Many times you are left with the need to do a quick adventure. Maybe you have a shorter night. Maybe the DM didn’t show up and you need to cover. This should help you get through. There will be a basic story line, if you want to up the difficulty there will be a progressive complication that puts the players in a pinch.
Use, alter and morph at your discretion. Remember players will love when things get harder. Think of it like the end of an action movie—the harder it is for the protagonists (your players) the better.
Prisoner Transport.
Orcs have been captured by the town and put in cages. They need to be transported to the city for trial. They have been accused of killing a woodcutter and his family out in the hills. The players should expect an ambush, but instead the orcs plead their case to them and they actually sound innocent. When their brethren finally ambush, it’s to take the orcs to their camp where they will stand trial, with your players either as their prosecution or defense. The players then have three days to gather evidence and present it at trial.
Progressive Complication: The players discover that an official in the town did the deed because the woodcutters discovered something in the forest that should never have been found.
Blank Slates All Around.
A town hasn’t shipped any wood to another town in some weeks, causing worry. When the players investigate, the town seems to be in some kind of amnesic haze. Townsfolk don’t remember who they are or what they should be doing. All the children have been put in the center of town, not knowing who their parents are. Unbeknownst to them, their water supply, namely the town well, has been corrupted by the corpse
of a dryad that a townsperson murdered and disposed of in the town. They have to get the body out of the well, and then decontaminate the well. Perhaps find the murderer.
Progressive Complication: The family of the dryad are hunting down the killer and hiding among the townspeople.
Things That Fall From the Sky.
Five comets have recently landed in the area. One of them landed in a goblin village and has mutated the goblins and they have gained abilities. Some have gained control over fire. Some have become extremely intelligent. And some have, well, grown. When goblins are together, they now share a group-think mentality, as if controlled by a hive mind.
Progressive Complication: The players know they need to contain the comet fragment and are given an artifact to do so—so they have to travel into the belly of the beast, the goblin village, to contain it. Also: where did the other comet pieces land? Who was affected?
Rats in the Basement.
A tavern owner asks to get rid of all rats in the basement. When the players reluctantly go down to check it out, the stairs go down further than what they expect. The exit has disappeared and the characters descend into an arena where they must fight for their freedom. The last opponent are three large demon rats. Once defeated, the characters find themselves in the basement of the tavern.
Progressive Complication: The arena changes with every combat: spikes, poison gas, pits.
d9 Low-Level Adventure Ideas (cont’d)
The Extinguished Lighthouse
The oldest lighthouse in the area is unattended—the lighthouse keeper seems to have gone missing and the lighthouse glass surrounding the magical beacon has been shattered and the light has gone out. Large glass fragments also litter the beach. The light has to be restored, but no one knows how to do it. (The beacon held an imprisoned albeit small fire elemental that has gone free, thus the glass on the beach.)
Progressive Complication: A large passenger ship is due to pass in three days as well as a storm showing up around the same time. Find the elemental and capture it again (or fi nd another source of light that bright.)
The Angry Druids
A sect of angry druids have infested the city with massive termites, eating everything wooden in site. The players are not only charged with dispatching the termites, but also finding the druids and finding out what they are so angry about.
Progressive Complication: The druids are livid about their holy groves being desecrated by trees being cut down and used as lumber in the city. The players have to fi nd a way to regrow the holy groves.
Recently a basket weaver has had her cart broken into and all of her baskets have been stolen; she is in debt to a money-lender and by contract will have to be sold to a brothel if she can’t pay him. The players have to help the woman find her baskets, restore her cart and pay the money-lender.
Progressive Complication: The money-lender is responsible for the robbery as well as other slave-trading and must be stopped. The money-lender’s house is well guarded, but there might be other means in which to exact vengeance.
The Massive Carriage Race of the Year
Every year, carriages line up to race around the city. The characters receive news that one of the carriages has been sabotaged and has a number of combustible potions on board. The characters have to jump from carriage to carriage searching for the potions, redirecting the carriage into the river that runs through the city or there will be massive casualties.
Progressive Complication: One of the other carriages is running defense for the sabotaged carriage, both drivers are disguised skeletons and this is a service for an old forgotten death-god to get back some worshipers.
The God of Flame Has Gone Missing
Fire no longer works in this city. Torches can’t be lit, food can’t be cooked and kilns can’t be fired up. Even magic fire doesn’t work. Something is restricting fire on a massive scale. The characters are tasked to finding out what is causing this. Rumors are that the God of Flame has died, but fire works outside the city.
Progressive Complication: Trolls, notoriously having a weakness for fire, have started crawling into the city, attacking people. When the city goes dark at night, crime increases and temples have shut their doors. The cause of the “blackout” must be found and quickly!
Currently running two large campaigns, one to lvl 16 and the other to 20, and this list really helps me and gives me some inspiration for some more "grounded" adventurers for a short term campaign!
This is a fantastic list! Thank you OP! These have given me just the right kick to finish up my prep for my brand-new campaign! You’ve completed something that has taken over a year to build!
