Uran Adventure in a traveling Halfling town

[Runemakei]

I'm having a serious case of writers block and am turning to the community for some inspiration. My PCs are coming out of a dungeon crawl through some goblinoid caves and are headed to a roaming Halfling town. I could use some adventure hooks to keep the PCs busy for a couple sessions. I've some plenty of research on Halflings, read through several published PDFs and even spent a considerable amount of time on Google. Nothing has peaked my interest yet. Ideally I'd like to stay away from the typical, generic hooks. I guess that's where I'm struggling. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[edemaitre]

Does the adventuring party have loot after raiding the Goblinoid caves? That might attract the attention of curious spellcasters, nosy Halfling artists or Bards, tax collectors, and of course, Thieves. Most Player Characters can't help but spend a lot of coin on carousing and supplies.

Have they defeated all the Goblins, or are did some monsters get away to raid outlying farms? If so, the P.C.s might be blamed rather than welcomed with open arms. If they are returning heroes, fame carries its own consequences -- children follow you around, hoping for stories or trophies, the local tough guy wants instruction or to prove himself, and priests and civil authorities might want a full report and map. The last thing most parties want is a group of young amateurs offering to follow them around (and eat all their food).

Who does the Halfling town loyal to, in terms of feudal fealty? Are they friendlier to humans, Dwarves, Elves, or someone else? Are they curious about the world beyond their shire, or are they more xenophobic? Are there clan rivalries, tales of haunted burrows, or past heroes or villains of their own?

For example, in a typical Halfling village, I'd specify what its major farms are -- tobacco, beets, etc. -- as well as any notable craftsmen, like a silversmith (P.C.s will need to go elsewhere to repair full plate or acquire rare potions). There's probably a mayor and a militia, as well as a council of elders representing major families. Halflings may not be as pious as Dwarves, but Barandorbis and Yondalla will have shrines, and a town should have at least a few herbalists and healers.

Don't be afraid to make up colorful personalities that have little direct bearing on the party -- you never know who'll prove memorable! A grumpy gaffer, a chronically wrong rumor monger, and a wannabe swashbuckler are all enough to inspire good interaction. Some conflict can be helpful, but don't overdo it if you want this town to be a typical Halfling haven. You can always seed your plot and add threads to future adventures -- "After old Hiram Bungo died, his lands were divided among his three daughters. One married and left, another stayed a spinster, and the third wandered off and was said to have fought the Fleshcrafter beyond the river...." Good luck!

 

[Runemakei]

Thank you Edemaitre. I guess I should provide more detail on how Halflings are in my world and what's unique about this town. Halflings in my world are not typical. The Halfling race progressed through history as the underdog thus relying on their cunning and tenacious attitude to see them through. Because of this, the Halflings have turned out to be this fearsome people that others dare not cross. While not an entirely original idea, the Halflings have developed this vast shadow network. A Halfling is not someone you double cross. They do not take revenge on you. They take revenge on your entire lineage and in small, opportune ways. Of course on the outside a typical Halfling is energetic, gracious, and welcoming. In reality they may work for the shadow network and have other alternatives. The main focal point of the Halflings is the "main town" for the race. The first Halfling settlement was built in an area deeply effected by ancient magic expelled during dragon wars ages earlier. The residual magic caused the entire town to teleport to a different location one day. Eventually the Halflings figured out how to control this phenomenon. Today, an elder is elected to run the town and given the ability to initiate a teleport of the entire town to a new location. Halflings have an innate ability to always have a sense of direction toward the towns location. Non-Halflings cannot teleport with the town. They have to go through an "Attunement" process which the elder has to perform. There is always a random chance a non-Halfling will teleport with the town. I use a DC 15 CON check to address that mechanically. If you fail, your left standing in an empty place where the town used to be. Other aspects of the town: The Halflings use tents for buildings. There is a magical ability to the tents. For example, a tent may be 5ft by 5ft on the outside, but step in and its as big as a house. This same magic is also used to create secret locations within the city such as the training facility for the shadow network agents. I've also thought about using this concept to create a whole other hidden town within this tent town. As if this hidden city of interconnected magic tents are the real lives of the Halflings. What others see outside is a façade. That's Halflings and their main town in a nutshell. Some of its no where near original but I feel like I've got some good twists on some old concepts. Since this will be the PCs first interaction with haling's and this town in my world, Im trying to come up with some interesting encounters to really display what the race and town are all about. Due to the towns inherent ability to teleport, it introduces some unique opportunities. For example, how do they deal with city waste? Get food and water? Deal with the dead? What if you wanted to become a permanent member of the town? What happens if you break the law? I already have some aspects of the town detailed out. The elder, elder tent, open public market, a black market that's dangerous to gain access to, a famous tavern & inn. I've also started detailing out several NPCs for the PCs to interact with. One idea Im entertaining is something already eluded to. The PCs did come out of the goblinoid caves with a ton of loot. Attempting to locate and gain entry to the black market would provide for some entertaining roleplaying. Also, the PCs formed their own adventurers guild for hire. I thought it would be fun to have them encounter another adventurer guild to inspire some friendly competition and create some non-threatening conflict. This other guild is always one step ahead, getting the praises of the town, winning the elders favor, getting the free ale, and loves to rub it in the noses of my PCs. I could actually use them as a reoccurring theme throughout the game for some comedic relief. Any other inspiration anyone can provide is greatly appreciated. I've got about a week and a half before our next sitting.