The Kidding Season - A Folk Horror Adventure for D&D 5E

The Kidding Season

Goats are wonderful creatures. Stubborn, curious, and absolutely certain that whatever you're holding belongs to them.

Unfortunately, the forty-two goats in Hollowfold have a rather bigger problem.

A complete 56-page D&D 5E horror adventure for levels 1-20. Intended for 4-5 characters and roughly 4-6 sessions.

Welcome to Hollowfold

Hollowfold looks like a lovely place to spend a few days: a quiet mountain village, a warm inn, and a road that closes with the first snow.

Forty-one people live here, alongside forty-two goats. Every goat is pregnant, including two that were never bred and an elderly doe who really ought to be enjoying retirement. The villagers would rather you didn't ask about it.

And nobody has seen a buck. Ever.

The party arrives as the pass closes. Over seven nights, the goats give birth to things that aren't goats. The villagers know why, but two hundred years of practice have made them exceptionally good at changing the subject.

A word of advice: keep the barn door shut after dark.

Meet the Locals

Some villagers are happy to welcome strangers. Others would prefer they left before asking too many questions. Here are a few faces the party might encounter.

Meet the Goats

And of course, we can't forget the goats. They're the reason for all this trouble, after all. Here are three that deserve a little introduction.

The Story Behind the Kidding Season

Yes, demonic goat births are a fairly significant problem. But the goats aren't the ones keeping the secret.

Hollowfold isn't filled with robed villains delivering speeches. It's filled with ordinary neighbours trying to live with a bargain their ancestors made. They know what happens during the Kidding Season. They hate it. They also fear what happens if it stops.

That's the trouble with folk horror. A monster is frightening, but a kind neighbour offering you supper while explaining why you must never open the barn can be much worse.

Players can investigate, help the villagers, challenge the pact, or turn the community against itself. There isn't one tidy answer. Hollowfold has had two centuries to make a mess, and the party gets seven nights to deal with it.

Seven Nights of Horror

Each of the seven nights brings new clues, conversations, and increasingly unpleasant births. At dusk comes the Count, when villagers gather to count the herd, followed by whatever the night has in store.

For the Dungeon Master, each night includes dawn events, opportunities for investigation, dusk, and the horrors after dark. The book tracks what changes, what villagers know, and how they respond when the party starts asking questions.

The births arrive in pieces: the Eye, Tongue, Hooves, Hide, Teeth, Horns, and finally the Heart. By the seventh night, those pieces are ready to come together.

Which is dreadful news for anyone who has met the Hollow Shepherd.

Unique Adventure Mechanics

A frightened community is harder to deal with than a monster. Three simple systems help Hollowfold respond to the party's choices.

• Nerve

Characters start with 6 Nerve. Horrors wear it down, and at 0 Nerve they crack. Even powerful adventurers can have a very bad night in a barn.

• Standing

The villagers' opinion moves from Welcome to Tolerated, Suspected, and Hunted. Make enemies of the people controlling your shelter and supplies, and you'll feel it.

• The Count

Every dusk, the villagers count forty-two goats. Somehow, the answer is always forty-three. Joining the ritual may tell the party why.

An Adventure for Levels 1–20

The Kidding Season works across levels 1–20, with four tiers: 1–4, 5–10, 11–16, and 17–20. No need to arrive at one exact level.

Tier-based numbers are presented together, so the DM can use the version that fits their group without rebuilding every creature. The monsters change. The villagers' judgment does not.

Designed for 4–5 characters and roughly 4–6 sessions, this can be played as a standalone horror adventure or woven into an existing campaign.

What's Inside the Book?

The 56-page book gives the DM the tools to run the whole adventure. Chapter 1 explains the structure and rules. Chapter 2 introduces Hollowfold, its map, locations, seven important villagers, and the truth behind the pact.

Chapter 3 follows all seven nights, from clues and investigations to each new birth. Chapter 4 brings the Great Fold, the Hollow Shepherd, and four possible endings. The party's choices decide where things go.

There are also twelve stat blocks, items, handouts, a village map, and practical event tables. It's written to be run at the table, not just read by candlelight while worrying about goats.

And yes, the goats remain a problem.

Choose Your Reward

No need to adopt the herd. Choose the complete PDF or the PDF with access to order a hardcover at production cost through DriveThruRPG.

• PDF: The complete 56-page PDF, including all seven nights, the rules, bestiary, and appendices.
• Print Edition: The complete PDF + Hardcover ordering access at print cost through DriveThruRPG. 

Printing and shipping are additional charges paid directly through DriveThruRPG.

Delivery

The adventure is written and laid out. PDFs are planned for delivery through DriveThruRPG about two weeks after the campaign ends.

Hardcover ordering access is planned for roughly one to two months after the campaign. DriveThruRPG handles printing and shipping, paid separately when you order.

Goats may be unpredictable, but the reward terms shouldn't be.

FROM SUMIDA

Ready for a week in Hollowfold?

Hollowfold has a decent inn and very welcoming villagers, right up until you become inconvenient.

If your D&D group enjoys folk horror, uneasy bargains, and deeply suspicious livestock, Hollowfold is ready for visitors. Just remember: there are forty-two goats.