One, Two, Three, Four, [Five, Six]: A one shot D&D Adventure for 4-6 very confused pl

[CE2JRH]

One, Two, Three, Four, [Five, Six]: A one shot D&D Adventure for 4-6 very confused players.

As each player arrives, they are passed a character sheet that is blank, except for a number at the top of it. The basic conceit of this is from a tumblr post – what about a campaign where the players know nothing about their own characters, and learn as their characters learn. I'm merging that in with some plot and ideas from Dark Matter, and some world building ideas from places like Mistborn and Firefly and TalesofMU, all of which is random media I like. The first 4 characters (Draconic Human Cleric, Kobold Sorcerer, Human Beguiler, Half Minotaur Fighter/Crusader/Warblade something) are mandatory, the remaining two (Elven Swordsage, Dwarven Bard) are optional. This is being written with 3.5E in mind, but should be reasonably adaptable to any version, replacing characters and classes as necessary.

Let players attempt things, then reveal their scores and if they were good at it or not. (Attempt to pick lock; you fail; you recognize you have no idea how to use lock picks; attempt to evade a spell; success, but you feel you were lucky and not skilled; reflex +2. Attempt to evade a spell; success! You feel you are skilled at dodging and performed the task with ease; reflex +8 and evasion).

 

An older woman wakes up, perhaps in her mid thirties or forties. She has deep forest green hair, and her skin is mottled in a tiny scale pattern, with the vaguest hint of green as well. She wears a breastplate studded with six deep grey gems. Three are glowing. She has a well made longsword at her side, and in her pouch, which she opens with a hand with just a bit too much claw, she discovers a large, brown sandstone. This is player one, and she has a hell of a headache, and remembers nothing about who she is, or where she is. She has a winged button sewn into the top button of her shirt.

(Give each player a move action, a standard action, and an option to examine one single thing closer).

A few moments later, a kobold stirs. He wears a necklace with a whistle on it that, when blown by his toothy grin, doesn't emit any sound. His skin is deep brown, and his back shows the cuts of numerous lashes – an ex slave, perhaps, or someone devoted to Illmater the Matyr. Fire dances on his finger tips unpromoted as he wakes from his slumber. This is player two, and he has a hell of a headache, and remembers nothing about who he is, or where he is. He has a winged button sewn into the top button of his finely made chain shirt.

A few moments later, a beautiful young woman stirs. Her hands are tied in sloppy knotwork in front of her, but she wears well made travelling clothes and seems unscratched and unharmed. Under the heel of her foot is several shards of a very fine black pottery, enough to make a thin enamal bowl, perhaps. She has a bandolier strapped across her chest, but it's empty, and the hilt of a fine sword at her hip, but there is no blade. The hilt has a cloudy red gemstone in the shape of a fish. (Her standard action can be to remove the bonds). This is player three, and she has a hell of a headache, and remembers nothing about who she is, or where she is. She does not have the winged button that everyone else does.

A few moments later, a massive hulking brute of a man with bull horns and a chain shirt wakes with an aggressive grunt. He has a massive spiked chain coiled around one bulky arm, and his fists and arms are covered in a bristly fur. He is wearing an eyepatch over one eye, and his forearms have burn marks in the fur, where the fur doesn't seem to grow back. His clothes are oddly well made for his frame, of fine fabrics and careful tailoring, however, and his eyepatch looks selected almost as much for style as functionality. This is player four, and he has a hell of a headache, and remembers nothing about who he is, or where he is. He has a winged button sewn into the top button of her shirt.

During the introduction, give people this singular opportunity to swap characters based on this very limited information.

 

They use they and are of indeterminite gender. They have a winged button sewn into the top button of their shirt.

 

He has a winged button sewn into the top button of their shirt.

 

If you find metagame's within D&D amusing, as I do, you can have the players each write down 5 specific predictions. The player with the most right at the end of the campaign (Boggle style; so cross off duplicates between party members) wins a chocolate bar or something.

