An endless stream of random encounters
Imaculata
Hero
Wayward Mushrooms
These thick red mushrooms are usually found in old forests and are covered in strange little white hand prints instead of the usual dots. When touched they emit clouds of magical orange pollen. These float through the air, forming a trail leading the players through the wilderness to where they need to go. If the players take a bite out of these mushrooms, they fall asleep and dream about nearby locations. Upon waking they remember exactly where these locations are and can effortlessly find them again.
The Crow
Sitting on the branch of an old tree is a crow. It caws at the party and keeps a good eye on them. It occasionally speaks words from other travelers that have crossed its path. The crow belongs to a wizard/witch who lives nearby. If it is fed a treat, it flies off in the direction of the house of its owner. The party can follow it to find the home of the wizard/witch.
The Webbed Forest
Part of the forest is covered in spider webs. These webs cover the tree tops, bushes and parts of the floor. The players can attempt a group dexterity (stealth check) to bypass this obstacle to reduce their travel time by 1 hour. If the players fail their check, they disturb the webs and are attacked by spiders. They can also go around, but this adds 1 hour of travel time.
The Serenade Bridge
In the middle of the forest is an old small gatehouse, with a stone bridge that crosses a small stream. The stream is almost dried up and one could easily jump across. It must have been a much bigger stream a long time ago. The gatehouse is endearing to look at. It is formed by two round towers with an arch in between, constructed from cobblestone and clay plaster. The gatehouse roofs are cone shaped and covered in red ceramic rooftiles. Birds are nesting in places where rooftiles are missing. Both the gatehouse and the bridge are worn by time, covered in moss and overgrown with vines. A single hooded lantern is fixed to the gatehouse wall, imbued with a magical flame that is always lit. Windchimes hang from the gatehouse, filling the air with the sound of bells.
The gatehouse has a small wooden door, hiding a tight flight of stairs up to a tiny watch tower that sticks out from one of the main towers of the gatehouse. Inside this tower is a small watchpost, furnished with a simple chair, a table, and with a stained glass window overlooking the bridge. There is an unlit candle on the table, which lights automatically at night. It looks like it hasn't been touched in decades, although the tiny room is surprisingly devoid of dust and cobwebs.
Across the bridge a small cobblestone staircase leads down to a pond. The ghostly voice of a girl singing can be heard softly near the pond at night. Many flowers grow around the pond. Near the pond is a tree with the names of two lovers carved into it; Peadrus and Wynefrede. The carving seems very old.
An aura of peace hangs over this entire location. At night the ghost of a watchman lights the candle behind the window of the gatehouse, while his ghostly lover can be heard singing near the pond. A forbidden love that is repeated every night. The party can make camp here without any risk of being attacked. Visitors to this location feel well rested upon departing, whether they made camp here or not. Bards can listen to the song and gain inspiration.
These thick red mushrooms are usually found in old forests and are covered in strange little white hand prints instead of the usual dots. When touched they emit clouds of magical orange pollen. These float through the air, forming a trail leading the players through the wilderness to where they need to go. If the players take a bite out of these mushrooms, they fall asleep and dream about nearby locations. Upon waking they remember exactly where these locations are and can effortlessly find them again.
The Crow
Sitting on the branch of an old tree is a crow. It caws at the party and keeps a good eye on them. It occasionally speaks words from other travelers that have crossed its path. The crow belongs to a wizard/witch who lives nearby. If it is fed a treat, it flies off in the direction of the house of its owner. The party can follow it to find the home of the wizard/witch.
The Webbed Forest
Part of the forest is covered in spider webs. These webs cover the tree tops, bushes and parts of the floor. The players can attempt a group dexterity (stealth check) to bypass this obstacle to reduce their travel time by 1 hour. If the players fail their check, they disturb the webs and are attacked by spiders. They can also go around, but this adds 1 hour of travel time.
