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234. The market square is sparse tonight, and the remaining merchants are packing up early, with the town guard showing up and urging people to clear out before sunset. (They are mostly helpful, if insistent, helping merchants break down their stalls, rather than rushing them out at swordpoint.) Within a surprisingly short time, the market square, usually bustling even at this time of night, is deserted, and the guards are headed out as well, warning you to "Get to your homes, or the nearest inn. Nobody will let you in after sunset. It's the Blood Harvest Moon tonight."
If your party doesn't get inside, dozens of shadowy figures emerge from the alleys, from different directions, and assemble in two groups, facing off in the center of the square. They point and gesture threateningly to each other for a few minutes (giving onlookers another chance to flee), but no sound can be heard. Finally their standoff ends and the dust swirls up around their spectral forms, giving them temporary physical bodies of a sort, as they burst into violence. The battle lasts less than a half hour, and ravaged bodies litter the square. Anyone not inside will be attacked by these howling undead gang-members (stats as ghouls, but no paralysis), cursed to relive this bloody night when the two most powerful criminal organizations the city had ever known called upon fell powers in their (mutually successful) attempt to destroy one another. Their bodies crumble back into dust, and the square is quiet once more.
Anyone slain by these undead gangsters is cursed to join them (and the 'gangs' are significantly larger now than they were that first bloody night, due to these 'new recruits,' which is why the battle now can extend well beyond the market square, and the entire district shuts down, just in case).
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230: It's Beerball day! This involves a heavy leather ball, most of the town's young men and lots of alcohol. Each of two teams tries to get the ball to the opposing team's town gate. As the teams number in the hundreds, are very drunk and bear no team markings, this takes most of the day and paralyses the town.
231: Cheeserolling. Several large wheels of cheese are rolled down a steep hill. People chase them.
232: Bullrunning. People are chased through the streets by cattle. This is apparently fun.
233: For obscure religious reasons, a donkey is herded up the steps of a temple tower and pushed out of the window. Other religions object, but it's been done annually for hundreds of years because [woeful disaster] would clearly ensue if the practice was abandoned.
Donkey Defenestration?
239. a belligerent teamster calls for the PCs to get out of the way; he proceeds to insult them shamelessly and tells them to get real jobs
240. near the shop of a prominent dressmaker the mistress of the shop is angrily wielding racial slurs and a heavy wooden spool against 3 urchin children of [oppressed racial minority here] descent; the urchins are starving beggars
241. first thing on a frosty morning one or all of the party members finds a man's corpse frozen to death in an alley. If they take no other actions, the man's ghost haunts the area
242. a local confectioner is offering samples. His name is Uncle Ump and anyone consuming the stuff requires a DC 17 fort save to avoid addiction. Uncle Ump's candies are now tainted due to a deal with the fey
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243. A young group of aspiring drama majors busy people watching. Their assignment: Every few minutes or so, the kids would point at a person and a student steps out behind them to mimic their walk and mannerisms with varying degrees of success. Unusual or stand out characters get the whole group swarming with their attempts to outdo each other.
257. an undertaker/mortician/Beloved of Pharasma steps up next to the "fighter"-looking PC of the group. As he moves he deftly draws out a tape measure and begins sizing up the PC for some unspoken reason. If the PC asks, the man merely smiles plaintively and continues his work.
258. a pair of beady, red eyes stare at the party from a darkened alleyway. The may validly bode ill or be the product of a Prestidigitation at the GM's discretion.
259. (early morning/late at night) there is the sound of a lone baby crying outside. If any of the part investigates they find an infant swaddled in a basket with a note bound to the wicker handle. The note merely reads "Please take care of my Anastasia. I'm so sorry" and the baby girl (if inspected) is revealed to have tiny cloven hooves (half-fey)
260. a gnomish street artist has used chalk and subtle prestidigitations to make it appear as if there is a huge, tentacle-filled pit in the street. Of a sudden 3 robed/hooded figures rush out of the crowd and begin invoking elder gods; Perception (DC 20) sees the tentacles twitch.
