Start Ups

Starting the adventure. We are all guilty of, at one time or another, starting out the group "knowing each other from before . . . " How many times have you used the cliched "Tavern gambit"? Looking for something new? Look no further. Here is a collection of starting ideas and adventures that stray far from the tavern meeting.

The Accused	Get out!	An Ogre by any other name	Dungeon Crawl
Party Starter	Encounter	Encounter	Encounter
Encounter	Encounter	Encounter	Encounter

Accused

(This is an entire campaign, and begins with 1st level chars that have never met each other.)

Each PC is doing normal, everyday things (sword practice, study, drinking, etc) when he is arrested by the city police (knocked unconcious if they do not go peacefully). The PC's all end up in the same jail cell. The next day, they are brought to trial for the murder of some important official. They are convicted and sentenced to burn tomorrow. They are returned to their cell (stripped of all equipment) to await their execution.

The PC's have at least two escape paths: (more, if they're creative)

If they carefully search the cell, they can find a loose stone under a cot (everyone gets a 'concealed doors' roll) (and if they look, they will eventually find it: the odds are in their favor, if there are more than a few PC's). By falling through, they can drop into sewers, float to the exit, batter away the grate, and they are free.
Have a mage do something to the single guard (charm comes to mind immediately)

Once they are out, they must flee the city (if they try to stay, tell them the police have noticed their escape, and are beginning a house-to- house search. This information could come from a bartender or similar person.) They may wish to steal some equipment, or maybe a friend will provide them with weapons, urging them to run.

The PC's can travel either to the ocean (if they can capture a small vessel) or to the unexplored mountainous regions. There, they can gain experience and hide until they are ready to return, and find out who framed them for the murder. (It was the judge, or maybe another politician. After killing the victim, he planted evidence pointing to the PC's. The PC's may have been political opponents of him, or just randomly chosen.)

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Get Out of Town!!

To actually get characters together, I'll tell about another campaign I was running:

The original party went into the Temple of the Snake Demons (yuan-ti), where a couple of the characters died while cleaning the place out. They limped back to town to recover. While in town a couple of the slaves they had freed asked to join their rescuers. Dave was really unhappy playing a ranger, so I allowed him to restart with a mage. The ranger was found face down in an alley, obviously robbed. Seamus (I forget his character's name) was a thief who wanted to get in some practice, so he went to rob a house - incidentally, the house of Therat (Dave). He was captured, apparently blood-cursed, and released. He went back to his inn, where Ramirez (6'4" Moorish Blade (bard)) was sitting in the common room and thinking about joining a game of dice. This fellow coming through the door with a bloody and a rune drawn on his forehead in blood looked interesting, so Ramirez followed him and tried to talk his way into their (Seamus and Mike (warpriest)) room. He failed and was walking back to his table when the innkeeper passed him in the hall - obviously going to check on his guest. The different voice saying he was the innkeeper got Mike's attention - there was obviously something wrong. In order to protect his interests, Ramirez threw a dagger and killed the innkeeper.

Other events occurred that involved lots of running around, getting picked up by the guard (Seamus lost three sets of lockpicks to the guards in two days :), and being 'encouraged' by the Thieves Guild to leave town the party was high-tailing it for the hills - not to avoid the guard but to escape the guild - Ramirez killed one of the Guild representatives escorting Seamus out of town.

In short, arrange things so that the party (even the innocent members) end up fleeing the city with the law/guild behind them. They will be forced to work together in order to stay alive...

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An Ogre by Any other Name

Scenario Requirements: This scenario has been designed for a single first level cleric's first adventure. It can also be used to help build a group of adventurers.

Scenario Description: A local knight and a score of men have been dispatched to stop an "ogre" which has been harassing a nearby village. The newly graduated PC cleric has been ordered to assist the high priest who owns/runs the church in the village. Shortly after arriving at the church, the high priest puts the newbie cleric in charge as he leaves on an urgent mission. Thus putting the cleric on the spot.

Places in this Scenario:

Town: Mid-sized town where the PC has learned his trade. The knight and his men in this adventure are from this town.

