D&D 5E (2024) The Black Road - Help me flesh out an Adventure idea.

Thommy H-H said:

I think one advantage of the premise here is it combines the idea of having a consistent home base (the Town) with the party going on a long journey and getting into scrapes in different environments. While changing up the caravan now and then is probably a good idea, I'd also have a core of NPCs that are present through all or most of the trip. Make it into a little community, with its characters and its troublemakers. If you're using the Bastion rules, the whole caravan could be the party's Bastion! New facilities could be new wagons joining at stops, or existing wagons whose owners the party have helped out enough to earn their loyalty.

Even without any mechanical support, a caravan filled with NPCs they've come to know and love travelling through dangerous terrain gives you loads of fodder for the social pillar, as well as something for them to defend. A big set piece battle where the whole caravan comes under attack from a major antagonist (that the party probably riled up in their earlier adventures!) flows quite naturally from the premise. No one has to gather and army to come and attack the home base: the base is trotting right into their territory!

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