Showing posts with label Adventure Ideas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adventure Ideas. Show all posts

Sunday, May 22, 2022

Spirit-Infused Coffee for the d20 System



An ad for "spirit-infused coffee" appeared in Steve Miller's Facebook feed. Although he KNEW what was meant by it--coffee augmented with the flavor of bourbon, tequila, or some other form of hard liquor--an idea for an adventure scenario popped into his head. Although the game mechanics included are for the d20 System, we believe that this idea is easily adaptable to any RPG.

(And if the roastery that inspired this post comes along and recognizes the modified image of their product that we appropriated for this post--please don't us!)



THE MYSTERY OF THE DEADLY COFFEE
An Adventure Idea by Steve Miller

THE BEGINNING
A sudden rash of violent murders against either random people, coworkers, or family members, is plaguing the city and slowly spreading across the nation. If the murderer is taken alive, he or she claims to have no memory of what happened. The only common thread is that Spirit-Infused Coffee (a medium-roast made from Arabica beans) has been found in the home or workplace of the killers. Standard analysis of the coffee shows no toxins or unexpected ingrediencies. Even if it is banned from stores, there's no way to stop the firm from offering it via mail order, and their legal team crush anyone who tries to interfer with the selling of the coffee. In fact, the claims that it might be driving people to murder becomes the motivating factor for TikTok Challenges.

WHAT'S GOING ON?
The coffee is literally infused with spirits. Demons are summoned during the roasting process, and they are literally cooked into the beans, and those who drink the coffee are extremely likely to fall victim to demonic possession.


EFFECTS OF DRINKING SPIRIT-INFUSED COFFEE
Roll 3d6 against the following table to determine what happens to those who drink the Spirit-Infused Coffee:
   3. Nothing but a pleasant caffeine jolt.
   4-5. Characters become overly horny and will be on a constant hunt for sexual partners. When advances are rebuffed, they must make successful Will saves (DC13) or attack the target of lust.
   6-7. Characters constantly desire food and drink, and it has to be high quality. When denied, or served bad food, the characters must make successful Will saves (DC13) or attempt to kill anyone who is perceived as standing in the way of a desired meal.
   8-9. Character must roll a Will save (DC13) whenever they are around cash or in shops. If the saving throw fails, they attempt to steal the money or some valuable item from the store. Anyone who tries to stop them is violently attacked.
   10-11. Characters stop going to work and instead just lounge about their homes all day, sleeping whenever possible. If the coffee is consumed at work, they must make successful Will saves (DC13) or immediately stop work and just be lazy. Anyone who tries to get them to stop sitting around is violently attacked.
   12-13. Once per hour characters must roll WIll saves (DC13) or be filled with homicidal rage against the nearest, most obvious target. (If it's someone or something in some sort of media, the characters must seek that person or place out). The rage lasts until the target is eliminated, and will grow to encompass anyone perceived as being between the characters and their ultmate target.
   14-15. Characters who see someone displaying obvious wealth, someone who is physically attractive, or who may simply just be enjoying a good time with friends, must roll Will saves (DC13) or violently attack that person. They will also attempt to steal whatever valuables the target is carrying. (This could be mugging, or a mass-killing, depending on the situation.)
   16-17. Characters become extremely self-satisfied and filled with pride over everthing they they do. They will constantly brag about themselves and demand recognition and praise. They must roll successful Will saves (DC13) if anyone denies their greatness, or violently attack the offender.
   18. Nothing but a pleasant caffeine jolt.

The evil spirit that has been infused into the coffee drinker remains in his or her body for six days, or until a Will save is failed. During that time, the coffee drinker cannot be possessed by other demons, no matter how much of the spirit-infused coffee they might drink. The coffee drinker will have only the haziest of recollections of the time he or she was possessed, and will remember nothing once he or she turns violent.

ENDING THE THREAT
It will be up to the PCs to discover the true nature of Spirit-Infused Coffee and stop the spread of evil! They will have to get into the roastery and destroy the ritual site, and kill the demonologist behind the scheme. If their IDs are discovered during this process, they will find themselves hounded by the law firm (who are literally devils' advocates), even if they avoid any consequences from the authorities.