Village: This village is getting harassed by an "ogre".

Forest: It would take four or more days to walk across this mid-sized slightly hilly forest. The forest is home to the druid Banoust and many woodland creatures. Several unusual events have occurred here recently. A boy from the village discovered a cave which is actually the ruins of tribesmen who lived here long ago. An ogre, ogre mage actually, arrived and has been causing the local village problems by killing and eating horses, cows, and stealing valuables. Yesterday, an evil mage,Yagok Iztzwini, entered the Ruins and soon died from a curse which came over him.

Burial Cave: This is where the body of the dead wizard Yagok Iztzwini is buried and where the reincarnation spell was performed.

Church: The church of the high priest Thalpas is located in the Village. Small attendance during services. Beneath the main floor of the church are several rooms: master bedroom, guest bedroom, store room, and secret room which contains the Staff of Life and Soul Returning.

Tribesman's Ruins: Many centuries ago, tribesmen lived in this region of the continent. After years of war, they were defeated or chased out of the area. This place was once sacred to them and its secret location was known only to a few select individuals.

NPCs in this Scenario:

Banoust - Druid: Powerful member of this class. The druid has figured out what happened to the mage/ogre-mage and has prepared a scroll containing the location of the mage's body, where the ogre-mage's cave is, and what he thinks happened to the mage and ogre mage (he is correct). The druid gives the scroll to a woodland creature and sends it on its way to warn the knight of what might happen.

Ogre: Unknown to any PC or NPC (except Banoust) in this adventure, the ogre is a magic-using ogre (Read Japanese Ogre or ogre mage) who has sort of been possessed by an evil mage. The possession occurred in the last 24 hours. A dying mage forced the druid Banoust reincarnate the mage. Something went wrong with the reincarnation and now the ogre mage has two souls. The ogre can use both the powers of the mage and the ogre mage. The knight Teramore Lightman expected a normal ogre not an ogre mage or an ogre mage possessed by an evil mage. The ogre mage is using hit and run tactics on the knights, which means he casts one offensive spell then disappears.

Squire: This newbie fighter is the Squire of the Knight called Teramoor Lightman. If the GM is trying to bring together a group of new adventurers, have a fighter play the squire in this adventure.

Teramore Lightman - Knight: The knight is very experienced and has killed a few trolls in his day. He is both strong and stout. The people of the land believe that this should be a very easy mission for the knight. They are wrong!

Thalpas - The High Priest: A middle aged human who has spent many a year adventuring and has retired to a little church he built in this village. The local population respect him, but, they love the local druid. The attendance at the church isn't as high as he would like it to be. He sees the problem with the ogre as a chance to win a few of the locals over to his church.

Thalpas gets along well with the higher members of the church because he usually stays out of the intrigue of the upper circles of power. They mostly leave him alone and he rarely attends any of the annual church functions to which he is invited.

Yagok Iztzwini - Evil Mage: A moderately powerful mage with slightly evil side He is very intelligent, impatient, and known for his ability to size up a person with just a slight glance. Recently he purchased a scroll from a farmer in the village who claimed his son found it in a cave in the forest. The scroll was a minor magic but Yagok paid the farmer for directions to the cave. Yagok discovered that the cave was the ruins of the type associated with tribesmen who lived in the area several centuries ago. Upon entering, he was hit by a horrible curse. Yagok managed to get out of the cave and soon came across Banoust who was picking berries for lunch. Yagok used a spell to force Banoust to bury his body and reincarnate him. Banoust buried the body in a cave (different from the tribesmen ruins) and performed the reincarnation. Something went wrong with the reincarnation and Yagok's soul went into the body of a nearby Ogre Mage. Yagok blames the villagers for his death.

New Items in this Scenario:

Staff of Life and Soul Returning: Touching this item to ANY dead body or even the smallest piece of a body, will cause the body to instantly return to a 100% functional state and the soul will return from wherever it might be to the body. The soul must still exist on some plane of existence. It is like an unlimited resurrection or golden drops of heavenly essence. If the soul is contained in some other place or item, it will still return.

