|
|
|
|
|
Table of Contents You are here: Urban -City Wilderness Coastal/Aquatic Desert Forest Hills Mountains "Other" Plain/Steppes Swamp/Jungle Urban Dungeons Ruins Village The Other Sections Help!NPCs Start Ups |
City
Encounters Collection of VERY short descriptionsHere's a bunch of REAL short descriptions of adventure ideas that work well in a city:
Ethnic CleansingSome locals are being murdered - some of high standing, some common folk. The local Assassin's Guild is carrying out the executions, under order from a secret cult of half-elvan fanatics. Investigation will reveal that all of those killed were half-orc, although no one knew it, most of the time. The cult despises the idea of orcs defiling the human heritage they share. Demon or not Demon, that is the questionA rumour that a local priest of high standing is a demon. He's not, but if your players are like mine, they beat every rumour to death, especially if it's demonic. The priest will hear of their investigation, and may even start worrying and acting suspiciously: this may lead the players on even more.No Honour among ThievesThe captain of the guard is in the employ of the thieves guild. When the guild receives an item he really wants, he sets up an elaborate system to get it. He arrests the PCs on false or trumped up charges (a good way to get them introduced), then offers them absolution if they do him a favour. He wants them to infiltrate the thieves guild by a secret back door and find out some info on some item that will be showing up soon. When the PCs get through the sewers to the guild, the captain's men will frame them for a robbery that just took place. The players escape the angry thieves, but get captured by the town guard. Along the way they have picked up enough clues to figure out what has gone on, but they can't prove it. So they must escape from jail and go confront the captain as he is leaving town with the item. After this excitement, the PCs don't have much choice to become roving adventurers, since the thieves guild wants their heads.Fortress of the SenderThis works best with a party that contains a thief. The party is in the capital city of Gunthenor for the first time. It is usually appropriate for thieves to visit or register with the local guild. Alternately, a member of the guild may seek them out, make friends and then later try to steer them with a tip if the party is looking for an adventure or work.The guild master (or new friend), Nelbin, should eventually meet up with the party. He isn't someone to be totally trusted, although this has to be discovered over time. He isn't evil, just has his own agenda. He is or has been a thief at some point in his life. He doesn't relate all he knows and tries to paint a picture of a ruthless baron practically kidnapping his friend. He doesn't want to tell the party too much, because if captured they won't know anything. He is concerned that the baron might become proactive if he finds out that someone is trying to check up on him. Nelbin relates the following:
(What's your friends name?) Leafloc, an elf and a good archer. [a good thief too] (Where exactly is it?) An associate of mine, Prelenna, can act as a guide. She is a good guide, but not much of a fighter. She will take you to the keep, but will not enter. This tale is full of half-truths. The baron worries the guild and Nelbin in particularl. The baron has risen to power in a remote area, the wild woods of the Northlands. Information and intelligence on him is limited. Nelbin knows he likes to stay secluded, but has allies within the governmental hierarchy. He has shun any contact with the guild. Attempts to contact him have gone unanswered, sometimes the messenger doesn't return. The baron has a strong hold on his territory and works both sides of the legal fence. He conducts raids on some towns or trade routes, while others are protected. No one is aware of any of this. Nelbin first met the baron [he thinks] face to face after he was captured after infiltrating the barons main [he thinks] fortress. He was sneaking around inside the fortress when something landed at his feet. Whatever it was caused the immediate area to go completely silent. He turned and saw a man with bright yellow eyes at the end of the hallway staring at him. Then he heard strange words in his mind that he recognised as some kind of spell, soon after he fell fast asleep. When he awoke he was imprisoned. Nelbin is a Good thief and was finally able to escape. Over time he was able to collect enough pieces of scrap metal to create a crude pick. He then slunk in the shadows of night until he reached a small store room. There he was able to create a secret/false hole in one wall and make his escape. Unbeknownst to Nelbin is that the baron is of a strange race called the Senders [ see below ]. Nelbin also doesn't realise that his run in was with the barons only son. The stronghold is in the wilderness of the north. This particular stronghold is not the barons main quarters, but merely one of several outposts. The baron is known to maintain patrols over a large area. What is not known is that the baron maintains odd alliances. The fortress is currently being guarded by a band of goblins. In other areas the baron has employed humans, mercenaries, orcs, and even an ogre or two. He tries to keep racial skirmishes to a minimum by separating races where he can. As far as the baron knows, his prisoner is a poor thief he caught investigating. The Sender at this particular outpost turns out not to be the baron, but the barons only son. The guards at his outposts are well fed and organised. Usually reporting to a human captain. The structure is a 2 story keep, two guard towers in the front with a battlement that runs across the front and halfway down the east/west sides. There are few windows. The front battlement covers a small courtyard that doubles as a small stable area. Oil holes and an arrow slit over the centre aid in the defence of larger scale assaults. If they have hot oil prepared is up to you. Tree cover makes it reasonably easy to approach. Size of the structure and the number of guards is dependent on how strong the party is and how difficult the rescue is intended to be. The storage room is located in a back corner, there is some shrubbery and undergrowth in front of the hole. The stairs in the middle of the structure give an idea of where the stairs leading down to the jail area are. Obviously the inside needs to be detailed. If a full lower level is desired it can also be detailed. +----( )-------( )----| |----( )------( )------+ | | | | | tower | battlement area | tower | |__________| _ _ _ _ _|_ _ _|_ _ _ _ _ |___________| | | | | | | | | | b. a. b. a. | | | | | ^ ^ v | | v | | | _ _ _ _ _| | _ _ _ _ _ | | | | | | | | | | | | |_| | | |_| | |___ |-| | | | |-| | |SR| | | | | +x---( )----------------------------------( )------+ If the party is able to make the break out and escape, but does not kill the Sender, they hear as they are making their break: "My father the baron will be greatly angered by this...." Villains The Senders A race of humans that have the gift of limited telepathy. They can speak to humans and most intelligent humanoids using their