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Great work everybody! I've taken the first 200+ events, removed extraneous posts, cleaned up some grammar, and put them here so they are easy to look through. All authors are, of course, credited before their entries. I'll update it every 50 or so that we get. 200+ Campsite Events
268. Two elderly men (Jaddax and Elthan) playing a strategy game in the park get into a loud argument over whether Elthan’s last move was legal or not.
269. A merchant drags his reluctant, and obviously pregnant, daughter up to the most attractive male PC. Amidst accusations of “stealing her virtue”, he demands the PC marry her.
270. A group of children playing with makeshift bows and arrows accidently hit a bird flying overhead. The injured bird falls between the PCs and the children. Half the children run when they see the PCs, the rest start to cry.
271. On a chilly day in the city, the PCs come upon a street vendor with a push-cart selling hot food and drink. He is selling heavily-spiced roasted meat on skewers, rooted root-vegetables on skewers, warm rolls (plain or filled with fruit compote), mulled wine, and hot tea. All his wares are reasonably priced and smell delicious. If the PCs don’t have their own drinking vessels, he can sell them several cheaply-made, but serviceable, clay cups for a few coppers. He will even buy them back for 1 cp, if they don’t want to keep them.
The drinks, the vegetable skewers, and the rolls are all fine. The meat skewers, however, have been heavily spiced to disguise that the meat has spoiled. Any PC who eats from a meat skewer risks getting food poisoning.
Ptomaine Poisoning
Type poison, ingested; Save 1st: Fort DC 16; 2nd: Fort DC 20
Onset 2 hours; Frequency 2 saves 6 hours apart
Initial Effect character is nauseated; Secondary Effect character is sickened for 24 hours, then fatigued; Cure 1 save
Note: each skewer eaten beyond the first increases the DC for both saves by 2.
275. Anyone passing through a specific 5ft square on the street gets goosed. A DC 25 perception check reveals a drunk wizard peering over the rooftop holding a ring (of permanent mage hand).
276. Pick one of the PCs; as they are passing through the market they spot a merchant in front of their busted stall looking depressed and disheveled. Flanking the merchant are a pair of guards. The upset man spies the PC, his eyes widen and he points and declares "That's the ONE! Right there!"
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277. It's bright and sunny, with only a few wispy clouds in the sky. People mutter darkly and move aside to make room for a bedraggled young man, who is attended by his own personal raincloud, that manages to keep him soaked to the bone, and follows him as he trudges along, eyes downcast. A few townsfolk hurl jeers and catcalls his way, and express annoyance at his being out during the day.
[Caught peeking at the clergy and followers of the god(dess) of the weather while they performed seasonal rites 'skyclad,' he was cursed to always be subject to unpleasant seasonally appropriate weather.]
277. It's bright and sunny, with only a few wispy clouds in the sky. People mutter darkly and move aside to make room for a bedraggled young man, who is attended by his own personal raincloud, that manages to keep him soaked to the bone, and follows him as he trudges along, eyes downcast. A few townsfolk hurl jeers and catcalls his way, and express annoyance at his being out during the day.
[Caught peeking at the clergy and followers of the god(dess) of the weather while they performed seasonal rites 'skyclad,' he was cursed to always be subject to unpleasant seasonally appropriate weather.]
Aw, he's not a rain god that is too much loved by the clouds to ever leave his side?
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Aw, he's not a rain god that is too much loved by the clouds to ever leave his side?
Nah. Although someone 'loved by the sun' could be a thief cursed by the temple of the sun god he tried to rob to always be standing in a 5 ft. square of sunlight, even in the middle of the night or indoors, somehow never providing more than candlelight intensity light to adjacent squares, but spotlighting his movements for all to see!
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278.
The adventuring party's halfling is abducted and forced to enroll in clown college. Will the party save their ally, or is it just too funny to do so?