The Plot:

GMs Notes/Setup: An ogre has been bothering farmers by killing livestock and destroying property. He lives in the wooded hills near a village about a day and a half from this town. A local knight and a score of men have been dispatched to remove the ogre. The knight is very experienced and has killed a few trolls in his day. The people of the land believe this should be a very easy mission for the knight.

Since the church doesn't want clerics (especially newbies!) just hanging around the church, they have decided to send a recent graduate out to assist the high priest Thalpas. Thalpas owns/runs the church in the village near the ogre. They don't think the knight will have much trouble with the ogre but figure it can't hurt to send someone to assist the high priest should any serious injuries happen. The cleric will not travel with the knight and his men and will have to travel on his own. GMs may want to role-play the journey out or just let the cleric arrive at the church.

Arriving at the Church: Arriving at the church, the high priest Thalpas immediately puts the cleric to work cleaning the very dusty church. The high priest is very much a loner and lives alone in the church. In fact, the High priest doesn't have any other clerics around.

The knights will find the ogre but will get into real trouble. Unknown to them, the ogre is a magic-using ogre (Read Japanese Ogre or ogre mage) who has sort of been possessed by an evil mage. The possession occurred in the last 24 hours. A dying mage forced a druidical type priest to reincarnate the mage. Something went wrong with the reincarnation and now the ogre has two souls inside itself. The ogre can use both the powers of the mage and the ogre mage. The knight expected a normal ogre not an ogre mage or an ogre mage possessed by an evil mage.

The druid Banoust has figured out what happened to the mage/ogre-mage and has prepared a scroll containing the location of the mage's body, where the ogre-mage's cave is, and what he thinks happened to the mage and ogre mage (he is correct). The druid gives the scroll to a woodlands creature and sends it on it's way to warn the knight of what might happen. The warning arrives too late.

After the fight with the ogre, A great owl flies over Teramore and drops Banoust's warning scroll. The knight reads the scroll then orders the squire to take the scroll to the church in the village and give it to the priest in charge. The squire is also told to tell the cleric about the many wounded men. To make sure the squire gets to the church, Teramore orders the squire to take a long route back instead of a direct path, where the ogre-mage may be waiting to ambush him.

Needless to say, the knight runs into trouble with the "ogre" and beats a hasty retreat back to the village. The newbie cleric has been put in charge of the church and will have to handle the knight, his men, the villagers, the druid, Banoust, and the "Ogre".

The Adventure:

Introduction: Having just "graduated" from school, you were selected by a high ranking member of the church to go on a mission of small importance. You are ordered to travel to a small shrine not more than a day or two journey from this town and assist the high priest as he sees fit. Knowing your adventurous side, you are told that it is a simple mission and not a major quest or adventure. A knight has been sent with a score of men to rid a forest of an ogre which has been pestering local farmers. You are being sent to help the high priest on the slight chance there will be some wounded men.

The Journey: The GM may role-play this or just let the cleric arrive at the church.

Arriving at the Church: When the cleric arrives, he doesn't act surprised that he is here. He will show the newbie priest where the broom and mop are so he can begin cleaning. The church hasn't been cleaned in many months! The priest will constantly check the PCs work and be very picky about how he does the job. He will be watching how the newbie reacts to the treatment. He doesn't like yes-men. If the character just puts up with the treatment, dinner will be bread and a very tasty soup. If he shows some character, the priest will say he is glad to see him stand up for himself and break out the good stuff for dinner such as a fine ham, cheese, wine, fruit, etc.

The Tour: Before going to bed, the priest will give a tour of the entire church. There are several rooms below the church which serve as private quarters, guest quarters, storage (loaded with many fine foods and wine), and a hidden chamber. Within the hidden chamber is a holy relic found during the Thalpas's adventuring days. He will tell the newbie about the holy relic (Staff of Life and Soul Returning). He will say "Touching the staff to any dead body will fully restore life and limb and return its soul no matter where it might be". A small room with a straw bed will be made available for the newbie.

