D&D 5E What Makes a Good Urban Adventure?

Fleetwood C. DeVille said:

Would you consider sharing the entire deck?

Click to expand...

As promised, here's the entire deck. There is an obvious light-heartedness about it, I was thinking about the bar fight in Raiders of the Lost Ark while making the deck. Enjoy!

Go With the Flow: You are mobbed and pushed 1d6 squares.
You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry...: Someone spilled your beer. This makes you really, really mad. For the rest of the fight, you suffer disadvantage on your attack rolls but inflict maximum damage from your attacks.
Where's My Wallet?: A pickpocket in the crowd tries to steal from you. Make a Wisdom (Perception) check versus his/her Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check (the pick-pocket adds a +4 bonus to his/her check.) If you succeed, you've spotted the thief before he/she can steal anything. If you fail, one randomly determined item on your person is stolen.
The Mob Rules: A crowd of people pile into you. Make a DC10 Dexterity save or be restrained until the end of your next turn.
Bottoms Up! An abandoned shot of whiskey sits at a nearby table. If you spend your action drinking it, add 1d6 to all of your rolls for the next 2 rounds.
Pardon Me: An anonymous patron gropes your crotch while you're engaged in combat with another opponent, temporarily distracting you. You suffer disadvantage to all your attacks until the end of your next turn.
Eye for an Eye: A random thumb gouges you in the eye (+4 to hit, 1 point of damage and blinded in one eye for 1d3 rounds; you suffer disadvantage on ranged attacks and opponents have advantage to attacks against you).
If You Can't Stand the Heat: Hot embers are kicked from the hearth and ignite some spilled alcohol under your feet. You take 1d4 fire damage.
Lights Out! Perhaps you were struck by a blow to the back of the head, or maybe you just drank too much. Regardless, you suffer a very temporary blackout. Your initiative score drops 1d6 (but cannot go lower than 1).
Roll Out the Barrel: A large keg of ale tumbles off the bar and swiftly rolls towards you and your foe. Both of you must make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check DC12 or be knocked prone.
Finder Keepers: A small leather purse lands on the floor near your feet. You may pick it up as an action but gives your opponent advantage on his/her next attack roll. If you pick up the purse, you find 1d10 x 10 gp (or other reward as chosen by the DM).
What's A Nice Girl Like You Doing In A Place Like This?: You collide face-first into the ample bosom of a serving wench. Make a DC12 Charisma check. If you succeed, she gives you a wink and a coy smile, granting you a 1d4 bonus on your next attack roll, saving throw, or skill check. If you fail, she slaps you (+3 to hit) for 1d4 bludgeon damage.
Bullseye: An errant dart strikes you on the forehead for 1d2 points of piercing damage.
Double-Team! Two brawlers attempt to grapple you (+4 with advantage). Conduct a Strength contest. If you lose, they slide you down the length of the bar. You receive 1d6 points of piercing damage from broken glass and are moved 3 squares.
Curse of Wile E. Coyote: A random anvil falls from above and lands on your head (+5 to hit, 2d6 bludgeon damage).
Foot Stomp: A nearby brawler accidentally stomps your foot. Your speed is halved for the next 1d3 rounds.
Who Spiked the Punch? You are struck in the back of the head by an attacker wearing spiked gauntlets, temporarily dazing you. Until the end of your next turn, treat all your opponents as if they had mirror image and they are all wearing spiked gauntlets!
Someone Up There Likes Me: You receive some magical healing from an unknown patron for 2d8 points of damage. If you are not injured, you receive the benefits of a bless spell for one minute.
It's A Bird, It's A Plane... A drunken patron is hurled through the air and lands on you (+4 to hit, 1d10 damage).
What A Waste: A drink splashes in your face. Make a DC 12 Constitution save or be blinded until the end of your next turn.
Whoops! Slip on some spilled beer. Make a DC 14 Dexterity save or fall prone.
Close Call: An attack from behind narrowly misses you but strikes your opponent for 1d6 bludgeon damage.
Need Some Elbow Room: If anyone is adjacent to you besides your opponent, one (randomly determined if there are more than one) is struck by you for 1d4 points of damage as you wind up for your attack.
Yakkety-Yak: An extremely intoxicated patron throws up all over you. Make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be nauseated (poisoned condition) for 1d3 rounds, but no one attacks you for 1d6 rounds.
Move Over: Heavy crowding. Your maximum speed is reduced to 10 feet and you attack with disadvantage until the end of your next turn.
Never Hit A Lady: A serving wench/dancing girl just got slugged in the face by a drunken brawler. Defend her honor immediately and show this lout some manners, but you are now faced with two opponents: your current foe and the brawler who hit the wench/dancer. If you face both and defeat them, you receive an Inspiration die.
Bell Rung: a bottle is smashed over your head from an unseen patron (1d4 damage; make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the start of your next turn.)
Have a Seat: A chair is smashed over your back (+4 to hit; 1d6 bludgeon damage).
Knucklebones: Your attack fully connects with your opponent and knocks him out cold. However, you broke your hand on his face and can no longer use it until healed.
Bite Me! A brawler bites your hand, inflicting 1d4 points of damage and causing you drop any weapon you may be holding.

