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The Black Zodiac (Inspired by 13 Ghosts)

Published Date

Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild

The Black Zodiac

A D&D 5e Nightmare

Do you dare step inside the house you just inherited?

You've received a magnificent, ornate letter informing you that the eccentric occultist Cyrus Kriticos has passed away, leaving his entire estate—including the baffling, all-glass Kinetic Mansion—to you. The catch? You must spend one night inside to finalize the paperwork.

Welcome to The Black Zodiac, a terrifying one-shot D&D 5e campaign designed for Level 5 characters that pits you not against a monster, but against a prison designed by madness itself. This is not a hack-and-slash adventure; this is a desperate race against time where your wits and your sanity are your most valuable assets.

The House is Alive. The Souls Are Restless.

The Kinetic Mansion is no ordinary dwelling. It is a spectacular, bizarre clockwork engine built entirely of shifting glass panes inscribed with arcane runes. Every grinding gear and groaning wall is part of a malicious machine designed to contain the ultimate prize: The Black Zodiac.

Cyrus Kriticos spent his life collecting the souls of 12 malevolent, corrupted spirits, trapping them to harness their power for a godlike ritual. Now, the containment is failing, and the house is coming alive.

  • The Black Zodiac: Face legendary horrors like The Hammer (a titan of eternal rage), The Torn Prince (driven by jealous vanity), and The Jackal (the unhinged, most dangerous spirit). Each ghost is a unique threat with its own brutal abilities.

  • The Race Against Time: An ominous voice—Cyrus’s spectral projection—announces the countdown. Every 15 minutes, another spirit is unleashed from its glass cell. Can you find the engine's Lynchpin and stop the ritual before you become the collection's newest addition?

Challenge Your Dread

The atmosphere of the campaign is built on psychological horror. Simply witnessing the full form of these spectral entities will break the minds of mortals.

  • Dread Mechanics: Prepare to make Dread Checks when you encounter the spirits or witness the house's terrifying shifts. Fail, and your character will suffer temporary madness: paranoia, hallucinations, or obsessive fixations that put your party at risk.

  • Wits Over Might: Your Level 5 power means little here. Survival depends on solving the house's puzzles, using the Spectra Goggles to perceive the invisible threats, and working with (or around) the trapped, non-hostile ghost, The Archivist.

Do you have the cunning to destroy the engine and escape the collapsing manor? Or will you choose the merciful path and unleash the tortured souls, risking a free-for-all confrontation with the entire Black Zodiac?

The Black Zodiac is a complete 3-4 hour one-shot. Gather your party, prepare for cosmic dread, and enter the Kinetic Mansion—the doors only lock from the outside.

Adventure Specs:

  • System: Dungeons & Dragons 5e

  • Level: 5

  • Theme: Psychological Horror, Cosmic Dread, Survival

  • Estimated Playtime: 3–4 Hours (One-Shot)

  • Warning: Expect high tension, difficult choices, and fear of the unknown.

The Black Zodiac (Inspired by 13 Ghosts)Price

: $2.99