A further examination of the surrounding area and each other and your packs reveals; the party is in a glade in a mostly open rolling plain; there are forests to the south and west, in the distance, whereas the north and east lead into more open land. The group has a cart with two strong looking well bread horses hitched to it. The cart has a chest, with no key. They key is in the boot sole of One, once you get walking, you can mention that there is a rock in her boot and it's uncomfortable and annoying; if she takes it off and examines it, she'll find the key. Inside the chest is two dozen vials, all of the same murkey white liquid. Each vial has an eyedropper in it. The liquid tastes bad. One, Four, and Five all recognize some of the plants used to make the liquid are also used in making dye.

There is also a pack with a crossbow with an oddly large bolt launch, arcane thieves tools, and a crate of vials that fit the crossbow's oddly large bolt launch. This is Three's equipment, though why it was here and not on her and why she was bound deliberately remains ambiguous. People should be suspicious that Three perhaps isn't a member of the party, but how that could be possibly useful shouldn't be clear. One, Five, and Six will all have uncanny feelings that they want to protect Three if they're spoiling to oust her from the party or kill her at the start of the adventure.

The pack also has rations, water, food, several tents and bedrolls, and the chest also has three hundred gold pieces in it.

 

Regardless of which way players go (yeah, I know, railroady, but also like, illusion of choice, and it's a oneshot, so whatever), they'll encounter a group of soldiers from the Magisterion Imperium.

The soldiers will stop them. They're uniforms are immaculate, and they carry their weapons with the comfortable ease of career men who know how to use them. Some of the men are older, and they've clearly got a mage and a priest with them as well.

The lead soldier, all but Three will recognize his rank as Captain, will address Three, asking her if she is meant to be travelling with these mongrels and sub humans, or if she's been abducted?

This is when everyone gets fragments of memory about the Magisterion Imperium. It is a dominant totalitarian human culture that is extremely racist and generally Lawful Evil. Half-humans are called mongrels as slurs, and full other races are called subhumans. Half-humans are viewed as disgusting and horrific, whereas sub-humans are viewed as "merely" lesser and can take positions in the Imperium. Two, Four, and Five both have more specific flashes of memory;

Two remembers being pressured into a job of killing a different tribe of kobolds. He's not 100% sure why he took it, but he remembers the sounds of their dying screams...and then getting paid half of what he was supposed to for the work. When he brought the claims to the magistrate, he was whipped for being a liar.

Four remembers a scene of childhood home; a minotaur woman and a large, strong human father. A group of imperium soldiers burst in, killing Four's mother, and leaving Four to be raised by his father alone.

Five sees a scene of Elven Court. The elven royalty are discussing going into hiding versus surrending and allying themselves with the Imperium as it continues to push into their borders. Everyone seems defeated, tired, weary, faces drawn. He doesn't remember a resolution.

If Three declares herself a prisoner (or still is), it'll trigger a fight with these skilled, well equipped soldiers. If Three declares herself a friend to the rest of the party, the soldiers will call her a Harlot. Fragment of memory ---> Human allies of sub-humans and mongrels are called harlots, especially women. It's definitely a slur.

The soldiers will continue to taunt, bully, harass, and even rob (stealing first the 300 gold from the chest, and second frisking the party for valuables and trying to take weapons) the party until they finally fight. An observant player (spot 20; prompt for checks; give them their spot modifiers if they haven't already tried using them) will see that quite a few of the soldiers have winged buttons as well.

If the Dwarf, six, is with the party, the soldiers will eventually correctly identify him as a dwarf after some discussion, and attempt to arrest him. He'll recall that the Dwarves, instead of subjugating themselves like the elves, decided to isolate instead. No dwarves travel the land, and dwarves have faded to myth and legend. There are skrimishes and the Imperium has several military encampments that pin the dwarves in, preventing them from escaping, but the Dwarves are pretty happy to keep to themselves for the most part.

Under the vials in the locked box is a secret compartment (search DC 30) with a note with a sigil of a dragon in blood. If the party shows it to the soldiers, the soldiers will immediately apologize for disturbing them and retreat.

The priest and mage will buff their allies and attempt to perform crowd control on the party. As the party learns their abilities, generally ask them what type of action they'd like to perform (defensive, offensive, magic/mundane) and use a relevant ability. As they take wounds, reveal hit points. Resist attacks, reveal armor class and saves, make attacks, reveal attack bonuses, cast spells, reveal that spell, and save DC's. The only plot relevant ability that hopefully will get revealed is One's Blade of Blood wand chamber and regeneration capabilities. The soldiers should be regularly described as strong and organized, but the disrupted and confused party can still handle them, revealing that they're a strong adventuring party.