mind. The recipient can hear the Senders thoughts as if they were clearly spoken in their native language. The Senders can not read a persons thoughts, just place their thoughts as if spoken. Senders have a minimum of Good intelligence. It is unknown if the Senders are a separate race, or a human mutation. The Senders ten to have been either leaders of men or persecuted by the fearful. Missing Person FilePCs are sent to search for the one man who can help with a problem.Assassins at Pumpkin timeAt a costume party there is an assassin, and the party must find him/her before the baron arrives at midnight.My god is more omnipotent then your god...A third religion is trying to start a religious war between two others. The PCs are the only ones in the position to recover stolen property and practice diplomacy to prevent this.Crime warA huge underworld crime war is brewing, and the PCs cannot help but choose sides when they see the damage being done.SuccessionThe king has passed on with no clear successor, and factions strive to fill the throne with friends. Meanwhile, outside forces threaten, and it is up to the PCs to fix things up.On the RunThis adventure was originally created to bridge the retirement of some rather munchkinish high-level characters with a starting party. The players had been playing good characters for a long time, and wanted to try evil. This is the result, and IMHO it turned out quite well. If you need an intro for a new party with evil characters this may work:A group of high-level good characters arrives in a town known for its seedy- side. In short order, they end up wiping out the Thieves' Guild, Assassins' Guild, and all the evil temples and magic schools there. They also replace the former puppet government. As this is going on, the new characters (who were members of those guilds, temples and schools) escape. (It is possible that some of the characters are friends or relatives tagging along - this allows for some non-evil characters in the group.) This is where the adventure begins - with them "on the run" from overwhelming forces. They join up after fleeing from the city. Where do they go? They aren't prepared for overland adventures or the dangers beyond the city walls. Yet returning to the city means possible capture by the new government. Rewards are being offered, so former contacts might very well turn them in. The party may resort to stealing some horses and equipment. After a while, some bounty hunters will pick up their trail. It is easy to turn some of these bounty hunters into recurring characters that almost catch them between various adventures. (In the original campaign, one known as The Inspector was always hot on their trail. The players never realized he was just an illusionist using his spells to appear as a large garrison tracking them down.) With prices on their heads, the party will need to be extra cautious when dealing with shopkeepers who will eagerly turn them in for a quick profit. All those things that good characters normally take for granted now pose huge risks for this group. The surrounding territory is heavily populated by humanoids and other beasts which makes escape from the city quite difficult. Just because they may have a common enemy doesn't make these creatures any less likely to view the fleeing party as food. If they do make deals with the monsters, word of this may get back to the city further ruining their reputations. As the characters become more powerful, their names and faces will appear on wanted posters in the towns they visit. Other adventurers may also try to track them down to make a name for themselves. Rumors of the party's evil-doings can get wildly exaggerated to the point that orders for their capture keep coming from higher places of office and further away. From a DM stand-point, it is easy to convert and use any common adventure type with this ongoing plot. For example, instead of the typical dungeon-delve, the party explores and secures a new hideout. Instead of guarding the caravan, they attempt to steal goods from it undetected. Many DM's will likely have a blast converting parts of their old adventures for this one... Port of Death (The Plague: Part 1)The party hears rumors of a plague that is ravaging a nearby seaport. No healing methods have been successful at treating its effects. Some say it may be the result of a magical curse while others suggest that it is a plague sent by the gods.Obviously, the party probably will need to be lured into the city - possibly some of them have relatives there, or they are hired by someone to rescue family members from the city. (Otherwise, they might just as well stay away to avoid contracting it themselves!) As they approach, they encounter a few of the dying attempting to flee from the city. They have lost motor skills, they sweat profusely and are completely disoriented - hallucinating. As they die, the party's efforts to help them will be unsuccessful. It is interesting to note that the farms just outside of the port city have been mostly untouched, with only a few young males that frequented the city having been afflicted. In the town, the party will encounter more plague victims. Most seem to be from the seedier parts of town, but there are also a number of high-ranking officials and shopkeepers that have died. With the number of dead bodies piling up, there have been a number of problems such as giant rats and ghouls feeding on the dead along with the problems of burying them all. (These can be turned into mini-adventures.) As the party investigates, they learn that the plague started within the last month. None of the clerics or healers have found a way to treat the dying. Plus, spells that raise the dead don't even bring them back. Priests are convinced that this is a sign, and that "The gods are punishing us." One of the main links appears to be money: many victims are thieves, harlots, shopkeepers and city officials while the poorer people in the same areas (beggars, workers, etc.) have been largely untouched. If they pursue this, they will learn of a mage in the port that believes this is due to some cursed coins being passed around the city. (He's wrong, but it can lead to some rather interesting side adventures.) While the records are a bit sketchy, the party will find that most of the early deaths occurred close to the docks, and have since spread throughout the rest of the city. The party will also discover that a few of the once popular taverns near the docks are fairly deserted. Many of the former patrons have been hit by the disease. If they check these places out, they will notice that one particularly rich-looking fellow frequents most of these places. He stops in, talks to a couple people briefly and then leaves. If watched carefully, he will be seen exchanging small pouches under the table with those people. He's was once a thief, but is now a rich drug-dealer. If confronted by the party, he will try to bribe them to leave him alone. If searched and then pressed about the drugs, he will reveal that he received a new type of drug "Drax" from a ship that arrived about a month ago. It has been a big seller for him, but recently a number of his distributors in the city