D&D 5E What's your most interesting adventure party concept?

Afrodyte · Mar 29, 2017

Exactly what it says on the tin.

What is the most interesting adventuring party concept you've ever run or played in? I don't mean campaign settings or modules. I'm talking about the basic concept of the adventuring party.

For instance: the PCs are a group of entertainers traveling the land and putting on UFC-style tournaments for townsfolk and villagers. It just so happens that bad things always seem to happen wherever they go.

Or, this one I came up with a few years back about an Inglourious Basterds-style commando unit that hunts down and kills goblins.

What about you? What are some of the more interesting adventure party concepts you've played or run for? Or, if you haven't played it yet, what are some off-the-beaten-path adventure party ideas you'd like to play or run?

aco175 · Mar 29, 2017

I do not remember any groups that had anything else going on besides adventuring. There was a group mostly sent on quests to gather strange ingredients for a old mage, and a group that followed a knight character as sidekicks. We had groups of specific classes and races such as an all dwarf party, or all thief party. Most of these went on quite well.

Valmarius · Mar 29, 2017

The group in my current campaign started off as the underachieving students at an adventurer's academy.
The very first session was set in detention, as they had to perform the hero's most despised quest. Killing giant rats in the cellar.

From the second session on they had graduated, but at the bottom of their class, and they stuck together in order to compete with the straight-A adventurers who had also graduated.

iserith · Mar 29, 2017

I've run one where the party is all pixies.

SunGold · Mar 29, 2017

Idea I heard on a podcast and have been wanting to play ever since: halfling food truck. Less "ancient red dragons and the fate of the kingdom," more "pseudodragons and the fate of some dinner parties." Rival chefs! Hunting down ingredients in dangerous locales! Recipes will be stolen, and food critics may need to be persuaded...

Now if only anyone else wanted to play it.

DakkonBlackblade · Mar 29, 2017

A recent adventure that my players really enjoyed (as did I) was an all dwarven team of somewhat "unconventional" but very qualified working professionals. Led by the proper speaking (heavy british accent), cul-de-sac haired, pipe-smoking scholar known as Tenwall. He has no surname (rare for a dwarf) but it seems to serve him well as he has no allegiance but to his life's work.
Tenwall is an 'unsummoning' wizard, and there has never been one as affective and gifted as he. Tenwall travels the world 'undoing' what asisnine conjurers and power-hungry summoners 'do'. One after another, he is dealing with serious situations where most flee and scream for help. Tenwall is that help.
The shady-looking rogue trapsmith, Grimbold the Old, was another of my favorite PCs ever. He was the youngest of the group but was given his name because of his natural gray hair and beard. He doesn't care to make friends, or to be polite, but he does care about traps. Finding them, dismantling them, building them, Grimbold loves trapsmithing and has an unquenchable knowledge to do it at the highest level.
I will stop here, otherwise I won't hahah. Hope that is helpful. Thanks

doctorbadwolf · Mar 29, 2017

Crossroads: every PC is a student at the Queen's College, Caerdydd, and some manner of mobile sword-fighter. The party made up the starting lineup of the school's Sky Ball club (team), and were from all corners of the globe.
We had: Tremain, the Half-elf Venetian Bard (with secret training as a spy, because Venetian Bard.
[cant recall his name], the Indian Deva, redeemed Rashkasha, Avenger.
[blanking on his name as well] Vrylocka Rogue from Eastern Europe
Elodie d'Argent, French Gnome Star-Pact Hexblade Warlock, heir to a merchant empire
Angus something or other, British Human White Well Hexblade, bodyguard to the Prince of Wales, The Pendragon, wielder of Caledfwlch (Excalibur, which in this alt history world is the blade of the highest of the royal guard, the Knights Pendragon. Angus was mysteriously chosen at a young age by The Lady, to wield her sword)
And Ianto Penndraig, Prince of Cyrmu, Captain of Her Majesty's privateer ship, (I can't remember anything today), +a bunch more titles and names, Shadar-kai Assassin/Avenger/Covenent Agent.

The royal family are Welsh, descended from Mordred, who won his war against the misguided, Rome-influenced, usurper Arthur, who was supposed to be his brothers protector and second, after making a deal with, and then babies with, The Morrigan. The Penndraigs, who are all Shadar-kai, due to the Morrigan's influence on her descendants, rule over what is commonly called the British Empire, especially by foreigners.
The Queen's College refers to "The Queen Mother", ie The Morrigan. Her sisters have similar influence in Ireland and Scotland, but she is The Queen Mother of the whole of the Empire. The Brits still worship a whole slew of pagan gods, though.

Anyway, the PCs are top students at this college, and star atheletes, and get drawn into wild adventures that threaten the tenuous peace between Cyrmu, the Reykjavik Allthing (a federation of kingdoms/nations, mostly Northern European and North Eastern Native North American), The Golden Horde, The Caliphate, Byzantium, and the various free states (mostly the German kingdoms, the northern Spaniards, and the Italian and Greek cities.

Sky Ball has a better name, but it escapes me. It's basically a mix of parkour and basketball, where you can carry the ball, but only for so far, and not while jumping from one surface to another. Add in magically enhanced movement, and improvised uses of what are normally combat powers, and it's a lot of fun.

LarryD · Mar 29, 2017

Back in 4E, a guy in my group wanted to have a party of rogues headed by a warlord. Never got around to it.

Antonlowe · Mar 29, 2017

We had a party who ran an alchemist shop. It was in the middle of a war between two great nations. We sold to both sides. Fun was had by all.

Ath-kethin · Mar 30, 2017

My last group played a trip of brothers from a barbarian village. One was a berserker barbarian, one was a poisoner (rogue subclass from Primeval Thule) and one was a GOO warlock of Shub-Niggurath. Backstory of the campaign was that they were from a noble line in the village, their tribe dedicated to the Black Goat. The village elders decided that the youngest brother would be the yearly sacrifice, and the three were exiled from the tribe after the older two brothers rescued him from the ritual.

A warlock who was 'touched' by the patron instead of willingly making a deal, and his two brothers who put blood before tribe or society, led to some interesting role-playing.