 

Regardless of which direction the party goes (surprise!) they'll end up in rockier terrain, and they'll see a mid sized encampment and town. Like all good adventuring parties, they'll hopefully take the bait and go investigate. If not, nudge them; it's getting close to sundown and they have no idea where they are or how dangerous this wilderness is. Civilization has to be better, even if they do have to deal with the Imperium.

As the party approaches the town, people will start to cheer. "Heroes! Adventurers! We're saved" and swarms of kobolds will come from their hovels to parade around them and lead them to the town council. The homes are well built from poor materials, but all around them are signs of love and passion; little gardens and clothes lines; clan sigils are painted on the sides of many of the houses, something that is banned in the Imperium. The party should know immediately that this is a free colony, well on the outskirts of the Imperium.

One of the kobolds will bump into Three, putting a hand in her pocket. She immediately feels that the kobold left something there; it starts running off. Three will have but moments to decide to chase after and draw attention or not. The kobold can easily lose Three in the crowd unless she decides to give chase immediately.

The kobold will have left five thousand gold in assorted gemstones, all cut and polished and ready for sale, in a pouch in Three's pocket. There is no note. If the kobold is captured (say, by Three realizing she has neutralizing magic like sleep), it'll merely say that a masked kobold gave him gold to deliver the pouch to Three's pocket without being noticed.

 

The party will be brought before seven kobolds, who make up the kobold council. They definitely know it's a free encampment on the edge of civilization now, because the Imperium would never allow a group of kobolds to self direct. There are seven kobolds on the counsel.

They'll explain that their an Independent mining colony of refugees and individuals fleeing the imperium. They've found some minor resources to eek out a meagre existence, but the Imperium can't stand to have anything outside their control, so they've sent an army of mercenary pirates who are all red eyed demons lead by a green dragon pirate queen to come kill them.

The Pirate Queen has a sword made out of the blood of her innocent victims, and her demon army are the cruelist mercenaries at the disposal of the Imperium. They're only used when the Imperium wants to instill fear at reckless and relentless slaughter and destruction, and the Imperium usually follows them up with more civilized human soldiers so that the population will see them as a less bad option and capitulate to their leadership.

Unless, of course, some daring adventurers save them! They can't pay much, as there was a recent theft of most of their valuable gemstones, but they can muster a thousand gold in gemstones and a bunch of minor magical trinkets, collected from various of the families, that could later be used or sold.

The kobolds will deny knowing anything about this random party of brave adventurers, though one of the council does indeed know pretty much everything (Sense Motive; 20). He won't admit it at this point, and if the party persists in questioning, will get huffy and leave. He'll carry his secrets to his death, as he sees it as the only way to save his tribe. If the party does discover the council member with knowledge (which is somewhat likely), he'll promise information in exchange for the parties assistance in defeating the imperium.

 

Due to various pressures, I'm hoping the party will decide to assist the kobolds. Because it makes the entire thing so much better.

The kobolds have a few dozen first level sorcerers that can be put into squadrons. There are also numerous crossbows around town that can be used to arm various kobolds, the most competent of which the party can readily find with some training.

Some kobolds have the capacity to build simple traps and the party can assist in that. There are no real walls to the town, but there are places where it is more natural to enter; two sides of the town are more or less nestled in the mountains; there is a rolling hills and a flatter plains entrance.

Gathering the kobolds in the mine is another option, but will just invite a siege. Food and supplies could be sequestered there, and it's possible the Imperium won't be able to resupply their own troops due to how far from civilization this mining camp is.

All in all, the kobolds want to stay out of this fight. They're extremely afraid of this demon army and the pirate dragon queen, and if push comes to shove, they'll also discuss surrender in the face of having their entire male population slaughtered, which is pretty standard for how the Imperium deals with rebels.

 

As the party lays down to sleep, One's large, brown sandstone begins to grow hot, and twenty five words are uttered from it. "The kobold men better be eliminated. The soldiers are arriving at tomorrow noon via ship. No resistance is expected. Payment in full is with the soldiers."

