D&D 5E Ideas for 1st level encounters
- Thread starter keynup
- Start date
Paul Farquhar
Legend
The cellers of the local inn are infested with giant rats...
...I'll get my coat...
...I'll get my coat...
DND_Reborn
The High Aldwin
1. A merchant hires the PCs to guard his shipment, which he has had troubles with bandits raiding in the past.
2. The blacksmith's son is lost in the woods and he need the PCs' help finding him before night (when the really bad stuff comes out).
3. Locals have reported disturbances from a nearby graveyard and want the PCs to investigate.
4. A successful miner has had his mine taken by kobolds, goblins, or some other humanoid/monster. He hires the PCs to get rid of them so he can resume work on his mine.
5. A stranger appears at the local tavern during a stormy night. He is badly injured and separated from his family. He asks the PCs to find his family and bring them into the town.
Those are more sample adventures I suppose... but maybe it helps.
2. The blacksmith's son is lost in the woods and he need the PCs' help finding him before night (when the really bad stuff comes out).
3. Locals have reported disturbances from a nearby graveyard and want the PCs to investigate.
4. A successful miner has had his mine taken by kobolds, goblins, or some other humanoid/monster. He hires the PCs to get rid of them so he can resume work on his mine.
5. A stranger appears at the local tavern during a stormy night. He is badly injured and separated from his family. He asks the PCs to find his family and bring them into the town.
Those are more sample adventures I suppose... but maybe it helps.
MonkeezOnFire
Adventurer
Kruthiks from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes are a fun option if you are looking for monsters beyond the "standard" low level ones like goblins, kobolds, or aggressive rats. They're like giant ants with their hive structure and tunneling capabilities. A nearby farm could have had their crops devastated leaving behind nothing by small (2.5 ft diameter) tunnels. When the PCs investigate a number of young kruthiks emerge from the ground in an ambush. If you want it also leads nicely into hunting down the hive which can be dungeon on its own.
Lakesidefantasy
Hero
Don't forget this:
Particularly for your new players' benefit.
Particularly for your new players' benefit.
Last edited:
MostlyHarmless42
Adventurer
I'd also suggest a few noncombat encounters. An important thing with newer players to help prevent future murderhobory is to not have every encounter they have outside a tavern be inherently hostile, to teach them that there are alternative approaches to solving problems than combat.
In that spirit:
1) A band of goblin minstrels who seek nothing more than to enthrall the party with a traveling play/music of their own...unique flair. Describe it as either ghastly, slightly morbid (maybe one gets injured or maimed during it, but the show must go on!), and clearly not very well done, but have all of them acting their little hearts out. Alternatively make it surprisingly well done, and entirely a surprise. Pending on how jumpy the party is the beginning could be "an abush" or musical theater, or they could be annoyingly insistent on performing.
2) A group of passing centaur undergoing a coming of age ritual (give it a fitting name). Basically they have to prove their bravery by performing a mock combat in the form of "tag jousting" an armed force. The idea is that if they can touch such a target they are clearly ready for real combat or hunting. They try to charge the party unarmed in sweeping drivebys and attempt to "tap" them on the back. Just use combat rules and have them make attack rolls or athletic checks to "slap" the party on their backs. A particularly high roll might necessitate a save to not fall prone. Yes, this would provoke attacks of opportunity.
The goal of the centaurs is to either tap each player once or get a number of successful points (obviously martial characters should count as two points due to the greater risk). The game lasts until every centaur can score a minimum amount of points or one of them is close to death or falls unconscious, at which point the centaurs make to save their fallen comrade and running off. Make it clear to the players that all but one centaur (who isnt joining but is watching with a bow that he will use to fire warning shots if players try to kill a fallen centaur), are unarmed and on the younger side but do NOT have the centaurs explain this ritual to them unless they've good reason like a fallen comrade. Have the party either try to figure it out on their own or give them tidbits if they roll knowledge checks.
3) A party of passing merchants offers the party food/ale/comfortable bedding for the night. If the party accepts one of the merchants tries to rob the party during the night. One option is to make it a child of one of the merchants. Another is to have the merchants themselves be equally offended with the would be robber, and offer not only to punish them on behalf of the party but possibly give the party a minor parting gift.
I could go on but all of these sort of play off stereotypical expectations from typical monsters (goblins, centaur, bandits, etc.) and gives the party noncombat options.
In that spirit:
1) A band of goblin minstrels who seek nothing more than to enthrall the party with a traveling play/music of their own...unique flair. Describe it as either ghastly, slightly morbid (maybe one gets injured or maimed during it, but the show must go on!), and clearly not very well done, but have all of them acting their little hearts out. Alternatively make it surprisingly well done, and entirely a surprise. Pending on how jumpy the party is the beginning could be "an abush" or musical theater, or they could be annoyingly insistent on performing.
2) A group of passing centaur undergoing a coming of age ritual (give it a fitting name). Basically they have to prove their bravery by performing a mock combat in the form of "tag jousting" an armed force. The idea is that if they can touch such a target they are clearly ready for real combat or hunting. They try to charge the party unarmed in sweeping drivebys and attempt to "tap" them on the back. Just use combat rules and have them make attack rolls or athletic checks to "slap" the party on their backs. A particularly high roll might necessitate a save to not fall prone. Yes, this would provoke attacks of opportunity.
The goal of the centaurs is to either tap each player once or get a number of successful points (obviously martial characters should count as two points due to the greater risk). The game lasts until every centaur can score a minimum amount of points or one of them is close to death or falls unconscious, at which point the centaurs make to save their fallen comrade and running off. Make it clear to the players that all but one centaur (who isnt joining but is watching with a bow that he will use to fire warning shots if players try to kill a fallen centaur), are unarmed and on the younger side but do NOT have the centaurs explain this ritual to them unless they've good reason like a fallen comrade. Have the party either try to figure it out on their own or give them tidbits if they roll knowledge checks.
3) A party of passing merchants offers the party food/ale/comfortable bedding for the night. If the party accepts one of the merchants tries to rob the party during the night. One option is to make it a child of one of the merchants. Another is to have the merchants themselves be equally offended with the would be robber, and offer not only to punish them on behalf of the party but possibly give the party a minor parting gift.
I could go on but all of these sort of play off stereotypical expectations from typical monsters (goblins, centaur, bandits, etc.) and gives the party noncombat options.
Kill the giant rats in the sewers / aunties cellar if you do not have one
Eventually find 1 stronger mob (CR1) while doing so.
Quickleaf
Legend
Fence posts keep moving. I know it's my neighbor Old Dunley doing it, after the family farm as he is. Dunley swears it's pixies, but he's a crock full of dung. 50 silver pieces and a week's supply of hard cider and apples to whosoever stops Dunley from moving the posts. –Bethany Artridge
Similar Threads