3.5 Dungeon Masters Guide II was basically a generic urban campaign. It had lots of rumors and plots (some red herrings) for the PCs to investigate. I think variety is the key.

I love all kinds of adventures: wilderness hexcrawls, dungeon delves, urban. I am preparing to run my group through an urban adventure currently, and here are a few challenges that might come up:

1. Homogeneous enemies. Let's face it, it would be very bizarre for a Beholder or Dinosaur or Lich to suddenly appear in the middle of the street in Waterdeep. The vast majority of the enemies are going to be human thugs, assassins, etc. Some players may find that boring.

2. Face time. In urban adventures, the Bard, Paladin or whomever the face of your party is will dominate the majority of play because urban adventures tend to revolve around plots, politics and intrigue. Right in the face character's wheelhouse. You need to be aware of this and have things for everyone else to do as well.

In urban settings, relationships are central. ‘Charisma checks’ are peripheral.

Think of TV shows (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dresden Files, Shadowhunters, Beyond, Charmed Ones, Vampire Diaries, Originals, etcetera) for a magical realism in an Urban setting. The best stories are about relationships, the magic is only spice. Supernatural is a ‘monster of the week’ TV show, but even this is excellent because of the emphasis on the relationship between two brothers, rather than the monster. Even the villain is a complex ally.

When players want to do something, always go by what they say. Say yes or no, depending on plausibility. Only if you yourself are unsure how that would play out, would you roll a Charisma check or whatever.

A siege makes a good urban campaign: tensions are high, there are good things for PC's of all levels (there is always fighting on the wall, and low level types can smuggle in food, mid level can deal with infiltrators, and high level types can break the siege), and social groups tend to mix more than they would if they were free to ignore each other (although mixing is not always pleasant).

For non-sieges, I recommend at least once catching the PC's unaware: the fighter probably isn't wearing heavy armor to the tavern, the wizard might have memorized a bunch of noncombat spells, etc. Nothing like having the PC's meet for a big breakfast after a long adventure and have the Tarrasque pop up across town.....

I find that no player of a Fighter or Paladin will ever accept not wearing armour in any scene. The moment you ask them if they're wearing it, they get worried and afirm that they ALWAYS wear it. It can be a little tiresome, since if I've got a nefarious plan to take advantage of that I'm probably also reducing the opposition to suit, but I suppose that many players hate being taken surprise or unprepared so it makes sense. Regardless, be fully prepared for players to wear full plate 24/7, even in cities.


Sent from my iPad using EN World

With an Urban setting making relationships front and center, take a look at how Cortex Plus Hackers Guide handles them. (Next year, the Cortex Prime comes out, which I highly anticipate. Check out the kickstarter for more information.)

This is a ‘Relationship Board’, to see relationship conflicts at a glance.



