DM's Aid: Share Your Campaign, Plothook, and Encounter Ideas

[redzimmer]

Let's not overlook the incantations from Baldur's Gate!

Spoiler

Show

[Bohandas]

Encounter/Adventure/Side-Quest

A sibriex (flesh-grafting demon from fiendish codex 1) passed through a racher's lands recently, now the rancher is down three steers and up three uncontrollably violent bulls with demonic tireless-rage abilities.

[redzimmer]

Encounter

Every X years, a full lunar eclipse coincides with the Fall equinox. The Night of Restless Departed, where the dead walk, and any slain rise also.

An immense horse of mindless undead is marching across the land.

Overwhelmed, the PCs take refuge in an abandoned keep. However a cache of Druidic scrolls and magical items will aid in the defense.

Survive the night and the enchantment ends. Can plants help you fends off zombies?

[cullynthedwarf]

The king is sick of his family trying to weedle the throne out from under him so he gives them a new target. The heir apparent of the local nobles.

Giving the idea that who ever wins this contest shall become the next king, he distributes sacks of coins of an unknown material. Coins can be exchanged for gold at the palaces bursars office. However most heirsvmiss that some of the coins have writing on the edge of them. If put into the correct order it spells out a clue.

Finding the clue sets off a race between 1/4 of the people. The others having missed the writing.

The real challenge is to find the first capital that has been lost for a millennium. 3 cities give physical objects that need to be decoded. Drawing connecting lines from the six decoded names pin points the old cities location while the others give a time of year it can be reached ad well as a vague set of hints as why it was abandoned.

My players have the sixith clue now and have formed a rivalry against another noble band who seems to be just beating the to the punch.

[Bohandas]

Let's not overlook the incantations from Baldur's Gate!

Spoiler

Show

maybe, but I can't spell any of that

[White Blade]

Encounter/Adventure Idea: Peace!
A young adult silver dragon comes to town and her demands are simple - Her child, a bright but scrawny boy of a little less than a year, has gone missing. Her mate is guarding the other children, but they are both desperate for the child's return. They offer a large reward for information that brings about their child's return or of who took them.

(Un)Fortunately for them, their child has not been lost or kidnapped but ran away. Enraptured by a dream of Tamara, the dragon goddess of mercy, the boy swore sacred oaths to keep no hoard and kill no creature. Terrified of his parents' disapproval, he fled. Now he's hiding [in the woods as an animal/in town as a mendicant]. In any form, he emblazons the symbol of Tamara on his person in an obvious manner and players can recognize this at an appropriate DC or a few hours in a local religious collection.

The silver dragon wyrmling has very good mental stats (17, 19, 18) and can have as many levels of Apostle of Peace as you like (three will give it access to freedom of movement) and he has no desire to go home at all. Players will have to navigate the wishes of the two dragons, which may prove difficult.

[Yahzi]

Sandbox World Generator creates a whole continent and fills it with monsters and kingdoms, with the push of a button.

You can zoom into just a region, change it up as much as you like, and start running. When the players get too big for the local area, you've got a whole continent laid out in every direction.

[Evoker]

Low level:

A kobold tribe has stolen alchemical reagents. The local alchemists guild will pay the PC's to retrieve them. However, an alchemist has been captured from another town and is being forced by the kobolds to create alchemical concoctions.

[Bohandas]

This thread might get more traffic if it was in the general RPG forum rather than the 3e D&D subforum.

On that note, here's a campaign concept for the Toon roleplaying game:

The main characters all work in what is essentially an overly prosaic reading of the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey, to wit they are employees in a hotel and spa in deep space run by an enigmatic godlike AI that travels the galaxy creating sapient species in order to generate potential customers. The each session revolves around dealing with the various beings that come in


Monolith stats:

Monolith

The Monolith is a godlike artificial intelligence that travels the galaxy being myaterious and raising animals into sentient species in order to xxdrum upxx create demand for its deep space hotel

Speed: 1 (0?)
HP: 18

SMARTS 6
Read 10
Resist Fast Talk 9
ID Dangerous 9
Spot 7

MUSCLE 1
break down door 5

CHUTZPAH 5
Pass/Detect shoddy 7

ZIP 1


Shticks

Teleport 9 (Usable On Others) (The monolith can't really move much, but can travel anywhere in the universe in 20 minutes (even if it's in the same building; twenty minutes) by traveling through the kaleidoscope dimension)
Cosmic Shift 8
Command (Soaptoon web supplement) 7 (the Monolith doesn't speak, it just sort of looms mysteriously, but looming in different ways can convey a lot and it's hotel employees can pick up its vibe, IF it makes it's roll)
Psychosis (Psychotoon web supplement) (Special)
Invulnerability (Physical) (TTG) 7
Invulnerability (Mental) (TTG) 5
Mindwarp (TTG) 8
Mental Attack (TTG) 4
Psychotic Fighting/Mind Fu (Psycho Toon web supplement) 4
Psychotic Exploration (Psycho Toon web supplement) 6

