Guys, I'm starting a D&D 5th edition game at level 1. The party is currently travelling on a caravan to the capital city of who gives a fuck, and I'm struggling to come up with an idea for an adventure. Anybody got anything?
>>46561005
>to the capital city of who gives a fuck
That's your problem right there.
Think about where the group is, then think of what adventure is there.
Otherwise you might as well just throw a bunch of random encouters at them and call it a day.
>>46561040
I know where it is, it's a city called Felindal in a small kingdom named Dallen in a continent where only a few small kingdoms and fiefdoms still exist after this big magical cataclysm a century ago. I would've gone into more detail but I didn't think /tg/ would care.
>>46561055
Telllllllll us.
>>46561055
Of course nobody here cares. You should.
I'm just trying to set you on the right way.
Next, what is there that could be a problem for the party?
Your caravan comes upon the ruins of a caravan that came before you. It has been sacked: upon closer inspection, the wagons are embedded with arrows of goblin make. One of your own caravan's guards - a ranger - claims that the attack was recent, and while your caravan is not in danger, he believes that he can track the culprits.
It's a little generic, but it sounds like you're just starting out, so maybe a little generic is a good way to get the ball rolling and let everyone feel comfortable, get the hang of characters.
Something powerful and dangerous is being smuggled in the caravan. A macguffin perhaps?
>>46561055
>few small kingdoms
make the kings of those kingdoms fight against each other and have the characters recruited for some sabotage
OP here,
I'm thinking of taking >>46561091's idea and building on it for a bit. The outlying villages of the small kingdom I mentioned happen to be located in territory claimed recently by a young green dragon looking to build its territory. It's found most of the local tribes of goblins or orcs or isolated monstrous entities like hags and enlisted/eaten them, effectively gaining control of the region which it is using to build a hoard. The goblins encountered are one such tribe, who were being enslaved by a hobgoblin warband, whose warlord had made an agreement with the dragon.
>>46561005
Just download a premade adventure like Lost Mine of Phandelver and roll with it.
It also comes with maps you can use for your adventure.
>>46561005
Have the Caravan swallowed whole by an enormous beast and the first dungeon is it's innards trying to get out. Then, of course, when they get out, they are on another plane of existence entirely, one inimical to humanoid life and there is no way to get back, ever. Otherwise I'm so fucking bored by what you've written here I'm just going to look at my iphone the whole session.
>>46561005
I know you're looking for story ideas, but might I suggest not starting at first level? It's not such a bad idea if your group are complete novices, but for the most part it's terribly difficult to make something challenging or compelling that doesn't stomp your puny party. Not to mention the complete lack of abilities means pretty much nobody is in their element and by extension probably isn't enjoying their role. I'd say anywhere between 3-6 is a safer bet if you want a low level campaign. Unless you're a big fan of rats and goblins, in which case be my guest.
>>46561231
Three out of five players are complete newbies to D&D, and out of the other two one hasn't played 5th edition yet. I can't let the one experienced player start with an extra level.
>>46561005
For a more newbie campaign, it's totally okay to go full cliche, 'You start in a tavern, defeat the Evil Sorcerer' bullshit. Makes some pretty fun campaigns.
If you want random BS ideas, this is pretty entertaining:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSynJyq2RRo
>>46561236
Not like goblin ambush was a new idea any time in the last 30 years
>>46561248
To be honest I would still consider third level over first. The first time I played D&D our group started at level 1 just to learn and it was infuriating to attack things over and over with no abilities. In 5e they give everyone a unique identity at level 3 so it gives players more options right off the bat and lets them create their identity early on. It's entirely on your judgement though, and if you reckon they wouldn't have themselves figured out before they pick up extra attack then you might be better off sticking to it. It's just an option to consider if you don't want to bore them and run yourself into a wall.
>>46561005
>bandits attack, players get paid for scouting the bandit lair and later for clearing it
>bandits attack and steal some stuff. One of the guys in the caravan reveals himself as an apprentice of a mage. He was transporting some sort of magic item for his master, but the bandits stole it. It´s a very dangerous thing and it´s gotta be recovered before the bandits figure out how to turn it on or do so accidentally
>a merchant in the caravan offers them money in exchange of sabotaging the wagon of another merchant. If they agree, they get caught and brought to prison. Turns out both merchants were together, trying to catch some agents of another guild, and they thought that the players were their targets. The players will have to escape justice or be executed. Then they have to deal with finding out why there´s so many assassins and others behind them
>a creature that was thought to be a myth flies over the caravan, or attacks and destroys it. They´re the only survivors. The myths talk about how the creature will destroy the world or bring death and misery or whatever. Follows quest to find the thing and kill it, which is impossible to early level characters meaning that for now the quest is to gather evidence of its existence so the kings actually believe them and start doing something
>caravan attacked by undead. Follows quest to find and kill necromancer before he kills everything with his army of undead
>a meteorite falls on the caravan. It´s a small stone, the size of a fist, and it pulsates rhythmically. Ensue quest about bringing it to mages and such to find out what it is. It could be something horrible, or something good, like the only thing that could defeat the mythological creature from above (which could appear later on)
>if one of the players have some sort of trinket, have it be stolen. Players will go through ANYTHING to recover a stolen item
>>46561231
Nearly all the best adventures that exist are for level 1 characters.
Everyone in the caravan except the players are polymorphed into kobolds overnight.
Players have to decide between keeping them alive (and together) and trying to lift the curse and murder-hoboing them. The cursed kobolds do not make either option easy.
>>46561313
I changed that to human bandits when running Phandelver, it's ALWAYS better story-wise for characters to be fighting other humans. Goblins/Orks/Hobgoblins etc are just instantly killed and the characters don't care, but put a human bandit screaming and crying out to his mother with his guts spewed out on the ground and you've got something.
>>46561334
You can have +7 to hit and do a shitload of damage at first level. I'm not sure what you're complaining about here. Starting at 2nd or 3rd is stupid, especially since it's a TINY amount of XP to get to level 2 in 5E and not much more to get to 3. Look at a fighter great weapon build and how much damage you can dish out. There's absolutely no reason to start at a level higher than 1 for new players in a new campaign.
Everyone in the caravan is secretly shapeshifters who are trying to infiltrate society and destroy it from within in preparation for the great invasion of the underground shapeshifter country.
They all think they´re the only shapeshifter in the group, so they all go with it when the rumors about shapeshifters begin to come out.
The paranoia increases as the group advances, and eventually the caravan decides they must settle there and stop advancing until they find who´s the shapeshifter. If the players don´t jump the gun on anyone (which is rather unlikely), eventually there´s a fight and at least two people die. Both turn into their original shapeshifting body, a weird, barely humanoid mass of flesh.
>>46561097
But perhaps not in this caravan. The party arrives at the destination safe and sound and the whole place enters panic mode. It turns out they were decoys and their crates are full of stones. The would-be recipients are absolutely desperate and offer them a ridiculous sum to track the real caravan down. What was in it that's so important?