Squire's Arrival?: NOTE: This may not occur here! If the squire fails to follow the orders of his knight and proceeds in a direct line to the village, he will arrive safely. He will give the scroll to the high priest and tell him of the battle with the ogre-like creature. Thalpas asks the PC to cure any wounds the squire has and to give him something to eat. Thalpas will then study the scroll in private and not share the information with the PC. NOTE: The squire arrived somewhere around midnight.

Thalpas's Departure: The cleric wakes up in the morning to find Thalpas gone and a note left for him/her. The note says that PC cleric in charge of the church and tells him that he will be back in a few days. His reason for leaving will depend on whether the squire arrived last night. If so, he claims to be going to the church council for advice. If the squire didn't arrive, he claims that he has a strong feeling that he will need the assistance from a few of his old adventuring buddies.

Later That Day: A few of the villagers will come and go asking questions, where is Thalpas, where is the knight, why is the squire here by himself, etc. The villagers seem worried. If the cleric reassures the villagers, he gets 1 good point. If he makes it worse by saying something stupid, he gets 1 bad point.

The Next Day: The knight Teramore Lightman arrives with his wounded men. He seems mad and a little frustrated. He asks where Thalpas is and who is in charge. When he hears that the PC is in charge of the church, he acts very respectful of the PC and even seeks his wisdom on the situation in front of his men. Specifically, he want to know if they should go out and try to attack this creature again. At this point, several of his men cry out in favour of attacking and getting revenge. If not, what should they do, just sit and wait? If the clerics god is against revenge and the cleric speaks against revenge he gets one good point. He gets one bad point if he doesn't try to quell any talk of revenge. If the God endorses revenge, reverse the scoring. If the cleric advises caution and posting of guards and patrols in the village, he get one good point. If he doesn't offer advice or just tells them to do no action he gets one bad point. If he suggests and all out attack against the ogre, you can expect the men to get wiped out (3 bad points). NOTE: Teramore will answer any questions the cleric asks to the best of his ability.

That Night: During the night, the ogre attacks the village. If guards or patrols were placed by the cleric, one of the guardsmen will be killed and the ogre will appear to have been driven off by the other guardsmen. If no guards or patrols were established, one house will be attacked and two villagers (man & his son) will have died in the attack. The ogre appears to have hit and run. The villagers will be shaken up by this situation and the cleric must show no fear to inspire the people. Even the knight appears to be shaken and will respond according to the clerics actions. He will be brave it the cleric is and not so brave if the cleric isn't. If a guardsman dies, Teramore will say to the cleric "It could have been worse, some of the villagers could have died. You were wise to suggest a patrol." If the guardsman dies, give the cleric 1 good point, if two villagers die, he gets 2 bad points.

The Next Day - Squire's Arrival?: NOTE: This may not occur here! If the squire didn't arrive earlier, he will arrive now. Teramore will be upset with the squire and he may not be his squire after this mission is over. The squire does give the scroll to the cleric. If the cleric interferes with the knight-squire relationship, the knight will listen to his advice but will act according to his own sense of honour.

Later that Day: Banoust the druid arrives in town. If the cleric has not been reassuring and/or not acted bravely, they will flock to the druid leaving him along. If he has been brave and/or reassuring, only a few of the villagers will rush to Banoust. Banoust will talk to a few of the villagers then head toward the church. He will relate the tale of the wizard Yagok and the reincarnation. He will also mention that he was attacked this morning and the spellbooks he took from Yagok had been stolen. He fears that the Ogre will be able to get his full range of spells now.

Reaction to Banoust: The villager will be watching Banoust and the cleric to see signs of strength and weakness. Banoust will make rather loud statements in public regarding Thalpas's leaving the village in a time of crisis. The cleric needs to counter these statements. Whoever wins this verbal fencing will wins the heart and soul of the villagers. If the cleric wins, give him 2 good points and 2 bad points if he fails.