have fallen victim to the disease. Thus, he has been forced to leave his fancy dwelling and go back onto the street to do the dealings in person again. He's been having to lower his price, for it seems that the drug's demand has been dropping off. (This is because the customers are dying, but he doesn't realize this.) His greed and low wisdom prevent him from making any kind of connection. If the party convinces him that the drug is causing the disease, he will be very upset and try to help them as best he can to avoid a certain death at the hands of the local officials and populace. (He is chaotic, but not evil.) He will turn over all the Drax he possesses and a fair amount of gold to the party. He will also provide them with the names of the ship and his contacts, but then he will attempt to slip out of town permanently. The drug does tremendous damage to the brain producing a spectacular high and hallucinations in the process. Eventually the entire brain is destroyed preventing any type of healing or raising from working. Note: If this adventure were placed in modern day, the characters would probably figure out the drug source very quickly. Staging it in a fantasy campaign creates many more "believable" dead ends for the investigation such as cursed coins or a god-sent plague. DM's should feel free to take advantage of this by possibly spinning off various mini-adventures before the true source is determined. Dragon Island (The Plague: Part 2)The party can bribe a dock agent to see a list of ships that arrived about a month ago. The ship identified by the dealer came from a small island. They will either be sent or feel obligated to put a stop to this operation. A ship can be hired to take them there. (DM's can use this as an opportunity for a sea battle with one or more of the drug-lords ships.)Drax is made from the dragon flower which is only found on Dragon Island. The drug-lords know its effects, and hope to use it to build income and at the same time wipe out the mainland population. The drug-lords are non-human but employ human operatives for distributing the drug. DM's are free to use whatever creatures would best fit the party and the campaign. Originally, this adventure was used for a low-to-mid level party and had ogre magi as the head of the operation with a number of humanoids (mostly hobgoblins) in their employment. For higher level parties, the head drug-lord could easily be a dragon. (This is Dragon Island after all.) The dragon flowers can be wiped out using a variety of methods. However, completely eliminating this species may be frowned on by any druids in the area, as the flower does have other beneficial uses and is quite beautiful. Faction WarThis is a non-linear adventure, good as a sideline for whenever the PC's happen to be home.The PC's are based in a large city. The city is basically composed of three sectors. Two of which are virtually lawless and the other is extremely well controlled. The law portion is extending outward and slowly taking over the other two sections. A faction war is taking place in the city. There are two opposing forces at war with each other (it could be a peasant/slave revolt, or a religious purge, or a supernatural invasion, or whatever.) The war expands steadily, more and more groups getting dragged into it and being forced to choose sides. An interesting twist would be for 2 groups that 2 different PC's belong be on different sides. Great chance for roleplaying here! The war could develop while the PCs are away, and upon return they get the opportunity to jump in. Think of it, the politics! The adventure! The intrigue! The danger! The chance to be hunted by one of the most powerful groups in the city/county/country/kingdom! Double-CrossThe PC's are hired to retrieve a family heirloom which was stolen from the family 5 years ago. The family has just found who now has the heirloom and want the PC's to steal it back. The current owner is the original thief and is an accepted member of the community. The theft must be done quietly so as not to attract attention as the familiy would lose social esteem if it was known that the object had been lost i.e. no questions asked in town etc. The current owner has a normal house with normal traps and precautions to protect this type of treasure, plus whatever skills or guards are required.After the theft has been performed, the object handed over and the PC's are still congratulating themselves on a job well done, reward posters go up around town for the return of the object, the thieves wanted dead or alive or the object returned and no questions asked. The PC's have been suckered, the object has ALWAYS belonged to the person they stole it from and they are forced to either flee the area (never to return), or to get it back again from the person they originally stole it for (probably a member of the local Thieves' Guild or similiar). The preferred method is to lead them toward stealing it back again (if they can break into the thieves' guild etc) as there are no other safe alternatives. If they are captured, no-one will believe them unless the PC's pay for a cleric to "Detect Lie" (very expensive under the circumstances) and no-one will mind if they are accidently killed while trying to retrieve the object. Last time I did this the object was a diamond tiara and used in royal coronations (one of which was due in 2 months). Nearly brought the whole political structure down. Large Hideous MonstersMostly huge, garishly colored slimy monsters have overrun the Eastmarch. Refugees are crowding into the city, and a large refugee camp by the north wall has been set up. The Temple of Osiris is advertising for adventurers.The monsters are all different. Even the occasionally recognizable monster is the wrong color, and they're mostly very underpowered. One refugee has been celebrated as a "Dragon Slayer", since he took out a huge, firebreathing beast with one blow of his yard rake. The tale definitely grew in the telling, but the man, "Lucky" Luke Sty-walker, former pig rancher, hasn't let it go to his head. After all, after he killed the "Dragon", a giant slug ate his house. On the other hand, there was the "killer bunny", that killed 6 sheepdogs and a wolf one night, right in the middle of town! It would have probably continued the rampage, except that it started to melt at sunrise (a Rarebit of luck, that.) Finding the source of these monsters is the quest, obviously, and this is not too difficult a task, as long as the adventurers don't get eaten. Nearly every monster has left a clear and obvious trail. The trails all converge on a stream bed. Near the headwater of the stream is a cave mouth. An idiot ogre couldn't miss the fact that major traffic has issued from it. Inside the cave mouth is a very standard set of caves, caverns and corridors, unique only in the fact that all of the normally expected cave denizens are absent from, or dead in, their lairs. One exception; the first side cave from the entrance has a very dead 12' cavebear, and a very cute, and hungry, cavebear cub (about 60 pounds). the cub is likely to attach itself to the first adventurer that doesn't hurt it. Like most Ursines, it is omnivorous. Monsters issue