Seeking one-shot plot ideas
- Thread starter EricNoah
- Start date
Very definitely, they ought to run through a one-shot Malls and Morons adventure. Roll up pimped out orcs and drop them down in the middle of the food court.
How 'bout participation in the Orclympics?
If you want serious, how about a quest to hunt and eat a totem beast (come on orcs would eat their totem animals) to gain special powers. I would include a half-orc competitor who has the backing of human and demi-human allies and/or cohorts.
eh...not feeling too creative this morning...
How 'bout participation in the Orclympics?
If you want serious, how about a quest to hunt and eat a totem beast (come on orcs would eat their totem animals) to gain special powers. I would include a half-orc competitor who has the backing of human and demi-human allies and/or cohorts.
eh...not feeling too creative this morning...
alsih2o
First Post
the steeple of the new church recently built in the valley below their regular migrations interferes with their line of sight while praying to (insert direction). so they decide that since a frontal assault is fruitless, they should sneak into town and bring it down.
of course, just sneaking into town is hard if you are and orc or such, and none of them knows anythingt about demolition outside of "hit it again"
of course, just sneaking into town is hard if you are and orc or such, and none of them knows anythingt about demolition outside of "hit it again"
Dextolen
Community Supporter
Have them try to capture a princess for ransom. There would be several stages, involving different types of play
1) Planning - How are they going to nab her? Give them a limited amount of time to plan. The Princess is attending a special event or something that ends soon. Perhaps a joust? - Lots of would be heroes around!
2) Execution - They need to get the princess without harming her, they also might want to avoid killing too many bystanders/guards (perhaps on the orders of their superior - who just wants revenge)
3)The Hostage - Once they have the princess they have to put up with her. You could play her as fiesty, demanding, rude, or maybe somewhat sympathetic (she might long for adventure and knows what her father would do to the kidnappers once they are caught).
4) Negotiations - The King's men attempt parley. Many things could be done here. Perhaps the negotiation team are capable adventurers who really plan to attack. Better yet, the negotiators want to comply with demands but during the discussion the Princess escapes and they can't find her. Now what do they do?
5) Get out alive - No matter the outcome, the characters have to complete the mission and survive. Perhaps the adventurers are hounding them. Perhaps they've had a change of heart and try to deposit the Princess back home w/o getting caught, or maybe they've completly botched the mission and have to report back to their boss with the bad news.
I'd run it with an overall light hearted mood. More Shrek than hack and slash.
1) Planning - How are they going to nab her? Give them a limited amount of time to plan. The Princess is attending a special event or something that ends soon. Perhaps a joust? - Lots of would be heroes around!
2) Execution - They need to get the princess without harming her, they also might want to avoid killing too many bystanders/guards (perhaps on the orders of their superior - who just wants revenge)
3)The Hostage - Once they have the princess they have to put up with her. You could play her as fiesty, demanding, rude, or maybe somewhat sympathetic (she might long for adventure and knows what her father would do to the kidnappers once they are caught).
4) Negotiations - The King's men attempt parley. Many things could be done here. Perhaps the negotiation team are capable adventurers who really plan to attack. Better yet, the negotiators want to comply with demands but during the discussion the Princess escapes and they can't find her. Now what do they do?
5) Get out alive - No matter the outcome, the characters have to complete the mission and survive. Perhaps the adventurers are hounding them. Perhaps they've had a change of heart and try to deposit the Princess back home w/o getting caught, or maybe they've completly botched the mission and have to report back to their boss with the bad news.
I'd run it with an overall light hearted mood. More Shrek than hack and slash.
Teflon Billy
Explorer
If they are playing monster races instead of the classic PC races, try inverting the tropes of the genre in other ways as well.
..that kinda thing
- Have them rescue a (baby) dragon from an evil Princess.
- Have them attack a human settlement in retaliation for a similar attack by a group of humans who came into their cave complex, killed many of the PC's friends and family and rifled through their pocket and furniture...stealing the few meagre gold pieces they had to their name.
[
..that kinda thing
Henry
Autoexreginated
Better yet, duplicate the plot of Shrek:
Roll up NPC's for an Ogre, a female Martial Artist, and a Talking Animal, who all happen to have made home in a border swamp. (The Ogre is just neutral and wants to live in peace, the Woman is neutral and wants to be alone to comtemplate her martial arts, and the Awakened Animal might be the druid who protects the swamp.
Put a quest before them prevent an evil midget king from draining the Ogre's swamp to make more farmland for his subjects. (Or something really nasty - he wants to turn it into a hunting range.)
See if your players can place it in half an hour or less.
Roll up NPC's for an Ogre, a female Martial Artist, and a Talking Animal, who all happen to have made home in a border swamp. (The Ogre is just neutral and wants to live in peace, the Woman is neutral and wants to be alone to comtemplate her martial arts, and the Awakened Animal might be the druid who protects the swamp.
Put a quest before them prevent an evil midget king from draining the Ogre's swamp to make more farmland for his subjects. (Or something really nasty - he wants to turn it into a hunting range.)
See if your players can place it in half an hour or less.
Teflon Billy
Explorer
Hmm...double post.
Last edited:
Rel
Liquid Awesome
If you are going to go the route of orcs and ogres and such, I'd say that you should do a sort of "Dungeon Keeper" thing. Have them attempt to thwart a group of "heroic" NPC's who are trying to invade their lair and take their treasure.
Start the adventure like this:
Chief Mugwump of the Charred Stump tribe has rounded up his warriors and headed off to pillage the surrounding countryside. He left you in charge, promising that if you keep the lair safe, he'll bring you a Commoner or two that you can personally disembowel. But if things go badly on your watch, you can bet that your head will be adorning the top of a pole.
You hear a knock at the door...
You could include a few lowly goblin slaves for the party to deploy for defense and cuff about as necessary. Have the party decide that they'd better break into Chief Mugwump's personal treasury to see if there is anything they can use in defense of the lair. Let them figure out how to use the Immovable Rod and Portable Hole (the only magic treasure that Mugwump couldn't figure out how to make useful for battle) in there to somehow aid in defending the lair.
Make the NPC "Heroes" relentless. They attack, some get killed, and they are forced to retreat, but do they give up? No. They get raised and come back. Sound familiar?
Start the adventure like this:
Chief Mugwump of the Charred Stump tribe has rounded up his warriors and headed off to pillage the surrounding countryside. He left you in charge, promising that if you keep the lair safe, he'll bring you a Commoner or two that you can personally disembowel. But if things go badly on your watch, you can bet that your head will be adorning the top of a pole.
You hear a knock at the door...
You could include a few lowly goblin slaves for the party to deploy for defense and cuff about as necessary. Have the party decide that they'd better break into Chief Mugwump's personal treasury to see if there is anything they can use in defense of the lair. Let them figure out how to use the Immovable Rod and Portable Hole (the only magic treasure that Mugwump couldn't figure out how to make useful for battle) in there to somehow aid in defending the lair.
Make the NPC "Heroes" relentless. They attack, some get killed, and they are forced to retreat, but do they give up? No. They get raised and come back. Sound familiar?
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