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All text in this post is released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms. Copyright Steve Miller 2022

Friday, September 24, 2021

RPG Campaign Scenario Idea: To Where the Sun Rests

The other day, I remembered the Scottish band Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie, a group that should have been much, MUCH bigger than they were (but I digress)... and when listening to the song that bears their name, an idea for a fantasy adventure scenario came to mind. (The main requirements for making it work is that the game world must have actual gods and other supernatural beings, and it must not be govern by real-world physics and such.


This material is far broader than what's usually posted here at the blog. It is, literally, just an idea that popped into my head, but it's for an entire campaign. If just one person out sees this as a seed for something they can create, I consider it time well spent. (The idea isn't quite suitable for my current D&D campaign, but perhaps in some future one...)



TO WHERE THE SUN RESTS
An Adventure/Campaign Idea for Fantasy RPG Settings


The Beginning
The Player Characters (PCs) are traveling through a remote part of the world when they come upon a town that is completely devoid of any life. It looks like everyone packed up their belongings, loaded them onto wagons that headed in the direction of a massive mountain range that the sun descends behind to recharge every night before it flows through the underworld to rise into the sky again for its daily journey. The gods have commanded those mountains to be off-limits to mortals, and all the religions of the world hold to that commandment.
   Searching the town may allow the PCs to find a few overlooked gold pieces and other minor valuables, but everywhere they look confirms that the citizens packed up and left, seemingly voluntarily. The answer to why all citizens in unison decided to abandon a perfectly safe and sound and seemingly prosperous town seems as if it can only be learned from the people themselves.




The Middle
The PCs can easily track the townsfolk and catch up with them; they are traveling in a massive caravan, moving slowly toward the Forbidden Mountains. Men, women, children; peasants, craftsmen, nobles; all are traveling together, working together, moving their entire community across the plains to Where the Sun Rests.
   All of the town's respected leaders began having dreams and visions a year ago, the priests foremost among them. They where instructed to lead the community to the Forbidden Mountains where their grand destiny would be revealed. A few weeks later, all the citizens were having the same dreams, and so they united in a common cause, packed up all their belongings and followed what everyone agreed had to be messages from the gods.
   The PCs can choose to join the caravan--they will be asked and invited to do so because the townsfolk will welcome the added protection as they head toward the unknown. The PCs can also form advanced scouting parties and clear out threats ahead of the group of hundreds of non-combatants that need protecting.
   The journey to the Forbidden Mountains will take many months, if not years. How frequently something exciting happens along the way is up to the GM. Time can also just pass. Soon after joining the trek, however, the PCs begin to have the same dreams that are driving the NPCs--strange, hazy images of figures beckoning them and moving toward the Forbidden Mountains. Sometimes, whispering voices say that a new world and a new destiny await beyond the mountains where the sun rests. The PCs are informed that they are among the chosen few and that a great honor has been bestowed upon them.
   Any priests, clerics, or other PCs who communicate with divine beings on a regular basis get mixed messages. Some dreams and visions guide them toward the mountains, but others direct them to turn back and to attempt to encourage the townsfolk to do the same. They similarly get mixed messages if they use their "direct channel" to whatever entity they normally communicate with.




The End
The caravan reaches the Forbidden Mountains where they witness any manner of wondrous things. Things get more dangerous and fantastic as they (or maybe just a scouting party with the PCs) head up a pass. Eventually, they reach the place where the Sun Rests but any mortals who get too close are killed instantly by the heat and supernatural energies. Eventually, gods/avatars appear, alternatively urging the group to turn back or to move forward.
   Eventually, PCs and NPCs who have close relationships with divine or other supernatural entities are brought into the presence of such beings. Here, they learn that the world has a very good likelhood of being destroyed as a side effect of a massive battle that's unfolding on other planes, between gods and demons and super-powerful beings. The citizens of the town were chosen by some of the gods to be evacuated to another world so at least some of this one will live on, but other entities either want everyone to die, or want some of the mortals from this world to have a chance to defend it and possible save it.
   The PCs have one of two choices: They can either join with the townsfolk and be evacuated and, quite literally, explore new horizons; or they and a select few of the people from the town, can stay behind and try to prevent the destruction of the current world and thus possibly save billions of lives.

