Enter the Glade of the Evil Oak

Deep within the heart of an ancient forest lies a glade with a solitary oak tree at its centre. If one were to view this setting at a distance, it would appear almost serene; a calm oasis alone amongst a dark and tangled sea of gnarled trees. Upon closer inspection, however, a much more sinister picture begins to appear.

This is Epic Encounters: Glade of the Evil Oak, a haunting boss encounter that’s perfect to drop into your existing D&D campaign, or run as a thrilling one-shot.Cloaked in a spectral gloom, the clearing fades into the surrounding darkness. The air grows thick with a sense of dread, and the surrounding trees, contorted and weather-beaten, stand like silent sentinels guarding the horrible evil within. At the heart of the glade dwells a monstrous abomination that strikes fear into the souls of all who dare to venture close. This malevolent creature is an oak of giant proportions, seemingly frozen in time. But it's so much more than a simple tree.

Twisted and corrupted by dark forces far beyond mortal understanding, its branches stretch out like rotten limbs, the arms reaching towards the entrance of the glade. The trunk of this living nightmare is thick and mottled, bark stained black as pitch. A growth that resembles a horned head is nestled at the base, between exposed roots, empty eye sockets set into the surface above a giant maw that stretches into a crooked smile. The enormous oak tree casts a foreboding shadow that devours the very light around it—an aura of ancient evil, as though the tree stands atop a gateway to the depths of the abyss…While the terrifying Evil Oak has the appearance and some properties of an undead creature, it is very much alive!

Put your party to the test in the depths of this dark and foreboding forest, in a D&D 5e encounter sure to cause fear to seep into their very souls.

Complete with a staggeringly huge and stunningly detailed Evil Oak mini, Epic Encounters: Glade of the Evil Oak was developed and designed to create an earth-shattering forest encounter, bound to keep your players on the edge of their seats.

Once this colossal creature hits your table, the handbook will guide you through how to get into the mind of the Evil Oak. Follow the simple step-by-step attack pattern, with its unique behavior and special rules to make for cinematic and spectacular boss battles.What would a twisted forest encounter be without some truly wild magic?

All manner of enchantments, evocations, transmutations, and conjurations were used to create and sustain the Evil Oak. They are in a constant state of flux with each other, and several have been slowly breaking down over the years, creating an unpredictable undertow that threatens to corrupt any new magic that's cast within the glade’s borders.

These unexpected effects keep your encounter exciting and unpredictable as your players get to the root of the glade and realise not all is as it seems. It may also create some interesting magical effects mid-battle!The Evil Oak controls the entire Forest of the Damned from the glade. Every root, every tree, and every leaf is under its command.

Throughout the stunning battle maps, a whole host of sinister surprises lie in wait for your brave adventurers. Known only to you until the moment strikes, you will become the Evil Oak, commanding your domain.

Calculating in its attacks, the Evil Oak relies heavily on its minions and surroundings before getting involved, and unleashing hell!Forest of the Damned and Glade of the Evil Oak are the latest releases in the Epic Encounters range.

Just like other Epic Encounters sets, they’re designed to work both as standalone encounters (providing ideal D&D 5e one-shot adventures), as well as alongside each other as part of an epic, longer campaign.

Created to save experienced Game Masters time, and to give new Game Masters an easy way to add thrilling adventures to their roleplaying campaigns, every Epic Encounters set is a complete D&D 5e adventure-in-a-box that includes everything from stats, story hooks, and tips to battle maps, tokens, and of course, highly detailed miniatures.

Each set offers scalable encounters to fit with any level of adventuring party or campaign. Whilst bosses (such as our huge Evil Oak here) have suggested attack patterns, with unique behaviour and special rules to keep things interesting and make for cinematic and spectacular battles.

Whether you’re a time-strapped GM or a new GM still learning the ropes, these sets are the perfect addition for your game nights, that’ll take care of all that hard work for you.

Forest of the Damned and Glade of the Evil Oak are available to pre-order now.

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