Twenty Adventure Seeds

Christopher Mennel wants "Twenty (or more) original and interesting ways to start a new adventure and/or campaign for a party. Bonus points if it works for fantasy, SF, or horror."

 

Twenty... or more? For free? in one hour? You can have twenty.

 

1. If any member of the party speaks more than a few sentences to someone, should that person have children, those children disappear the same day.

2. All the party members are extended a staggering line of credit by an anonymous power “in thanks” for actions “they are about to commit.”

3. Letter received from powerful figure thanking party for offer of help but asking them not to go as situation is now in hand. Party has never heard of this person or offered any kind of held but they know personal details about you. Party unaware of situation described in letter up until this moment. Next letter expresses disapproval that they went anyway. Then one letter every three days with increasing catalogue of complaints and baffled rage at party’s increasingly violent actions.

4. Party has to leave early / arrive late. Just after/before they leave/arrive, the crowd is hit by a hail of arrows. No-one is hurt or even cut. The arrows bounce off (though leave bruises). Except for one child, shot through the heart. The child has the same name as a PC and that name is inscribed in the arrow that killed them. All the arrows have the names of party members and will cut only them.

5. Pre-cog supervillian commits suicide. Note names inevitable defeat in all futures by PC’s as reason for despair. Had numerous frenemy’s, all now interested in PC’s re death, revenge, advantage possible status as pawns.

6. Mosaic/Statues of PC’s found in excavation of millennia-old temple of evil. Authorities and baddies both looking for someone that fits the description.

7. Dying beggar presses worn contract into your hands. You are now lord of the Barrio. Criminals want to exploit slums, Lords want to clear slums, dwellers want to live in peace, or maybe better plumbing.

8. Whatever you gain or suffer during a day, everyone with your star sign gains and suffers exactly the same the next day. Effect spreads like plague. Applies to all PC’s. When major forces become aware PC’s become living totems/chess pieces in strange new politics that cuts across class, nation and race.

9. PC’s meet likeable but intense churchman on blasted heath during storm. Says driven forth by dreams of angels calling him. Distracted by PC he gets his foot caught in root and falls over. At the exact moment he falls nearest/tallest/most metallic PC is struck by lightning. Direct message from god implanted into brain. Dominant faith is actually demonic cult in disguise, it’s your job to bring it down.

10. All PC’s can hear the cries and wails of the nearest person in total despair. Sound is ear-breath close no matter how far away person is. Effect persists. If they help (or kill) person the sound is replaced by the next most despairing person.

11. Fucking awesome looking scarred high-level versions of PC’s step through ‘time portal’ and hand each a glitzy magic weapon, saying only that “You’ll need it soon”. The whole situation is the mockery of a chaotic god.

12. Within the same hour PCs learn that 1- bank is corrupt and siphoning orphanage foreclosure money into secret Meth lab. 2- There is a secret way into the vault that closes in an hour and 3- they are also mugged by rabid hedge fund manager who get away with it because of ‘the system’.

13. PC’s see homeless junkie screaming and stabbing a police officer out of nowhere. When they reach corpse junkie has fled and body is that of a doppelgänger. If they do nothing PC faces start appearing on wanted posters.

14. PC’s wake up polymorphed into evil underworld beings. Baddies have stolen identities and will mock you with your own face. Will use your forms to advance mega-plot on surface world. However, on escape you find they foolishly left city-of-evil I.D documents and passkey to underworld.

15. Unlikely eagles compulsively perch on you. Ducks fly upside down around you. Goats give birth to two headed young. Peasants awed, powerful people either curious, afraid or ambitious depending on personality. Omens last till you perform one significant act, then all omens turn dark and sinister, regardless of act or result.

16. You find ruby shaped like the hill outside town. Lines of phosphorescence inside suggest three dimensional dungeon map, show hidden entry. Hole in mountainside fits ruby like key and lock.

17. Your Mothers face appears in stellar constellations in the night sky, speaks and tells you soul kidnapped by the devil but not to follow.  Everyone on this hemisphere sees it. Everyone. (They all see your mother talking to you, not their own.) Other hemisphere of world is fine as was daytime over there, they didn’t see shit.

18. Whenever you spill or drop a number of objects (coins, pins, nuts etc) they fall randomly into single large letters on the ground. Successive letters form a message. A plea for help. Once you undertake the quest, whenever your blood is spilt, the spray also forms single letters wherever it lands. Also a message. A warning. First message is a trap.

19. Panopticon mage cult broadcast PC’s lives into dreaming minds of nearby folk, whether anyone wants it or not. When you do cool stuff you are respected and hot people want to sleep with you. If you act like tits then spat on in the streets like the actors that play villains in soaps. No-one aware or knows why.

20. Comet appears in night sky. To PC’s it always seems like big white blur. Everyone else sees it moving around the sky night by night. Now going one way, now another. It always points in the direction of the pc’s. Following its tail will guide you to them. One month to impact.