Ideas For Map-Based Adventure (October)

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This short adventure seed is designed to work with Spellarena’s map of a mountain outpost ("Farthest Oupost"). It works in any fantasy setting, but it’s best for freezing, desolate areas of high fantasy worlds.

The idea: a lone outpost is besieged by an enemy force during a blizzard. They’re fairly secure in the stronghold. However, they don’t know there is a dangerous shape-changing monster within the walls. The PCs might be in the outpost or supporting the attackers, perhaps as infiltrators.

The defenders

The defending force is a mix of tough professional soldiers, rangers, and merchants and civilians visiting the place or working there. One or more of them might be agents of the attackers. 

Commander Bleake Rampant leads the defense. They are young, ambitious, and actually quite capable, which doesn’t sit well with some of the “old guard.”

The attackers

This horde of “barbarians” consists of orcs, hobgoblins but also humans of the “free tribes” – an unusual alliance. They put aside their differences after learning that great evil, present in the legends of each of the peoples, has returned and is present at the outpost. 

They believe they must kill everyone inside and burn the bodies and buildings before this shape-changing monstrosity escapes into the world. Nominally, Tarshka Clevereyed leads the siege, but they constantly have to quarrel with the leaders of other forces as well as her officers.

The monster

You must decide whether the creature is more like a doppelganger, something from Carpenter’s “Thing”, or a particularly nasty breed of mimics, which multiply with astonishing speed and can resemble a wide range of objects. 

Left unchecked, the monster can – and did in the past – turn whole settlements into ghost towns. A long time ago survivors banded together and burned the creature out of the face of the world… Or so they thought.

Recently a group of adventurers, working for a mysterious wizard, found one of the creatures and then stopped for rest at the outpost. Curious and in their cups, they accidentally released the monster, which killed them and started to multiply.

Alternatively, the party (or a member) who found the monster belongs to an ancient cult seeking to give the world to their master – the monster.

Development

A chain of events that occurs if the PCs do nothing.

1. A blizzard stops the assault on the outpost. As both attackers and defenders make plans, the monster is released.

2. The monster takes the form of small objects and keeps killing lone people. The defenders reinforce their defenses, the attackers are looking for non-obvious ways into the outpost.

3. There is a lull in the storm and Tarshka seizes the opportunity, launching a desperate attack across the bridges. As the battle rages, the monsters kill civilians, thus growing in power.

4. After the storm returns, the attackers discover a secret tunnel leading into the caves. They infiltrate the outpost (perhaps with the PCs’s help) and take the battle inside.

5. Possible endings: A) If the monsters were left unchecked, they are so powerful that they en-masse they can mimic huge objects (hills or maybe even the outpost itself).

B) The attackers kill every defender and burn the outpost to the ground, hopefully killing all the monsters.

C) The PCs eradicate the monsters and negotiate peace between the warring parties.

This seed for a fantasy adventure works with any high fantasy setting and Spellarena’s map of a "Traveling Magic Caravan".

Miggle-muggle’s Convoy of Things Bizzarre

A long time ago, deep in the underground ocean, an aboleth found a forgotten stash of powerful magic items. The magic made it crazy and hungry for more artefacts, but ­­– unwilling to leave his magic vault – Miggle-muggle (as it named itself) devised a different plan. 

It lures different beings, enslaves them with his powers and magic, and then send them away to hunt for more artefacts. Those slaves travel the multiverse in a strange caravan. 

Seemingly they sell minor magic items for gold or jewels, but what they’re really doing is gathering information ­­– and luring other victims to Miggle-muggle.

Nefarious plan

The mind-controlled slaves’s real job is to find powerful individuals. Some of them already have interesting magic items, others are capable of finding or getting them. And then the slaves – depending on who they’re dealing with – carefully hint of their master’s gratitude, present a sad story of their plight or just tell the heroes of a vast vault of artefacts in the ocean. 

Inevitably the heroes try to seek out the place and end up as Miggle-muggle’s new slaves. And if they’re too clever and see through the plan? They die, perhaps killing the aboleth’s servants. That’s no problem. Miggle-muggle can always make more, as mortal greed is eternal.

The caravan

Although the makeup of the convoy constantly changes, it usually consists of a rag-tag collection of colorful carts, drawn by fantastic beasts or magic. The caravan travels between worlds or vast distances thanks to special crystals embedded in the vehicles. 

Through those stones, the slaves (or anyone with the proper knowledge) can communicate with the aboleth.

A sample caravan ­– one your PCs might encounter – could look like this:

1. Maps & Treasures. Always the flashiest booth, it is currently run by a winged dwarf Vernilla. Her maps can talk (“at the burned-out tree turn right”) and some are just fun gadgets, while others actually lead to the real treasure. Or so clients claim!

2. The Potion Tree. Robbed at great cost from the Green Realm, the tree can produce sap that after proper treatment has properties similar to minor magic potions. The tree is cultivated by a group of ant-like creatures.

3. Pocket army. A ghost, a vampire, or another undead usually runs this side of the business and typically they’re the only creature willingly cooperating with the aboleth. They sell magic runestones able to summon creatures of different power levels and abilities, which serve the summoner until death.