Hopefully that will put the party into a bit of a tizzy. They were hired to kill the kobolds. Are they the demon army and the dragon pirate that is being referred to? None of them have glowing red eyes, and none of them are dragons? Where is their ship, anyways? Also, this place is totally landlocked it seems...is there water nearby?

There should probably be some late night discussion of which path the party goes down; keep their ghastly promise to the Imperium and kill all the male kobolds, or keep their word to the kobolds and help protect them against the Imperium?

If they tell the kobolds, the kobolds will be angry, accusing them of taking advantage of their hospitality and tricking them, before begging them to do the right thing and betray the Imperium.

The party could go about slaughtering the kobolds now, but for clarities sake, we'll assume it happens in the morning.

 

The kobolds will do their best to mobilize and retreat into the mines, slowing down the parties advance with greases, webs, pit traps, tanglefoot bags, etcetera. They have lots of 1st and 4th level sorcerers that will use volleys of magic missiles and scorching rays to try to take down single party members, and they'll use crossbow bolts in the same way. Either way, defeating the kobolds won't be much of a challenge.

 

Throwing off the yolk of their former racist masters and doing a good thing, the party decides to ally against the kobolds. Near noon, they spot an airship in the sky; a large oblong blimp with a large carrier on the bottom.

The party abruptly remembers that they, too, own an airship; the Rake. Which is why they, and the Imperium Troops, all carry safewing emblems. The fall from an airship isn't the only risk, though. Airships are created by binding an elder fire and an elder air elemental; if the blimp, by necessity lightweight fabric, is pierced, both will burst free, and the crew will have to tend not only to the fall from heights, but landing with two very very angry and frustrated elder elementals.

As such, it's considered unforgiveable to arm an airship. But mages can generally generate a bolt strong enough to pierce a blimp at close ranges – 30 damage in a single attack of any energy type, as long as it is "piercy" enough (like rays, orbs, splinterbolts, missles; and not area attacks like cones, lightning bolts) will do it.

Even the Magisterion Imperium, after a few early disasters, no longer arms their airships.

Which is exactly the moment when the party recalls that their airship, the Rake, is armed with two prominent ballistae. Which should be suitable information to declare them horrifyingly antisocial iconoclasts.


The Imperium soldiers will feather-fall two squadrons around the town of twenty each; one near the mines entrance, and one near town centre. Each group will have a cleric, bard, wizard, druid for buffing and crowd control, plus 8 archers and 7 melees and one unique officer. Stat blocks will get done eventually. These troops were supposed to be the occupying officers; instead they get a fight.

The kobolds will generally assist and fight, but the Imperium is more than a match for them. The party has to decide which group to go after in which order. The remaining soldiers will slaughter kobold townsfolk indiscriminately.

 

Whichever side the party takes, the blimp will get downed. If they're fighting kobolds, a kobold sorcerer will hit it with a well placed ray, a miracle of a shot. If they're fighting the Imperium, the pilot will decide to send the airship crashing to the ground.

These are huge air elementals and huge fire elementals as per the standard SRD statblock. With depleted resources even the well optimized E6 party should be challenged thoroughly at this point. The kobolds that remain will attempt to fight the elementals with the party, knowing that their town is destroyed if they don't succeed. The Imperium will flee the elementals and attempt to direct them towards the party.

 

If the party sided with the Imperium, the Imperium wins. They pay the party, and ask who the young woman is (Three), revealing that she was not part of the party. They ask if she needs the protection of the Imperium as well, revealing that the party was historically allied with the Imperium. If the party reveals that they've lost their memories, the Imperium will laugh, and that is factored into the Epilogue. They'll ask why they don't have their usual red dye in their eyes, revealing what the contents of the lock box is, and why the party is known as demons.

If the party sided with the Kobolds, the kobolds win. They pay the party, at which point the kobold counsellor that claimed he had answers will find the party. He reveals that the young woman is a famous do-gooder, and the party is indeed the Pirates being referred to. They're surrounded in myth and legend, which is why they can walk the world unscathed (as well as the protection of the Imperium) but he watched them kill a small band of revolutionaries years ago. He knew they were coming, and hired Three, a legendary hero, to get near them, then detonate an artifact; a small black egg that permanently removes everyone nearby of their memories. Three didn't know that is what it would do, but was merely assured that it would neutralize the Dragon and her Demons. He apologizes that there is no way to get them back, but offers that this is a new opportunity to stop being lapdogs of the Imperium and fight for freedom.

