79) Hairs of the Underarm - A Drow Adventure Siphonoptera Pulex, high-priestess to Llolth has had a little too much of the Solstice Sherry this season, and accidentally turned some Drow into fleas instead of Dryders, and sent them to the 'other' Pits of Despair.
80) You wake up in your camp, and your party draws their weapons, demanding to know who you are.
81) A dwarf stumbles across your path, and when you help him and ask his name, he replies "Durlag Trollkiller." (This could also be easily adapted for other races and famous dead heroes or villains.)
82) We didn't start the fire, A family of vacationing fire elementals have accidentally stranded themselves in a metropolis. Whenever they try to reach out for help they accidentally set something or someone on fire. It's up to the PC's to save this fiery family's vacation before the entire city burns to the ground!
83) While staying in an inn in the capital city of whatever country you are in, you wake one morning to find that a strange, stepped pyramid with no apparent entrances or exits has somehow replaced the Castle of the King/Queen overnight, and all the guards and people who normally work in the palace are missing and/or dead, found in pieces as if torn apart by mysterious forces.
84) You wake one morning feeling that the world is somehow, subtly wrong in some fashion, but you cannot vocalize or put your finger on exactly why; but after looking in the mirror at some point, you see your own reflection mouthing, "Help! You must save us, please!" as the other members of your party (who haven't been missing or gone) stand with your reflection in the mirror, all begging (silently) for your help.
85) In a strange, old mansion, you feel the sensation of being watched, but cannot find anything that would give upon you such a feeling… until you realize that the same small girl appears in *every* painting in the house… but only to you- others can see the girl, but when you move from one room to another, the girl's image "steps out" of the image, reappearing only where you are; and her expression ranges from sad to mocking to crafty to angry, until you get the feeling that she is somehow *stalking* you. But why?
86) After a long, grueling adventure, you wake one morning to find some small, monstrous feature has replaced a seemingly normal part of your body- while at first you try to hide these changes, they expand and grow, infecting other parts of your body, other party members, and even those you spend too much time in proximity to when you are sleeping or are living with/near. (Party could be mongrelmen who forgot what they are, there could be a supernatural explanation, or a magical curse- not as easily removed as with a remove curse spell, obviously- a magical disease. or even something else responsible. Party has to find the reason behind the changes and who or what is responsible and fix it.)
87. You were almost a Jill sandwich. Just take-a-look-at THIS! It's a weapon, it's REALLY powerful! Looks like it's been killed by a crow or something...
88. You were going through some of your adventuring uncle's old gear and find a strange note and some bronze pantaloons. It reminds you of this one time your great-great uncle Toddle was pedaling oranges in Beregost (pedaling fruit what a traitor right?) and also found some especially comfortable pantaloons, which oddly enough belonged to a succubus who dearly wanted them back because they were the best thing to lure mortal men into her embrace. Toddle however managed to use a crafty maneuver that his second cousin Bebbo used once to evade being eaten by a rampaging tarrasque, or maybe it was a simply the illusion of a tarrasque, anyways; the trick was he reminded the succubus that he was her cousin's, uncle's, brother's, son's, nephew's, sister's former roommate, which means they really weren't related at all I suppose... what? One sentence? Oh dear would you like some turnip beer this really is an excellent story if you take the time to listen to it, which reminds me of listening; my cousin Tulip got his name because his mother wouldn't listen when...
89. You're in the tavern getting drunk. Your friend says he wants to live for something more. You slap him and tell him to sip on his ale or you will. The next thing you know is chairs are flying and gnomes are being thrown around like potato bags. Eventually someone gets hurt and you're banished from the town that you never left before. Welcome in Hell.
The bodies of the town's mayor, most beautiful woman and most successful businessman are found at a crossroads. The new mayor has asked you to assist him in solving this mystery. There is no sign of a struggle, no wounds on the bodies and the cause of each death is indeterminable, eluding the most learned mages and the wisest clerics. The only evidence lies in an a piece of parchment written in a language that no one can decipher. The only legible part is a scribble on the bottom right corner, recognizable as the handwriting of the deceased: the names of all three citizens, signed in their own blood.
91. Your spine aches as you rise from a catafalque in a necromancer's abode, eight corpses on the floor, and hear your host saying to himself in another room "only nine to go".
92. You are surrounded by a group of five ferrets and a large red squirrel. The Squirrel says to you in deep commanding voice, "You have evaded us far too long troublemaker, prepare yourself for small fuzzy DOOM!!"
93. You are out for a walk with your foster father when he turns to you and says: "Listen carefully: if we should ever become separated, it is imperative that you make your way to the Friendly Arm Inn. There, you will meet Khalid and Jaheira. They have long been my friends, and you can trust them."
