Adventure Seeds

Kzach · Jun 11, 2011

I'm sure this isn't a new idea as I'm hardly one to be accused of originality, but I do think it's a good idea and therefore worthy of being a topic.

The idea I'm talking about is that of adventure seeds. These are very basic concepts that a DM can grab at a moment's notice and use to spawn, at the very least, a session of adventure.

I don't know how others may have formatted this concept but what I'm going to ask of people is that we all borrow from the Hollywood formula known as 'high concept'. In a nutshell, if your adventure seed can't be described in one (succinct) paragraph, then it ain't for this thread.

I'll start off proceedings with one that I came up with for a session I ran today:

Hot Potato: an item that carries some sort of disease or curse that is transmitted by owning or possessing the item is brought into town and people start dropping like flies as it passes from one unwitting person to the next.

Aeolius · Jun 11, 2011

Kzach said:
Hot Potato: an item that carries some sort of disease or curse that is transmitted by owning or possessing the item is brought into town and people start dropping like flies as it passes from one unwitting person to the next.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCeD2gF9jUo"]Light Grenade[/ame]

NewJeffCT · Jun 11, 2011

1) The city is abuzz with talk about the outrageous public kidnapping of the daughter of a prominent (noble, merchant, government official, etc) despite her being escorted by seemingly trustworthy & competent guardsmen.

2) A seemingly friendly and inquisitive traveler arrives in town from a distant land. However, soon after his arrival the crops in town are overrun by a plague of locusts and people fear they may starve this coming winter - they turn in vengeance on this traveler.

Aeolius · Jun 11, 2011

The basis for my current campaign:

Cultures across the globe share myths and legends, regarding the plug in the depths of the ocean. Indeed, children often sing about the "Hole in the Bottom of the Sea". What if they were right?

Gilladian · Jun 11, 2011

A thousand years ago, a bunch of dwarves dug a hole in the ground, looking for treasure. They left, more folks arrived. They left, a dragon came. It never left... what's down there?

megamania · Jun 12, 2011

Gilladian said:
A thousand years ago, a bunch of dwarves dug a hole in the ground, looking for treasure. They left, more folks arrived. They left, a dragon came. It never left... what's down there?

an echo

megamania · Jun 12, 2011

1) Downed Messenger
You find a recently dead pigeon with a message attached to its leg. The message speaks of great danger and a need for help from the local authorities... whom are very busy themselves with another threat.

2) The Well speaks....
Word reaches you of a local farmer whom found a message in a bottle within his bucket from his well. It warns of threats from underground. Real or not?

3) It came Space
A metorite has fallen to the woods nearby and now there are reports of mutated animals. Is it the metorite or that crazy mage again? Or something worse.....?

4) Tripilets wash up on shore
Three days in a row the same person washes up on shore. How strange is that? Keeps happening as a crazy mage is working on a better cloning spell (being used on a victum of DM's choice).

5) Shadows Wanted
You walk into a quiet town where the locals are wary of you and watch from closed doors and shuttered windows. Then someone notices there are no shadows caste.... by anyone or anything. A shadow creature has a strange magical item that absorbs all shadows and is planning to use it to create an army of shadowed warriors..... oh carp!

Hand of Evil · Jul 11, 2011

I have a few "index cards" that have ideas on them. The ideas comes from my local news and are mostly used as gossip in the taverns.

Example of this happened last week. The Lizard man made the news, yep. It all started when a person found their car bite and scratched up, next people started to see a man-like lizard roaming the area. In game, this will be talk of the local tavern, modified for my game world.

Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I also have a time table based around events: A murder happens every X days, Smuggled good every X days. Stuff like that. This gives me some thoughts for what may be happening while my players are doing their thing.

nedjer · Jul 11, 2011

Basic list of a plots I use for adventure seeds/ to drop players in it. Need to grow it a bit:

Adventure Holiday
Ambition
Ancient Prophecy
Blackmail
Convoys and Escorts
Crime of Passion
Defend the Innocent
Diplomatic Mission
Downfall
Forgery
Involuntary Crime
Jailbreak
Kidnapping
Last Stand
Messiah
Protect the Innocent
Psychological Manipulation
Religious Schism
Renaissance
Rescues and Deliverance
Reverse Dungeons
Reverse Plots
Revolt or Revolution
Rivalry
The Enemy Within
Through the Looking Glass
Tournament

If all else fails ramming an over-sized, runaway wagon packed with people, goods and livestock through the wall of the tavern usually ruffles a few feathers

Dannyalcatraz · Jul 11, 2011

Gilladian said:
A thousand years ago, a bunch of dwarves dug a hole in the ground, looking for treasure. They left, more folks arrived. They left, a dragon came. It never left... what's down there?

Just to add to the list, check the link in my sig for RangerWickett's immense Campaign Ideas thread.