After killing the Great Goblin, Bilbo's companions fought to win their escape from the goblins. By the time they realized that Bilbo had been lost in the darkness, it was too late to turn back and search for him.
Setup: Add Lake in the Cavern to the staging area. Create a riddle area with stage 2A and follow the setup instructions on that card.
Players cannot advance to stage 3A unless both 1B and 2B are complete.
Forced: Reveal 1 additional encounter card per player during the staging step.
During the confusion, bilbo stumbled won a tunnel and into Gollum's cave. There the Hobbit had to outwit the creature Gollum in a dangerous riddle contest to discover the way out.
Setup: Search the encounter deck for Gollum and Bilbo's Magic Ring. Place Gollum and Bilbo Baggins in the riddle area and attach Bilbo's Magic Ring to Bilbo Baggins. Then, shuffle the encounter deck.
Players cannot advance to stage 3A unless both 1B and 2B are complete.
Progress tokens cannot be added to, or removed from, this quest except by answering riddles.
Cards in the riddle area are immune to player card effects and cannot leave the riddle area except by quest effects.
To everyone's surprise, Bilbo Baggins rejoined his companions on the eastern side of the Misty Mountains. However, their celebration was cut short by the chilling sound of wolves howling close by. To the frightened hobbit, it seemed that they had escaped from the goblins only to be eaten by wargs.
When Revealed: The first player gains control of Bilbo Baggins. Reveal 1 encounter card per player and add it to the staging area.
Gollum engages the first player. Damage from undefended attacks made by Gollum must be placed on Bilbo Baggins.
All riddle effects are ignored. Treachery cards gain surge.
If players defeat this stage, they have won the game.
1
2
2
Goblin Axeman gets +1 for each Cave location in play.
Shadow: Defending character gets -1
2
0
2
Goblin Miners gets +1 for each Cave location in play.
Shadow: attacking enemy gets +1
3
1
2
Shadow: attacking enemy makes an additional attack immediately after this one. (Deal a new shadow card for that attack.)
2
2
3
When Revealed: The first player exhausts 1 character he controls.
Shadow: Defending player exhausts 1 character he controls.
While The Goblins' Caves is the active location, Goblin enemies get +1
Shadow: Defending player raises his threat by X. X is the number of Goblin enemies engaged with him.
When Revealed: Starting with the first player, each player must choose 1 Goblin enemy from the discard pile and add it to the staging area.
Shadow: Defending player deals damage among characters he controls equal to the number of Goblin enemies engaged with him.
2
3
5
Forced: After the first player answers a riddle and fails to find at least 1 match, Gollum attacks Bilbo Baggins. (Do not deal a shadow card for this attack.)
"If precious asks, and it doesn't answer, we eats it, my precious." – Gollum, The Hobbit
5
2
5
Forced: If Great Gray Wolf is dealt a shadow card with a riddle, return all Creature enemies to the staging area at the end of the combat phase.
Riddle: The first player names a card type, sphere and cost, shuffles his deck, then discards the top 3 cards. For each of those cards that matches all three items, place 1 progress token on stage 2.
3
2
3
Forced: If Wild Wargs is dealt a shadow card with a riddle, it gets +2.
Riddle: The first player names a card type, shuffles his deck, and discards the top 2 cards. For each of those cards that matches, place 1 progress token on stage 2.
Forced: After a character takes damage from an attack made by a Creature enemy, remove 1 progress from the current quest.
Riddle: The first player names a sphere, shuffles his deck, and discards the top card. For each of those cards that matches, place 1 progress token on stage 2.
X is twice the number of players in the game.
Players cannot travel here.
Immune to player card effects.
Forced: After players advance to stage 3, remove Lake in the Cavern from the game.
Attach to Bilbo Baggins.
Action: When answering a riddle, spend 1 
resource to discard an additional player card from the top of your deck.
Action: Exhaust Bilbo’s Magic Ring and raise each player's threat by 2 to add 1 resource to Bilbo Baggins' resource pool.
When Revealed: Starting with the first player, each player must search the encounter deck and encounter discard pile for 1 Creature enemy and put it into play engaged with him. Then, shuffle the encounter deck.
Riddle: The first player names a card type and cost, shuffles his deck, then discards the top 3 cards. For each of those cards that matches both items, place 1 progress token on stage 2.
When Revealed: The first player must choose to answer the riddle on this card. If he finds at least 1 match, discard cards from the encounter deck until another card with a riddle is discarded. Then, answer that riddle.
Riddle: The first player names a cost, shuffles his deck, then discards the top 2 cards. For each of those cards that matches, place 1 progress token on stage 2.
When Revealed: Characters get -1
and cannot attack until the end of the round.
Riddle: The first player names a card type and sphere, shuffles his deck, then discards the top 3 cards. For each of those cards that matches both items, place 1 progress token on stage 2.
When Revealed: The first player must choose to answer the riddle on this card. This effect cannot be canceled.
Riddle: The first player names a sphere and cost, shuffles his deck, then discards the top 2 cards. For each of those cards that matches both items, place 1 progress token on stage 2.
When Revealed: The first player names a card type and then discards the top 3 cards of the encounter deck. For each of those cards that does not match the named type, remove 1 progress token from stage 2. This effect cannot be canceled.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
Gollum cannot take damage.
Setup: Search the encounter deck for The Lower Gate and set it aside, out of play.
Forced: When stage 3B is revealed, add The Lower Gate to the staging area.
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for the Dungeons Deep and Caverns Dim scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
3x Goblin Miners
3x Goblin Axeman
3x The Goblins' Caves
3x Grip, grab! Pinch, nab!
1x Not fair! Not fair!
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard Dungeons Deep and Caverns Dim encounter deck.
Finally, flip this setup card over and place it next to the quest deck. Its effects remain active throughout the game, which is now ready to begin.
No more than 4 progress can be placed on the current quest each round.
Creature enemies get +1
Goblin enemies get +1
It was still ajar, but a goblin had pushed it nearly to. Bilbo struggled but he could not move it. –The Hobbit
4
3
5
Forced: If Wicked Wolf is dealt a shadow card with a riddle, the defending player must exhaust a character he controls.
Shadow: Return attacking enemy to the staging area after this attack.
3
4
5
Bilbo's Magic Ring does not ready during the refresh phase.
Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +1 (+3 instead if Bilbo's Magic Ring is exhausted.)
Forced: Each time a resource is spent or discarded, raise each player's threat by 1.
Shadow: Deal attacking enemy 2 additional shadow cards for this attack.
Travel: Deal 3 damage to each ready character. The first player may spend up to 3 resources to reduce the damage dealt to each character by 1 for each resource spent.
Riddle: The first player names a card title, shuffles his deck, and discards the top 5 cards. For each card that matches, place 1 progress on stage 2.
When Revealed: Discard 2 resources from Bilbo Baggins's resource pool, or Gollum makes an attack against Bilbo Baggins.
Riddle: The first player names a sphere, a cost, and a card type, shuffles his deck, and discards the top 3 cards. For each card that matches all three items, place 1 progress on stage 2.
When Revealed: Attach We Hates It! to Gollum. (Counts as a Condition attachment with the text: "If the players are on stage 3, Gollum gets +2 .")
Riddle: The first player names a Trait, shuffles his deck, and discards the top card. For each card that has at least 1 matching Trait, place 1 progress on stage 2.