[Bohandas]

Minion:

Kobold Thug; Kobold Rog 1/Ftr 1; cr 2; Small Humanoid (reptilian); HD 1d6+1d8; HP 10; Init +1; Spd 30; AC 15 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +1 natural, +2 leather armor), touch 12, flat-footed 14; Atk telescoping spear (extended) +2 melee 1d4-4 (19-20/x2) (+1 size +1 BAB +1 spear focus -1 str) OR telescoping spear (retracted) +3 melee 1d3-1 (x3) (+1 size +1 BAB +1 dex); SA Sneak Attack +1d6; SQ Darkvision (60 feet), Light Sensitivity Kobold Traits, Rapid Retreat, Shrewd Trapfinding; AL LN or LE; Saves Fort +3 Ref +3 Will -1; Str 8 Dex 13 Con 11 Int 10 Wis 9 Cha 8

Skills and feats: Bluff +0 (1skp), Climb +0 (1skp), Craft (Traps) +4 (2skp), Disable Device +2 (+4 to disarm traps) (2skp), Hide +7 (2skp), Intimidate +4 (5skp), Jump +1 (2skp), Move Silently +4 (3skp), Profession (miner) +1 (0skp), Search +5 (+7 to find traps) (3skp), Sleight of hand +5 (4skp), Spot +0 (1skp), Tumble +5 (4skp), Use Magic Device +3 (4skp) ; Armor proficiency (Light), Dodge, Spear Focus, Weapon Finesse

Dodge (Ex): A kobold fighter who takes the 1st-level racial substitution level gains Dodge as a bonus feat. This substitution feature replaces the standard fighter’s heavy armor proficiency

Kobold Traits: -4 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution. Small size: +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, -4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits ¾ those of Medium characters. A kobold’s base land speed is 30 feet. Darkvision out to 60 feet. Racial Skills: A kobold character has a +2 racial bonus on Craft (trapmaking), Profession (miner), and Search checks. +1 natural armor bonus. Light sensitivity. Automatic Languages: Draconic.

Light Sensitivity (Ex): Kobolds are dazzled in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.

Rapid Retreat (Ex): A kobold rogue who takes the 1st-level racial substitution level gains the ability to retreat quickly from dangerous situations. Any time a kobold rogue with this substitution feature uses the withdraw action, she gains a 5-foot bonus to her speed.

Shrewd Trapfinding (Ex): Starting at 1st level, eachtime a kobold rogue takes a substitution level, she gainsa cumulative +2 competence bonus on Search checks to find traps and on Disable Device checks to disarm traps.
This bonus is lost if the kobold rogue does not have a number of ranks in Craft (trapmaking) equal to or greater than her rogue class level.
This substitution feature alters but does not replace the standard

Spear Focus (Ex): A 1st-level kobold fighter focuses his combat talents on spear fighting. He gains a +1 bonus on attack rolls with the following weapons: longspear, shortspear, and spear. At the DM’s option, this bonus might also apply to other spearlike weapons.
This bonus does not stack with the bonus from Weapon Focus, but it is treated as the equivalent of Weapon Focus for qualifying for feats, prestige classes, and anything else that requires that feat. A kobold fi ghter who has this ability could take Weapon Specialization (spear) without selecting Weapon Focus (spear) as a separate feat.
This substitution feature replaces the standard fighter’s 1st-level bonus feat and medium armor proficiency.rogue’s trapfinding class feature.

Telescoping Spear:'These kobolds carry special weapons that are normally daggerlike, but at the press of a button can be expanded into shortspears as a move (swift?) action. They can be collapsed back into daggers as a full round action (2 rounds?)

Possessions:
Leather Armor
Telescoping Spear

[Bohandas]

Another relevant link:

Campaign Ideas You Have had

[cullynthedwarf]

Rockshaw The Temple Guardian

At its widest point, this ice column is 30ft around and several hundred high. Under the guardian is an non active gate spell focus.

To defeat the guardian you must open the gate under him and melt the ice. The last time gate was opened it was to a confluence of the water and negative energy planes. this has caused the ice to be come negatively charged and spending to long figuring out the puzzle will hurt the party. Scale as needed.

In my campaign Seriyuu is the god of evil and water. So my clues tell the PCs to the Rockshaw draws strength from Seriyuu's blood so the most sever the flow.

