I need some ideas for a quick 5e one-shot

We're playing 5th edition d&d, and I have a one-shot scheduled for this Sunday. The idea is this: Some previous adventurers were deep in the woods on an unrelated adventure. While they were there they ran across an old, dilapidated crossing a shallow stream. There were no other structures around, and no sign of anyone having ever lived in the area. Now this new group of adventurers are curious as to why there is a bridge there so deep in the woods when there is no apparent reason for it in that exact location.

My idea is to kind of go Blair Witch on them and screw with their heads a little, but I'm running short on encounter ideas. I do know that one of the encounters will involve the Goat-Man from Kobold Press's Tome of Beasts. Now I just need 6 to 8 additional tier 1 encounters to fill out the rest of it. I'm thinking the obvious hag for a final boss, but I'm not firm on that. Any help or ideas you can give would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!


-IG

Everyone loves a Turducken hunt.

They come across a clearing in a forest glade. Behold a gingerbread house, Not really, it is a log cabin with fungi covering the walls that looks like a gingerbread house from the distance.
Inside is an empty cage lying open and a large iron range in the fireplace. Opening the oven causes a ghost to emerge of a fat cheerful looking old woman.

for combat reskin something of the appropriate CR.

As soon as they cross the bridge, they become trapped in a haunted village, and find themselves unable to leave, until they undo the wrongs that were done to the village for it to become haunted in the first place.

Maybe some mischievous fey? They can make it seem eerie and dreadful, but still keep it in the realm of CR 1.

I like the fey idea. I think over the bridge might be too obvious, but maybe under the bridge is a Fey Crossing? Perhaps there is a crescent moon carved under the bridge (which itself is shaped like a crescent moon, now that they look at it), hinting the they crossing may only open on a crescent moon. It's a decent puzzle, but what could be happening in the feywild to draw the PCs into the adventure?

The party consists of 3 level 1 PCs, a level 2, and a level 3. So they're a little tougher than a CR 1... I think a CR 3 creature is a hard encounter for them. I do appreciate the input from you guys!


-IG

Hmm, maybe they see a startled gnome riding a goat duck under the bridge and note that he didn't come out the other side. Something curious. A lure. Maybe they see someone who looks exactly like one of the players (or a relative of) run under the bridge and not appear on the other side (some fey illusionist).

They meet a teenage boy, lost and terrified. He is an apprentice thief named Tonker. He and his master, Nuth, tried to steal from the gnoles but they walked into an ambush and Nuth was killed. Tonker is worried the gnoles may be chasing him. He claims to be a charcoal burner who was collecting wood.

apanagides said:

Hmm, maybe they see a startled gnome riding a goat duck under the bridge and note that he didn't come out the other side. Something curious. A lure. Maybe they see someone who looks exactly like one of the players (or a relative of) run under the bridge and not appear on the other side (some fey illusionist).

Click to expand...

is a goat duck anything like an owlbear?

Okay so as for the fey crossing lets work that underneath said bridge are several carved stones buried beneath the streams water and muck and when the bridge is crossed upon a certain time of the month/year under a full moon the players are transported into the fey lands. Traveling a ways the players soon come across a village/town situated in a small hilled valley with the inhabited parts sitting behind a log wall. Outside the village town are buildings covered in fungus, vines, and overgrowth... perhaps the players will encounter some crazed wood type fey that tries to kill them and they fight their way to safety of the village. Once inside they could be asked to find out the status of those at a small fort built over the entrance of a mine... x-miners live their... only to find the mine is now overrun with some monsters, kobolds/goblins, and must clear the mine out fro the villagers and free the remaining miners. Deep within the mines lowest level the players eventually find what is causing the fey to go crazy

I'll work on this some more

Addendum

Eventually at the end when the players cross over bridge and return to their starting point or initial destination, the Capital, they could find from the local lore-keepers that x-centuries before there was a village and mine but some unknown catastrophe befell them destroying both in a certain year... further investigation could reveal that the players were there x-years before said catastrophes happened. Fey Magical Portals dealing with time travel for the mind breaker... maybe the Fey need the players to stop said catastrophes.