D&D 5E Lighthearted urban adventure ideas (4th-5th level)
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Eltab
Lord of the Hidden Layer
The group is invited to a merchant house's ball to socialize and meet quest-giving NPCs, where the most dangerous foes to face are overeager consumers of the punch bowl heading to drunk-and-disorderly behavior. One wants to fight because his honor; one wants the affections of some pretty lady; one knows a 'sure thing' get-rich-quick scheme (which makes sense when he is sober). The PCs are quietly asked if they could get the persons in question away from the punch bowl and the dance floor, upstairs to a private room to sleep it off.
Suggestion: watch an episode of a reality show like "The Bachelor", or "The Bachelorette"and base you scenario on that. It'll give you ideas for some really bizarre NPCs.
The in-game setup is that a local ruler is trying to find a spouse for their offspring (the bachelor, or bachelorette). However, someone hires the party to ensure that a specific contestants wins and they insist that this is done DISCREETLY.
The characters might use magic, or give advice, or try some subtle sabotage. Whatever your players would find amusing.
The in-game setup is that a local ruler is trying to find a spouse for their offspring (the bachelor, or bachelorette). However, someone hires the party to ensure that a specific contestants wins and they insist that this is done DISCREETLY.
The characters might use magic, or give advice, or try some subtle sabotage. Whatever your players would find amusing.
collin
Explorer
I recommend using some, most, or all of the Fall option in the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist adventure, , as the villain and circumstances in that scenario lend itself the best to being light-hearted. You might want to tweak it a little. Basically, consider it a condensed version of the film "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", with the McGuffin (the Stone) as a hot potato that keeps getting passed along to various NPCs until the players finally get their hands on it.
BookTenTiger
He / Him
I think a druid could cause problems in a city that aren't too dark but still fun to solve.
Here are some ideas:
Four-Legged Thieves:
A band of thieves has been stealing valuables from right under the nose of an important merchant. When investigating, the group finds no human footprints, but instead animal tracks. A druid has Awakened a bunch of stray animals (a horse, a dog, a cat, some squirrels), and they have become a band of thieves. How to stop them from their spree? Help them spring their friend, an Awakened pig, who is going to be roasted at a big fancy party tonight!
River of Gold:
The characters come upon a mob of townsfolk bearing cups and bowls as a literal river of melted gold pours from a bank! This bank has been targeted by the druid who, invisibly, had cast Heat Metal on a gold delivery. The bank hires the characters to guard their next delivery of gold on its trek through the city, though the druid throws everything it can in their path: plant growth, swarms of animals, and some big conjured animals that can make a mess of the city.
Reading Roots:
The books in the central library have started reverting into trees! They are sprouting leaves and roots! Even more worrying, the words on the pages are disappearing! The roots lead down into an an old brick sewage system, and eventually to the lair of the druid. The characters find out that the city was built over some ancient standing stones. Through his magic roots the druid is absorbing all the knowledge of the city, and will use that knowledge to bring the city down! The characters could fight or offer to negotiate with city leaders.
Here are some ideas:
Four-Legged Thieves:
A band of thieves has been stealing valuables from right under the nose of an important merchant. When investigating, the group finds no human footprints, but instead animal tracks. A druid has Awakened a bunch of stray animals (a horse, a dog, a cat, some squirrels), and they have become a band of thieves. How to stop them from their spree? Help them spring their friend, an Awakened pig, who is going to be roasted at a big fancy party tonight!
River of Gold:
The characters come upon a mob of townsfolk bearing cups and bowls as a literal river of melted gold pours from a bank! This bank has been targeted by the druid who, invisibly, had cast Heat Metal on a gold delivery. The bank hires the characters to guard their next delivery of gold on its trek through the city, though the druid throws everything it can in their path: plant growth, swarms of animals, and some big conjured animals that can make a mess of the city.
Reading Roots:
The books in the central library have started reverting into trees! They are sprouting leaves and roots! Even more worrying, the words on the pages are disappearing! The roots lead down into an an old brick sewage system, and eventually to the lair of the druid. The characters find out that the city was built over some ancient standing stones. Through his magic roots the druid is absorbing all the knowledge of the city, and will use that knowledge to bring the city down! The characters could fight or offer to negotiate with city leaders.
Vaalingrade
Legend
Someone is playing humiliating pranks on certain nobles in the city, hurting their social sanding and threatening their power base. The PCs are hired to track down and deal with this terrible menace. After investigating their rivals and learning of the many petty, obnoxious squabbles and scandals they're embroiled in and receiving offers for missions against the original or other nobles, the PCs eventually find out that the real culprits are the original nobles' disaffected children grown bored and rebellious and looking for a lark.
By the time the PCs learnt his however, it's too late and the various nobles of the city have thrown themselves into an all out war of pettiness from sabotage to public insults and hiring each other's servants/businesses away from one another. so much so that they're no longer really running the city anymore and it's up to the PCs to either sort it all out and broken peace--or replace them. Or go all Manco and play them against each other for fun and profit.
By the time the PCs learnt his however, it's too late and the various nobles of the city have thrown themselves into an all out war of pettiness from sabotage to public insults and hiring each other's servants/businesses away from one another. so much so that they're no longer really running the city anymore and it's up to the PCs to either sort it all out and broken peace--or replace them. Or go all Manco and play them against each other for fun and profit.
Nebulous
Legend
One of my favorite old adventures from Dungeon Magazine was "Steaks." Long story short, it's urban and a new restaurant is selling food that's amazingly good/popular/addictive, whatever. PCs find out clues and the meat is actually something rather unpleasant, not GORY or evil like children, but like purple worm or griffon thighs or something of that nature. You'd have to flesh that idea out considerably, like throwing in a rival restaurant jealous of his success.
MichaelSomething
Legend
Have you considered watching Sex and the City for inspiration?