 

Two recalls how to call The Rake; he must blow fire and air through the whistle at the same time. Remembering this, it is easy.

The party has to decide a course for their group. What will they do? Will they be freedom fighters, fighting against the Imperium? Will they side with the Imperium, apologize for the mess and rejoin them? Will they split in two groups? Will they kill Three for taking their memories? Will they kill the kobolds? Will they fight amongst themselves? Will they go their own way?

Which decisions they made greatly affects the outcome of the campaign:

A) Sided with kobolds, fight against the Imperium ---> This legendary Victory spreads, and the Rake and the Kobolds become a rallying call for the revolution everywhere. It's a long and brutal fight, but after twelve gruelling years, and bringing the Elves and the Dwarves on board, the Imperium is defeated, creating a more just world for everyone.

B) Sided with the kobolds, go their own way ---> The mining encampment and the outskirts flourish; the Imperium is more concerned with tracking down the Rake and it's crew. After a few years, they get captured and killed, but the revolution uses it's resources to save them. The group chooses to go it's own way a second time, and the revolution is crushed, as they are eventually.

C) Sided with the Imperium, kill the kobolds ---> The Imperium continues to pay them well for doing it's dirty deeds, and the Rake and it's crew live a life of luxury ; all the best food, wine, clothes, weapons, and brothels...and none of it is enough to sate a guilty conscience.

D) Sided with the Imperium, go their own way ---> Sick of doing the dirty deeds of the Imperium, the Rake declares this their last job. They're chased all over the Imperium before they decide to fly the airship across the vast expanse, an area of endless water that no one has ever crossed. They vanish without a trace, possibly living a new life and brave adventures in an untamed land...possibly drowning in an ocean.

E) Sided with the Imperium, mention the memory loss (regardless of other choices) ---> The Imperium recognizes a dangerous power player to be weakened, and takes advantage of the opportunity, setting up numerous small traps and unexpected betrayals for the confused crew of the Rake. Eventually, they are captured and killed.

Alright, that's it, congrats to everyone who made it to the end.

It's several more scenes than the demon invasion I wrote here;
https://www.rpgcrossing.com/showthread.php?t=119656

But it's also way less combat-focused, so it's probably quicker? Hopefully a one shot?

Would love thoughts. Too railroady? Too many illusions of choice? Things that need to be cleaned up more, or explained better?

[jj_wolven]

Is there something to stop them from running a gamut of test on each other to figure the sheet out immediately?
That would be the gamer-thing to do.

-me

[CE2JRH]

Hmmm. That's a clever thought. No, there isn't actually, at the moment. That'd be pretty amusing, to be honest. I'm not sure it would challenge the campaign much if they were aware of their capacities but still unaware of the surrounding plot; the 3 combats aren't meant to be the main part of the campaign, but the process of figuring out what happened to them, and the decisions between a new good path, or the old evil one.

[jj_wolven]

If they do that kind of repitition, I would just give them hints "the axe somehow feels natural in your hands" but no specifics until active use, "you feel it's your weapons of choice, but difficult to tell how well versed you are without real action".

Or give them ranges, "you were able to pick the lock, but it was a simple lock. You wonder how good you really are. (easily picked DC 15 lock)"

In terms of plotline, discuss it with them beforehand to make sure everyone is in line that their character actually cares about finding out more about themselves.

I was in a campaign where the GM stuck us inside an alternate dimension and said it was difficult to get out. When we found a way out and took it, he was surprised because we were supposed to stay to follow clues to fight the bad guy in this dimension. Two of us thought the goal was to leave, so we did.

-me

[CE2JRH]

haha, that's an awesome unexpected surprise from the DM.

I'm hoping since the options are so limited (and mostly illusions of choice instead of real choices, but hopefully they won't know that) it'll be easy to get people to play along.

[undeadrajib]

Hi CE2JRH. I have a play test report for you!

I just ran this game for my group. This was also my first time DMing a face to face game. I modified it for D&D 5e. So there was a dragonborn hex blade warlock, a kobold sorcerer, a human college of glamour bard and a half orc barbarian.

