1st level adventures

[Summer-Knight925]

PCs know eachother from a bar fight (they were all on the same side, unless them fighting helps for background info)

one of them has a map to treasure


need more adventure?

the map leads to an old mine/cave system abandoned by gnomes (not dwarves, dwarves go all out and its too epic for first levels) and nasty creatures have moved in.

a tribe of orcs and barbaric goblins war against a group of orderly (lawful) goblins and hobgoblins, a tribe of kobolds lie in wait waiting to spring at the winner after a large battle

a gang of ogres stalks the halls searching for flesh to consume, meanwhile giant spiders, carrion crawlers, rust monsters, otyughs and all that fun low level nastiness (this includes a hallway FULL of gelatinous cubes [or would a giant one be a gelatinous rectangle?]) until alas they find the resting chamber of the treasure, more gold then they can imagine....problem is, the dragon sleeping on it is out of their league (the NEXT adventure is slaying the dragon)

good enough for ya?

 

[Dandu]

Kill ten murlocs and bring their hearts to the alchemist.

... what?

 

[Celebrim]

My most recent campaign began, at 1st level, with the PC's trying to survive a tsunami and dealing with its aftermath.

Over the years I've learned that its very important for pacing to begin with a really big bang. You need to establish the interest of the campaign early, and often this means establishing your epic scale early.

At 1st level, the important thing to remember is that the party doesn't have the resources to endure an extended series of combats unless those combats are against trivial foes. Likewise stock D&D makes combat at 1st level fraught with sudden danger (which has its advantages in casual realism). So avoid the problem by making most of the early challenges be non-combat in nature - fighting fires, healing wounded, fleeing some unstoppable danger, chase scenes, man vs. nature, inclimate weather, fairly weak traps, mundane diseases, etc. Plan on having more skill checks than to hit rolls.

Try inflicting non-hit point harm on the characters. Minor ability damage (1-2 pts.) is fairly untroubling at this level. Likewise, characters can encounter effects that inflict statuses like shaken, nauseated, stunned, dazed, dazzled, etc. Haunts like Pathfinder uses can be useful here. Make use of non-lethal damage when it makes sense too - fist fights, minor irritants, falls less than 10' or toppled loads.

First level adventure hooks I'd like to do:

Your town is attacked by a CR 24 dragon. Run!! Deal with the aftermath as the refugees try to survive the winter weather, the loss of most of their possessions, bandits and their own flaring tempers and sense of despair while journeying to a neighboring town to beg for aid.

A fledgling wizard hires you to help him investigate a strange vault he's found. While down their, unexplainable wierdness happens. When you go back to the surface, you find that the ancient sleeping war machines (collosal iron golems, clockwork monsters, scorching ray firing levitating tanks, etc.) that litered the countryside have lumbered back to life and are wrecking total devestation. Try to figure out if you are responcible and what to do about it.

You are attending court when suddenly goblin assassins appear out of nowhere. Help the royal gaurd and the other courtiers defend the royal family, and then work with your friend the young prince to find out who sent them.

You are on a river boat when its attacked by a fearsome monster or monsters. Help the other passengers drive it off. Your boat is now disabled. Take launches down river to get help.

You are escorting a caravan when you are attacked by an overwhelming force of goblin raiders, who are seeking slaves. You are caught in nets, lassoed, and taken away to goblin town where you must plot escape while doing your best to help protect the dignity of yourself and your fellow captives. Along the way you may find yourself caught up in goblin politics, as huge events are astir which threaten the whole region. Either throw in behind the lesser of two evils, or try to escape and prepare for a coming storm.

'Dude, where is my cow?' (vs 2): Shortly after the death of a beloved elderly town leader (the game begins with his funeral), you are hired by a rancher to help find out what is stealing his cattle. You discover that a nearby tribe of kobolds, which had formerly been little trouble, has begun thieving from the outlying farms. The new town leader demands action be taken to destroy these vermin. Investigation eventually uncovers that the elderly figure had secretly made a pact with the kobolds. In exchange for a yearly tribute of grain and beer (for which the town is famous for), the kobolds would leave the town alone. However, the leader's replacement has instead sold the beer and pocketed the money himself, enraging the kobolds who are now on the warpath. Either make peace with the kobolds or wipe them out (possibly while blackmailing the new leader).

