Hey, /tg/,for a while now, I am running one-shots (dnd 5e 2024) in our LFGS for several groups of atendees who like grittyer and horror-ish themes. I have regular atendees, people are happy, but they are a specific layer of FLGS atendees. There is also a slot in LFGS for complete newbies - these often include lighter themes, a bit of combat, and more casual-yet-interesting stories (4-hour sessions). Usually, other regular DMs prep this.Occasionaly, LFGS organizer asks me to fill in, but I am a bit dry on ideas for such parameters. I would like to prep two of these "generic" one-shots that are still fun and include social interaction, some fight and maybe a bit of exploration. I have already ran all the one-shots, published in DMB 2024. Chat gpt is kinda eeeh... i need to give it a good idea for it to produce something good. Published one-shots are usually way too long.So, if you have your creative juices flowing, I'd appreciate some one-shot ideas (a few sentences will do). From my experience, /tg/ members always add that "creative extra" that makes things unique and memorable.Thanks!
This but in TTRPG form
>>96527220OP here.Fuck me. You know, my usual sesshs are actually very similar.
All your players are members of an orc tribe who go around pillaging and raiding and that is the whole campaign. It is an orc campaign.
>>96527215In the heart of the ancient forest of Eldoria Morwenna the Sorceress is holding the PCs captive, magically enslaved to aid her, primarily with her herbalism and potion brewing. (She sells these for a huge profit at a boutique farmers' market and the slave aspect is unknown, less because slavery bad and more because everyone else thinks it's a one woman operation so they pay top dollar and they have no idea that she's killing it with the green.)The PCs must venture into the enchanted forest to find the macguffin. That macguffin could be a talking tree that they stumble across in an ancient hidden glade while collecting moonflowers. From the knowledge this tree imparts they will derive the power to duel Morwenna the Sorceress. For all I know the power they get from the talking tree is learning of a special kind of moonflower that will make Morwenna's head explode or something.Morwenna's head exploding could be literal or it could be a metaphor for just getting totally wasted on top quality moonflower bud and the PCs shank her while she's too high to remember to reactivate her magic shield or recast enchant on them.Play it straight or make it a stoner comedy. You've got options. It's a talking tree, for all we know they were tripping balls when that happened and he's not the only one who shouldn't be sampling her wares.
>Usually, other regular DMs prep this.Ask them.
>>96527215they're new players, run phandelver>but i already ran phandelveryeah i know, but they havent. make it interesting for yourself, throw in corpses of previous groups and such. set up a leaderboard.
>>96527215>So, if you have your creative juices flowing, I'd appreciate some one-shot ideas (a few sentences will do).Jeweler has a private deal with a nearby Stone Giant to buy his Goon Pearls (Giant semen crystallizes into pearls if the Giant edges too long.) The jeweler has not heard from his Giant in some time, and asked you to go to their Goon Cave to see what's going on. The PCs arrive to find Beastmen (or some other vile tribalistic beast-race) camped outside the Goon Cave, attracted by the scent of a week-long edging. They are there to claim the Goon Pearls for themselves, as Goon Pearls contain vast quantities of life magic.
>>96527215Disappearances have been happening recently due to the actions of a cult in the catacombs which has been feeding prisoners alchemically treated human flesh with the goal of turning them into ghouls which regenerate similarly to revenants (only radiant or fire damage fully destroys them). The purpose of the ghouls is to repel attacks by intelligent monsters which are primarily dangerous due to either the ability to charm or deadly poison (homebrew an actual instant death effect or just use purple worm venom/carrion crawler mucus), but are otherwise mundane monstrosities/aberrations which deal and take normal damage (or humanoids with spells/equipment, but post-3.5e D&D doesn't have options to add class levels to monsters without breaking the challenge rating). The town near where the players begin has a specific method of burial which happens to include an embalming method that enables the alchemical treatment which turns consumers into ghouls, and all the flesh fed to the future ghouls is actually sourced from a nearby cemetery, however the ghouls were just kidnapped.You said you wanted something gritty and horror-ish themed, although be warned that some of what I am suggesting doesn't make sense in a setting where level 3 and higher spells exist, but it's a one-shot which is already intended for low levels (the main enemies are ghouls and humanoid grave robbers unless the players decide to fight the monsters themselves), and you can modify the setting as you want to.
>>96527215Players are all low level kobolds, they find out from a travelling goblin merchant that a group of heroes are coming to their home dungeon because they think it holds [macguffin]. The players have a set amount of time/tools/nearby allies to set up traps and shit to stop the heros from slaying them or driving them out of their home.
>>96527215Part 1: The players have been hired by Osman, a caravaneer, to guard his camel train carrying copper through the shifting sands to the tarspring oasis. It's a dangerous route that few have dared to take lately, reports of caravans never returning and camps found intact along the road. Your adventurers are desperate and have taken him up though, he's grateful and generous with them as a result. He has a son, Meera, who keeps his face wrapped with cloth and rarely speaks, but handles the camels expertly and helps make camp for Osman, who is getting old. To play on their heartstrings, maybe suggest Osman is soon to retire and leave the operation to his son.First encounter, just before dusk a group of jackals assails the party, Osman is useless but Meera can help fight. The jackals try to flee if they’re hurt badly, but if they manage to kill one, they discover they’ve actually been attacked by Jackalweres. They’re serving a Lamia named Sabeel who has taken up residence along the route in nearby ruins.
>>96539178Part 2: In the night, the party is attacked again, they find Osman dead and Meera dragged off to the Lamia’s lair. They can try to ride the camels to pursue but the Jackalweres are fast, they are trivial to track however as they leave a trail in the sand.The players find the Lamia’s abode which is a small dungeon, you can fill it with a variety of mummies, skeletons, magical illusions and enslaved creatures, perhaps some unwilling ones who can assist the party. They work their way to the old king’s court where Meera lies chained to the throne of the lioness. She has seen him in her scrying pool and kidnapped him to magically enslave as her lover.There’s no immediate combat, and in dialogue Meera asks the party to leave, he confesses to having seen her in his visions and wants to stay. Maybe he’s under the influence of magic, leave that ambiguous, and let the party decide to risk their lives and free him by force or leave, perhaps dooming Meera to indefinite bondage and his father’s family to ruin.
>>96539178cringe