from the cave at about 5 per night (2d4/night), and come into being at the narrow end of the large cavern. Some don't even survive walking the length of the room, which provides the heartier monsters with a much needed snack. None of the monsters can eat anything terrestrial. Well, they can chew and swallow, but not derive sustenance. During the 12 phases of the creation, a light can be seen coming from "somewhere else". Careful attention will reveal that this `light' seems to be coming from a desk lamp. Also visible is a desk with a hunched- over "dwarf" in outlandish garb (actually, it's a kid in a striped T- shirt). Anyone stepping into the circle of light will be transported into a 12'x15' basement room filled with strange and wonderous objects, most of which will not function properly if brought back to the "real world". On the desk are the kid's `lucky dice', which are powerful magic items, and radiate magic strongly (noticed on 11-, 8- by spellcasters). These dice create monsters if rolled 12 times. The monsters appear in whichever universe the dice are NOT in. the Dice can be easily destroyed in either plane, but that destruction will close the trans-dimensional door that is in the basement behind the desk (which is also obvious to most adventurers.) While the door is open, anyone leaving the room will be transported to their own world. Also, magic and technology both work in the basement room only (and in the cave). A Dangerous One Night StandSetting: Town with 1 or more tavern's, meeting places, etc. Target is male Pc.A Pc is on the make, ie. looking for love. A woman comes in and looks over the place and picks one of the Pc's. She grabs 'em and asks him to come back to his place. They get into a very nice coach. If the Pc asks any questions about the woman's background she'll say that she is a wealthy widow (she is lying!). One into the carriage she becomes all hands. Once home, a nice large mansion, she ignores the servants strange looks and drags Pc up to the bedroom where a night of passion will commence. The punch line: The lady is really the wife of mayor/prominent community leader/miliary leader/etc who has been cheating on her. She's out to get revenge! The night with the Pc is the method of her choosing! In the morning the servants, who do their best to ignore the Pc's presence, will come in and straighten up. They will fold the clothes and bring breakfast. In the middle of breakfast the husband will come home. The wife will get out of bed and start throwing their freshly folded clothes all over the bedroom. Mean while, one of the servants will tell the husband that his wife has company! The husband will charge into the bedroom and try to kill the Pc. This will be occurring while the wife is saying to her husband, "Serves you right for cheating on me!", "He was much better than you", "Oh! I never new what I was missing until last night", etc. This causes the husband to go into blind rage causing him to not fight up to this full potential. Options: The Pc can try to fight if he gets his weapon. Once this occurs the husband will calm down and fight to the best of his ability. If the Pc does kill or wound the husband the wife will attack the Pc. She really still loves the husband (all well as a few other women!) and will try to protect him. At this point the Pc becomes just a tool for her revenge. She does not care what happens to him.... Flee!!!! The husband will chase the Pc into the streets and then stop saying that he'll get revenge! Either situations can cause a man hunt for the Pc. The city guards will be brought into the situation. If caught, you can toss 'em jail, strip them of $$'s and items, etc. If they flee the town, bring this sub-plot back into play every time they return to the town. Or send mercs. after the Pc's party to bring back the one Pc to "justice". Have fun with this one. Make 'em pay for fooling around with out thinking too much! 8^). The MapThe PC's find a map to an abandoned underground lair - including some description of the resident of the lair. They recognise the resident and know that he is long dead (perhaps a high level MU). The map details the caverns to a great extent (perhaps leaving out some key rooms). The map also neglects to mention the many traps set throughout the lair - or perhaps mentions one or two giving the PC's a false sense of security. As for monsters, are undead boring? They still be around from the MU's days. Perhaps rodents, snakes, spiders as well. For the main villain a wight or perhaps a very minor demon (trapped on this plane with the appropriate wards - "You have entered a room with a large circle engraved on the floor. You notice this circle because it lights up as the fighter walks into it. The room suddenly becomes very dark and you hear a low growling laughter."). Or perhaps the MU is not dead, only very old and quite insane - thus maybe he has neglected to memorise his higher level spells and sits quietly on his throne waiting to die (thus not such a formidable opponent). Or perhaps his last opponent turned him into an ogre or a doppelganger or whatever you want (maybe using divine intervention to end his spell casting ability).The Renegade WizardThe party is hired by the local Mage Guild to find and capture (and/or kill) a renegade wizard who is breaking Guild laws (selling magic items to criminals, assassinating the previous Guildmaster, attempting to assassinate the current Guildmaster, etc.). Local law enforcement is not involved because the Guild likes to solve its problems internally.The House of Raushof GollenbacherA noble requests the party to investigate a spook house he rents in a town. They are to locate, identify, and banish the source of the odd sounds, sights, smells, or whatever. For this, they will be paid handsomely, since the noble likes the apartment's location as a perfect "incognito" kind of place.Meet Your EnemiesIn a big classy town that the PC's have reason to go to every once in a while (I have it set in a city near a paladin training center) is an even classier restaurant called Chez Ralph. It's about as nice a restaurant as you could possibly have. Waiters check on you every minute or so, there's a string quartet playing in the background, and glasses of water ("Mineral water, imported from halfway around the world" is what they tell you, and they're telling the truth) cost around 20 gp.Besides being a wonderful place to have players dump some cash, it's also Soap Opera City. The bizarrest people show up there, at the same time the PCs are there - but since nobody wants to make a scene, the whole feeling is very tense. Old girlfriends, major enemies, spies, polymorphed dragons, you name it, end up eating there - and usually with each other. This requires a lot of continuity in the game. Most games couldn't support the type of background and tension Chez Ralph requires. You need long-term NPCs that the PCs have come to hate - and put them here, where you just can't DO anything about them! Caravan RaidsThis plot can be used to get the party together.During the last few weeks, the characters have been hearing rumors of bandit raids on caravans travelling the In addition to the caravan raids, several minor