A writer has arrived in town, hoping to find inspiration for the perfect book. Unfortunately, she’s decided that happenings in town are too boring and tries to create an exciting (and dangerous) situation to write about, much to the chagrin of those around her.
Background
A local author (name suggestion: Olith Karlid) has been working on her next big book, a highly anticipated work by various noble reading groups. There’s a considerable amount of gold and fame to be made, but the Author has a major case of writing block and can’t figure out what the primary plot should be. To remedy this, she hopes to create the perfect chaotic situation to base her book off of… though this can hardly be described as a solid or even safe plan.
Situation
The Author is drinking in the tavern, preparing for havoc to break loose as she enjoys a drink. She is disheveled and messy, having spent weeks with little sleep as she tried to comb her brain for ideas. Sometimes she speaks in a whisper, sometimes very loudly.
The tavern itself (name suggestion: The Oinking Horse) is crowded and noisy, the perfect place to cause chaos without getting caught. It’s cramped, somewhat unsanitary, and filled with revelry. A small band of musicians are playing on a makeshift stage in the far back of the main room.
Goals
Goals
There are 2 main parties interested in the chaos the Author causes:
- The Author wants to create the perfect storm, the perfect scenario for her book.
- The townsfolk want some peace and quiet in their bar, for crying out loud.
Using These Encounters
What do your player characters want? What are their best and worst qualities? What goals are they pursuing? Read through a few of the examples below, then choose the encounter that best suits your situation.
- If you have player characters who are pious or helpful, or who like to defend the weak, run Encounter A. If, on the other hand, they are greedy or uncaring, run Encounter C.
- If you have player characters who want to gain political or social favor with a local faction, run Encounter B. If you have player characters who want to uphold certain vows, or to gain favor with their gods, run Encounter A.
- If you have player characters who need information from or about a criminal element in the city, run Encounter C.
- If the player characters are working to foil some kind of villainous plan, run Encounter B.
If the player characters are just looking to make a quick buck, you have two choices: run Encounter A for a combat-based opportunity, or run Encounter B for a skill-based opportunity.
Encounter A
In this encounter, the Author causes a bar fight to break out to create an exciting climax for the book. The brawl quickly gets out of hand as the entire bar breaks out into chaos.
Setting up this Encounter
This encounter involves a massive fight instigated by the Author. If you have player characters who are pious or helpful, or who like to defend the weak, then the Author is a conniving and cruel individual who sneaks weapons into the hands of the combatants. The fight is brutal and the Author doesn’t care who gets hurt. Each main combatant is armed with a rapier for dueling instead of their fists, replacing their Punch attack with the following attack: Rapier: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, Hit: 1d8+2 piercing damage.
If you have player characters looking to uphold certain vows or gain favor with the gods, then the Author is writing an unholy scripture meant to ridicule and draw scorn to the gods of the party. As a cruel priest (likely of a god the party opposes), her Wisdom score increases to 15, and she can cast Healing Word twice per long rest.If your players are looking to make a quick buck, then the Author has a considerable amount of gold from her last book somewhat obviously nestled in a pouch at her belt.
Action!
While the patrons of the tavern go about their business, the Author spills a drink on a burly man and blames it on another heavily muscled patron. Any PC with a Passive Perception of 13 or higher, or who makes a Wisdom (Insight) check of 13 or greater realizes she’s up to no good.
Unfortunately, fights now break out across the tavern, throwing it into chaos—flying chairs and broken bottles everywhere.The party is engaged by bar brawlers (a number of which is appropriate to party strength) who fight to unconsciousness but don’t deal killing blows. The party can try to resolve the chaos in the bar as a whole through violence, or can try to subdue the Author and explain the situation. There are around 8 bar brawlers in fights throughout the bar, and a few peasants here and there.
Resolving this Encounter
When this encounter finishes, your players are pious or helpful, or who like to defend the weak, the grateful owner of the bar gives them free lodging and food here for a few weeks, and the patrons chip in some gold.
If your players wanted to uphold certain vows or gain favor with the gods, the Author’s book can be taken and burned, blasphemy and all. The Author also has a few statues of their god’s symbol worth some gold.
For players looking to make a quick buck, the Author’s pockets, and those of the brawlers they defeat, are loaded with gold.
Encounter B
In this encounter, the Author quickly loses control of their scheme and puts a love potion in the ale that is distributed to every patron. The situation spirals out of control as the most convoluted web of love triangles ever conceived forms.
Setting up this Encounter
This encounter involves a convoluted magical-fueled misunderstanding. If there are players who want to gain political or social favor with a local faction, this tavern is their favorite place to grab a drink. Many of them fall under the effects of the love potion and would be extremely grateful to be saved from its effects.
If there are players looking to foil some kind of villainous plan, then the Author was given the love potion to perform this task by a villain or faction the PCs oppose. While the Author is probably just a pawn trying to write a book, she provides the perfect vessel to wreak havoc on enemies.If the players just want to make a quick buck, a wealthy benefactor or faction associated with the party falls under the potion’s effects.
Action!
The Author slips the love potion into an outgoing pint of ale, but the customer had requested something else and sends it back. The barkeep, not wanting to waste a good drink, simply dumps it back into the keg and it’s distributed to every patron of the tavern.
Patrons of the bar quickly declare their love for one another then become jealous of everyone else. The entire room becomes a cacophony of love poems and songs, which the Author begins to take careful note of. The Author also has the antidote with her, which the PCs may be able to get from her by force or by persuasion, though she’s loath to give it up.
Resolving this Encounter
Player characters who wanted to gain political or social favor with a local faction, the involved patron is extremely grateful for the assistance and embarrassed about the whole affair. They can offer the party admittance to a meeting with an important figure, a monetary reward, or some other faction-associated benefit.
Player characters who are looking to foil some kind of villainous plan, the Author can provide information on who hired her and supplied her with the love potion. She may also have the recipe to create more love potion recipes, or the location of someone else who knows how.
Players looking to make a quick buck are given a hefty chunk of change by a grateful barkeep as long as they keep their mouths shut that the love potion was unknowingly distributed through the ale.
Encounter C
In this encounter, the Author attempts to recruit the player characters into her scheme in order to stage a heroic battle.
Setting up this Encounter
This encounter involves the players being hired to release and then kill a dangerous beast. If your player characters are greedy or uncaring, the Author also requests that the group let the beast kill a few civilians to make its defeat more dramatic. If the PCs need information from or about a criminal element in the city, the Author was given information on the beast by that faction in hopes the destruction it will wreak will weaken the town guard in the process.
Action!
The Author approaches the PCs in town and asks them with help writing the conclusion of her book. She needs a massive fight scene where the heroes slay a mighty beast, but doesn’t know exactly how to describe the battle. To assist with this, she asks the party to go and free a dangerous animal from a cage nearby, then fight it to the death.
The exact type of monster depends on the level of the party—for lower level groups, a griffon would likely suffice, but for more powerful groups (or if you are feeling particularly cruel) a bulette might be more appropriate. Animal is easy to free, but very hungry and very angry once out of its cage.If the Author feels the battle is too boring, she has a spell scroll of haste she uses to give the beast a little extra kick.
Resolving this Encounter
For player characters who are greedy or uncaring, the Author rewards them handsomely for their work. They may also receive a small gift from the city guard for their “protective services.”Parties who need information from or about a criminal element in the city are given such information by the Author, who doesn’t care much about the organization beyond the resources they can give her. She may also be able to provide some names or locations the group didn’t have before.
