1001 non-story driven encounters [Archive] - Wizards Community

1001 non-story driven encounters [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
invisble1
01-09-05, 10:57 AM Okay, so what happens when one or more of your players can't make it? Can be hard to continue the story, but what about your other players, you want to give them something right? Well, lets come up with a few ideas.

1. 1/2 Orcs have enlisted the help of a clan of Kobolds to terrorize the roads and make trade difficult.

2. Your party is wrongly accused by the local magistrate and must now endure the bias trial, jailing and maybe execution, unless they can clear thier names.
Santrilla
01-09-05, 11:40 AM 3. While leaving the city, your party notices a rich-looking man fleeing through the gates, with an angry mob behind him. Do your party try to save him from the mob, or join the rabble against him? Who is he? Why are they angry with him?
evilgenius
01-09-05, 01:18 PM 4. The Party, enroute to another city, is asked by a group of caravan Merchants to accompany them - they're going the same place anyways, and they'll pay for the protection. When they meet the merchants at the outskirts of town, one of the merchants has three slaves. The slaves makes it quite clear that they do not want to remain slaves, but it's the law of the land that the PCs are in... The missing Player's character will accompany a different cart, further ahead in the caravan, explaining the player's absence, but offering a good reason to meet up again next game (at the destination city).

5. One of the party members has been falsely accused of a crime. He / she either a: goes into hiding or b: gets arrested (explaining the absence of the Player's character). The other players are given clues to who actually committed the crime. Make it simple solution, this shouldn't turn out to be an epic saga, just a one game filler. A good example is in an elf community the human character was arrested 'cause they all look alike' to the elves (or vice versa). Solution can be as easy as providing an alibi, or tracking down a similar looking human (which shouldn't be hard in an elf community).

6. One of the party members receives notice that dear old uncle Phinneas has died, and left him in his will. Or, perhaps an NPC the PC has befriended before has died. As the executor of the will, the character must go to a long, boring series of negotiations in some other part of town. The remaining PCs (the party) are NOT invited. The local thieves' guild thinks that the player also inheirets Uncle Phinneas' loan-shark debt; and they will mention so to the remainder of the party. If the party has an opportunity to "convince" the thieves' guild leadership a number of ways - by intimidating them (if they're high level adventurers), threats of getting the law involved, negotiation. Ultimately, Phinneas owed so much money that he's of no worth at all... However, he did have a journal with tales of lost treasure perhaps...

7. In the wilderness, one of the party members gets separated from the group in a freak mudslide / blizzard / white water rafting accident. The remainder of the party has to track down the lost party member, who's unconscious, but in good hands with a friendly Orc / Gnoll tribe (try this one on your intolerant Paladin characters) who found him. The Humanoid tribe is a proto-democracy. They achieve decisions by stating a limited number of options to "vote" on. Then, the votes are cast, and counted by standing on either side of a crossroads (no more than four options allowed). Then, each side chooses one in ten of their numbers for champions, and they meet in non-lethal combat. (for instance, if one side gets 75% of the vote, they'll outnumber the other side 3 to 1 in combat). That way, their god(s) get a say in the outcome, since the minority still has a chance of winning in battle. In this case, if the Party wants to get their friend back, the elders will allow them to vote as well. The options are whether to release him only after the PCs help the humanoids harvest that season (will take a week of HARD labour), release him but take his stuff as payment for saving his life, or trade the party member for "a favour to be returned in the future". 40% of the tribe says release him for help with harvest, 35% says take Payment, 25% wants a "future favour". The party must either 1. choose a side 2. fight in a fourth option, perhaps "release him immediately" but they'll be fighting by themselves, or 3. stage a rescue attempt, or 4. kill the whole tribe to rescue their friend (who's unconscious for all of this). Participating in their democracy will earn the party a tribal ally. Rescue attempts (and attempts of genocide) will earn the party a tribal enemy. Killing in this "non-lethal" combat is not tollerated, unless it's obviously an accident. If the PC's use intentionally lethal force, it's war. Scale the size of the tribe to your PC's power levels.

