D&D 5E D&D 5E Ideas with running a Faire/Carnival scenario?

[Wouter Kroos]

Hi Imaculata, I'm currently working on a Carnival module for 5e and would like to include The Great Whamboozy as optional entertainer in here. Would you be allright with this?

 

[Wouter Kroos]

One gag that I love pulling in campaigns, is a magic show of The Great Whamboozy. He is a traveling wizard who performs in taverns (because he's usually no longer welcome in any town where he has performed). He always dresses extravagantly, in bright purple robes with golden moons and stars on it, and with a typical pointy wizard's hat, and a long flowing white beard. At first glance, the guy looks like a totally fake wizard.

What makes the show special, is that this traveling wizard always asks for volunteers from the audience (preferably the players). But while his tricks look cheap and harmless, they are in fact far from harmless.

One trick he does, is to cut a person in half. The trick here, is that the person's body is magically separated. The trick doesn't hurt. But the 'volunteer' is aware that their lower body has in fact been separated from their torso. As long as they cooperate, the wizard will put them back together correctly.

Another trick he does, is to make a person disappear. The volunteer is however sent to another dimension for a couple of terrifying minutes. If they wander off too far, they are lost in time and space forever. But if they stay near their point of travel, the wizard will successfully bring them back.

I always imagined this guy got his hands on a dangerous spell book some how, and exploited it to make a living, without taking any responsibility for the consequences of his performances.

I'd PM you for this question btw (see previous post), but I created an account just to message you, and can't message yet due to being new

 

[jayoungr]

I found this on the DM's Guild--might be worth a look:

http://www.dmsguild.com/product/176177/The-Tournament-at-Scornubel

I just wanted to say that I ran this adventure last fall and it was very successful! With a little scaling, it can fit a group of almost any level.

 

[robus]

Just saw this thread resurface and I immediately thought of Matt Mercer's notes for the Harvest's Close Festival that he kindly shared. It has a bunch of fun carnival type games for PCs to play:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/uzhaqli8jsuh8gg/C2 - Session 17 - The Harvest's Close Festival.pdf?dl=0

 

[shadowoflameth]

I ran a high level game where the characters went to a carnival in Avernus and the ringmaster was a pit fiend in a loud costume. There was a food court where efreeti served illusiory food and drink as described in the Garden of Delights section of Tyrants of the 9 Hells in 3e. There was also a freak show dangerous rides and succubus in the crowd who robbed the rogue and threw him into the Styx. Good times.

 

[jasper]

It went well when I ran it. Just for easy reference, here are the rules I used:

You must hit the target within 3 rounds, 3 tries each target.
The target becomes increasingly difficult to hit.
At the 5th and final target, you only have 2 attempts.
1st Target - AC 12
2nd Target AC 14
3rd Target AC 15,
4th Target AC 15, Disadvantage (moving target)
5th Target AC 17

I later thought of another tweak I could have added. Players may aim and add an extra D6 (or maybe a flat bonus?) to their rolls, but if you do this, you only get two tries at the target instead of three (or one instead of two in the final round). If/when I run this again, I may try out that rule.

This dudes fair is going to lose money.
Change to this. Everything is disadvantage due warped bow, arrow, string etc. Number 4 also has -5 to hit due to moving and wood is extra hard.

 

[jayoungr]

This dudes fair is going to lose money.

That wasn't a fair. It was a competition.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

One of the best adventures I ever played was done as a Scavenger Hunt.

Having the Carnival as a back-drop makes it even cooler if it run by the Ring Master. The Goal is get one specific item...but no-one knows what it is!

Essentially, you start needing to collect a variety of objects. They can be strange, esoteric things and once you get them, you hand them in for clues for a few main objects. Sometimes they are objectives or obstacles you need to overcome. There were teams and it got very competitive...two teams tried killing each other, but that was not legal in the game, so one group tried to get another disqualified by convincing them a 3rd group was trying to kill them.

Anyways.

You can make alliances with other teams. Maybe they have a clue that you need and you have the other one. Neither can proceed without stealing the clue from the other or agreeing on an alliance. The clues lead you to the next item or challenge which disqualifies certain other groups.

People slowly got disqualified for various reasons.

I will email my DM to get the details of the adventure.