The puzzle itself is a 10 x 10 grid to put tiles in order as the plaque describes. 36 are blank and the others are 8 fire, 8 water, 8 air, 8 earth, 8 negative/death, 8 positive/life, 8 order & 8 chaos.

The plaque reads:
pull the dead from the sea and lay them to rest upon the earth.
A shield in the west and chaos in the east protects you from oblivion,
Build a fire to send the dead on and let the mighty wind blow the ash away.
Let the face of Byakko shine down on all.

When the final tile is placed the spell finishes and rockshaw comes tunneling down along with the roof it held up. A secret door opens behind the tile board leading to successfully escape.

Cause I don't want to kill my players unfairly I will let the know if a square is correct by flipping it to the other side. The will however only get a second shot at this before repercussions come out of the mal functioning gate.

[Bohandas]

Some relevant links

Funky Settig Ideas
Fleeting Random Ideas

Special thanks to Solauren for saving these.

[Bohandas]

Campaign
The gods' magic hat with the names of all intelligent beings in it has been stolen by the dark lord. It's become clear that a bunch of normal prople are going to have to go after it because the gods cannot choose champions without it.

[Bohandas]

Campaign Concept for Call of Cthulhu
The Call of not-Cthulhu
This is a Call of Cthulhu campaign in which the Cthulhu Mythos has been replaced by something similar but distinct such as the Ruinous Powers or the Ogdru Jahad

Adventure Concept for D&D
Bridge to Total Control
Disguised human agents of the baatezu are offering their services to rid people of fiendish posession. No, it's not a protection racket; it's something more sophistocated than that. What's happening is this: Getting a non-posessed person to sign a contract for the cultists to drive posessing spirits out of them gives the cultists' baatezu masters license to posess that person, as a necessary first step to removing posession. This is an efficient way to move baatezu into the material plane and pick up a hefty bit of cash in the process

[Bohandas]

Campaign Concept:
"The Pre-emptive Macguffin"

A new type of wondrous item has become very very popular among people who can afford magic items. The PCs have been tasked by the church of the god of magic to track down the original prototype of this item. This prototype is (at the moment) crude, non-descript, and no different from a normal item of it's type, but it must be secured because magical prototypes have a tendency to acquire powerful legacy and/or artifact powers as more and more copies enter into circulation.

Campaign Concept for Call of Cthulhu:
"There's No Such Thing As A Rare Book"

A Call of Cthulhu game set in modern times in which paranormal mythos activity has skyrocketed due to the fact that the Necronomicon, Pnakotic Fragments, Book of Eibon, Revelations of Glakii, etc are now freely available on the Miskatonic University website (and those of similar institutes of higher learning) to anybody who is interested.

[Bohandas]

Another relevant thread>
Weird Forest Encounters

[Bohandas]

A magic item (possibly a sword or something) which was a family heirloom of a local noble has been missing for an undetermined period of time. Beyond it's base magical abilities It had been enchanted to not show up on detect magic to reduce incidents of people trying to steal it, but this also meant that when it was stolen - and replaced with a fake - the fake took some time to be noticed. Anyway the PCs need to track down the sword (or whatever)

[redzimmer]

A magic item (possibly a sword or something) which was a family heirloom of a local noble has been missing for an undetermined period of time. Beyond it's base magical abilities It had been enchanted to not show up on detect magic to reduce incidents of people trying to steal it, but this also meant that when it was stolen - and replaced with a fake - the fake took some time to be noticed. Anyway the PCs need to track down the sword (or whatever)

Add a whole ornate set of armour and shield to the mix, and you have a hook for a whole campaign.

Actually, might I steal this? I will steal this.

[redzimmer]

I am Seeking three PCs to populate the thing in my sig. All to be introduce via splitting the party. Anyone interested?

If so give me a skirt bio, a character pic if you have one, and be as thorough or vague as you like.

L.6, stats how you want 'em, gear inconsequential.

[Bohandas]

Adventure
While in the Abyss the PCs are randomly abducted and taken to the courtroom layer of Woeful Escarand to stand trial against made up charges. The "trial" starts out as a disorderly courtroom trial in which whichever side insults the other worst seems to have advantage (use bluff checks as per Dragonlance taunting rules) but after a short while, if the PCs are winning, it is changed to a trial by ordeal, consisting of aomething similar to a Double Dare obstacle course but much bigger and with demons taking potshots at the PCs, deadly booby traps, and offal and excrement instead of non-toxic fun slime, if they succeed at this the format is again changed, this time to trial by combat against the prosecutor, who is at least as surprised by this latest change as the PCs are and is not entirely prepared. If they kill the prosecutor they are allowed to go free.

