D&D 5E April Fools' Day Game ideas

[pukunui]

Hi all,

It just so happens that I'll be running a game on April Fools' Day this year. The PCs are about to hit 6th level, but I was thinking of maybe taking a break from the regular campaign and running Death House as a one-shot with some random 1st level pregens. Or, to make it a bit funnier, I could whip up some 1st level pregens that are a weird mix of the existing PCs (so maybe the halfling cleric and the elf sorcerer swap classes). Just to liven things up a bit.

Anyone got any better ideas? What have you done in the past when you've had the opportunity to run a game on April 1st (or what are you planning on doing if you also happen to be scheduled to run a game on that date this year)?


Cheers,
Jonathan

 

[iserith]

I've got a couple of fun options for an April Fool's Day game:

• Joust
• Super Mario Bros.

 

[mellored]

Whip up some level 3 PC's, send them out to hunt your level 6 PC's by rewording your previous adventure as something over the top horrible.

i.e.
"cleared out a kobold cave," -> "invaded homes of small folk, killed and looted"
"stopped evil cult ritual and destroyed an evil alter" -> "invaded a religious ceremony, destroyed cultural artifacts".
Plus some stuff they didn't do just to throw them off.

When they finally assault them, they die due to being 3 levels lower.


Then the week after, start by saying "you where attacked by some april fools."

 

[Tinker-TDC]

Whip up some level 3 PC's, send them out to hunt your level 6 PC's by rewording your previous adventure as something over the top horrible.

i.e.
"cleared out a kobold cave," -> "invaded homes of small folk, killed and looted"
"stopped evil cult ritual and destroyed an evil alter" -> "invaded a religious ceremony, destroyed cultural artifacts".
Plus some stuff they didn't do just to throw them off.

When they finally assault them, they die due to being 3 levels lower.


Then the week after, start by saying "you where attacked by some april fools."

Absolutely do this, yes!^^^

My April Fool's consists of a party of level 0 adventurers dealing with a town's jackalope problem.

Level 0 PC:
Medium races have 8+CON HP
Small races have 6+CON HP
Point-Buy is done with 20 points to spend (10 if you're a child.)
Starting Wealth: 10d10 silver, one of any item, armor, or weapon.
Background: Two skills and either two tool, languages, or literacies or one weapon or armor.

Players are proficient in their racial skills, the wizard weapon list, and greatclubs. They are automatically literate in a number of languages equal to their INT.

Jackalope are small beasts that are able to lightning-step 3 times per short rest.
Lightning Step: As a bonus action a Jackalope may teleport up to 30 feet in a poof of electricity. Creatures within 5 feet of the Jackalope when it teleports (start point and end point of the teleport) must make a DC11 DEX save or take 1d6 lightning damage. A Jackalope that attacks immediately at the end of its Lightning Step makes their attack roll with advantage.

Young Jackalope (the kind my players will be fighting) have a +2 to hit for 1d6 piercing damage. They have 2d6 HP and AC12.

One of the Jackalope is a wild-mage; when it uses Lightning Step it activates a wild magic surge.

 

[pukunui]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys! I particularly like [MENTION=6801209]mellored[/MENTION]'s suggestion. I will mull it over.

 

[pukunui]

I've had a good long think about this, and as much as I like the idea of tricking my players into fighting their own PCs, I'm really not confident I'd be able to pull it off. In fact, I don't think I'd be able to trick my players at all really. Instead, I think I will just go with my original idea of running Death House as a one-shot. And I think I've got a clever idea for a group of pregens!

"April" has five letters in it. I've got five players. I'm going to make a traveling troupe of entertainers. Something like "April and the Fools". Their names are April, Prilliam, Rilla, Illios, and Larpo. They'll all have the Entertainer background but they won't all be bards. If they survive the Death House, maybe I'll have my group's normal PCs run into them as NPCs later on.