officials and merchants have been kidnapped and ransomed. The bandits are well informed, leading the local authorities to believe they may have an informant in their midst. Also a local minor cleric of the temple of [insert local good deity here] has vanished without a trace. Some member of the party is contacted by the local government's intelligence organization (preferably one that makes sense. I have a rogue/spy/courier in my group). They are tasked with gathering a group of adventurers to scout out the bandits and locate their lair. They are not to engage the bandits, as the city government is planning a full scale attack. They are also given some appropriate amount of money to give the characters incentive. The group gathered is not to know they are working for the local government. Let the player devise a cover story. At the same time, a cleric/paladin character (hopefully of the same temple as the one above) is contacted by the head of their order, and instructed to find out what happened to the vanished cleric. For a more twisted plot, have a party thief in the group be contacted by the local guild, and told about a supposed government expedition to find the bandits. Instruct the player to join the party and sidetrack/stop them if possible. Behind the scenes, the bandits are actually not as powerful as it seems. It just so happens that the band's wizard has developed/found a more powerful version of the sleep spell, which allows the bandits to gain a great initial advantage. Furthermore, they are working with the local thieves' guild to plan their attacks and are sharing the profits with the guild. In return, the guild provides information and fences goods for the bandits. The thieves' guild would be most upset if their safe and profitable arrangement is disturbed. Who is Who?The party uncovers a plot to replace high-ranking officials with exact lookalikes (shapechangers). Nice little conspiracy theory action. Which one of your trusted patrons is really an evil doppleganger? Who can you trust? Who will believe you? Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean someone ISN'T out to get you.Bandit chase for a fistful of taxes...This scenario is designed for lower level characters, however it could be modified to suit higher level groups. The campaign setting is low magic, and powerful magic in the hands of the group will make this more difficult to run. This takes place in and around a small city in the center of a large rural agricultural area. There are several small hamlets and villages within a few days ride of the city.The party is sitting in their favorite bar/temple feeling bored when the pounding of hooves and the shouts of guards draws their attention outside. Just as they make it out the door, they see a large group (15 or so) of armed riders charge out the nearby city gate, pursued by a small number of city guardsmen. The guardsmen return shortly, and if the players inquire, they can discover that the local tax collector was just robbed and this year's revenue from the annual sheep tax was stolen. Within an hour or so, a guard captain should start visiting various taverns, announcing a generous reward for the return of the strongbox. The characters should notice that there is little interest among the locals to pursue the fleeing tax monies. Questioning locals will reveal that the thief is a well known bandit that has plagued the town from time to time, He has a fairly nasty reputation and has killed at least 8/10/14/22 men (depending on who you talk to. 6 is the real number). Once the group decides to actually go for the raiders, they should have little trouble following the trail. It leads straight across country for several days riding. If the characters are familiar with the area, they will realize the trail is leading to a tiny village nearby. Sometime before reaching the village, the party should lose the trail when crossing a river. further efforts to pick it up should prove to be very difficult. Hopefully the party will head into the village. The party should arrive in the village near dusk and find it to be very deserted looking. The only building that shows any light is the small fortified tavern at the far end of the village. The tavern is a two story affair, with rooms above a common area on the first floor. If they go in, they will find only the tavern keeper standing behind the bar. He will appear to be nervous and occasionally dart glances in the back room behind the bar. He will claim to have seen no strangers in town and try to get rid of the party with the "we close in 5 minutes" bit. Should the characters check the back room, over the barman's protests, they'll discover 3 bandits holding the barman's wife at knifepoint. The bandits will threaten the barman's wife and one of them will whistle loudly. In short order several more bandits will appear from upstairs and a few more will enter through the back door. Finally a group of 8 or more will enter through the front door, dragging the unconscious body of anyone that was watching outside. The leader of the bandits is in this last group. He is a rather twitchy looking fellow, armed with a rather large bastard sword and chainmail. The rest of the bandits are in either leather, scale or chain. Most are armed with broadswords and short bows. The bandit leader is mid-level fighter (or high enough that the party will not succeed in taking him out without help). Most of the bandits should be low level fighters or thieves. There is at least one with some knowledge of magic. All told there are 15 bandits plus a leader. Quite a group, but they don't look like much. Should the players decide to fight, they should be quickly and mercilessly pummelled into unconsciousness. This is the ideal course ;) Should they not fight, the bandits will chose one or two characters to rough up with the goal of starting a fight. The characters will be prevented from leaving, and eventually, a fight will start. The characters will wake several hours later with aching heads and bruised bodies. The bandits will be long gone. As each wakes, they will discover that any valuables they had have been stolen. They will also notice 2 strangers in the inn. The first stranger is a lean, hardbitten, cold eyed human wearing dusty riding clothes and a suit of elvan chain. Slung over his shoulder is a bastard sword with a rather unusual blade (dwarven steel, +2 damage due to hardness/sharpness, non-magical). The second is a tall, broad shouldered elf, carrying a huge long bow (probably not anyone in the group that could string it, much less fire it). He is dressed as a noble and looks somewhat out of place. A glance outside will reveal that the characters horses are still there, and there are two large well kept riding horses there as well. The strangers will be very reluctant to discuss themselves. The human in fact will not give his name. They will ask about the bandits and try to obtain all information they can from the party about their movements. They will head out after the bandits once they have gotten all the info they can from the group. Should the group suggest an alliance, the pair will resist, but will eventually be convinced to let the party tag along. They