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One Hundred Inspired Adventure Ideas?

Permidion_StarkPermidion_Stark Member Posts: 4,861
I was looking through a D&D Dungeonmaster's Guide when I came across a table of 'One Hundred Adventure Ideas', which are designed to be used as "spur-of-the-moment adventure seeds or for generating ideas". There then follows a list of some of the dullest, most prosaic plot ideas you can imagine. It starts with "1. Thieves steal the crown jewels." and goes rapidly down hill from there. My personal favourite is "96. A clutch of wyverns is preying on sheep as well as shepherds."

Now in fairness to the authors it is very hard to come up with something new and even harder to express it in a single sentence. Still, I think they have set the bar pretty low. But can we do better?

Here is the challenge. Can we make a list of 100 adventure ideas that might actually be inspiring?

I'll attempt to get the ball rolling:

1. A merchant ship returns to harbour laden with treasure but the crew are all dead.
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Comments

  • LindeblomLindeblom Member Posts: 257
    2. You wake up with a terrible headache and find a blood soaked towel stuck to the place where your left ear used to be.
  • CorvinoCorvino Member Posts: 2,269
    3. A scared man tries to sell you a jewelled sword, quick and cheap, no questions asked. Next morning he is dead and the sword is missing.

    (2 sentences, but meh)
  • meaglothmeagloth Member Posts: 3,806
    4. You wake up in an empty town ghost with no gear.
  • CorvinoCorvino Member Posts: 2,269
    edited September 2013
    5. One of your party is taken hostage and you are forced to commit a series of robberies to effect their release.
  • CorvinoCorvino Member Posts: 2,269
    edited September 2013
    6. You are hired by the city guard to prevent riots between local residents and refugees flooding in from an upheaval in a nearby town.
  • CorvinoCorvino Member Posts: 2,269
    9) Inpoverished farmers beg for your help against a dragon burning their crops, but the fires look man-made...
  • Awong124Awong124 Member Posts: 2,642
    10) Your daughter was taken by sex traffickers.

    Wait... has that been done?
  • AendaeronBluescaleAendaeronBluescale Member Posts: 335
    edited September 2013
    11) While hunting, you find a mysteriously, perfect shaped large sapphire ... umm nope, this has already been done and badly movie'd

    11) As a farmer, and former adventurer, you notice large claw traces around your farm and some of your livestock is missing.
  • BelgarathMTHBelgarathMTH Member Posts: 5,653
    edited September 2013
    @Awong124, have you been watching All My Children? I've been watching that, too.

    12. Some one is selling Black Lotus illegally at a tavern, and several people have died from overdoses - the owner wants them found and stopped, and assigns her assistant manager to help you. (Guess who works for the drug pushers?)

    Inspired by a One Life to Live storyline.
  • Awong124Awong124 Member Posts: 2,642
    edited September 2013
    @belgarathmth I vaguely remember picking that idea up from The Brady Bunch. The episode where Mike tries to get Jan back from her abductors, hilarity ensues.
  • 15) You wake up in the morning, realize that you feel strange, as if in the wrong body, after a romantic night and notice that you are wearing a strange belt you seem not be able to remove at all.
  • GodGod Member Posts: 1,150
    16) You wake up looking like Kevin Costner with gills behind ears and feel a sudden urge to find a child with a map tattooed on it.

    The section in italic is optional but should award a bonus to animal sympathy checks (or whatever it's called) and improved reaction with anything canine, including lycanthropes, to the player.
  • deltagodeltago Member Posts: 7,811
    edited September 2013
    17. {insert quest giver's name here}'s dog ran away.
  • Night_WatchNight_Watch Member Posts: 514
    edited September 2013
    God said:

    16) You wake up looking like Kevin Costner with gills behind ears and feel a sudden urge to find a child with a map tattooed on it.

    The section in italic is optional but should award a bonus to animal sympathy checks (or whatever it's called) and improved reaction with anything canine, including lycanthropes, to the player.

    Is there a half-sahuagin template for this? =p

    oops, looks like 17 was taken, i'll come back later =)
    Post edited by Night_Watch on
  • DrugarDrugar Member Posts: 1,566
    18: The dwarven bracelet you bought at a store recently is actually an ancient heirloom of a forgotten dwarven bloodline and their spirits will not leave you alone until you righted their wrongs.
  • CorvinoCorvino Member Posts: 2,269
    19) The spoiled and whiny son of a local lord cannot inherit his birthright until he slays a dragon, and you've been swindled into protecting him!
  • CorvinoCorvino Member Posts: 2,269
    That sounds positively Herculean, @KidCarnival! Those three tasks could occupy a party for their entire career.
  • KidCarnivalKidCarnival Member Posts: 3,747
    @Corvino Thanks, and depending on how much your DM hates you, it may not even be possible to succeed.
  • OneAngryMushroomOneAngryMushroom Member Posts: 564
    21. You buy a ring, the moment you put it on a warrior forms before you, swearing revenge against an unknown foe; you and the warrior cannot move more than 500 feet away from each other.
  • CoM_SolaufeinCoM_Solaufein Member Posts: 2,606
    You leave the Underdark and search for your father since he left you in that vaulted city for your protection.
  • Kitteh_On_A_CloudKitteh_On_A_Cloud Member Posts: 1,629
    23. One day you wake up only to discover something or someone slaughtered everyone in your town.
  • Kitteh_On_A_CloudKitteh_On_A_Cloud Member Posts: 1,629
    24. One of your friends gives you a strange ring for your birthday and when wearing it, you are overwhelemd by the memories of the previous wearer, who lived ages ago. The ring causes you to forget more and more about yourself until you life your curse by finding out what happened to the previous wearer. (two effin' long sentences, sorry :p)
  • Kitteh_On_A_CloudKitteh_On_A_Cloud Member Posts: 1,629
    *lift
  • GodGod Member Posts: 1,150
    25. You find yourself stored away in a large glass canister filled with a gooey substance, having the worst hangover (or is it?) ever and shortly your eyes catch sight of two Illithid cooks sharpening utensils and preparing ingredients.
  • Permidion_StarkPermidion_Stark Member Posts: 4,861
    26. A priest in a distant temple is rumoured to be preaching heretical sermons; the cleric in your party has been ordered to investigate.
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