So lately I feel that my players have been going on mostly "serious" adventures even though the group itself is generally lighthearted and easy going. As such I wanted to bring some levity in to the next session with some good old fashioned lols. The problem is my brain can't think of anything funny 😩.
The set up that goes along with the setting is that the players will be arriving at a village controlled by half-elves (human/drow). The last village they visited was a slave village originally run by drow slavers (long story about why they're above ground), but was recently liberated by a paladin who incited insurrection and defeated the drow.
When the players arrived they were told that a battalion of drow were on their way to squash the "rebellion" and without aid the recently freed slaves would be killed. Long story short the players weathered the siege of the village and defeated the battalion, but the commander managed to get away (useful for a later campaign plot point).
The paladin had companions who all went to separate slave villages to incite insurrection including the half-elf village the players are headed to, but there has been no word from the others. The paladin, herself, will be escorting the freed slaves to the player's "base" city so she will not be accompanying the adventurers.
My thoughts so far are that the half-elf village is the "dumping grounds" for the local drow's illegitimate offspring and as such isn't strictly controlled by drow society. The "slaves" in the village live their lives out as ordinary villagers who are just unable to leave the village (not that they'd ever want). The freedom fighter has camped out in a cave system nearby to keep a vigil over the "nefarious" deeds of the village, but his isolation, paranoia, and the fact he lost a friend to drow slavers has driven him insane.
I figured the "funny dungeon" could come from the mentally broken freedom fighter, but I just don't have any more ideas.
So you want the party to go looking for the Freedom Fighter in his cave system, but this guy has gone loopy and so would have some funny ideas of security?
Before I go any farther, who is this freedom fighter? Specifically in terms of race/class/training. Any established personality beats we need to honor? I mean is this guy a druid who might be employing animals to guard his caves? A wizard who might be leaving magical alarms? Just a fighter who leaves messages by all his traps that say stuff like “Suck it, Drow!”?
There are a few of the live Acquisitions Incorporated sessions that might have some good ideas. Jim's Murder Mystery comes to mind. There was another with a bizarre slaad guiro-statue trap... I'd have to go find links, but Chris Perkins comes up with some really magnificently wacky setups.
So you want the party to go looking for the Freedom Fighter in his cave system, but this guy has gone loopy and so would have some funny ideas of security?
Yeah that was the general idea. I thought, maybe the village would beseech ther adventurers to look into the cave near the village after a few people who investigated went missing. My only thought of "funny" was Home Alone style antics perpetrated by the freedom fighter.
Before I go any farther, who is this freedom fighter? Specifically in terms of race/class/training. Any established personality beats we need to honor? I mean is this guy a druid who might be employing animals to guard his caves? A wizard who might be leaving magical alarms? Just a fighter who leaves messages by all his traps that say stuff like “Suck it, Drow!”?
In all honesty I haven't got anything concrete on the insane freedom fighter's race or class or really even gender. Somewhat flying by the seat of my pants on parts of my homebrew.
Less funny Concept: The freedom fighter is a half-drow who, after developing wild magic, fled into the cave, which is actually a shadow crossing that can only be accessed in the dark of night. His sorcerous power has magnified the effect of his insanity into the Shadowfell cave system, turning it into a wild magic area where the manifestations of his chaotic nature, his insecurities, and the memories of his lost friend live.
Yeah that was the general idea. I thought, maybe the village would beseech ther adventurers to look into the cave near the village after a few people who investigated went missing. My only thought of "funny" was Home Alone style antics perpetrated by the freedom fighter.
Home Alone style antics. That I can work with. These are not in order of encountering.
The old bucket over the door prank. But filled with honey. At the same time the bucket dumps, the door of the cage that secures the bear opens. Now they’re covered with honey in a room with a bear.
When they find the room the guy is in, he freezes in place because he believes drow’s vision is based on movement.
They trip a trap and bright light floods the area. He’s laying traps for drow, and intends to use their light sensitivity against them.
There’s a rope slung across a trench. As they hang from it and try to inch across, chipmunks run out and start chewing the rope. It breaks after so many rounds.
There’s garlic hanging in doorways as wards.
Greased slopes that slide you into cages.
messages in poorly translated undercommon that mark areas off limits or sound “ominous” (Google Engrish. Copy signs.)