Scene one went well enough. However, three, the bard, after waking up, stole the orc's winged button and put in on herself The party let her have her weapons and stuff. However, in this part, I had to tell the players that the object of the game is not to 'solve' the character sheets since they were noting down each and every word I said in order to figure out the sheet.

In scene 2, the bard told the soldiers the others were her pets/guards. But the fight still happened, but did not last long since she cast fear and all but 3 of them ran away. However, one unexpected thing was after capturing a soldier, they decided to pour the liquid from the vials into his eye. I had to tell them his eyes turned red.

For scene 3, the kobold approached the camp pretending the bard to be his prisoner, knowing it was a non-imperium settlement. But then the residents asked for help and things went as expected. Scene 4 is where they started suspecting they might be the bad guys. After it was confirmed by the stone, they decided to help the kobolds. After the message came in, I handed them their character sheets, saying they now remember most things about their powers and abilities. But not their history, not yet.

In the final battle, they all shot the airship straightaway The troops still feather fell to the ground, but outside the village. The kobold forces dealt with one group, while the party fought the other. The children and womenfolk took shelter in the mines. I did not get a chance to use the elementals as they were nearly overwhelmed by the troops themselves. In the other fight, I just narrated that everyone died except 1 kobold. The party kobold kind of decided to stay in the village to help 'repopulate' now that most of the males are dead.

However, I put a little zinger in the end whereby an elder green dragon flies in, polymorphs into a woman, and drops down before them. It is the Green Dragon Pirate Queen! She gives them a day's headstart and tells them to flee, saying she will kill them soon.

Overall, it went pretty great! I think the players quite enjoyed the game and the plot. So thanks for the module

[CE2JRH]

Boccob's Blessed Books! Thank you for running it. That was really unexpected.

Re: Scene one; that's pretty funny.

Re: Scene 2: That's actually pretty clever.

Re: Scene 4: I'm glad there was some suspicion but it wasn't too obvious.

Re: The Final Battle; Too bad re: the elementals. That's hilarious the kobold sorcerer decided to stay and be the father of an entire town though.

Re: The Green Dragon Pirate Queen; that was actually supposed to be One, exaggerating her own legend; she's got a Draconic Template on her; it's why her skin is faintly scaled and why she has shock green hair.


How long did it take roughly?

How familiar were your players with D&D 5E?

Did people generally have fun/buy into the conceit?

Did anyone recognize some of the specifically stolen elements from Dark Matter?

[undeadrajib]

re the pirate queen, I understood your intent. I just wanted to have that zinger in the end. I had seen this one shot by Ashley Johnson on YouTube and wanted to have this big cliffhanger ending. Something that leads them into the next adventure, if they want to continue. Now there is this elder green dragon after them as they roam the skies in their air ship! And perhaps a couple elementals as well

How long did it take roughly?
It took us about 4 and a half hours.

How familiar were your players with D&D 5E?
Two out of four players were pretty well versed. The two others were decently familiar.

Did people generally have fun/buy into the conceit?
Yeah, I think so! Like I said, this was my first time DMing, so that gave me a nice confidence boost

Before the game, I set the expectations. Gave a little speech about this not being combat focused, and the element of mystery to the whole thing. So there was this figuring out what class they are. I had made index card for their spells for each character. When they used a spell, I handed them the card for that spell.

They also bought into the world when I said it is like the imperium of man from WH40K.

Did anyone recognize some of the specifically stolen elements from Dark Matter?
No, they didn't. I have not watched dark matter myself. One player recognised the central conceit being basically the same as Star Wars KOTOR. Which, I have to agree with

[CE2JRH]

Ah, okay! I wasn't sure if it was a misunderstanding or not. I do think the campaign has lots of starting points for a new adventure; and if you're short on ideas you can always just watch Dark Matter

I haven't played Star Wars KOTOR. I just read the plot on wiki though, that's pretty similar. I wonder if Dark Matter was KOTOR influenced, or if just "evil people amnesia now maybe good?" is a trope...let's check TV tropes....yep!
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.p...JoinsTheHeroes

I also plan to do some index cards and things. Tome of Battle conveniently has printable cards, which is why I'm using that for a couple characters.