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286. Otyugh swarm ...but they're babies! (Awww.... aren't they disgustingly cute?) -- This occurs on a hot summer day after a rainstorm. There is a minor rumbling earthquake (little damage to the city), following by every sewer in the city then emitting millions of tiny, rat-sized otyughs, which pour through the streets down to the riverbank, where they splash in and disappear.
They don't attack anyone, but the swarm lasts for half an hour.
As the PCs inquire, they learn that the swarm is a natural yearly migration and that otyughs are considered a natural part of the ecology there rather than hostile monsters by the people living here. They meet an "otyugh whisperer" who, for a fee, will teach the native language of otyughs (fluency in which will grant +2 in social skills checks with otyughs in the future, with interactions beginning with them one step more favorably disposed).
-- A baby otyugh can be taken as a familiar. GM determines stats, but should have a swim speed and Darkvision, grant its master Fort+2 and a further +2 to resist disease, but master suffers -4 to all social skills with humanoid and good and/or cleanly races whenever his filthy pet is obviously present. The baby can "grow up" from a tiny-sized to a small-sized "Advanced Familiar", but won't get bigger than that unless the PC takes Leadership (or whatever else the GM deems appropriate).
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287. Townspeople are gathered outside, despite the winter chill and snow everywhere, dressed in summer clothes and eating fresh fruit.
(Every winter on this day, a local-born arcanist teleports into the neighborhood to visit his family, bringing many baskets of fresh fruit picked from his own orchards, in a much warmer climate.)
288. In this desert town, a procession of local youth dressed in costumes resembling exotic fish and sharks, creatures not to be seen for hundreds of leagues, move through the crowds, while bearded elders shake water from gourds on all passersby.
(Formerly a seafaring people, the local desert dwellers still pay homage to their sea-goddess, attempting to call her favor to bring the rains to bless their new arid home.)
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289. A bard is performing in the town square. The crowd is listening and enjoying the show. A DC 10 Perception check lets the PCs identify a notable individual in the crowd, enjoying the show as well. This could be the opportunity they need to talk with a particular noble. It could be the tax collector they've been dodging. It could be a truly legendary hero, minding her own business.
290. Turning down a dark alley one night, the PCs find an unusual sight. Several figures stand around watching a wrestling match. Included in the spectators are any number of people from various walks of life. The combatants include a bear and a beautiful woman. A DC 16 Knowledge (planes) check reveals the woman to be a succubus in her normal form. If failed, one of the spectators comments about her within a round or two. No one minds if the PCs watch or take bets, but if they move to stop the fight, everyone attacks them in retribution. If the fight is watched to its conclusion, it ends when the bear manages to hold onto the succubus for a minute, pinning her. Then it reverts to a well-known druid and says, "pay up!" Money is exchanged, the succubus smiles and looks at the crowd. She spots a PC and then says, "Do you want a try? I'm warmed up now, so it won't be so easy."
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291. Someone fires a Shrieking crossbow bolt up a crowded street. Nobody gets hit, but it scares the piss out of everything. Horses panic, etc.
292. Ale tsunami when a distillery tank collapses! Make your swim checks! ...and then the flies arrive. Millions of them.
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293. Canal muckers. The engineers have blocked off this section of the canal due to silt accumulation. The trusted hired hands and crews are portaging around the work to an awaiting barge. The muckers are "volunteers" from the prison. The silt is carted off to some unused lowland. Dirty, smelly work plus the occasional uncovered treasure/body. If you got a cart/wheelbarrow, you'll a couple steps up from the muckers. Regardless, low pay, hard work but an honest day.
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294)Panicked horses pulling a driverless cart filled with barrels of beer goes speeding down the street.
295)Roll DC 10 perception check or step in horse poop.
296) An arrow narrowly misses hitting a PC. It has a scrap of paper tied to it with the PC's name on it with XOXOX and hearts drawn on it.