The Serenade Bridge
In the middle of the forest is an old small gatehouse, with a stone bridge that crosses a small stream. The stream is almost dried up and one could easily jump across. It must have been a much bigger stream a long time ago. The gatehouse is endearing to look at. It is formed by two round towers with an arch in between, constructed from cobblestone and clay plaster. The gatehouse roofs are cone shaped and covered in red ceramic rooftiles. Birds are nesting in places where rooftiles are missing. Both the gatehouse and the bridge are worn by time, covered in moss and overgrown with vines. A single hooded lantern is fixed to the gatehouse wall, imbued with a magical flame that is always lit. Windchimes hang from the gatehouse, filling the air with the sound of bells.
The gatehouse has a small wooden door, hiding a tight flight of stairs up to a tiny watch tower that sticks out from one of the main towers of the gatehouse. Inside this tower is a small watchpost, furnished with a simple chair, a table, and with a stained glass window overlooking the bridge. There is an unlit candle on the table, which lights automatically at night. It looks like it hasn't been touched in decades, although the tiny room is surprisingly devoid of dust and cobwebs.
Across the bridge a small cobblestone staircase leads down to a pond. The ghostly voice of a girl singing can be heard softly near the pond at night. Many flowers grow around the pond. Near the pond is a tree with the names of two lovers carved into it; Peadrus and Wynefrede. The carving seems very old.
An aura of peace hangs over this entire location. At night the ghost of a watchman lights the candle behind the window of the gatehouse, while his ghostly lover can be heard singing near the pond. A forbidden love that is repeated every night. The party can make camp here without any risk of being attacked. Visitors to this location feel well rested upon departing, whether they made camp here or not. Bards can listen to the song and gain inspiration.
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Crumbling Keep
Villager
Imaculata
Hero
The Cursed Lumberjacks
The party comes upon a fallen tree. Buried into the wood of the tree are two axes, and beside it are two small saplings. The players can discover with a succesful perception check that the saplings have the vague shape of people. They are in fact 2 lumberjacks that were cursed by a driad. Removing the curse restores the lumberjacks to their human state. They will gladly reward the players with gold, food and lodging.
The party comes upon a fallen tree. Buried into the wood of the tree are two axes, and beside it are two small saplings. The players can discover with a succesful perception check that the saplings have the vague shape of people. They are in fact 2 lumberjacks that were cursed by a driad. Removing the curse restores the lumberjacks to their human state. They will gladly reward the players with gold, food and lodging.
Imaculata
Hero
Babble water
The party comes upon a small stream that has a strange magical glitter about it. While it tastes like normal water, it bestows upon the drinker the ability to understand and speak any language for 1 hour. The water can be collected and will maintain its magical properties. However, taking too much of it may anger the fey responsible. Nearby animals can all talk with the players, and may have useful information.
The creeping fire
The party comes upon a slow moving flow of magma. It has already burned and crushed its way through the nearby wilderness, and is now approaching a village. The locals are trying to stop the flow. The party can lend a hand in digging trenches and raising earthern walls, to earn the goodwill of the locals, who will gladly invite the players to their town and offer food and lodging.
Stopping the lava flow requires a group check for strength (athletics) DC 16 and takes several hours. A succesful intelligence (nature) check DC 12 can inform them where best to dig their trenches, giving them advantage on the strength check. Magic can also be used to create barriers, which lowers the strength DC to 14.
Alternatively, if the players ignore the threat, the village will be destroyed by the flow the next day. Abandoning the locals in their hour of need may anger the gods if any of the party members are good aligned and pious, and bring them bad fortune. They take disadvantage on all checks for a week.
The source of the magma is a fissure in the earth. The party can follow the path of destruction to reach the source. The magma is still warm, but hard enough to stand on. The DM may rule that the fissure is the entrance to a mini dungeon, or that it is too small to crawl inside. The party can use magic or other means to seal the fissure completely, or journey inside to find the cause.
Harsh interrogations
The party can hear calls for help coming from a nearby bridge. Two men are dangling a young man from the bridge into the stream, asking him where he took the wares. The young man, named Harrold, denies knowing what they are talking about. Harrold was enchanted by a wizard, to steal wares from a local nobleman. The two men work for the nobleman, but Harrold truthfully does not remember a thing. The men know Harrold is involved in the theft, as a witness saw him during the night. Harrold has no recollection of any of it.