Solution to the Adventure #1: The Staff of Life and Soul Returning can be used to bring the life and soul of the wizard Yagok Iztzwini back to his body. If the cleric figures this out, and mentions this to the knight and the druid, a plan may be created by the three of them. The druid will help get the cleric to the dead wizards body. The knight and the squire will volunteer to go with in case of trouble. The knight may even suggest using himself and his guardsmen to draw the ogre's attention while the cleric, druid and squire bring the wizard back to life. There will be no problems in either capturing the mage or killing him after the staff is used. The now weaker ogre mage will be easily killed by Teramore and his men. The cleric earns 6 good points.

Solution to the Adventure #2: The next day, Thalpas returns with his old adventuring buddies. They kill the ogre mage without too much trouble.

Other Solutions: Characters always manage to come up with unexpected plans. So award 6 points for removing the ogre mage/mage problem. Award 1 bad point for each villager who dies, and 1 bad point for every two guards men who die. If the squire dies, add 1 bad point, and add 3 bad points if the knight dies.

Since this is an opportunity for roleplaying. The GM may add other encounters to the adventure such as settling disputes between villagers, husbands & their wives, parents and children.

Closing Notes:

If the cleric ended with more good points than bad points, he should be rewarded in some way. Here are some possibilities.

Thalpas gives the cleric a well trained war horse.
Thalpas gives the cleric a map. The map "claims" to lead the cleric to where a magic tome to increase one's wisdom is hidden.
Newbie cleric is recognized by church leaders as an up and coming cleric. Perhaps you are too challenging to have around? They send you on another mission.
If the newbie cleric has earned sufficient experience to advance a level. His/her training is arranged for by the church at no cost to the cleric.
The church grants the cleric special dispensation in a special ceremony. Whenever the cleric cast a "Cure wounds" spell, add +1 to all dice rolled.
The church grants the cleric special dispensation in a special ceremony. The cleric is granted an extra first level spell per day.

If the cleric ended with more bad points than good points, he should be punished in some way. Here are some possibilities.

Thalpas orders the cleric to a vow of silence and meditation in his temple for the next week.
If the holy relic is some how lost, he will be quested to recover it.
The cleric has to tithe half of his money for the next 12 months.
In a special ceremony, the cleric loses the ability to cast bonus spells. This ability will return when "God" feels the cleric has earned it or the need is great. NOTE: not the cleric's need!

Getting a group together. The purpose of this adventure was to give an individual character an adventure for himself with the further goal of building an adventuring group. Here is how you could start a group from here by adding other characters. I would suggest exploring the "tribesman ruins" as a good starting place for further adventuring.

The squire could be another adventurer who could join the cleric.
One of the knight's men decides to leave the knights service.
Banoust could introduce the cleric to an elf or druidical character.
After the ogre, a hunter from the village decides he likes adventure.
One of Thalpas's adventuring buddies has an apprentice....

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Dungeon crawl starter (AD&D.com)

The party is walking in a town district with a lot of wealthy inhabitants. As they walk along the street, they (only 1 person will probably do this) step on a sewer cover, which breaks, plunging the unfortunate PC into the depths below. The actual distance he falls is 250 feet, or, in the case of a munchkin party (i.e., that isn't enough), the distance is 10' more than the farthest infravision of the party. No magic is detectable. The sewer is really a trap by cunning thieves hoping to catch a rich merchant after a large bank withdrawal. From here, the party should go down and help the PC; they can discover a tunnel down there, and they start the typical dungeon crawl. [ T O P ]

A Party Starter (AD&D.com)

For those of you who are always trying to find out an original way to bring the party together in a realistic fashion when starting a new campaign rather than "Well you're all in an Inn," or "You see a sign posting a reward on/hiring armed escorts for," this one was a classic for me: Wherever the PC's might be, say they are all travelling to town, or they are in town, they see a commotion somewhere around the limit of their sight (spread the PC's out) which turns out to be a bunch of Kobolds attacking an old man who seems to have some Alzheimer's.. frisky but weak, and have the guy be something of a nutcase mage who accidentally cast an illusion of kobolds to attack him (he denies this) level 3 or so.. And while the PC's are together start an adventure; presto! a party. [ T O P ]