Level 0 adventure, need help!

[jsears2002]

HI all-

I had an idea for a 0 level intro adventure for a campaign, but it needs help.

I'm going to be starting a campaign in a town i am creating as a start point for a new campaign world. I want the players to flesh their characters out, but without a deep campaign world detail, just writing a background would be difficult. Instead, I thought of running a 0-level adventure. They will have their names and races, but nothing else. They will start as children. No classes, no real stats, nothing. It will be a festival in some random town where the city has events surrounding myths, legends, and stories from text.

One such event is the "Nobleman's Quest". This event is for children only, where they go in, listen to a local dressed as a nobleman ask for help, choose the equipment they want (sword, axe, bow and arrows, or a "magic" wand), and then proceed through this labrynth of stuff, living an "adventure" where they are doomed to succeed. At the end of this is the Noble's daughter and the lost treasure (some trinket they can each get with no real value). Throughout the way, they will find "healing fountains" that have chocolate milk and cookies for rest. The enemies they face will not inflict any real damage, and will die with single hits.

I want this to be an exercise in party building and character growth, but an drawing a blank as to how and make it better. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Senko]

Well two things spring to mind, first off design an extremely difficult high level encounter. Start off with resuce nobles daughter and then add challenges that can be solved with the items they'll choose at the start. Then simple exchange for an equivilent childs challenge.

Come gather around children as I tell you the tale of the evil duke Bartholan, the brave lass Adamant and the company of light. It started off as many tale's do with our heroes being called before the noble and asked to save his duaghter fair from the foul red dragon Sasafrax who had taken her to be his meal . . .

The first challenge the company had to face was locating the dragons hidden mountain lair and only the archmage Glorfindel had that knowledge but she would not give to them unless they brought to her certain rare ingredients to help her brew a potion of eternal life. They had to retrieve three feathers of a mighty Roc, the body of a death fish from the deepest ocean and a single ambrosia fruit guarded by the horrific Chimera.

Climbing the dread mountain peaks the company at last confronted the Roc in its lair and in a mighty battle did take from it feathers 3.

What the children have to do is climb to the top of a local barn (with parents or a hedge wizard with feather falls prepared, hay underneath or the like) and get 3 feathers from the chicken there.

Wash rinse and repeat as needed.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Coming of age contest / quest - The players are given a task that they must complete within a period of time. Mostly this is "safe" events but do have an edge to them.

Example is stealing horses from someone else, while this sounds bad, this is an arranged deal. It keeps horse bloodlines fresh and provides a quest. Another is a race to a location, gather something and return. Others are being left along to guard something like a herd. you also have other contest.

You can tie this into the city history.

 

[mrfish]

Try to google "joe the commoner"

 

[TheClone]

You can do a dungeon with parents dressed up as monsters and the fountain idea you have and all such things. Like a maze where the dressed parents have hidden themselves.