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297. A bedraggled youth approaches the party with a letter. He grumbles openly about how difficult it has been for him to track them down as they lack any set address. He then states that for all of his troubles, he hopes that they tip well.
If they tip less than 1gp, he begrudgingly tramps off, vowing not to deliver letters to them again. If they tip 1gp or more, then he thanks them profusely and dashes off.
298. The party sees an ecstatic youth towing an empty handcart entering a nearby toy store.
299. Chaos erupts in the town square as its entirety is virtually flooded with a multitude of marbles. A crying youth stands at the edge of the mayhem next to an overturned handcart. A creature entering any square with marbles scattered on it must make a DC 10 Reflex save or fall prone (the creature’s stability bonus to trip applies to this save). Any creature moving at half speed or slower can pick its way through a square of marbles with no trouble.
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300. A Steam Giant careens down the street. At it's controls is a young man who definitely looks unsure about how to control it.
301. There is a sudden rumbling, and a large building or section of street collapses into a sinkhole.
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302. A horrific shriek fills the early morning hours coming from the bakery. Much thumping and banging behind the doors, then two thugs bust out into the dimly lit street, faces white as the moon. They run as fast as their feet can take them as a bread golem follows them out to give chase.
Inside, the baker holds a bloody apron to his head and starts to pick up the mess. He is grinning and chuckling. "That should give'em pause. Who needs protectin' now?"
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303. Annual Carpendem Roof Runner Race. Initially this was about bragging rights among a few close but competitive rogues and passed via word of mouth. Now has grown to an annual event. Although unsanctioned and prohibited by the govt and anyone caught serves a week in a cell or a hefty fine serves only as yet another obstacle for all the contestants. The objective is run from the former Moon Melon HQ building to the current HQ. Typically occurring sometime in the week prior to the moon melon fest. Simple right? Rules are simple but not enforced. Competitors wear numbered scarves. Running on ground to cross a street is permitted but expect mocking if you do so. Purists will disavow magic assist.
This race has its critics as well as cheerleaders.
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304. Several young children, haggard and tired, drag themselves into a forge hall to the sounds of animated shouting (they are lazy apprentices)
305. A gnomish sand merchant with a ferret on his shoulder sells multi-colored sand from a stock he keeps in a satchel. GM note: he is in fact a N male gnome rogue 1/wizard 1 with a Color Spray spell prepared (Will save DC 13); if the PCs don't buy any sand he attempts the spell on them and picks their pockets if he can.
306. A crazed grippili squats near a makeshift brazier roasting frogs' legs over the coals and basting them with an unknown but spicy rust-colored paste. If the PCs draw closer he is muttering to himself maniacally and he offers a skewer to each of them assuring them "they're VERY fresh!" (nothing nefarious; he's just passionate about his barbeque)
307. Two men are locked in a swordfight on a nearby roof. One of them stumbles. His opponent uses the distraction to dive off the roof, and an awning to break his fall. He calls, "Better luck next time, Lao Che!" over his shoulder as he vanishes into the crowd. You feel like you've stepped into someone else's story.
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311. The group is about to go to bed at in their rooms in the inn, when they feel a dagger pointed at their ribs. A harsh voice whispers in their ears, "Don't make a sound, now MOVE!" and herd the PCs into a blue glowing portal.
312. The PCs find a crowd gathered in the street and hear singing and the sound of a banjo. At the centre of the crowd is a Grippli sitting on a crate, singing and playing on a banjo.
311b. The group is about to go to bed at in their rooms in the inn, when they see a blue glowing portal. No explanation, just a portal.
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313. At the district that contains the local arena, a cloaked figure is taking wagers on an upcoming sporting event. He is accompanied by a pair of thuggish hobgoblins whose only purpose seems to be to carry the gold and sneer at passersby. If the PCs investigate, he may cheerfully list the odds on upcoming competitors, or perhaps provide other information. If asked, he has a permit for his activities-- the Linguistics DC to recognize it as a forgery is quite high. If a "fighter-type" PC attempts to place a wager, he may balk, assuming that the PC is a competitor.