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I hope you at least found the preceding interesting enough a read to not feel like you wasted your time. Maybe I'll do a follow-up post with some NUELOW Games-style random story outline generators to flesh this out. I will have to see if anyone is interested in seeing more.

Meanwhile, here's the song that inspired the above. Enjoy!

Sunday, August 1, 2021

RPG-a-Day #1: Scenario

 We're going to try to do this year's RPG-a-Day Challenge here at NUELOW Games; each day has a different theme and will get a different post. Be sure to stop by to join us in victory or defeat as the month progresses!

DAY #1: Scenario
The following is more of an outline that a full-fledged adventure scenario. We hope you'll feel inspired enough to want to flesh it out and use it. (This is also completely raw, first draft text; it is flowing from the keyboard onto the blog and then posted for the world to see. No editing or revision is taking place, so we apologize for dropped words or incomprehensible sentences.)


THE DEADLINE FROM HELL 
A modern-day horror scenario for any game system

Setting Up the Adventure
A party member gets a frantic phone call from a journalist friend. He says that his current story has put him on the trail of a Satanic cult and that they discovered him snooping around their secret lair. He knows they are hunting for him, and he begs the character to come to his home to before they get there, so they can help protect him and get him to safety.

Options
The following situations occur depending on what the character does.
   If the character notifies other party members, asks them to meet him somewhere and then heads to the journalists home: Go to The Chase below.
  If the character notifies other party members as asks him to meet at the journalists home: Go to Converging, below.
   If the character rushes over there without notifying others: Go to The Trap below.
   If the character ignores the plea, he hears that his friend's dead body was found on an isolated stretch of road, burned to the point where only dental records were useful in identifying him. Whoops.

The Chase
As the characters arrive at the journalist's home, they see him being hustled into a cargo van by three burly men. 
   If the party tries to fight them: One cultist per party member that leaps from behind bushes or other cover to stop them. They fight the party to subdue rather than kill them.
   An extra cultist--a particularly large man in a hoodie--stands back and watches. As the party fights, the van takes off. Once all the cultists have been defeated, the man in the hoodie faces the party... and his hood falls back to reveal that he has devil horns. He is quite a challenge for the heroes. As they defeat him, he burns into flame and ash. As they finish the fight, the van leaves, but they can see what direction its heading in, and with some skillful (and fast) driving, they can catch up with it. During their pursuit, the following complications occur:
   --Nuns and orphans in a crosswalk. Driving check to not run them them down.
  --A police car gives chase, only to crash.
  --The van seems to get away, but a party member catches sight of it just as it's almost too late (with an appropriate attribute or skill check), and then a Driving check lets the pursuit continue.
   The van eventually goes to an isolated clearing in the woods, near a burned out cabin. See "The Climax: Defeat in Victory?" below.
   If the party is defeated, go the The Trap below.

Converging
If the characters are arriving separately at the journalist's home, roll 1d4 once on the table below to see what encounters they have en-route. 
   1. No Complications.
   2. A policeman stops the character near the journalist's home. The policeman is a cultist. He ambushes the character and attempts to render him or her unconscious. If the character is defeated, he is found by other characters in the panel van mentioned in "The Chase".
   3. A group of nuns and orphans flag the character down. Their bus has broken down, the head nun's cellphone is dead, and they need help calling the rectory or a tow truck.
   4. A traffic accident happens right in front of the character. Unless he or she makes a fancy Driving check, the character ends up becoming part of the accident, too, when it becomes a pile-up. The character is rendered unconscious in the crash, and he or she is found by the other characters in the panel van mentioned in "The Chase".
   Characters who have "No Complications" arrive at the home to find everything appearing fine. If they wait for other player characters to arrive, they will see the panel van described in "The Chase" pull up. Other characters (if not in the van) arrive in an order determined randomly (roll 1d4). Each time another character arrives, the GM should roll 1d4. On a result of 4, three men get out of the van and head into the journalist's home. The events of "The Chase" unfold. If any character approaches the van, the attack described under The Chase takes place.
  If characters with "No Complication" don't wait for others to arrive, or doesn't wait for anyone to leave the van but heads into the journalist's home, the events of "The Trap" take place.



