Looking for combat-light 4E adventure

[Manhattanguy]

I'm about to start a 4E campaign in a homebrew setting. It's a points of light setting taking place in a continent emerging from, essentially, the Dark Ages. The PCs will be a group of explorers hired by the guilds of their home city to explore the continent, facilitate trade opportunities, etc. I figure that almost anything can happen once they get out of their home city, and that I could fairly easily adapt published adventures for that.

But I wanted their first adventure to take place in their home city, as a kind of audition. Unfortunately, I don't see there being a lot of opportunities for combat in their home city. I'm conceiving of the first adventure as a kind of scavenger hunt/race around the city, attempting to solve puzzles and obtain items faster than competing teams (frankly, it kind of reminds me a bit of The Amazing Race). There are only so many opportunities for, "Hey, there's a dungeon filled with monsters under Main Street. Go clear it out."

Can anyone recommend a place I can find an adventure consisting primarily of puzzles, social encounters, and similar non-combat challenges?

Thank you very much.

 

[Walknot]

Well, if the setting is a world emerging from the dark ages, and the new city leaders are auditioning for explorers, then it could be that the audition itself could be fraught with danger. The city leaders may still be consolidating their power, and there could be some areas of the city that serves as the last hold-out of some marginalized power base.

Here's a concrete example. The most run-down area, slums really, sprawl across a large part of the city. A law unto themselves, a place governed by lesser guilds, loyal clans and ragtag militias. A place with few maps, it nonetheless occupies the last remains of the time before the dark ages, including: the last remaining section of the original city fortifications, a ransacked catacomb now favored by a cult, a portal to a nearby underdark market, a city-hermit's water-garden.

The new city leaders could send the "applicants" for job of explorer into the various regions, to delivery some diplomatic news to the leaders of each neighborhood of the slums. These leaders could be hard to find, hard to approach, or hard to leave (in one peice!). Any number of story hooks ie: side quests could abound.

Hope that helps! (Not sure why no one had replied to your questions, it is a good one!)

 

[Raven Swords]

I can't thing of a published adventure from 3 or 4th ed that would fit your needs.

I think there was a book of challenges early in 3.0...

A few ideas:
Thieves guilds could use the roof tops as a sort of black market road.
Farmers grouping together to keep food prices high.
Highwaymen (skyway pirates in my next game).
Political dissidents causing acts of terror.
Rival towns / nations spying on this one, sabotage?

Have you considered presenting the players with a selection of powerful figures and giving them the chance to "pick a side"? This creates a natural conflict which can turn deadly, quickly.

A nation pulling its self out of dark times will have lots of problems - lack of resources - dangerous roads - trade needs - ancient war relics to clean up (thinking of modern equivalents like mine fields)

Edit to remove a particularly stupid statement