4. Miraculous powders. A collection of rudimentary magic paraphernalia, which draws children and “less serious” adventurers. Currently run by two centaurs, Flicker and Flacker, who delight in mock arguments. The powders temporarily change the color of clothes, clean dishes (or children), can be made into fantastic fireworks, etc. so people crowd the booth and then spread the news of the caravan.

This adventure seed is designed to work with three different variants of Spellarena’s map titled “Giant Watchtower” Otherwise, the plot can be utilized in any fantasy setting RPG.

The Stockade

Centuries ago the Valley of Thousand Singing Streams was a prosperous land, enviously guarding its treasures. Bordering lands inhabited by bloodthirsty monsters and peoples it was always in danger of a raid or invasion. 

That's why the Valley's rulers decided to erect "the Stockade" - a system of magical watchtowers ringing the valley. Stories tell that each of those towers could withstand a small army, had magical creatures at its disposal and contained untold riches. 

However, only three of the towers still exist, as a mysterious catastrophe befell the Valley in the past, ravaging the fertile land and blasting most of the Stockade's towers into oblivion.

The three elements of the once-mighty Stockade were built and guarded by a necromancer, elementalist, and illusionist and the elements of the defenses they once set up are still functioning.

Plothooks

The PCs might be seeking the towers because:

• they need to reactivate the Stockade's defenses to protect refugees camping in the Valley
• they are searching for artefacts or resources, maybe rare material used by the architects of the towers
• a side trek adventure: they spotted a tower once traveling to a destination. After exploring it, the PCs learn about other such places, ready for plunder
   

The tower in the sands

Sandstorms buried this tower and only the top two floors stick out of the sand. Recently, a group of marauding gnolls came across and claimed the structure. Using the "services" of a captured halfling engineer, they learned to operate the ballistae and already repelled a group who came seeking revenge after the gnolls raided their village. 

The gnolls can't get to the lower levels, but sometimes see how the sand shifts in a strange way.

There are trapped elementals on the lower floors. If the PCs manage to shift the sands (with spells or perhaps by discovering a way to do so in another Stockade Tower), they'll make quick work of the gnolls.

The tower in the forest

This tower, located deep within a dark forest, was erected by an illusionist wizard. People rarely visit the area and who stumble into this part of the forest tell about a huge green dragon nesting on top of a tower. 

The dragon is an illusion, but it's a mastercrafted apparition – its breath can kill you...if your mind tells you so.

Inside the tower there are illusory servants and soldiers, still going about their business. By observing them the PCs can learn a lot about the history of the Stockade and perhaps learn a secret or two about the two other towers.

The tower in the mountains

This tower offers a typical dungeon crawl experience (except you can only climb up!). Skeletons man the ballistae, shooting anyone approaching this remote tower. Inside, crawling hands swarm the basement, and undead warriors don armor to follow their master's command, even though it was issued centuries ago.

This adventure seed is designed to work with Spellarena’s map of a "Ruined Abbey" and should be suitable for any fantasy setting.

Old and New

For thousands of years, Verdant Hill was a holy place for druids, fey, and intelligent animals. However, as time marched almost everyone has forgotten old rituals and myths, except a small group of druids tending a nearby forest. But even they remembered only shadows of truth.

Then a new faith appeared and quickly spread across the world, eventually reaching even the remote Verdant Hill. Even though the new religion promoted peace, the High Priest urged her clergy to bend the rules and build temples wherever it was possible and at the best locations.

Dominating the area and located near several villages, it was the perfect place for a small abbey and in just a few years monks and priests moved into the complex.

Hateful discovery

Most of the druids didn’t mind new neighbors and two faiths worked together to help the villages prosper. All was well until a young druid fell in love with a priest ­– who wasn’t interested. 

Sensing weakness, a malicious fey creature approached the druid and revealed a way to win the priest over. Blinded by anger and embarrassed, the druid agreed, not paying attention to the details of the deal… 

Suddenly, the hill shook and a strange tree sprang in in the middle of the temple. Like leaves, horrific creatures detached from the branches and attacked the priests. Those who survived fled and warned the villages and druids, who organized a rescue party – which did not return.

The Bluesap gem

A strange, huge gem formed on the tree. This object contains the magic of both the priests and nature – a powerful and dangerous combination! The bluesap gem was the very thing the malicious fey wanted all along. 

However, because of its holy powers, the fey’s servants couldn’t retrieve it. So the fey began luring adventurers to the area, offering riches for the bluesap gem.

Meanwhile, the druids, villagers, and remaining priests began accusing each other of the tragedy. People died and the once-peaceful area turned into a maze of invisible borders between the factions. Some families and life-long friends became enemies, supporting one side of the conflict or another.

Mercenaries

Drawn by the fey’s promises, adventurers and mercenaries, many of them of the unsavory kind, began to arrive in the villages. Some attempted to seek the gem – and died or fled after visiting the abbey – while others decided that it would be easier to earn gold by fighting for druids, the church, or “protecting” villagers.

Your PCs might have been contacted by the (disguised) fey, or they just heard that gold can be earned at Verdant Hill. Will they discover the truth behind the bluesap gem, meet the spurned druid? Which faction will they support? And, should they battle through the monsters and retrieve the gem, whom will they give it to?