The Trap
If the characters burst into the journalist's home, they find him kneeling at the center of a pentagram, surrounded by robed cultists. There is one cultist per player character. The journalist remains in the pentagram, watching the fight with an increasingly insanely gleeful look on his face.
   The cultists fight to subdue the player characters. If it looks like the cultists are going to lose, three more join in (having emerged from the van). They continue their attempt to subdue the characters. 
   If the player characters lose the battle, go to "The Climax: Victory in Defeat?".
   If the player characters look like they're going to win, the events of "The Climax: Victory in Defeat?" unfold in the house instead of at the remote ritual site. See "The Climax: Victory in Defeat?", below.

The Climax: Defeat in Victory?
If the characters chased the panel van, their pursuit ends in an isolated woodland clearing, near a burned-out building. They are confronted by cultists (one for each character) who fight them to the death while the journalist heads with three individuals from the van to a ritual site nearby that is by a burned out building. Here, there is a Satanic ritual site with a large pentagram on the ground. Once the journalist and others have reached the ritual site, the cultists battling the player characters will try to move the fight toward the pentagram. As the characters are led toward the pentagram, the journalist speaks, with a mad gleam in his eye: "Don't make this any harder than it needs to be--you will die and your "righteousness" will be consumed by Satan and your life energy will become mine! I promised him your lives, he promised me immortality! Surrender--don't let your last few moments on Earth be filled with pain!"
   The battle lasts for six rounds, or until it seems clear the characters are going to win. Then the journa list chants and a burly man with devil horns appears and joins the fight. The battle continues for three more rounds, or until it appears certain the player characters are going to win.
   Then, the pentagram flares with magical energy and smokey figure rises from it, "My charity extends only so far," a voice boomed. "You were given a deadline and you failed to meet it."
   "No! There is still time!" the journalist screams. He rushes to attack the player character who is the most injured. If the player character survives 2 rounds of combat against the journalist, he and all the cultists burst into flame and die screaming as they disintegrate into fine ash.

The Climax: Victory in Defeat?
If the characters were defeated by cultists previously, they wake up in the pentagram at a Satanic ritual site. The journalist is there with three cultists, plus one addition per player character. He speaks to them, with a mad gleam in his eye: "Don't make this any harder than it needs to be--you will die and your "righteousness" will be consumed by Satan and your life energy will become mine! I promised him your lives, he promised me immortality! Surrender--don't let your last few moments on Earth be filled with pain!"
   The battle lasts for six rounds, or until it seems clear the characters are going to win. Then the journa list chants and a burly man with devil horns appears and joins the fight. The battle continues for three more rounds, or until it appears certain the player characters are going to win.
   Then, the pentagram flares with magical energy and smokey figure rises from it, "My charity extends only so far," a voice boomed. "You were given a deadline and you failed to meet it."
   "No! There is still time!" the journalist screams. He rushes to attack the player character who is the most injured. If the player character survives 2 rounds of combat against the journalist, he and all the cultists burst into flame and die screaming as they disintegrate into fine ash.

The Wrap-Up
Further investigation will reveal to the player characters that the journalist joint the cult while investigating it.
  
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Tuesday, March 23, 2021

The Valley of the Immortals


Legends tell of a valley where people are forever young. This post provides tables to randomly generate an adventure outline for characters who set out to find the fabled location.

WHERE IS IT LOCATED? (Roll 1d6)
1. In the Austrian alps, near the border with Italy.
2. A mountainous island in the Atlantic ocean.
3. A mountainous island in the Pacific ocean.
4. In the northern Andes mountains
5. In the Ethiopian Highlands.
6. In the hills above Loch Nevis, Scotland.

HOW IS IT HIDDEN? (Roll 1d6)
1. Surrounded by steep hills/cliffs. (Mountaineering skills, knowledge of secret underground tunnel system, or flight needed to access.)
2. Thick forests/rugged terrain, no easy road access.
3. Only reachable by boat, but surrounded by navigation hazards.
4. Magical misdirection. (Requires a special compass to find, or counter-magic.)
5. A thick fog and cloud-cover surrounds the outer edges, causing those who enter to lose their way and bypass the valley, unless they are members of the community or aware of the one walkable path in and out.
6. Roll two more times on the table, rerolling any additional results of 6. The valley is hidden by a combination of both described methods.

WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF THE IMMORTALITY? (Roll 1d6)
1. A magic fountain at the center of the valley. All who drink from it become immortal.
2. A strange property in the soil causes those who live here and eat food grown here to become immortal.
3. A shape-shifted dragon lives among the immortals. It has placed an enchantment on all who live in this valley, because it wants company.
4. An ancient artifact is buried deep in the ground, and its radiation makes humans and humanoids who dwell in the valley immortal.
5. The church, the school, and pub all conceal gateways to the realms of the gods; the magical energy seeping through gives all sentient beings in the valley eternal life.
6. No one in the valley is immortal. A strange energy field causes time to pass differently in the valley, with each hour spent within equal to a year beyond. (Skip "How Long Must a Person Be in the Valley to Become Immortal" if this result is rolled).

HOW LONG MUST A PERSON BE IN THE VALLEY TO BECOME IMMORTAL? (Roll 1d6)
1. 24 hours..
2. One week.
3. One month.
4. Through All-Hallows Eve.
5. During the Winter Solstice.
6. As soon as the person enters the valley.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO LEAVE THE VALLEY? (Roll 1d6)
1. Nothing. The immortality will stay with them until they die through violence or starvation.
2. Nothing, but the aging process resumes the aging normally.
3. They begin to feel achy and sick. It goes so bad within two days that they must stay in bed for 1d6+6 days. After that, the age normally. If they return to the valley before the sickness passes, they immediately feel better.
4. Nothing they eat or drink provides nourishment. They will die of starvation if they do not return to the valley.
5. They become insubstantial but glow faintly. If they don't return within 24 hours, they disperse like glitter on the wind.
6. The time they spent in the valley catches up with them, and they age one year for each minute spent outside the valley, possibly dying of old age and crumbling to dust.

HOW DO THE IMMORTALS KEEP THE VALLEY SECRET? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. They don't. They like visitors, as it helps them keep up on the outside world, and rely on the discretion of the outsiders, or the general populations unwillingness to believe that a valley of immortals could even exist.
3. They imprison and eventually execute those who do not want to stay in the valley willingly.
4. They tell those who want to go that they will suffer a painful death upon leaving the valley's life-extending zone. (This may or may not be true.)
5-6. They do nothing to stop them, but they contact a cult of assassins devoted to keep the valley's secret and these assassins then hunt those who have left.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

The Cupid Sex Swap Caper

Here's a campaign subplot, and new magical item, to help GMs get ready for Valentine's Day. This material should be useful for any D&D variant, ranging from the good old D&D Rules Cyclopedia, through AD&D, all the various d20 System iterations, and maybe all the way up to D&D Fifth Edition. (All text in this post is released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms. Copyright 2020 Steve Miller.)


Cupid's insane sister, Himera, has trapped him in a pocket dimension, and she has taken over as the Spirit of Love. She wants to move up from mere minor entity to full-fledged god, and she is appearing to characters with Charisma scores of 16 or better, and Wisdom scores of 12 or better, with an offer: "Promise to be loving and kind to those who deserve kindness. Promise to defend and protect romantic lovers wherever you find them. Promise these things, and I will give you power and make you a Soldier in my Army of Love."


When a character agrees to be a Soldier in the Army of Love, a silver chain with a heart-shaped ruby pendant appears around his or her neck. The necklace cannot be removed, and, although it does not radiate magic, it is an artifact that grants its wearer the following abilities:
    * +5 bonus to hit with all bows, all bows and missiles they fire are treated as if they are enchanted weapons
    * Use charm person as a spell-like ability a number of times per day equal to the character's Charisma bonus. The character's total levels is the caster level.
    * If the amulet is flipped around so it hangs down between the character's shoulder blades, if the character utters the command word "It's the Power of Love", a pair of ghostly wings appear on his or her back that function as a feather fall spell cast at 20th level. The spell effect is limited to the character, although he or she can share the effect with one other creature (up to Medium-size) if it is embraced tightly.

