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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Imaculata" data-source="post: 7209644" data-attributes="member: 6801286">The unethical attractionA traveling showman exploits a caged orc as an attraction. He travels from town to town, showing the beast in all its fury, and allows children to pelt it with rotten fruit. The orc desperately wants to be freed from the cage, and can speak a little bit of common (something it taught itself over the years of abuse). The players can deduce from the look in the eyes of the orc that he is deeply unhappy, but they won't be given an opportunity to talk to the orc during the day. At night the cage is covered with a big brown sheet, but the orc is not being watched. The traveling showman has the keys always on his person, though the players may be able to simply pick the lock. The orc will also want to take revenge on the showman, but the players might be able to talk him out of this. If the players free the orc, he might be responsible for a horrible crime later on in the campaign, if the DM wants to include a bit of a moral dilemma.The shake downA couple of local guards are forcing a poor farmer and his wife to pay their taxes, and give up their last bit of money. The farmer pleeds to the guards that they need the money for food, but the guards show little understanding for the farmer's plight. The guards will not shy away from roughing up the farmer a bit in order for him to give up his carefully hidden coins. The players can intervene and try and convince the guards to leave the farmer alone. If the players do not intervene, the farmer may beg the players for help after the shake down.Lifted SpiritsThe players come upon a beautiful vista that lifts their spirits. The beautiful sight gives them renewed energy, and allows them to pick up the pace. Plus they get advantage on checks for the next 2 hours, and they can continue their journey with replenished stamina. Use this encounter along with a noteworthy location.A proper burialA woman begs the priest/druid/paladin of the party to give their husband or child a proper burial. The woman wants this person to be puried properly, and with the correct rites, so they may pass on into the afterlife safely. The PC deepens his/her faith with their deity by doing so, and gains the favor of their deity for the rest of the day. The DM may grant the player replenished spells, or advantage on certain checks for that day.Bat CavesThe players have to navigate a tiny road along a cliffside that passes right several small caves. The caves are home to large swarms of bats that will swarm the players if they make too much noise. If the bats swarm the players, they must make a Dexterity (balance) save DC 15, or lose their balance and fall. The players can also choose to climb the cliff, but here they'll run into another encounter.The Rock SpriteThe players encounter a sprite who disguises himself as a small rock. If the party includes a ranger or druid, they may be able to communicate with the sprite and ask for directions (or help). Otherwise the sprite will flee.Infernio, the Dueling Wizards SpectacularA group of traveling wizards put on a spectacular show where they stage a mock battle between three wizards. The show is a combination of cantrips and actual firespells, so the audience can feel the heat, and feels a sense of danger. Large wooden set pieces are rigged to collapse, to show a mock castle being blown apart. But part of the show goes awry when one of the wooden towers falls the wrong way, and hits a nearby house. The house immediately catches fire, and a beautiful woman emerges from a window, screaming for help. The players can kick into action before the guards do, to save the woman. As they lift her up, the front of the house falls apart, thus revealing the house as part of the set as well. The players receive a huge applause from both the audience and the wizards.Smuggler's TunnelsThe players encounter a large wooden hatch, hidden underneath the sand, out in the wilderness. The hatch leads to a network of smugglers tunnels, which lead to a nearby hidden location/building. The tunnels may have enemies in them, in the form of smugglers or bandits. And the players may be able to find some elicit goods. The local authorities may give a good reward for handing in these goods, or the players can try to sell them themselves.Starlight CanyonThis canyon is covered in ancient drawings that are only visible at night. The drawings light up, showing images and/or maps that may be relevant to the plot, or tie into local lore of the area. The DM may choose to make this canyon also home to special fairies that have some affinity to the stars or the moon. The glittery dust that covers this canyon is stardust, but only if it is collected in the canyon at night. It can be used as a special magical ingredient for crafting potions and/or magical weapons. Collecting the dust takes a while, because it is only the top layer of the canyon that is covered in it. So the DM can limit how much dust the party can collect at night merely by how many hours it takes to collect dust. Optionally the DM could even opt to have the magical aspects of the canyon only activate under a specific celestial alignment, there by making this encounter a one night occurance.Shudder StormThe region is struck by a haunted storm that lasts 1d4 days. The effects of the storm are a constant downpour, that obscures sight, along with ghostly visions that appear in the rain with every lightning flash. The party may see visions of deceased relatives or loved ones, and they will seem to call out to them, although the visions are obviously not real (no check required). The downpour is accompanied by an unnerving howling of the wind that sounds completely unnatural. The shudder storm may cause many local stores to close until it passes, and the party has disadvantage on everything while they are in the storm. While inside any building, the structure of the house constantly rattles, as if the storm is made out of a thousand angry hands trying to rip the house apart. The cause of the storm may be whatever villain or plot the DM has planned. For higher level parties, the DM may opt to also have actual ghosts emerge from the storm and attack players and villagers. The ghosts cannot enter houses, and can only attack outside.The traveling rock elementalThe party encounters two children (a boy and a girl) riding on the back of a giant rock elemental. The rock elemental is a giant towering figure, slightly hunged, with the children riding on its moss-covered back. The children have tied all their belongings on the back of the elemental, and travel wherever it goes. Although the kids cannot communicate with the elemental, they consider the elemental their friend. If asked, the kids will share a story of how they lost their parents to a local threat (insert big bad here). They ran, and hid behind a rock, when the rock suddenly came alive and protected