On the Road you Meet...

[Inconsequenti-AL]

I really liked the Book of Encounters (possibly by Penumbra Games?).

My favorite starts by finding some kobolds/goblins lying in the middle of a road, they've just eaten some wheat they stole from a nearby village. The wheat has gone off and has given them ergot poisoning... they're all out of their heads... it's quite amusing and leads on to a couple of interesting possibilities.

Much of the book is pretty cool - some amusing ideas in there. Strange magical prisons, vicious pixies and even a demon posessed cow!

 

[Ghostknight]

One I did to my players.

On the way between cities they stay overnight at a handy inn.

The party bard does his normal thing and seduces one of the serving girls. All is fine until the next morning when the innkeeper - looking for his daughter stumbles into the room to find her in the bards bed (both in a state of undress and no real imagination needed to know what has been going on).

Of course both bard and daughter come downstairs to find the innkeeper, assorted helpers, the locals and the rest of the party looking up at them - no way to avoid the situation.

Much hilarity followed- for everyone except the poor bard. The father insisting on a wedding, now that his "pure" daughter was spoiled (hell, she was more exprienced than the bard, but no ways was pointing that out going to help the situation - wisely the bard remained silent on this issue), the party paladin agreeing with the father, and of course everyone in sight having their say in the matter.

Much role playing later the innkeeper married his daughter off to a local she fancied anyway, with the bard providing a handsome dowry to start them off (if I recall it was enough for them to buy a farm, livestock, grain, a house and still have enough left over that, the next four or five years would be very comfortable.)

Needless to say the player playing the bard learnt his lesson (especially when passing that way a few years later the girls son looked remarkably like him- but nobody said anything just to be polite )

 

[Hand of Evil]

Oh, AEG's Toolbox has tons of encounters such as finding herbs and medicinal plants, hunting encounters, ruins, road types, mundane road diversions, farm activities, encounters by location and many others.

 

[shilsen]

One which has been plaguing the PCs recently:

A dozen or more sessions ago they ran into a black cat. Nice, normal black cat, except that it wouldn't respond in any way when the druid cast a speak with animals on it. The fact that it appeared deep in a dwarven mine at an opening leading to the underdark also freaked them a bit. Still, one of the PCs kept it with him but it disappeared later in their travels (just about when a vampire showed up, making some of the PCs a little paranoid).

A few days later, as they're riding down the road miles away, a black cat appears. The leading rider panics and actually charges the cat on horseback And catches it amidships with a greatsword. Cat jumps up, runs around in circles caterwauling and doesn't have a mark on its body. Somebody then magic missiles it and the missiles have no effect. PCs take off quickly.

Now the cat has a habit of showing up every once in a while and freaking them out. It never does anything - just sits and watches them. They're still trying to work out what it is and what they can do to it other than leave whenever it appears.

 

[JoeGKushner]

I had the player's encounter a rogue named Walken. He's a high level character who paid the characters to take out some orcs.

The orcs leader was a half-dragon. The dragon parent is mad now as he was receiving a nice tithe from this progeny and had big plans for him.

Walken knew that would happen and is why he set the characters to do something he was assigned to do.

Other things I like using a wayshrines. Manors are another good element to throw into a game, especially one that takes place in winter. In Midnight Sun, a book of short stories about Kane, a true villain (main character), he gets stuck in such a place where a were-wolf is killing off the people. Great stuff and perfect for a mini-adventure.

 

[Angcuru]

One which has been plaguing the PCs recently:
*snip*
A dozen or more sessions ago they ran into a black cat. They're still trying to work out what it is and what they can do to it other than leave whenever it appears.

Pariah Kitty?

 

[SinisterMinister]

They run into small traveling band of entertainers. There's an illusionist, a strong man, an acrobat and a musician. All very entertainnig, and they make camp that night a lot more fun.

Turns out they are a rival band of adventurers traveling incognito. Or a covert group of spies in the employ of the adjacent kingdom. Or thieves who take off with the party's most prized magical item, which they must now take a detour to retrieve.

Or if your players are ultra-paranoid, they're just a band of traveling entertainers.