The players can try a charisma (diplomacy) check DC 10 to get the men to stop their interrogations. Threats of calling the guards do not impress the thugs, although any threat of armed conflict may get them to back off upon a succesful charisma (intimidation) check DC 14.
The players can also call for the guards. However, as soon as the thugs namedrop their employer, the guards will back off and allow them to continue their interrogations of Harrold.
The party can also offer to interrogate the young man themselves. Truthfully, the two thugs are getting tired of dunking Harrold into the river, and feel like they are getting nowhere. So they'll be eager to let someone else take over. Magical interrogation can get Harrold to spill the beans on his nightly activities, as can a dispel magic. Harrold is still enchanted, and a spell clouds his mind. Once the magic is lifted, Harrold can retrace his steps back to the wizard, where they find all of the stolen wares. The wizard has some beef with the nobleman, to be decided by the DM. This could be another plothook if the DM so chooses.
The party comes upon a small stream that has a strange magical glitter about it. While it tastes like normal water, it bestows upon the drinker the ability to understand and speak any language for 1 hour. The water can be collected and will maintain its magical properties. However, taking too much of it may anger the fey responsible. Nearby animals can all talk with the players, and may have useful information.
The creeping fire
The party comes upon a slow moving flow of magma. It has already burned and crushed its way through the nearby wilderness, and is now approaching a village. The locals are trying to stop the flow. The party can lend a hand in digging trenches and raising earthern walls, to earn the goodwill of the locals, who will gladly invite the players to their town and offer food and lodging.
Stopping the lava flow requires a group check for strength (athletics) DC 16 and takes several hours. A succesful intelligence (nature) check DC 12 can inform them where best to dig their trenches, giving them advantage on the strength check. Magic can also be used to create barriers, which lowers the strength DC to 14.
Alternatively, if the players ignore the threat, the village will be destroyed by the flow the next day. Abandoning the locals in their hour of need may anger the gods if any of the party members are good aligned and pious, and bring them bad fortune. They take disadvantage on all checks for a week.
The source of the magma is a fissure in the earth. The party can follow the path of destruction to reach the source. The magma is still warm, but hard enough to stand on. The DM may rule that the fissure is the entrance to a mini dungeon, or that it is too small to crawl inside. The party can use magic or other means to seal the fissure completely, or journey inside to find the cause.
Harsh interrogations
The party can hear calls for help coming from a nearby bridge. Two men are dangling a young man from the bridge into the stream, asking him where he took the wares. The young man, named Harrold, denies knowing what they are talking about. Harrold was enchanted by a wizard, to steal wares from a local nobleman. The two men work for the nobleman, but Harrold truthfully does not remember a thing. The men know Harrold is involved in the theft, as a witness saw him during the night. Harrold has no recollection of any of it.
The players can try a charisma (diplomacy) check DC 10 to get the men to stop their interrogations. Threats of calling the guards do not impress the thugs, although any threat of armed conflict may get them to back off upon a succesful charisma (intimidation) check DC 14.
The players can also call for the guards. However, as soon as the thugs namedrop their employer, the guards will back off and allow them to continue their interrogations of Harrold.
The party can also offer to interrogate the young man themselves. Truthfully, the two thugs are getting tired of dunking Harrold into the river, and feel like they are getting nowhere. So they'll be eager to let someone else take over. Magical interrogation can get Harrold to spill the beans on his nightly activities, as can a dispel magic. Harrold is still enchanted, and a spell clouds his mind. Once the magic is lifted, Harrold can retrace his steps back to the wizard, where they find all of the stolen wares. The wizard has some beef with the nobleman, to be decided by the DM. This could be another plothook if the DM so chooses.
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Not a Riddle, Just Some Jerks- The PCs encounter three men. One always lies, one always tells the truth, and the third constantly tries to confuse them with misleading statistics.
The Ed Gein of Dragons- A creepy looking dragon approaches the PCs offering to sell dragonhide merchandise.
The Ed Gein of Dragons- A creepy looking dragon approaches the PCs offering to sell dragonhide merchandise.
