Dragonblade
Adventurer
So, I'm DMing an adventure tomorrow night as a one shot while our regular game is on hold. I will have 4 players.
It may be level 1, but it may be higher. They are talking about wanting to play higher level PCs.
Anyway, trying to come up with ideas. I'd ideally like 3 standard encounters, or maybe two long involved ones with a boss. Here are my adventure ideas so far:
Kobolds have ambushed a caravan and kidnapped some of the travelers with it. The PCs are sent to get them back. Adventure starts in the woods near the kobolds lair.
Secret backstory: Kobolds enlarging their cavern lair stumbled upon an ancient dungeon that was created centuries ago to seal an ancient evil. They awakened this evil (???), and it promised them in power if they free it, but the wards sealing it in also prevent other evil creatures from freeing it. So they kidnapped the caravan crew and have forced them to work on it.
The PCs will arive in the ward room right as they unseal the wards, leading into a big fight with the remaining kobolds and the evil they released.
Side Encounter: The PCs can notice a side passage leading off that takes them to where the undead guardians of the prison were set to protect against intruders. The undead guardians will fight the PCs, but can be negotiated with if the PCs are smart enough to try to talk to them or study the historical runes on the walls of the prison and realize something else is going on here.
Encounter 1: PCs fight the initial kobold guards in the first room of the caves, then find the passage where the kobolds have broken into a mysterious set of tunnels that leads in two directions. One way leads toward the original entrance of the dungeon and its guardians. The other towards the final battle.
Encounter 2: Is with the undead guardians of the ancient dungeon (who can possibly be negotiated with).
Encounter 3: Final battle with the rest of the kobold tribe and the newly freed ancient evil. (the difficulty of this battle can be adjusted based on how worn down the PCs are and whether they did the second encounter or went straight to the end)
I'm thinking if the PCs play higher level, I'll keep the story the same, but bump up the power of the kobolds as appropriate and maybe give them some cool new abilities. The rationale for why they have become "super" kobolds will be that they have received power from the ancient evil in exchange for trying to free it.
Thoughts? Ideas to enhance it further? What should the ancient evil be? I also want to evoke an old school feel of exploration, that there is more to the story and the dungeon than just a couple of combat encounters.
It may be level 1, but it may be higher. They are talking about wanting to play higher level PCs.
Anyway, trying to come up with ideas. I'd ideally like 3 standard encounters, or maybe two long involved ones with a boss. Here are my adventure ideas so far:
Kobolds have ambushed a caravan and kidnapped some of the travelers with it. The PCs are sent to get them back. Adventure starts in the woods near the kobolds lair.
Secret backstory: Kobolds enlarging their cavern lair stumbled upon an ancient dungeon that was created centuries ago to seal an ancient evil. They awakened this evil (???), and it promised them in power if they free it, but the wards sealing it in also prevent other evil creatures from freeing it. So they kidnapped the caravan crew and have forced them to work on it.
The PCs will arive in the ward room right as they unseal the wards, leading into a big fight with the remaining kobolds and the evil they released.
Side Encounter: The PCs can notice a side passage leading off that takes them to where the undead guardians of the prison were set to protect against intruders. The undead guardians will fight the PCs, but can be negotiated with if the PCs are smart enough to try to talk to them or study the historical runes on the walls of the prison and realize something else is going on here.
Encounter 1: PCs fight the initial kobold guards in the first room of the caves, then find the passage where the kobolds have broken into a mysterious set of tunnels that leads in two directions. One way leads toward the original entrance of the dungeon and its guardians. The other towards the final battle.
Encounter 2: Is with the undead guardians of the ancient dungeon (who can possibly be negotiated with).
Encounter 3: Final battle with the rest of the kobold tribe and the newly freed ancient evil. (the difficulty of this battle can be adjusted based on how worn down the PCs are and whether they did the second encounter or went straight to the end)
I'm thinking if the PCs play higher level, I'll keep the story the same, but bump up the power of the kobolds as appropriate and maybe give them some cool new abilities. The rationale for why they have become "super" kobolds will be that they have received power from the ancient evil in exchange for trying to free it.
Thoughts? Ideas to enhance it further? What should the ancient evil be? I also want to evoke an old school feel of exploration, that there is more to the story and the dungeon than just a couple of combat encounters.