A javelin of lightning supplies the electricity for a shock trap that zaps you when you try to take something from the Free Samples bowl.
Torches hanging on the wall have pipes behind them that spew flammable liquid through the flame when tripped, making flame throwers.
So lately I feel that my players have been going on mostly "serious" adventures even though the group itself is generally lighthearted and easy going. As such I wanted to bring some levity in to the next session with some good old fashioned lols. The problem is my brain can't think of anything funny 😩.
The set up that goes along with the setting is that the players will be arriving at a village controlled by half-elves (human/drow). The last village they visited was a slave village originally run by drow slavers (long story about why they're above ground), but was recently liberated by a paladin who incited insurrection and defeated the drow.
When the players arrived they were told that a battalion of drow were on their way to squash the "rebellion" and without aid the recently freed slaves would be killed. Long story short the players weathered the siege of the village and defeated the battalion, but the commander managed to get away (useful for a later campaign plot point).
The paladin had companions who all went to separate slave villages to incite insurrection including the half-elf village the players are headed to, but there has been no word from the others. The paladin, herself, will be escorting the freed slaves to the player's "base" city so she will not be accompanying the adventurers.
My thoughts so far are that the half-elf village is the "dumping grounds" for the local drow's illegitimate offspring and as such isn't strictly controlled by drow society. The "slaves" in the village live their lives out as ordinary villagers who are just unable to leave the village (not that they'd ever want). The freedom fighter has camped out in a cave system nearby to keep a vigil over the "nefarious" deeds of the village, but his isolation, paranoia, and the fact he lost a friend to drow slavers has driven him insane.
I figured the "funny dungeon" could come from the mentally broken freedom fighter, but I just don't have any more ideas.
Sorry for the long post.
So you want the party to go looking for the Freedom Fighter in his cave system, but this guy has gone loopy and so would have some funny ideas of security?
Before I go any farther, who is this freedom fighter? Specifically in terms of race/class/training. Any established personality beats we need to honor? I mean is this guy a druid who might be employing animals to guard his caves? A wizard who might be leaving magical alarms? Just a fighter who leaves messages by all his traps that say stuff like “Suck it, Drow!”?
There are a few of the live Acquisitions Incorporated sessions that might have some good ideas. Jim's Murder Mystery comes to mind. There was another with a bizarre slaad guiro-statue trap... I'd have to go find links, but Chris Perkins comes up with some really magnificently wacky setups.
Yeah that was the general idea. I thought, maybe the village would beseech ther adventurers to look into the cave near the village after a few people who investigated went missing. My only thought of "funny" was Home Alone style antics perpetrated by the freedom fighter.
In all honesty I haven't got anything concrete on the insane freedom fighter's race or class or really even gender. Somewhat flying by the seat of my pants on parts of my homebrew.
Less funny Concept: The freedom fighter is a half-drow who, after developing wild magic, fled into the cave, which is actually a shadow crossing that can only be accessed in the dark of night. His sorcerous power has magnified the effect of his insanity into the Shadowfell cave system, turning it into a wild magic area where the manifestations of his chaotic nature, his insecurities, and the memories of his lost friend live.
Home Alone style antics. That I can work with. These are not in order of encountering.
The old bucket over the door prank. But filled with honey. At the same time the bucket dumps, the door of the cage that secures the bear opens. Now they’re covered with honey in a room with a bear.
When they find the room the guy is in, he freezes in place because he believes drow’s vision is based on movement.
They trip a trap and bright light floods the area. He’s laying traps for drow, and intends to use their light sensitivity against them.
There’s a rope slung across a trench. As they hang from it and try to inch across, chipmunks run out and start chewing the rope. It breaks after so many rounds.
There’s garlic hanging in doorways as wards.
Greased slopes that slide you into cages.
messages in poorly translated undercommon that mark areas off limits or sound “ominous” (Google Engrish. Copy signs.)
A javelin of lightning supplies the electricity for a shock trap that zaps you when you try to take something from the Free Samples bowl.
Torches hanging on the wall have pipes behind them that spew flammable liquid through the flame when tripped, making flame throwers.
Thank you. I'm definitely stealing some of this 😁.