Himera will continue to appear to the character from time to time, sometimes offering helpful hints in solving whatever problems the character and his or her allies are currently facing, and other times she will ask that assistance be provided to star-crossed lovers under dire threat.
    When the character next gains a level, Himera appears to him or her and demands that the character become a Priest/Cleric/Mystic (or whatever class casts divine magic in your campaign). If the character refuses, he or she, and close friends, allies, and others he or she cares about, are transported to the pocket dimension where Cupid is imprisoned. They must then help the actual Spirit of Love escape from captivity and put his sister back where she belongs.
    Even if the character chooses to become a priest of Himera, at some point he or she is bound to do something that offends the capricious entity and will find him- or herself banished with all their friends and loved ones to Cupid's prison.

Saturday, January 20, 2018

RPG Adventure Seeds--US Government Shutdown!

Use this table to randomly generate how the player characters will be impacted by the US Federal Government Shutdown! (Roll 1d10.)

1. Lax security at Area 51 allows 1d4+2 alien captives to escape, and they come to the PCs for help.
2. North Korean operatives bribe cash-hungry non-essential DoD employees for access to a secret base and take it over.
3. The true nature of the "11 Secret Herbs and Spices" will be revealed when a cash-hungry CIA contractor goes to sell it--unless the PCs stop him!
4. Nicholas Cage resumes his quest to discover secrets hidden within US historical landmarks... and he invites the PCs along to take advantage of the lax security.
5. Nancy Pelosi's true nature as a Reptilian space alien will be revealed... unless the PCs can get her to a special hospital where she can receive treatment for an illnes unique to her species. The medication shipments were delayed due to the postal service shutting down.
6. The Martians resume their stealth invasion.
7. The Secret Werewolf Army move to take over Yosimite National Park.
8. Donald Trump's hair (an alien symbiote) gets tired of the chaos, and it has him declare Martial Law. The campaign transitions into a "Cyberpunk 2020"-type setting.
9. The sonic waves that were keeping Godzilla, Mothra, and Monster dormant in various locations around the world cease when they are shut down due to lack of operators. The monsters begin rampaging!
10. The ectoplasmic containment unit hidden in a disused subway tunnel under Manhattan fails due to lack of maintainace. The thousands of ghosts and evil spirits that have been trapped their over the decades of the secret anti-ghost program are unleashed upon the unsuspecting city.

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Wednesday, December 6, 2017

A NUELOW Christmas: Day Six

Here's a Christmas-flavored adventure idea for a modern setting that contains magic.

THE ELF ON THE SHELF MASSACRES
Someone is murdering the families of witnesses against Papa Jambo, the reputedly magic-using crimelord who is currently on trial for multiple murders. Despite heavy police protection, the assassins are still managing to infiltrate the homes and murder the families in their sleep; in one case, they even killed one of the officers on the protective detail.

After these shadowy assassins kill a pair of evidence technicians at a crime scene, the player characters are called in to help the investigation. Upon inspecting the crime scenes, they find one thing in common: Each home has an Elf on the Shelf doll in it... and at one point, one of the characters is attacked by one of the toys after it animates. (Use Kobold stats, 1d4 points of damage with a knife or some other sharp household object).



With some investigation, the characters discover that the Elf on the Shelf dolls were all sent to the family from the same downtown address, even if the packages all appeared to come from a variety of hard-to-contact relatives.

Upon visiting the warehouse, the party is attacked by 24 murderous Elf on the Shelf dolls. They attack in groups of 1d6+1 until all are destroyed. Further investigation of the warehouse reveals other addresses to which killer dolls were sent that morning, as well as the following (roll 1d4):

   1. That Papa Jambo's apprentice is animating the dolls and that he has moved to a different location with 48 more... which will be sent to judges and other law enforcement officials if he has the chance.
   2. That one of Papa Jambo's rivals are trying to frame him for the murders--and that rival is an even stronger and more evil sorcerer than Jambo.
   3. Family members or loved ones of the player characters have been targeted to recieve killer Elf on the Shelf dolls... and that they may already be in their homes!
   4. The Papa Jambo on trial is a look-a-like impostor and that the real crimelord is at a secret location, plotting a monstrous revenge that will turn Christmas Eve into a bloodbath!