems. Success feels earned. Failure creates complications rather than dead ends.
đşď¸ Five Battle Maps for Complete Coverage
The Skyward Maiden
The airship map establishes the adventure’s opening. Passenger cabin with bench seating and a small bar. Helm station at the bow. Cargo hold access at the stern. Open deck areas with crates and rope coils. When the dragon attacks, every location becomes relevantâwhere to grab supplies, where to brace, where to avoid falling through torn hull sections.
The Wreck
The crash site map shows the Skyward Maiden’s remains scattered across frozen shoreline. Three major hull sections. Debris field with salvageable supplies. Impact furrow carved through snow. Small fires marking dangerous areas. Bodies of crew who didn’t survive. Players scavenge what they can before beginning their trek.
Tundra Ambush
The wilderness combat map features open frozen terrain with tactical variety. Snow drifts provide concealment. Rock outcroppings offer cover. A frozen stream creates difficult terrain. One fragile ice formation can be toppled onto enemies. This D&D 5e survival adventure uses this map for the wolf encounter where Mira diesâher death location marked by player choice and battlefield positioning.
Ice Tunnel Chamber
The underground map centers on a deep crevasse splitting the chamber. An ice bridge provides the only crossingâfragile, narrow, treacherous. Slick ice patches create movement hazards. Ice pillars offer cover but shatter under heavy impact. The crevasse itself becomes Galt’s grave when Harlen’s desperation finally breaks.
The Plateau
The climax map shows the confrontation location. Tunnel exit where players emerge. Open ground where the dragon lands. Cliff edge dropping hundreds of feet. Descent path leading toward the distant town. Every element creates tactical consideration for the multiple possible endings.
đŚ Everything You Need to Run Tonight
Complete Adventure Text: Full narrative for all three acts plus climax. Scene-by-scene breakdown with read-aloud text, DM guidance, and pacing notes. Estimated runtime markers for each section.
NPC Profiles: Harlen, Mira, and Galt with complete stat blocks, personality guides by act, and roleplaying suggestions. Guidance for portraying Harlen’s gradual reveal without telegraphing or dragging.
Monster Statistics: Winter wolves, ice mephits, yeti, and the white dragon herself. Complete stat blocks within the adventureâno Monster Manual required. Scaling notes for different party sizes.
Pre-Generated Characters: Four characters optimized for this D&D 5e survival adventure. Kira Stoneheart (dwarf fighter), Brother Aldric (human cleric), Sylvi Windwalker (wood elf ranger with Arctic as favored terrain), and Tomas Quick (halfling rogue scout). Each includes full statistics and roleplay guidance.
Battle Maps: Five detailed maps with tactical notes, terrain features, and environmental hazard locations. Designed for theater of mind or grid play.
Contingency Sections: What if players kill Harlen early? What if they side with him against the dragon? What if they try to destroy the egg? Comprehensive guidance for common unexpected choices.
đŻ Perfect For These Tables
Small Groups of 2-3 Players
Frostfall was designed from the ground up for small tables. The encounter math assumes 2-3 players. The NPC dynamics work specifically with small groupsâcompanions who fill party gaps before dying create investment rather than redundancy. No rebalancing required. No “adjust the encounter for your party size” notes. Just run it.
Tables Who Love Moral Complexity
If your group enjoys debating choices after sessions end, this adventure delivers. The climax offers no correct answerâonly different costs. Players who love tactical optimization might struggle with problems that can’t be solved through combat efficiency. Players who love roleplay will find rich material in every interaction.
DMs Seeking Survival Without Spreadsheets
This D&D 5e survival adventure creates genuine survival pressure without resource tracking tedium. Cold matters when it matters. Supplies matter at dramatic moments. The mechanics support tension rather than generating paperwork. DMs can focus on atmosphere and character rather than counting rations.
One-Shot Nights and Convention Play
The 2.5-3 hour runtime fits most session slots. Pre-generated characters eliminate setup time. The premise pitches easily: “Your airship crashed, a dragon is hunting you, and someone in your group is hiding something terrible.” Players understand immediately what they’re signing up for.
â ď¸ Content Considerations
Frostfall includes mature themes appropriate for adult tables. NPC deaths occurâincluding sympathetic characters players grow to like. The cold exposure creates genuine threat and occasional graphic description. Betrayal by a trusted companion forms the adventure’s emotional core. The climax presents moral ambiguity without clean resolution.
This D&D 5e survival adventure works best for players comfortable with difficult choices and emotional weight. Tables seeking lighthearted dungeon crawls should look elsewhere. Tables seeking memorable experiences that linger after the session ends will find exactly what they’re looking for.
đ Part of The Ready Adventure Series
Frostfall joins The Ready Adventure Series from Tim Mack at Anvil & Ink Publishing. Each adventure delivers complete single-session experiences designed for small groups with minimal prep required.
Other series entries include The Sinking Tower of Hours (time-pressure dungeon descent), The Colossus Autopsy (body horror giant exploration), The Winter Ball Heist (elegant infiltration), and The Merchant’s Vault (urban heist with rival thieves). Find the complete catalog at anvilnink.com.
âď¸ The Truth About Monsters
Most adventures teach players that monsters are problems to be solved through violence. Frostfall teaches something harder: sometimes the monster is the person you trusted, and the creature everyone fears is just trying to protect her family.
The white dragon circling overhead isn’t evil. She’s grieving. The charming smuggler sharing campfire stories isn’t heroic. He’s desperate. And by the end, your players will understand that survival sometimes means facing truths more dangerous than any dragon.
This D&D 5e survival adventure delivers what survival horror promises but rarely achieves: genuine tension, meaningful relationships, and choices that haunt tables long after the dice stop rolling. The cold is deadly. The dragon is patient. And the real monster has been walking beside you the whole time.
A crashed airship. A frozen wasteland. A secret worth killing for. Welcome to Frostfall.
Frostfall is the essential D&D 5e survival adventure for tables seeking moral complexity, genuine tension, and the revelation that sometimes the real monster doesn’t have claws.