Hi guys! I’m back with my second one shot. So my plan for the one shot is that my party are minions of a mob boss set in a land that is full of magic. I was thinking that the daughter of the mob boss is kidnapped by a rival mob (maybe someone infiltrated the base and posed to be her guard) but struggling with encounters. I know there might be a begnniner minion fight and the end mob boss/kidnapper but am drawing blanks on encounters for the middle of the story. Looking forward to some feedback!
The party will need to go from place to place to find information out. This could take them anywhere in a city or beyond. People may want different things to give up information. Perhaps they will have to win a fight in an arena or rough up some criminals to get them to talk. They may need to break into place which could require stealth or puzzle solving.
If the other boss knows they have been sent out to get the daughter back, he might send someone after the party. This could give you reoccurring encounters or for chases. Their boss may have also sent others after the daughter. This could cause conflict between your players and some rivals.
If the party are criminals then there is always encounters with the law. They might help or hinder the party, depending on how they handle things.
Is it all set in one city or will it be over multiple locations? You could have strange happenings on a voyage over from one country to another.
How does it start? They could begin in combat, fighting their way out of an ambush which turns out just to be a diversion.
When coming up with encounters I think of the theme of the one shot/campaign. This helps me to remove things that don't thematically work or consider things that wouldn't in another setting.
I then consider the locations. This will cut out certain monsters. You aren't going to find a giant shark at the top of a mountain (or could you?).
Next consider the goals and place the obstacles between them and the party. obstacles and problems.
Finally I then either look for something that fits, or I home brew something. Home brewing can be great as it gives your players unique creatures that are mechanically more interesting than what you might have otherwise had access to. Of course it isn't for everyone.
I was planning it to be set in one large city, just not to confuse everybody. And for the beginning, maybe they could’ve just gotten out of an ambush while they were trying to protect the daughter, but due to negligence, the kidnapper was able to take the daughter. I appreciate the help!
No problem. I recommend being careful with their failure being the start of the one shot. If they don't fail then you have no one shot. If you make it so they can't win then they won't be very happy. I suggest not having the daughter with them and the ambush stops them from getting there, rather than having the daughter snatched from their grasps. But it is up to you.
Hi guys! I’m back with my second one shot. So my plan for the one shot is that my party are minions of a mob boss set in a land that is full of magic. I was thinking that the daughter of the mob boss is kidnapped by a rival mob (maybe someone infiltrated the base and posed to be her guard) but struggling with encounters. I know there might be a begnniner minion fight and the end mob boss/kidnapper but am drawing blanks on encounters for the middle of the story. Looking forward to some feedback!
The party will need to go from place to place to find information out. This could take them anywhere in a city or beyond. People may want different things to give up information. Perhaps they will have to win a fight in an arena or rough up some criminals to get them to talk. They may need to break into place which could require stealth or puzzle solving.
If the other boss knows they have been sent out to get the daughter back, he might send someone after the party. This could give you reoccurring encounters or for chases. Their boss may have also sent others after the daughter. This could cause conflict between your players and some rivals.
If the party are criminals then there is always encounters with the law. They might help or hinder the party, depending on how they handle things.
Is it all set in one city or will it be over multiple locations? You could have strange happenings on a voyage over from one country to another.
How does it start? They could begin in combat, fighting their way out of an ambush which turns out just to be a diversion.
When coming up with encounters I think of the theme of the one shot/campaign. This helps me to remove things that don't thematically work or consider things that wouldn't in another setting.
I then consider the locations. This will cut out certain monsters. You aren't going to find a giant shark at the top of a mountain (or could you?).
Next consider the goals and place the obstacles between them and the party. obstacles and problems.
Finally I then either look for something that fits, or I home brew something. Home brewing can be great as it gives your players unique creatures that are mechanically more interesting than what you might have otherwise had access to. Of course it isn't for everyone.
I hope this helps.
I was planning it to be set in one large city, just not to confuse everybody. And for the beginning, maybe they could’ve just gotten out of an ambush while they were trying to protect the daughter, but due to negligence, the kidnapper was able to take the daughter. I appreciate the help!
No problem. I recommend being careful with their failure being the start of the one shot. If they don't fail then you have no one shot. If you make it so they can't win then they won't be very happy. I suggest not having the daughter with them and the ambush stops them from getting there, rather than having the daughter snatched from their grasps. But it is up to you.
That’s a good point 😂 didn’t think about that