D&D 5E Fun things to do at a rodeo?

[Shades of Eternity]

okay dumb question. what things can you do with a low level party at a rodeo?

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Ride the Minotaur!

Kill the Skeletons that are dressed up like rodeo clowns by throwing tomatoes/peanuts (improvised weapons) at them!

Square Dancing with Modrons (the cube-shaped ones, obviously)!

Have your kid ride a Pony-Centaur (with a halfling as the upper half) or an Awakened Sheep.

Kill the gunslinging, cowboy-hat-wearing Ranger that organized the event and are taking advantage of and abusing endangered fantasy creatures!

Eat fantastical junk food, like Avernus/Baator-Fried-(Abyssal)-Chicken, Spicy Winged-Buffalo Wings, and Minotaur-Burgers!

 

[J.Quondam]

You mean the PCs are contestants in the rodeo? In that case, there's usually events like

• roping (and tying),
• riding (ie, stay on as long as possible; different animals, different styles, eg, saddle, bareback)
• racing (ie, running for best time; eg, barrel racing)

Aside from that are other livestock-related activities, especially things like livestock exhibition and auctions. So maybe PCs could enter competition, and end up involved with some sort of storyline involving thefts, escaped livestock, bribery scandal, etc? Or draw notice of law enforcement or influential npc during an auction?

And often the rodeo is sometimes part of a bigger fair, so there will be the usual events:

• music and dancing
• food (including contests, sometimes)
• games & sport contests
• rides

There's probably other stuff.

But above all don't forget the rodeo clowns! No low-level party should go without confronting rodeo clowns... and being haunted by them on into epic-level play

 

[R_J_K75]

Throw peanuts at the Rodeo Clown.

 

[tommybahama]

If there is a bard in the party then you can have dueling musical instruments like in the movie Deliverance or the song The Devil Went Down to Georgia. If the bard wins then his opponent transforms from a humanoid into either a devil or djin and curses before disappearing into a cloud of smoke and brimstone.

 

[Bill Zebub]

If there is a bard in the party then you can have dueling musical instruments like in the movie Deliverance or the song The Devil Went Down to Georgia. If the bard wins then his opponent transforms from a humanoid into either a devil or djin and curses before disappearing into a cloud of smoke and brimstone.

Pretty sure if the bard wins he gets a fiddle of gold.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Eat fantastical junk food, like Avernus/Baator-Fried-(Abyssal)-Chicken, Spicy Winged-Buffalo Wings, and Minotaur-Burgers!

I think Minotaurs being made into burgers would turn any non-evil alligned PC vegetarian.

I am 100% working winged buffalo into my next campaign though.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I think Minotaurs being made into burgers would turn any non-evil alligned PC vegetarian.

I am 100% working winged buffalo into my next campaign though.

Hey, I never said that it was ethical (I did say that killing the evil and abusive ringmaster could be an option for the adventure), just that it was feasible for a fantasy-equivalent rodeo.

I can't say that it's totally original, but I'm glad that my comment was inspiring. (Maybe make them celestials, like the Winged Bulls from Theros. Actually, now that I think of it, the Winged Bull stats from MOoT would probably work perfectly for Winged Buffalo.)

 

[Eltab]

Tangent I: a bull has gotten loose from the normal corrals. Before it can get out into a crowd, somebody must play Matador and draw its attention - buy time for the wranglers to catch up and bring the bull back under control.

Tangent II: by design or by accident, The Running Of The Bulls through the streets of town. (If by design, the PCs have to help get all the pedestrians off the street, doors shut, children into the right homes, &c.)