Quick help - 1st level 1st adventure village ideas?

[Nightchilde-2]

One of my favorite 1st-level adventures that I ran was somewhat similar; band of thieves preying on the town.

Scared the bejeesus out of the PCs though. See, the thieves had a schtick, they nailed metal pieces to their boots and preyed upon the town covered in thick cloaks that, in poor lighting conditions, made them appear to be misshapen under the cloaks (some rags tucked into their shirts here to give the illusion of a hunch back, for instance). The metal pieces made their tracks appear to be monster tracks rather than humanoid tracks.

The townsfolk were afraid that the medusa had somehow returned, as they'd seen lights in the old temple but were too frightened to approach it. The party got all ready to go in and fight a medusa (well as best a 1st level party can get ready to do so) and some manner of unknown "three-toed beast."

Imagine the PCs' surprise when they were asked to defeat a monster infestation and discovered it was nothing more than a few clever human bandits holed up in an old temple that had, at one time in the village's history, been inhabited by a medusa.

Feel free to steal and use at your leisure.

Also one of my favorite role-playing moments...the half-elf leader of the bandits managed to be so charming that he convinced the party to let him go.

 

[RangerWickett]

Wow. Lots of great small bits of flavor. I like.

I think I want to start in a tavern, with the group gathered together, chatting, getting to know their neighbors, hearing rumors. Everyone's gathered for the funeral of the uncle (I need a name); though they don't know he's dead, he's been gone so long that they want closure.

Some strange folks will be in the inn too, probably.


Kinras
Hamlet (adult population 400)
Power Center - Mercantile Mayor Lajeca, CG Taranesti Elf storm mage (Sorcerer 10). Lajeca was appointed by the Elvish merchant family who owns most of the farmland and the windmill. She also acts as magical tutor for a few youths.

Notable People:

• Artep, N male human adept 4
• Two 2nd level adepts, five 1st level adepts.
• Daman Vuel, LG male Taranesti Elf aristocrat 2.
• 1st level barbarian (PC).
• 3rd level bard, two 1st level bards (one is a PC).
• No clerics, fighters, paladins, or wizards.
• 11th level commoner, two 9th level commoners, four 7th level, eight 5th, sixteen 3rd, 327 1st level commoners.
• 4th level druid, two 2nd level druids.
• 4th level expert, two 2nd level experts.
• 1st level monk (PC).
• 1st level ranger.
• 2nd level rogue.
• Lajeca, CG female Taranesti Elf sorcerer 10, mayor.
• Marten, NG male human sorcerer 2, apprentice to Lajeca.
• Methad, NG male human warrior 3, constable.
• Seventeen 1st level warriors.

I'll work out the specifics later.

 

[RangerWickett]

Not related to your question, but a hellwasp swarm is almost impossible to be defeated in combat by 1st level characters. It's immune to all weapon damage. Do you plan to resolve the final encounter with something else than combat, or just look forward for levelling them up before?

Sorry, I meant wasp swarm (or rather, locust swarm). Not hellwasp. Just a CR 3 swarm of locusts, wearing a cloak.

 

[der_kluge]

God... it's things like these that make me appreciate low-level games so much more over high level games.

I mean, this kind of stuff with a high level party would just get dismissed with a single divination spell, or something. So much more blase' with a high level group. But for a low level group, it's awesome, awesome stuff.

It's why I intend to never run high level D&D again.

 

[Stahn Li]

You should have a traveling Bard come to town with the same type of preform as your Bard PC. The town people will like him because he is new and exciting, and he should rub his popularity in the old bards face.

Of corse when the local bard saves the village people will forget about this new bard and prefer the hero/preformer local


Maybe you should have a girl who lost her teddybear named rosey and the party needs to fing it. They would have to find the 8 year old bully who stole it and have to beat him up for the teddy bear.

 

[Stahn Li]

Or you can go southpark on the village and say theyre is a local election and the party has to convince a man named Ohio to cast his deciding vote.

 

[RangerWickett]

Anyone have any interesting funeral customs for a society on a windy plain, when they don't have the body?

 

[Hand of Evil]

Release of smoke, the spirit becoming a part of the sky, don't need body but maybe a spirit bag that is left with family so that it the spirit of one of the tribe can find their way home. The bag is burned to release the spirit to the after life.

Note: this could mean that the holder of the bag could have power over the spirit. Mmmmmm.

 

[RangerWickett]

The game went very well.

Due to the inexplicable purchase of holy water and alchemist's fire by one of the PCs ("I'm a monk. What else am I going to spend money on?"), the demon lasted only about four rounds, but it was still fun. The group was scared by the goblins, since they wore hoods and had staffs with lanterns on the end.

Next week I'm going to need something else. Eventually the group is going to leave the area to find a mage who can help them locate a missing townsperson, but for at least the next two sessions I want to keep things local.

For the next adventure, I'm thinking of something entirely in the town, with a bully of some sort (a druid). This will keep them in the town and show them who's nice and who's not. They need to talk to Netaras, a young woman who seventeen years ago was found near a planar rift to a positive energy plane. They need to get to appreciate the strange sense of humor of the mayor (you'd find life amusing too if you were 10th level and all of your friends were commoners). I'm not sure exactly what kind of things can go on in a small town that will make for a good D&D adventure, but won't end up with neighbors fighting each other.

Then the adventure after that a caravan of gnomish gypsies will come into town, accompanied by a creature from some strange plane, but not a standard demon or angel.

Any ideas for small town adventures?

 

[zagorm]

If you want ideas for village adventures you might have a look at The Forge In free pdf’s section there are 12 supplements - each one of them describing one location with lots of illustrations and adventure hooks. Main supplement “The Fish Side” describes fishing village ( with over 20 illustrated places) while other supplements like “Ygron’s bride” or “Swamp witch” describe locations that are near by.


Ps. .... All of these locations are linked by adventure hooks or NPC.


Regards Z