L8er
evilgenius
LiXinjian
01-09-05, 01:30 PM 8) Local representatives of the law enter the inn the PCs are staying at. They are looking for an escaped convict who just gave his guards the laugh.
9) mage walks up to the party's wizard and challenges him for scroll or magic item
10) duelist approaches the party's finesse fighter, proposing a friendly joust
11) lost child is seeking her mommy. Mommy's working the streets. She has problems with a man who's been stealing money from her.
12) young thief must be found before the representatives of the law do. So asks a concerned guard who happens to know the kid's mother.
13) woman the PC just dragged to his room waits for him to fall asleep, then robs him of his valuables.
14) a hostage-taker threatens to kill the hostages if his demands are not met: he wants a party of adventurers, a getaway horse, and a scroll of water breathing. What are his goals? What happens next? Figure it out on the fly in this dashing new adventure!
15) caged animal escapes its confines in the middle of the market place. Owner requests that the beast not be slain, but subdued.
twad
03-06-05, 06:48 PM 16- Two commoners are arguing about who will get the last (delicious) blueberry pie, both are saying that the pie is their own/they saw it first/wahtever. The PCs are asked to be the judge of this and decide who get the pie. (share it? pcs take it for themselves? give it to one of the two commoners?)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
invisble1 01-09-05, 10:57 AM	Okay, so what happens when one or more of your players can't make it? Can be hard to continue the story, but what about your other players, you want to give them something right? Well, lets come up with a few ideas. 1. 1/2 Orcs have enlisted the help of a clan of Kobolds to terrorize the roads and make trade difficult. 2. Your party is wrongly accused by the local magistrate and must now endure the bias trial, jailing and maybe execution, unless they can clear thier names.
Santrilla 01-09-05, 11:40 AM	3. While leaving the city, your party notices a rich-looking man fleeing through the gates, with an angry mob behind him. Do your party try to save him from the mob, or join the rabble against him? Who is he? Why are they angry with him?
evilgenius 01-09-05, 01:18 PM	4. The Party, enroute to another city, is asked by a group of caravan Merchants to accompany them - they're going the same place anyways, and they'll pay for the protection. When they meet the merchants at the outskirts of town, one of the merchants has three slaves. The slaves makes it quite clear that they do not want to remain slaves, but it's the law of the land that the PCs are in... The missing Player's character will accompany a different cart, further ahead in the caravan, explaining the player's absence, but offering a good reason to meet up again next game (at the destination city). 5. One of the party members has been falsely accused of a crime. He / she either a: goes into hiding or b: gets arrested (explaining the absence of the Player's character). The other players are given clues to who actually committed the crime. Make it simple solution, this shouldn't turn out to be an epic saga, just a one game filler. A good example is in an elf community the human character was arrested 'cause they all look alike' to the elves (or vice versa). Solution can be as easy as providing an alibi, or tracking down a similar looking human (which shouldn't be hard in an elf community). 6. One of the party members receives notice that dear old uncle Phinneas has died, and left him in his will. Or, perhaps an NPC the PC has befriended before has died. As the executor of the will, the character must go to a long, boring series of negotiations in some other part of town. The remaining PCs (the party) are NOT invited. The local thieves' guild thinks that the player also inheirets Uncle Phinneas' loan-shark debt; and they will mention so to the remainder of the party. If the party has an opportunity to "convince" the thieves' guild leadership a number of ways - by intimidating them (if they're high level adventurers), threats of getting the law involved, negotiation. Ultimately, Phinneas owed so much money that he's of no worth at all... However, he did have a journal with tales of lost treasure perhaps... 7. In the wilderness, one of the party members gets separated from the group in a freak mudslide / blizzard / white water rafting accident. The remainder of the party has to track down the lost party member, who's unconscious, but in good hands with a friendly Orc / Gnoll tribe (try this one on your intolerant Paladin characters) who found him. The Humanoid tribe is a proto-democracy. They achieve decisions by stating a limited number of options to "vote" on. Then, the votes are cast, and counted by standing on either side of a crossroads (no more than four options allowed). Then, each side chooses one in ten of their numbers for champions, and they meet in non-lethal combat. (for instance, if one side gets 75% of the vote, they'll outnumber the other side 3 to 1 in combat). That way, their god(s) get a say in the outcome, since the minority still has a chance of winning in battle. In this case, if the Party wants to get their friend back, the elders will allow them to vote as well. The options are whether to release him only after the PCs help the humanoids harvest that season (will take a week of HARD labour), release him but take his stuff as payment for saving his life, or trade the party member for "a favour to be returned in the future". 40% of the tribe says release him for help with harvest, 35% says take Payment, 25% wants a "future favour". The party must either 1. choose a side 2. fight in a fourth option, perhaps "release him immediately" but they'll be fighting by themselves, or 3. stage a rescue attempt, or 4. kill the whole tribe to rescue their friend (who's unconscious for all of this). Participating in their democracy will earn the party a tribal ally. Rescue attempts (and attempts of genocide) will earn the party a tribal enemy. Killing in this "non-lethal" combat is not tollerated, unless it's obviously an accident. If the PC's use intentionally lethal force, it's war. Scale the size of the tribe to your PC's power levels. L8er evilgenius
LiXinjian 01-09-05, 01:30 PM	8) Local representatives of the law enter the inn the PCs are staying at. They are looking for an escaped convict who just gave his guards the laugh. 9) mage walks up to the party's wizard and challenges him for scroll or magic item 10) duelist approaches the party's finesse fighter, proposing a friendly joust 11) lost child is seeking her mommy. Mommy's working the streets. She has problems with a man who's been stealing money from her. 12) young thief must be found before the representatives of the law do. So asks a concerned guard who happens to know the kid's mother. 13) woman the PC just dragged to his room waits for him to fall asleep, then robs him of his valuables. 14) a hostage-taker threatens to kill the hostages if his demands are not met: he wants a party of adventurers, a getaway horse, and a scroll of water breathing. What are his goals? What happens next? Figure it out on the fly in this dashing new adventure! 15) caged animal escapes its confines in the middle of the market place. Owner requests that the beast not be slain, but subdued.
twad 03-06-05, 06:48 PM	16- Two commoners are arguing about who will get the last (delicious) blueberry pie, both are saying that the pie is their own/they saw it first/wahtever. The PCs are asked to be the judge of this and decide who get the pie. (share it? pcs take it for themselves? give it to one of the two commoners?)