them from their pursuers. They have stayed with the elemental ever since, tying their belongings on its back, and traveling wherever it goes. The elemental doesn't move fast, and once per day it pauses for about an hour, before continueing on its way. The kids do not know what its purpose is, or where it is going. The party can travel with the kids and their elemental for a while (the DM may decide if there is more room on its back), until their paths diverge. The elemental will attack any enemies that they encounter along the way.The Magic TowerThe party encounters an old tall tower, leaning over a river. The detailing in the masonry and woodwork is quite beautiful and whimsical, full of engravings of faces and of various strange creatures. The window shutters are open, and some clothes are drying in the wind. The rooftop is pointy and slighty bended, and there's a small hole in the roof. A bucket is lowered down to the river with a rope, and then pulled up again. But the players cannot see anyone from ground level. A small wooden balcony surrounds the exterior of the top floor of the tower. The door to the tower is locked, but if they knock, it will unlock itself. The tower is full of animated furniture (the furniture can be hostile or friendly, DM's choice). It seems the original owner of the tower is long gone. Animated brooms keep the tower clean, but the players will spot some cobwebs in spots where the animated furniture cannot reach, thus hinting at the age of the tower. The first part of the tower is just a stone spiral staircase, with three floors at the top. The first floor is a living area, the second floor an alchemy lab, and the third is a study, with a door to the balcony outside. The players will find some potions and spellbooks in the tower. The spellbooks may contain some new spells for the players to learn, and the DM can randomly decide what potions they find. The tower also provides the players with a view, allowing them to spot distant tall structures and landmarks.The Haunted SwampThe party encounters a misty swamp, where a strange singing lures them closer. Many of the plants and trees in the swamp are withering, and clouds of mosquitos hang above the water. Strange flickering lights can occasionally be seen in the mist, coming from the center of the swamp. The swamp is home to a small group of swamp witches. They dress in long immaculate white gowns (unstained by the swamp), and try to lure travelers into the swamp to eat them. They can emerge from below the water whenever a player heads to far into the swamp. They may also have tree ents to protect their swamp, if the DM wants to increase the difficulty of the encounter. Alternatively, maybe the players can convince the witches not to eat them, and the witches could provide them with help, or offer them a quest in exchange for help.StonehengeThe players encounter a man-made formation of stacked stones, similar to stonehenge. Depending on the season, druids might be seen performing rituals here at night. This location boosts the effects of healing spells, scrying and any rituals performed within the circle.The hero on the hillA proud stone knight stands on a hill, his sword reaching for the stars. At night perceptive players may notice an uncanny resemblance between the knight and an identical looking star sign, shining up among the heavens. Local legends say the knight was rewarded with eternal glory by being transformed into a star sign, forever watching over this world and shining his light on it. Monsters and villains stay clear of this hill, and the players can sleep here safely, under the protection of the star sign.The overgrown muralThe party passes a rockface, overgrown with ivy. If one of the players succeeds on a succesful perception check DC 12, they will notice that the plants obscure a beautiful mural. The mural may have some relevance to the main plot of the campaign, or hint at an important historical event in the region.The kings with no facesThe party passes a row of tall stone statues of ancient kings. The statues were carved from a nearby rockface, and their backs are still part of that rockface. The faces of the statues were destroyed long ago, and their names are now long forgotten. The party can climb up to the top of the cliff via a nearby stone staircase, and get a better look at the lay of the land. The DM can roll for a new encounter that the players see nearby, but it is up to the players whether they want to investigate or avoid it.Dream FruitThe players encounter a spring, where fairies circle around a strange tree, like tiny bright embers. The tree has a strange blueish color, and yellow spiked fruit grows from it, unlike any kind the players have ever seen. If the players consume the fruit, they fall into a deep slumber, where they experience a vivid collective dream. If some players do not eat the fruit, they still appear in the dream as themselves, but their characters will not remember the events from the dream afterwards, or experience the side effects of the dream. In the dream the players are taken on a dreamquest by the fairies, where they uncover important information regarding the main plot. Upon waking up a day will have passed, and those who fell asleep feel well rested, and are fully healed. If the fruit is taken away from the tree, it quickly spoils and no longer bestows its magical dream effect. While the players are in their deep slumber, they cannot be woken until a day later. The effect can also be dispelled as if it were a sleep spell.The BeartrapThe players hear the desperate sounds of a wounded medium-sized animal stuck in a beartrap. The DM can roll randomly for the type of animal, or decide if it is a bear, wolf, panther, velociraptor, elk, unicorn, or anything that could make for a fun animal companion. The animal will need to be calmed with a succesful Handle Animal check DC 12, and opening the beartrap requires at least a strength of 10. If the PC that frees the animal has an affinity to animals, the animal may become an animal companion. It will either stay with the PC, or follow him/her on their travels. Otherwise, the animal flees back into the forest, but fey will hear of this kindness.A Hairy SituationThe players come upon a house where locks of black hair have grown out of the doors and windows. If the players cut their way into the house, they will find a poor man pleading them for help. He was cursed for insulting a witch, and his hair has been growing endlessly ever since. Whenever he cuts his hair, it grows back even faster. His hair has spilled all over the house, and all the furniture. He is no longer welcome in the nearby village/city and people shun him because of his condition. He pleads the players to remove the curse, or otherwise convey his apologies to the witch on his behalf (he is unable to move in his current condition). As a reward the man will offer the players gold, or maybe even offer to join their party.</blockquote>

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