94. As you walk across a meadow you notice a rattlesnake. It looks at you, hisses and rattles, as if saying "don't tread on me." To tread or not to tread, that is for you to decide.
96. Elminster has lost his mind and is on a rampage! No one is safe and there is only one man who can stop him, a wise samurai named Bengoshi. He knows how to return Elminster to normal but it will not be easy and he will need you and your friends assistance to retrieve the items that are scattered throughout Faerun. But can you accomplish this before Elminster's rampage reaches your group?!?
97. As the party prepares to enter (a mid-sized and prosperous) town, the gate guard demands to know their names and (ideally) where they will be staying. It happens that people are turning up missing or dead; but the party soon learns that all the corpses that have been found are horrifically burned (beyond recognition) and after a corpse is found, someone disappears a few days to a week later. What's more, there's no more than 1 corpse and 1 disappearance at a time (over a span of a few days to a week). But what's the connection?
98. While researching locations of spell books and other magical texts to further his/her spell book, the wizard in your group comes across reference to an ancient set of crypts apparently lost and buried not very far from the party's current location. Easy loot, 'If you can find it'.
99. After returning from an adventure, the party stumbles across a murder scene and spy someone that looks remarkably like a member of your party who promptly flees the area. You aren't the only one who spots the 'Would-be' assassin.
100. Farmers have been losing livestock to some strange predator. The bodies look like they've been gnawed by many small mouths. Following the faint traces, the party finds themselves surrounded. Someone or something has altered the wildlife in this area...
Well we got to 100. And it only took two years. Thanks to everyone for playing. I think between us we came up with some pretty good ideas (though in fairness to the original authors who inspired this thread, it has to be admitted we gave up on the idea of expressing them in a single sentence very early in the game).
In all fairness, the whole 'One sentence' thing wasn't really reasonable. While you can express a premise in a single sentence, it very often loses some of the nuance through lack of detail. Heck.
101. Party walks out of a tavern in search of adventure.
Perfectly reasonable premise for the purposes, but no real Hook to make people stand up and say "And...?"
Comments
You forgot to have the DM steeple their fingers and smile.
Siphonoptera Pulex, high-priestess to Llolth has had a little too much of the Solstice Sherry this season, and accidentally turned some Drow into fleas instead of Dryders, and sent them to the 'other' Pits of Despair.
81) A dwarf stumbles across your path, and when you help him and ask his name, he replies "Durlag Trollkiller." (This could also be easily adapted for other races and famous dead heroes or villains.)
A family of vacationing fire elementals have accidentally stranded themselves in a metropolis. Whenever they try to reach out for help they accidentally set something or someone on fire. It's up to the PC's to save this fiery family's vacation before the entire city burns to the ground!
84) You wake one morning feeling that the world is somehow, subtly wrong in some fashion, but you cannot vocalize or put your finger on exactly why; but after looking in the mirror at some point, you see your own reflection mouthing, "Help! You must save us, please!" as the other members of your party (who haven't been missing or gone) stand with your reflection in the mirror, all begging (silently) for your help.
85) In a strange, old mansion, you feel the sensation of being watched, but cannot find anything that would give upon you such a feeling… until you realize that the same small girl appears in *every* painting in the house… but only to you- others can see the girl, but when you move from one room to another, the girl's image "steps out" of the image, reappearing only where you are; and her expression ranges from sad to mocking to crafty to angry, until you get the feeling that she is somehow *stalking* you. But why?
86) After a long, grueling adventure, you wake one morning to find some small, monstrous feature has replaced a seemingly normal part of your body- while at first you try to hide these changes, they expand and grow, infecting other parts of your body, other party members, and even those you spend too much time in proximity to when you are sleeping or are living with/near. (Party could be mongrelmen who forgot what they are, there could be a supernatural explanation, or a magical curse- not as easily removed as with a remove curse spell, obviously- a magical disease. or even something else responsible. Party has to find the reason behind the changes and who or what is responsible and fix it.)
One sentence?
Oh dear would you like some turnip beer this really is an excellent story if you take the time to listen to it, which reminds me of listening; my cousin Tulip got his name because his mother wouldn't listen when...
99. After returning from an adventure, the party stumbles across a murder scene and spy someone that looks remarkably like a member of your party who promptly flees the area. You aren't the only one who spots the 'Would-be' assassin.
...and those are no ordinary rabbits!!
101. Party walks out of a tavern in search of adventure.
Perfectly reasonable premise for the purposes, but no real Hook to make people stand up and say "And...?"