Gnomes are magical
The PCs pass through/above a small gnomish settlement. Almost all the gnomes have the limited meldshaping ability through the Shape Soulmeld feat from Magic of Incarnum
Gnomes are crazy
The PCs meet a gnome (or a kobold) who is endevoring to build a crueler mousetrap and talks the PCs ears off about it. Their latest design traps the mouse in an unsupported chamber inside a pair of elevator shoes. Walking around in the shoes gradually crushes the mouse.
Psychopathic Sammy's Arms Emporium
Psychopathic Sammy's is one of those magical curio stores that mysteriously appears one day and then just as mysteriously disappears the next. The PCs could stumble upon it in any settled area (or anywhere at all, if they have something that interests the shopkeeper. This particular store is sinister though. Psychopathic Sammy is a disguised yugoloth, his shop is actually a suite in the Wasting Tower in Hades (which means that non-evil characters suffer extensive penalties in his store and that there is a more or less endless supply of tugoloths that can be called in if the PCs cause trouble), with a controllable portal that allows him to send his door wherever he needs it. He appears in the dead of night, kills any occupants of the building whose door he has taken over, and sets up a copy of his window display in the window (and packs up this copy when he leaves) Anything that the PCs sell to him is likely to make its way back into the hands of the forces of evil (possibly including the PCs enemies and even summoned fiends). Any cash he gives them for stuff that they hock is usually ill-gotten somehow. The stuff he sells leans towards weapons and other things that maim or kill and decidedly away from anything that facilitate peaceful solutions. His merchandise is slightly overpriced, but this is to mask the fact that some of it is actually underpriced; Some of the weapons have a hidden evil effect such as Unholy or Vile (and also Wounding on weapons that are supposed to deal non-lethal damage), which he won't mention or charge full price for. If the PCs are overtly evil he'll also try to sell them openly unsavory things like slaves, drugs, poisons, and so on. If the PCs make it to high levels where they start dealing in serious magic items they may see his shop multiple times in multiple places, including places that are overtly not right, such in a tree, in the wall of a jail cell, at a crosstoads at midnight, in the middle of the enemy stronghold, etc.[/b]
The PCs pass through/above a small gnomish settlement. Almost all the gnomes have the limited meldshaping ability through the Shape Soulmeld feat from Magic of Incarnum
Gnomes are crazy
The PCs meet a gnome (or a kobold) who is endevoring to build a crueler mousetrap and talks the PCs ears off about it. Their latest design traps the mouse in an unsupported chamber inside a pair of elevator shoes. Walking around in the shoes gradually crushes the mouse.
Psychopathic Sammy's Arms Emporium
Psychopathic Sammy's is one of those magical curio stores that mysteriously appears one day and then just as mysteriously disappears the next. The PCs could stumble upon it in any settled area (or anywhere at all, if they have something that interests the shopkeeper. This particular store is sinister though. Psychopathic Sammy is a disguised yugoloth, his shop is actually a suite in the Wasting Tower in Hades (which means that non-evil characters suffer extensive penalties in his store and that there is a more or less endless supply of tugoloths that can be called in if the PCs cause trouble), with a controllable portal that allows him to send his door wherever he needs it. He appears in the dead of night, kills any occupants of the building whose door he has taken over, and sets up a copy of his window display in the window (and packs up this copy when he leaves) Anything that the PCs sell to him is likely to make its way back into the hands of the forces of evil (possibly including the PCs enemies and even summoned fiends). Any cash he gives them for stuff that they hock is usually ill-gotten somehow. The stuff he sells leans towards weapons and other things that maim or kill and decidedly away from anything that facilitate peaceful solutions. His merchandise is slightly overpriced, but this is to mask the fact that some of it is actually underpriced; Some of the weapons have a hidden evil effect such as Unholy or Vile (and also Wounding on weapons that are supposed to deal non-lethal damage), which he won't mention or charge full price for. If the PCs are overtly evil he'll also try to sell them openly unsavory things like slaves, drugs, poisons, and so on. If the PCs make it to high levels where they start dealing in serious magic items they may see his shop multiple times in multiple places, including places that are overtly not right, such in a tree, in the wall of a jail cell, at a crosstoads at midnight, in the middle of the enemy stronghold, etc.[/b]
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