will make it clear that they are in charge and the bandit leader is theirs to kill/capture. The bandits trail should be clear from the village, and the party will quickly realize that the bandits are headed for an abandoned orchard and farmhouse that lies a days ride away. The party will arrive at the farmhouse and quickly discern that the bandits are there. There are about 20 horses tied up in the barn and sounds of a large group coming from the remains of the farm house. The elf will vanish into the trees near the farm and the sword slinging human will start into the farmhouse. The party should be forced to act quickly. In any case, mayhem will soon start, as the sword swinger heads straight for the bandit leader, who immediately attacks. The other bandits will spread out and a general melee should ensue. The sword swinger will concentrate on the leader, and the bowman hidden in the woods will do the same should the chance arise, otherwise he will pick off bandits. The party should have their hands full with the rest of the bandits. Should the party prove successful, they will find the tax chest intact (magically sealed), and the two strangers will show no interest in it. They will instead pack the now dead bandit leader and several of his followers onto horses and leave without a word. Should the party inquire, they will be informed that there is a bounty offered for bandit in some nearby city. They will refuse a share of the reward money. The adventure will hopefully end with the party returning the tax chest, the strangers collecting the rewards on the bandits, and everyone happy. Note that the players will find most of their stolen belongings as well. Behind the scenes: The sword swinging stranger should be a mid-level fighter. He has the advantage of being very dexterous and very practiced with his sword. In my campaign, he fought as a fighter 2 levels above his current level with his bastard sword. Also in the first round of combat he always gets the first swing. He has the disadvantage of being non-proficient with any other weapon. The elvan bowman is also mid-level fighter with the additional advantage of having a good dexterity and maximum elvan strength. His bow is a custom design which adds strength bonuses to damage. He gets an additional attack per round with the bow, and is non-proficient with any other weapon. The bandit leader is specialised in bastard sword. He has the benefit of a good strength and constitution. He is also somewhat insane and enjoys killing. Motivation: The strangers are both bounty hunters with personal grudges to settle as well. The sword slinger's wife was raped and killed by the bandit leader, and the elf's father was killed by him. Also the reward for the bandit and several of his band adds up to 3 times the amount offered for the return of the chest. Side Plots: The players get involved in bounty hunting via the two strangers. Someone tries to stop the players from reaching the city with the chest. One or both of the strangers are sorely wounded and the party decides to help them out. References: For more info on the strangers and the bandits, watch "For a Few Dollars More" with Clint Eastwood ;) StalemateThe group has come to a city of which half has been taken over by orcs. The humans still control the other half. This stalemate has lasted for approximately 2 weeks with occasional border penetrations by each side into the opposing half (guerilla raids, party loves 'em, 2sp/head!).But things have changed for the better/worse. An army from the north, in an attempt to make good on the city/kingdom's problems, has sailed into town. They wiped out the mercenaries guild (the only opposing force) and stated that all people were now citizens of the new empire and they would be rid of the orc menace within two weeks. Everyone has been drafted into the militia. What is really bizarre about the army is that it consists of all sorts of races (human, elf, 1/2 elf, etc), all speak a common tongue, they are VERY well organized yet are individuals. (Everyone has personal weapons, armor, etc.) The party can decide what to do. They may not like the idea of being drafted into the militia to be used as fodder (for an empire they don't belong to) to rid the town (that they are only visiting) of the menace. However, it WILL provide for some good roleplaying trying to explain to the new invaders why the group should (or rather wants) to remain together. The plus is that after the orcs are gone, the militia wil be disbanded (or so the invaders say) and the members will be free to go on their way as citizens of the new empire (more lands to visit). The other bonus is that the party may be able to get ahold of a little of the recaptured territory. Bring in (temple) auditorsA local temple has been generally lax and living it up, not actually doing much work in the way of religion. One of the PCs knows someone in this temple - is asked to do a favour. The major temple of the same religion is sending round a small group to "inspect" all the little provincial places. The report will be both a financial one (audit) and a load of interviews with the congregation. If the report gets done properly (ie truthfully) all the priests are in big trouble.What the PCs are asked to do is to help alter the way the report gets done. The problem is that a report has to get done, that killing the visitors is a massive no go, and that the PCs are going to have to alter the perception of the temple and the surroundings without the visitors realising. In the version we ran, the PCs got a hand from the priests in that the priests took care of the congregation (by buying them all drinks etc) and the party only had to deal with the visitors. They did this by finding out some background (5 visitors), and then seducing 2, getting 1 blind drunk, bribing one, and blackmailing the last. Thus the report was written by the right people, and no- one's suspicions were raised. A Missing Heir (AD&D.com)The PC's are traveling to a major city, housing the main temple to a high standing church. On the way they are ambushed by three to six bandits or so.They can be of whatever level or skill the DM chooses, but the players should be able to defeat them without too much trouble, but still get dinged up in the process. If the PC's take a prisoner, then they might be able to influence him to take them to their hideout--an old abandoned watch tower a few miles into the woods. They might be able to find some nice treasures. On the leader they will find a brass necklace with a strange twisted symbol, and will also find that the leader has a extremely expensive and ornate sword. The players will obviously take this, and should for the adventure to work. When the PCs reach the city, then they learn rumors that a high standing lord, high in the church hierarchy, has had his ten year old son abducted. A detachment of royal guards sees that the players have the sword (which really belongs to the lord) and ask them (or force them) to accompany them to the church. They take him before the lord and they discover that the lord's stepson was believed to have abducted his true heir, also escaping with the sword. The bandit leader was in fact the