I'm running a feast/festival as a non-combat encounter for the party. The party are the guests of honor for saving the lighthouse from a sahuagin takeover.
I'm looking for any colorful descriptive details I could use. It's a diverse range of races, and the shin-dig is taking place in a port city.
Fireworks? Special foods? Live performances by...?
They would have seaweed-wrapped rice balls and a variety of fried fish options for food.
There could be eating competitions, feats of strength (think the Scottish strong man competitions like carrying enormous rocks across a bridge, or picking up a log and throwing it for distance), classic carnival games like throwing rings around bottles. etc.
Maybe the carnival structures use fish/monster parts from the sea in their design. Torches are lit with oil or blubber, the frames of tents may be monster ribs, etc.
Party-clothes may be carefully crafted clothes made of strung-together fish scales in gaudy patterns of bright colors.
And of course, the sea is only one side of scenery... the other side is land, so you can have all of the normal festival features (eating competitions, feats of strength, ring toss, etc).
Are there any friendly aquatic races, such as Merfolk or Sea Elves, nearby? Imagine the party extending into both the city and the sea, land and sea folk mingling on the shore.
Whenever there's a big celebration, I love the idea that the mirth and merriment causes a bit of a bleed-through effect between the Prime and the Feywild, and some Fey revelers show up to join the fun (and usually cause some chaos). This creates a neat adventure hook for the party while still maintaining the festive vibe.
Maybe some eladrin have started to dominate the games lining the streets, or merry Fey hobgoblins are trying desperately to dance with people but everybody's afraid of them. Or maybe an Archfey shows up to really get that wrestling match exciting!
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I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
LIGHTSHOW! Put a different color in the lighthouse and have it shine on the city. A shimmering effect in front of the light that makes the city shimmer like water.
MUSIC! A sea shanty competition. Seals & Croft, The Captain & Tenillle, Jefferson Starfish.
GAMES! Have a pearl in the oyster competition. For 2gp they can shuck an oyster. If they roll 99 or 100 on a d100 they can win a 500gp black pearl. No pearl is fine, eat the oyster! Roll another d100. On a 01 or 02 they get poisoned with the red tide or something similar.
Racing up a ships mast to ring a bell. A series of 3 successful (DC 15) acrobatics checks to make it to the top. Keep track of how much they make the check by and total it up. The highest number is the fastest. The winners takes home a magical pole of angling.
A strongman competition where people hold their breath and pull a small craft by the anchor on the sea floor. If they make a few Con Checks and Strength checks, they win a shiny jewel encrusted mother of pearl/abalone shell belt buckle worth 100gp. A fail of a CON check (make them successively harder 10, 15, 20) means they have to surface. Keep track of the Strength checks and total them up. Highest total wins!
They would have seaweed-wrapped rice balls and a variety of fried fish options for food.
There could be eating competitions, feats of strength (think the Scottish strong man competitions like carrying enormous rocks across a bridge, or picking up a log and throwing it for distance), classic carnival games like throwing rings around bottles. etc.
Maybe the carnival structures use fish/monster parts from the sea in their design. Torches are lit with oil or blubber, the frames of tents may be monster ribs, etc.
Party-clothes may be carefully crafted clothes made of strung-together fish scales in gaudy patterns of bright colors.
And of course, the sea is only one side of scenery... the other side is land, so you can have all of the normal festival features (eating competitions, feats of strength, ring toss, etc).
Are there any friendly aquatic races, such as Merfolk or Sea Elves, nearby? Imagine the party extending into both the city and the sea, land and sea folk mingling on the shore.
Whenever there's a big celebration, I love the idea that the mirth and merriment causes a bit of a bleed-through effect between the Prime and the Feywild, and some Fey revelers show up to join the fun (and usually cause some chaos). This creates a neat adventure hook for the party while still maintaining the festive vibe.
Maybe some eladrin have started to dominate the games lining the streets, or merry Fey hobgoblins are trying desperately to dance with people but everybody's afraid of them. Or maybe an Archfey shows up to really get that wrestling match exciting!
I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
Hot air balloons.
Jugglers. I love jugglers. I am a juggler. Juggling is awesome.
Clowns
Live performance by the hit band Leaden Balloon, The Tumbling Rocks, The Why, Bows n' Roses, Burgundy 6, The Smash, etc.
There has to be a swimming competition and a competition to hold your breath.
Perhaps a fishing contest for the biggest, or strangest fish.
Knot tying contest.
Special appearance by Hooty and the Blowfish. And Great White. Maybe Seal. Perhaps some Blue Oyster Cult?
Or if you want to go with a more D&D theme: Kelpie, Imagine Dragons, The Grateful Undead,, Glass Cannon, Deep Purple Worm, or The Secret Doors.
Nice. I can't believe I didn't think of the Blue Oyster Cult.
Imagine Sea Dragons?
Battle of the Bards--like Woodstock by the sea. But with the possibility of introducing one or more plot hook NPCs to set up future adventures....
LIGHTSHOW! Put a different color in the lighthouse and have it shine on the city. A shimmering effect in front of the light that makes the city shimmer like water.
MUSIC! A sea shanty competition. Seals & Croft, The Captain & Tenillle, Jefferson Starfish.
GAMES! Have a pearl in the oyster competition. For 2gp they can shuck an oyster. If they roll 99 or 100 on a d100 they can win a 500gp black pearl. No pearl is fine, eat the oyster! Roll another d100. On a 01 or 02 they get poisoned with the red tide or something similar.
Racing up a ships mast to ring a bell. A series of 3 successful (DC 15) acrobatics checks to make it to the top. Keep track of how much they make the check by and total it up. The highest number is the fastest. The winners takes home a magical pole of angling.
A strongman competition where people hold their breath and pull a small craft by the anchor on the sea floor. If they make a few Con Checks and Strength checks, they win a shiny jewel encrusted mother of pearl/abalone shell belt buckle worth 100gp. A fail of a CON check (make them successively harder 10, 15, 20) means they have to surface. Keep track of the Strength checks and total them up. Highest total wins!
High dives from the lighthouse. Harpoon toss.
Here's some inspiration!
“Live performances by…”
Do you have a bard who’s sort of an inside joke repeating NPC in your campaign? This is a chance to introduce one if not
maybe a festival of the sea
A festival where you and the other nearby friendly aquatic peoples celebrate the ocean and it's sailors/people/nautical heroes?