The main Player Characters are in rectangles. The arrows connecting them summarizes the essence of the conflict between them. It can be a conflict of different goals, or a violent agreement (such as, ‘he is too emotional’, versus, ‘she is too rational’).

In the circles are special Non-Player Characters (nicknamed ‘wedges’), who exacerbate this conflict and cause it to become so much worse. Like the proverbial mother-in-law, they step in at the worst possible moment to happily cause problems.

In the diamonds are the main places, locations and institutions, that any of the characters might feel especial affinity with.

So in an Urban setting, make relationships, their troublemaker, and specific places in the city front and center.

Players can change and update the Relationship Board, as relationships grow and evolve. Nevertheless, while they are in play, players gain experience points and inspirational points for success to future attacks and skill checks, when they roleplay the conflict well. Players are especially encouraged to fulfill the narrative even to the detriment of their own Player Character (such as losing a magic item, missing out on some other opportunity, taking damage during combat, etcetera) if it furthers the story. In exchange for dramatizing the story, a players gain rewards, such as advantage on any action of the players choosing, investment toward a new magic item, and so on.

jayoungr said:

I know that what my players really want when we re-start our game is an urban adventure. So I'd like to give it to them, but I'm not really sure where to start. I'd like to get people's thoughts on what makes a successful urban adventure.

How to make best use of the urban atmosphere?

What are the special challenges of an urban adventure?

How does the party's level affect the adventure? The higher level the party, the fewer NPCs in town who should pose a realistic challenge for them.

Dungeons in an urban adventure: yes or no?

Can anyone point me to some good urban adventures that I might study for inspiration?

Click to expand...

In Session 0, explain that the characters are from the city, and care about the city. Center the quests and adventure around the city, and bettering it. Have several important NPCs in the city, and one that notably likes the party, and can help them out.

If you set up that the characters are working to save the city, that will solve your biggest hurdle of them jumping ship.

As the players level up, the challenges should be on par, and can be outside influences, or newcomers.

Dungeons, yes! The catacombs beneath the city!

Check out "Curse of the Crimson Throne", a Pathfinder Adventure Path. You'd just have to convert it to 5th.

There are tons of interesting things you can do for an urban adventure. Heck, you can have an entire urban campaign!

Dungeons
Yes, you CAN put some great dungeons in an urban adventure. It depends what you define as a "Dungeon". A haunted cathedral? Or maybe a slum with thieves and a few corrupt officials? A corrupted mayor's mansion with watchtowers and heavy security? You can make great dungeons out of these settings.

Politics
Politics can be complicated, but your world should have them. Is there a monarch? Is the village ruled by a monster or a gang of monsters or even a council? I just ran a great political/murder mystery for a Faction in one of my games in a futuristic city. The Faction ran the metropolis. There was a recent murder of the Faction's leader. One of the members tried to take power by setting up traps for the Investigation Team (AKA the party) and the villain was eventually found out and had to fight to the death at the end of a 3 session build up. It was really memorable and it made the combat really fun for the PC's!

Don't overuse combat
My biggest gripe in other dnd adventures I've played is the level of combat outside of towns... or even in them! You don't have to go overboard. Make some memorable NPC's, improvise a little. Have some Chases (Guards vs PC's or PC's vs Thieves) or some Skill Challenges with obstacles in the way.

payn said:

3.5 Dungeon Masters Guide II was basically a generic urban campaign. It had lots of rumors and plots (some red herrings) for the PCs to investigate. I think variety is the key.

Click to expand...

Yes, the 3.5 DMGII had a write up of Saltmarsh. The author was James Jacobs of Paizo. And it's brilliant. Literally every single location has an adventure hook. And all of the hooks are woven together. You could literally use that section as a module (just find some maps and stats) and adventure for a very, very, very long time. It's the gold standard for urban adventuring in a medium sized town, as far as I'm concerned. Jacobs, of course, has done other great stuff in a similar vein, such as the write up for Sandpoint in Rise of the Runelords.