lord's stepson. If he is still alive (escaped or the players left him tied up if they were not the slaughtering types) then they can return him (preferably alive, but acceptable if dead) for a reward. (and of course the lord will want his sword back, which is a +2 magical weapon. If the players apprehend the stepson efficiently, the lord hires them to find his missing heir. They will have to question the stepson and other person's involved if they are still alive, and do some probing around in the lords manor (the DM can think up details, but don't make it too difficult. When they start making headway on the investigation, they are attacked in the street by black-robed clerics with magical picks 1d4+1. If these picks even touch bare skin, the character must role a save vs. magic or suffer 1d4 points a round until cured with a Curse Disease spell. If the hitpoints fall to zero then the character only falls unconscious. They loose one point of constitution an hour until it reaches zero and they die. If they are cured then they regain a point of Con a day. If they kill the clerics, then the discover they wear necklaces identical to the one the lord's stepson wore. The necklaces are the symbol to an evil order of spell casters (mages, priest, and their henchmen) and they magically serve to protect the wearer from the touch of the disease-enchanted items of the order. They also serve to locate each other. Priests and mages above fifth level in the order, can sense each other when they wear these. Which could add some complications for the players if they wear them. If they have any mage of cleric identify the necklaces, they will learn its powers, and the identifier will be able to sense a large concentration of the order half a day's journey away from the city at an abandoned temple. To basically sum it up, the evil order is attempting to sacrifice the lord's son to their god during a holy night that will increase their power and doom the church based in the city. Many things could happen now. The players can rush in a save the day, maybe with the help of some of the lord's troops, and gain a huge reward... Whatever you do, give the players a chance to save the heir, but also make it a huge challenge. If they fail to stop the sacrifice, it doesn't necessarily mean they are dead. When I used this adventure, the character's success depended on an initiative roll. They failed, and the heir was sacrificed. It turned out that the Second hand Priest of the church participated in the ceremony, and the evil order invaded the city through ancient hidden tunnels, and took the whole church, capital, and palace. Basically, they took the whole city. The lord died as well and the players got to keep his sword. I took this little adventure and even turned it into a huge campaign, where the forces of the church had to flee from the capital, and seek help from other nations to regain the city. The evil order was also in league with a nation of orc's in the north that had been warring with the nation for years. The order would weaken the nation, while the orcs rushed into attack. In exchange, the orcs would give the leader of the evil order a powerful artifact that they possessed, which could cause major problems for the players latter on... Of course, the DM can take this wherever he wants, and there are plenty of options and other adventures that can spring from this. Hope you like it. Trick or Treat (AD&D.com)The Party somehow (up to DM) ends up in small city. A noble notices them and asks them to clear out a local mine. It is apparently full of niggling little monsters but it turns out to be full of much much more....Protect the AmbassadorThe PCs are sent with an ambassador to another country to protect him and do his bidding. There may be some espionage, rescuing, downright bullying, etc. Could make a nice medieval special operations background.October Fest (AD&D.com)PC's discover secret information marked "The Days of Chaos". Evidence points to the existence of an underground organization working towards a downfall of organized life as we know it. Plant evidence in houses of powerful NPCs, making it harder to get every adventure to get it, and, after 2 or 3 sessions, spring the trap; PCs are invited to a ball at which the Prince(ss) King (Queen) or Emperor (Empress) will attend!! Then they get to hear that the Oktoberfest is starting as of today! To make the joke a little less harsh, throw in a couple of magical items. (The evidence should be suspicious, but should also point to a big party, such as Octoberfest).Fake property (AD&D.com)A merchant in the town is offering property for pennies on the dollar. If the characters buy a plot, it turns out to be non-existent (50%) or unusable (25%) such as a swamp, or having a curse (5%), or being ancestral land (10%), or containing any treasure the DM wants to give away (10%)The Robbed MagesAfter a rash of thefts from wizards in the Guild, the PCs are hired to catch the perpetrators. They could be other mages, three dozen halfling thieves, demons, or even time travelers. PCs need to figure out who might get hit next, how to catch the criminals, who are they, etc.The lost sword of Palaodrin (AD&D.com)The characters find an old scroll which describes a city called Palaodrin. In it, it says that the city had ties to the magics of the universe, as it was in the very center of the prime material plane. Surprise! After a lot of research, the characters find out that [pick a city in your campaign] is right on top of the old city of Palaodrin. If the characters explore [the city that is listed above]'s sewers, they eventually will discover the sword of Palaodrin. Make up a bunch of stats for it, find the original stats for it on the net, or I can send you mine if you ask for them.Princess trapped in tall castle (AD&D.com)PCs hear of a princess or some damsel in distress (NOTE: I am not implying that women are not capable of escape. For those so inclined, replace damsel with Hunk) The tall tower cannot be climbed and there is no way to scale it. There is one window on top. The PCs must consult many sages to discover rumors that the damsel/hunk has long hair. (like in the classic story of Rapunzel.) This adventure can have a villain to defeat before the damsel's rescue, but it is mainly intended for DMs who have players who do not like to use sages and never remember about them until too late. I used this adventure to help my players use sages, as they were not doing so.Unknown ProtectionYou are assigned to protect a person, but don't let them know you're protecting them. Defer to them in all things, but don't let them know you're deferring to them.The Queen's BeauThe Queen's beau (a very handsome knight-errant or something) is missing and he was last seen in a tavern at the edge of town. The PC's are the people who were determined to have useful information, after a lengthy interview/screening by the Queen's Marshall-General, etc. They set out to find him, since it is thought he is in grave danger.Daggers' TearsThis dungeon is made for low to mid-level characters with at least one mage and maybe one thief. The characters are summoned by the local lord to take a look into the murders that are