LegendThe Night Train to Mortenholt
The train does not stop, and there are too few souls aboard for the journey.
Show stat block
Bound to the Train. The Conductor cannot leave the Night Train and is invisible to creatures outside the train. As long as he is within the train, he regains 15 hit points at the start of his turn if he has at least 1 hit point.
Ticket Punch. If the Conductor hits a creature with his ticket shears, he can 'punch its ticket': the target can't move more than 5 feet from its current location until the end of its next turn, unless it succeeds on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw.
Wall Walk. The Conductor can move through the walls, floors, and ceilings of the train as if they were difficult terrain.
Multiattack. The Conductor attacks twice with his ticket shears.
Ticket Shears. Melee Weapon Attack: +8, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8+4) slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage.
Last Stop (Recharge 5-6). The Conductor calls every passenger within 30 ft. to board. Each creature in that area must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw, taking 27 (6d8) necrotic damage and being moved to a random empty compartment on a failure, or half the damage with no movement on a success.
The Story
You come to in compartment five, and outside a moonlit ravine slides past on silver rails. No one remembers boarding. The lamps flicker, the carriage smells of cold iron and old smoke, and the final stop appears on no ticket. A pale fellow passenger whispers: the train does not stop, and there are too few souls aboard for the journey ahead.
The Night Train runs between the world of the living and that of the dead, and it must deliver its quota of souls before it reaches Mortenholt. The Conductor has not vanished, he has become the train itself, and he is counting the passengers. If there are too few, he fills the carriages with whoever he can seize along the way, you included.
You search carriage after carriage, question fellow travelers, some of them long dead, and work out who is living and who is bait. Behind every door after midnight, something knocks, and you must figure out how to get off a moving train that never stops, without making the wrong promise to whatever is knocking.
In the locomotive you confront the Conductor of the Night Train, fused with steam and iron, who punches tickets with a smile and refuses to brake until his carriages are full. Force the train to a halt and you step free onto a platform between the worlds; fail, and your ticket is stamped for Mortenholt, and no one returns from there.
Look inside
The first 6 of 18 pages — exactly what's in the PDF. Click to enlarge
Ambience playlist
Hit play and just stay on this page.
Frequently asked questions
What language is this adventure in?
This page is in English. DM Shots adventures are crafted in clear, ready-to-read prose so you can run them straight from the table.
Which edition is it for?
The fifth edition (5e). It is compatible with the common 5e rules and includes stat blocks and encounters.
What do I get after buying?
An instant-download PDF with the complete adventure, a cinematic map, NPCs, encounters, printable loot cards and a DM guide.
How long does it take to play?
A typical DM Shots one-shot runs in 3 to 4 hours, perfect for a single evening at the table.
What if I'm not happy?
Didn't the adventure play the way you hoped? Email us within 7 days at hallo@dmshots.com and you get your money back, no hassle.
Related adventures
The Heist of the Nihil Casino
The Skyfleet of Admiral Corven
The Ball of the Moth Marchioness
The Tower of Master Vaelric