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Many times you are left with the need to do a quick adventure. Maybe you have a shorter night. Maybe the DM didn’t show up and you need to cover. This should help you get through. There will be a basic story line, if you want to up the difficulty there will be a progressive complication that puts the players in a pinch.
Use, alter and morph at your discretion. Remember players will love when things get harder. Think of it like the end of an action movie—the harder it is for the protagonists (your players) the better.
Prisoner Transport.
Orcs have been captured by the town and put in cages. They need to be transported to the city for trial. They have been accused of killing a woodcutter and his family out in the hills. The players should expect an ambush, but instead the orcs plead their case to them and they actually sound innocent. When their brethren finally ambush, it’s to take the orcs to their camp where they will stand trial, with your players either as their prosecution or defense. The players then have three days to gather evidence and present it at trial.
Progressive Complication: The players discover that an official in the town did the deed because the woodcutters discovered something in the forest that should never have been found.
Blank Slates All Around.
A town hasn’t shipped any wood to another town in some weeks, causing worry. When the players investigate, the town seems to be in some kind of amnesic haze. Townsfolk don’t remember who they are or what they should be doing. All the children have been put in the center of town, not knowing who their parents are. Unbeknownst to them, their water supply, namely the town well, has been corrupted by the corpse
of a dryad that a townsperson murdered and disposed of in the town. They have to get the body out of the well, and then decontaminate the well. Perhaps find the murderer.
Progressive Complication: The family of the dryad are hunting down the killer and hiding among the townspeople.
Things That Fall From the Sky.
Five comets have recently landed in the area. One of them landed in a goblin village and has mutated the goblins and they have gained abilities. Some have gained control over fire. Some have become extremely intelligent. And some have, well, grown. When goblins are together, they now share a group-think mentality, as if controlled by a hive mind.
Progressive Complication: The players know they need to contain the comet fragment and are given an artifact to do so—so they have to travel into the belly of the beast, the goblin village, to contain it. Also: where did the other comet pieces land? Who was affected?
Rats in the Basement.
A tavern owner asks to get rid of all rats in the basement. When the players reluctantly go down to check it out, the stairs go down further than what they expect. The exit has disappeared and the characters descend into an arena where they must fight for their freedom. The last opponent are three large demon rats. Once defeated, the characters find themselves in the basement of the tavern.
Progressive Complication: The arena changes with every combat: spikes, poison gas, pits.
d9 Low-Level Adventure Ideas (cont’d)
The Extinguished Lighthouse
The oldest lighthouse in the area is unattended—the lighthouse keeper seems to have gone missing and the lighthouse glass surrounding the magical beacon has been shattered and the light has gone out. Large glass fragments also litter the beach. The light has to be restored, but no one knows how to do it. (The beacon held an imprisoned albeit small fire elemental that has gone free, thus the glass on the beach.)
Progressive Complication: A large passenger ship is due to pass in three days as well as a storm showing up around the same time. Find the elemental and capture it again (or fi nd another source of light that bright.)
The Angry Druids
A sect of angry druids have infested the city with massive termites, eating everything wooden in site. The players are not only charged with dispatching the termites, but also finding the druids and finding out what they are so angry about.
Progressive Complication: The druids are livid about their holy groves being desecrated by trees being cut down and used as lumber in the city. The players have to fi nd a way to regrow the holy groves.
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The Market Stalls
Recently a basket weaver has had her cart broken into and all of her baskets have been stolen; she is in debt to a money-lender and by contract will have to be sold to a brothel if she can’t pay him. The players have to help the woman find her baskets, restore her cart and pay the money-lender.
Progressive Complication: The money-lender is responsible for the robbery as well as other slave-trading and must be stopped. The money-lender’s house is well guarded, but there might be other means in which to exact vengeance.
The Massive Carriage Race of the Year
Every year, carriages line up to race around the city. The characters receive news that one of the carriages has been sabotaged and has a number of combustible potions on board. The characters have to jump from carriage to carriage searching for the potions, redirecting the carriage into the river that runs through the city or there will be massive casualties.
Progressive Complication: One of the other carriages is running defense for the sabotaged carriage, both drivers are disguised skeletons and this is a service for an old forgotten death-god to get back some worshipers.
The God of Flame Has Gone Missing
Fire no longer works in this city. Torches can’t be lit, food can’t be cooked and kilns can’t be fired up. Even magic fire doesn’t work. Something is restricting fire on a massive scale. The characters are tasked to finding out what is causing this. Rumors are that the God of Flame has died, but fire works outside the city.
Progressive Complication: Trolls, notoriously having a weakness for fire, have started crawling into the city, attacking people. When the city goes dark at night, crime increases and temples have shut their doors. The cause of the “blackout” must be found and quickly!
Thanks for these ideas!!
Currently running two large campaigns, one to lvl 16 and the other to 20, and this list really helps me and gives me some inspiration for some more "grounded" adventurers for a short term campaign!
This is a fantastic list! Thank you OP! These have given me just the right kick to finish up my prep for my brand-new campaign! You’ve completed something that has taken over a year to build!