happening in town. Parents are being killed and children are being orphaned. The players can investigate any place they wish in town. The only clue at each murder is a dagger with the hilt being the shape of a baby with a tear in it's eye. If the players question the children, they will see that the kids are not sad. They tell the players they have no idea who did this deed, but they are glad that someone has. If the players persist, they find out that the children all have something in common. They were abused.Looking into the dagger, they can interview the blacksmiths of town. After many interviews they come across the lord's blacksmith. He finally admits that the daggers are being created by the commander of the high guards. Gortoth. When the players approach Gortoth, he denies everything. That night another murder happens which proves his innocence. The players can wait for another order of daggers to be made or they can scan the town during the night. Either way it will be many murders and many nights before they can find him. The secret is to ask, "How is he getting info about all these kids?" Another thing they have in common is they all go to the same church. The players can then question the priest of the church. When approached, he gets VERY nervous. Its obvious that this is the man. If interrogated or spells are used, they will find out that he is working with a thief. The thief is going in disguise and purchasing the daggers. He uses them to kill parents that abuse their children, who the cleric finds out from the children while they are in school. Both men are brothers who were abused as well. The thief killed their parents causing them to be split up when young. Good mystery dungeon. If your players like fights, throw a few bar brawls in the campaign. The Dragon and the GateFour dragons (one blue and three greens) have banded together to increase their wealth. They (gasp) spent it on various magical weapons and defences and then attacked and took over a port city. Now they've removed all laws, taxing everything. All the good folk have escaped, and some are running a resistance force. Of course, there's a catch. The blue dragon's been possessed by a lower planar being, and is opening a gate...Wolf in Sheep's ClothingA demon (e.g. Cambion demon) has taken the shape of a respected member of the community (using polymorph self) and, masking his true alignment, shape and abilities, is slowly spreading death and terror in the city.The PC's are hired (as special agents by ??) to find the perpetrator and capture/kill them before it gets even more out of control. The demon is able to change shape easily and hence occasionally changes to take the form of one of its victims to throw off the scent. Its sole purpose is to cause disruption and Chaos (or was it brought here by someone for other reasons and escaped or was turned loose ?). The Bankrupt AlchemistAn alchemist hires the party to recover a shipment of supplies that was hijacked enroute. If he doesn't get them back, he faces bankruptcy.ChimneysThere's a killer on the loose in town. Someone (something?) is killing people and stuffing them down chimneys and fireplace flues. People find out when they light their morning fires and the smoke backs up. No visible wounds. Is it poisoning? Demons? Rabid Santa Claus?The CrucibleSome guy off the street comes up to a character and wants to buy an object they carry (a sword? helmet? shield?). He offers to pay with a small marble crucible.CalculusSome sages in the city come up with a new higher-order mathematics which they say is very useful for describing natural phenomena. The local church immediately denounces it as unholy and sacrilege.The False VampireThe party is on some sort of extended vacation, staying in an inn/bar. A frequent visitor is a tall, dark, suave, charming man dressed in formal evening wear, accompanied by a different woman every time. He comes in every 2nd or 3d night. He always orders bloody marys and doesn't drink them. He is quite wealthy and very pleasant. There is something almost magnetic about him. He has fascinating eyes. (DM should do everything he can to make it believable that he could be a vampire, despite the unusual setting (city)).Either he charms (charm gaze) a female party member and takes her away, or a beautiful dancer comes in looking for her missing sister, who was last seen coming to this bar with the tall,dark gentleman. She tries to convince a party member to help her look for her sister being seductive about it. Both are eventually charmed by the Gentleman. In any case, make a party member disappear into this Gentleman's lair. He has a gothic style house in a nice part of town. There is nothing obviously amiss here. If the party asks around, this guy is a pillar of society, a kind, philanthropic fellow, well respected by his peers. He runs a magic shoppe. He is a mid-level wizard with a head for business, who gave up adventuring to start a business. His house looks just like a vampires house might look (black velvet curtains, etc). He has a private sanctuary inn his basement, the only entrance to which is a rune-encrusted door (trapped or enchanted in any way appropriate to the party). He supposedly has a chapel down there, but really has a large complex, where various vampiric rituals, and all- night parties take place. All of the missing people have been charmed into believing that they have been turned into slave vampires. They will aid their master if at all possible. The party must break in and forcibly take their companion away from this place. Again, make the evidence somewhat contradictory whether the Gentleman is a vampire or not. Most evidence should say yes, but make some things contradict this. The gentleman has a cursed ring of the vampire, a powerful evil artifact which makes him believe he is a vampire and gives him many of the powers of a vampire, as well as some of the drawbacks. Make him dislike things that cause a vampire harm, but don't make it obvious whether is works. Make him have a reflection, but have a dead vampire victim show up. Etc. At the end, have the party realize that he is not a vampire at all but rather is a cursed fellow with an intrinsically good nature. RumourA nasty personal rumour spreads about a PC. It's untrue, and quite nasty. Who started it? What implications will it have?Community serviceCharacter(s) get arrested for fighting/carrying weapons/some other obscure law, and instead of being thrown in jail they're forced to perform several says (weeks?) of community service:
Dyed in the woolAn accident where a quantity of brightly-colored dye gets poured all over one of the characters. Takes weeks to wear off.Pick PocketsCharacters should get their pockets picked more often when they're in cities. They're big and rich-looking, and they'll be constant targets. Non-stop. |
Wizards of the Tome by Mark Allen-WestI actually ran this campaign a couple of years ago using the Palladium
Fantasy Rules, but I'm altering the story so that it fits in better with
the 3E rules. The main storyline runs along the history of an artifact
called the Dragon's Crown. A truly evil device that, if used, can bend
the will of dragons to that of the possessor.
|