Adventure
Hired to babysit a metallic dragon wyrmling. Will have to fight off opportunistic enemies of it's parents witgout getting the place all bloody

[Bohandas]

Encounter
"The gamers"
This can be inserted into an adventure of the exploration-of-a-derelict-wizard-tower variety
In an out of the way room, possibly behind a locked or hidden door, the players stumble upon the last group to investigate this ruin,mwho have been missing for several months. They are alive and well, enraptured by the original owner's magical entertainment system, an intelligent Table of Feasting with the ability to conjure boardgames and extensive storytelling talent. They are either enraptured by the item's ego or simply content to stay there.

Boardy McGameface: Intelligent Table of Feasting (Stronghold Builder's Guidebook p.84; Heroes' Feast 3/day) Int 19 Wis 10 Cha 19; Speech, Telepathy 120 ft, Read Languages and Magic; Blindsense and Darkvision 120 feet and hearing; Lesser Powers: Prestidigitation continuously, Dancing Lights at will, Ghost Sound at will, item has 10 ranks in Diplomacy, item has 10 ranks in Perform(Oratory), item has 10 ranks in Sense Motive; Greater Powers: Minor Image at will; Ego 19

[redzimmer]

Encounter

A group of four warlock/bards are being blamed for the increase in demonic activity in the region.

The band claims innocence, and investigation discovers it is an unrelated corrupted temple to a dead god tha is trickling in the Abyssal host. The bards alone know how to seal the rift.

However, ever further digging reveals the band is trying to corrupt the youths of the realm. Only towards small acts of evil that feed the Nine Hells, not one big demonic burst that will draw every goodly god's attention.

[Bohandas]

Comic Relief NPC

I've got this idea stuck in my head for a cleric of Olidammara (or some other equivalent god of rogues and bards) whose religious duties, practices, and scriptures all derive in some way from either Rock, Rap, Hollywood, or Stoner culture, but transformed in someway into something recognizably religious. He wears golden plates inscribed with scriptural passages around his neck like hip-hop medallions. If asked to accompany the party on some quest or journey he refuses citing a sacred vow to "rock and roll all night and party every day" which wilderness and/or a need for stealth would interfere with. He's also under a vow to "smoke weed every day". He may not eat green colored candies. He goes on fasts that bear similarities the the grapefruit diet, the cabbage soup diet, the drunk diet, and/or the master clense. He rattles off scriptural quotations such as "Shout with joy O holy city. See your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, rolling down the street, smoking indo, sipping on gin and juice".

[johnbragg]

Two neighboring kingdoms have very different cultural outlooks.

Kingdom A has created a means to summon adventurer-heroes from throughout the multiverses to help fight off the orc hordes, undead plagues, dragons, giant bands, aberrations, evil spellcasters and various other threats that threaten civilization in the setting. The adventurers are supported by the kingdom in return for keeping down the monstrous threats and supplying a steady stream of information to the kingdom.

Kingdom B is fairly xenophobic about blindly conjuring "murderhobos". They often have a point.

(In my next campaign, this is my explanation for why the players can play kitchen-sink archetypes in a setting that has some level of narrative coherence. No, there are no native kender or warforged or monks or Dread Necromancers. But the summoning circle has been coughing up a steady trickle of dragonborn and gunslingers and catfolk and psions and mul for half a century, so your Jedi Knight being there is less surprising to the natives than it is to your PC.

[Bohandas]

Low level encounter

A seemingly injured man asks for the party's help with some mundane task that he can't due to his arm being in a sling or something like that. If they agree he leads them to an out of the way location and tries to kill them.

[Barbarian Horde]

Work for Xanathar
Work against Xanathar
Steal Xanathar's goldfish

[Goaty14]

Players are asked to smuggle <high powered magical item> to <unimportant ruler> in the world. When the PCs deliver it, the item poisons the person who first touches it with a disease that turns you into a ghast. If the PCs touch it first, then they unintentionally carry it with them.

One way or another, the PCs are stuck in a noble building with a bunch of ghasts.

[Bohandas]

Adventure or Campaign concepyt

"The Deep State"
In a reversal of a classic trope the player characters must thwart the plot against the lawful good advisor and ministers who are keeping the chaotic evil king in check and/or help the good vizier depose the evil king

[redzimmer]

Superhero RPG Antagonists

The Remnant: A secret society of Ancient Astronauts who quietly manipulate the world. The last survivors of an invasion fleet destroyed by "mythological" heroes. (Spoiler: All Myths Are Real)

The NAIL: As in "For the Want of a Nail..." A disavowed government organization dedicated to creating countermeasures against super- and metahumans.

The Liars: Reality-warping beings of Chaos, who seek pure anarchy. And their counterpart:

The Truth Engine: A hive mind creature of pure Order, seeking to stamp out disorder and free thought. ,