 

[Ravilah]

Have the players make 5 versions of their character (technically 5 different characters, but all basically the same class concept). Then they stack the characters; their least favorite on top, most favorite on the bottom.

Round One: They are the "adopted children" of a powerful wizard who has raised them in his new lair high in the isolated mountains. On the night of a particular astral event, he takes them to a magical cave and asks them to return with the golden shard they will find within. They come across a huge skeletal guardian which, though they damage it heavily, kills them all.

Round Two: They are the servants of a powerful wizard who has raised them in his lair high in the isolated mountains. On the night of a particular astral event, he takes them to a magical cave and orders them to return with the golden shard they will find within. They come across a highly damaged skeletal guardian which they easily finish off. Then they all get killed by the hidden trap in the next room.

Round Three: They are the slaves of a powerful, but aging, wizard who has raised them in his weathered lair high in mountains near the village of Snowhorn. On the night of a particular astral event, he takes them to a magical cave and orders them to return with the golden shard they will find within. They find several skeletons, some the victims of a sprung fire-trap. Then they make the mistake of taking the left bridge instead of the right and they all perish in the abyss below.

Round Four: They are the slaves of a wizard, ancient beyond reckoning, who has raised them in his crumbling lair high in the mountains north of the town of Snowhorn. They often have dreams of strangers wandering through a cave and meeting their deaths. On the night of a particular astral event, he takes them to a magical cave and demands that they return with the golden shard they will find within. Armed with the memories of their dreams, they choose the right bridge. They find the golden shard, but there is a lot of treasure too! They take some, and die from the curse put upon it.

Round Five: Kidnapped by a lich from the city of Snowhorn when still young, they are dragged to a magic cave on a moonlit night and forced to retrieve a golden shard. The way is relatively unobstructed, and the twisted dead bodies around the treasure convince them not to touch it. They return the golden shard to the lich, who is promptly destroyed by the radiant energy that suddenly pours forth from it. They are now free, but what do they do with the shard?

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Have the players make 5 versions of their character (technically 5 different characters, but all basically the same class concept). Then they stack the characters; their least favorite on top, most favorite on the bottom.

Round One: They are the "adopted children" of a powerful wizard who has raised them in his new lair high in the isolated mountains. On the night of a particular astral event, he takes them to a magical cave and asks them to return with the golden shard they will find within. They come across a huge skeletal guardian which, though they damage it heavily, kills them all.

Round Two: They are the servants of a powerful wizard who has raised them in his lair high in the isolated mountains. On the night of a particular astral event, he takes them to a magical cave and orders them to return with the golden shard they will find within. They come across a highly damaged skeletal guardian which they easily finish off. Then they all get killed by the hidden trap in the next room.

Round Three: They are the slaves of a powerful, but aging, wizard who has raised them in his weathered lair high in mountains near the village of Snowhorn. On the night of a particular astral event, he takes them to a magical cave and orders them to return with the golden shard they will find within. They find several skeletons, some the victims of a sprung fire-trap. Then they make the mistake of taking the left bridge instead of the right and they all perish in the abyss below.

Round Four: They are the slaves of a wizard, ancient beyond reckoning, who has raised them in his crumbling lair high in the mountains north of the town of Snowhorn. They often have dreams of strangers wandering through a cave and meeting their deaths. On the night of a particular astral event, he takes them to a magical cave and demands that they return with the golden shard they will find within. Armed with the memories of their dreams, they choose the right bridge. They find the golden shard, but there is a lot of treasure too! They take some, and die from the curse put upon it.

Round Five: Kidnapped by a lich from the city of Snowhorn when still young, they are dragged to a magic cave on a moonlit night and forced to retrieve a golden shard. The way is relatively unobstructed, and the twisted dead bodies around the treasure convince them not to touch it. They return the golden shard to the lich, who is promptly destroyed by the radiant energy that suddenly pours forth from it. They are now free, but what do they do with the shard?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpeXTgwh7F4&feature=player_embedded]‪If It Takes a Lifetime - Brawl in the Family‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]