315. A Grippli sits on a crate wearing a top hat and holding a cane, every half hour he stands and starts singing and dancing (always the same song in an unknown language), then holds out his hat for coins.
Hey, I just wanted to say that as the author of the original thread it is an honour to see how far you have taken this, i had never expected it. I have used a lot these ideas in my current game and it really works nicely to as a flavour to the plot related events.
Just wanted to say thanks to all you are awesome.
A special thanks to Broken Zenith for gathering the ideas as well as Mark for never letting this thread die :)
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325. A smiling Azer, grateful to the general public for their assistance in an ongoing endeavor, crosses the main square thanking everyone. He takes an extra moment to shake the hands of a heavyset priest for the use of a Resurrection spell and strangely-hatted sage with white hair for construction of a legendary tome.
326. A mostly wooden building nearby suddenly buckles and collapses; several nearby structures show extreme erosion of their timber. Knowledge: Nature (DC 10) reveals the presence of termites.
327. A rat in a bowler cap glares at one of the PCs and mutters "What're you gawkin' at Norm?" before darting into the shadows; he has disappeared.
328. A haggard old beggar lays in an alleyway in a stupor, muttering to himself. He does not smell of alcohol nor does he show any obvious signs of drug use but his eyes are rolled so far back they only show the whites. Getting close enough to hear his words, the PCs can make out "...a voice, like the sounding of thunder. The voice said "come, and see" and I saw... I saw..." He suddenly at this point comes awake, grabs one of the PCs, screams "DEATH!" and promptly has a heart attack, dying on the spot.
329. A human female adolescent in shabby clothes offers skewered rats roasted over an open brazier full of coals. Despite her chosen meat the smell is very savory. Looking closely (Perception DC 10) passersby notice she is casting a spell over the roasting product (Spellcraft DC 15 reveals this to be purify food and water).
330. An apple cart lies overturned on the ground, apples everywhere. While the vendor admonishes several small children another is pilfering the fallen fruit from behind. All of the children wear little more than rags, their skin is sallow and their limbs are disturbingly bony.
331. A flamboyant hippogriff rider, either a local noble or a member of the elite guard, swoops over the roadway. From the window ahead a bolt of lightning thunders out. Feathers streaming, the rider and mount spiral towards the ground...
332. Late at night, the party stumbles across the dungsweeper's guild dumping a load of ordure on the doorstep of an arrogant sot who has been trying to organize the neighborhood into cleaning their own streets instead of paying the dungsweeper's taxes.
333. Shouts at dusk lift the party's eyes upwards, to where some less-then-graceful city guards are chasing an agile figure in black across the rooftops.
334. The door of an establishment the PC's are passing explodes outwards. The big man hitting it flies across the street in front of them, hits the wall on the far side with a crash, and falls limply to the street. The portly older fellow in the doorway shouts "And stay out!" while shaking a meaty fist, before turning back inside.
335. It's noon on a hot day, with no rain for several weeks. a small group of sewer goblins have been seized by a fever to burn, and come scampering up out of the sewers with lit torches, ready to set everything alight!
==Aelryinth
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Very cool thread. Some, like the one that looked like a quote to the (in)famous "Succubus in a grapple" thread, have made me laugh out loud.
Let me give a small contribution.
337.The PCs are wandering around the city in the night, and they come across two cloaked figures standing in front of each other on a little bridge. Approaching them will make them flee, but by observing them it will be clear that they are a young man and woman, whispering to each other, faces close to one another. Periodically, they will exchange a brief kiss and then continue whispering, as it was part of a ritual.
A Perception check of 15 to notice their jewelry or a Knowledge(Local) of 10 will reveal them as the heirs of two rival noble houses of the city. Shortly after, they exchange a piece of wet cloth and say (slightly) aloud "...for if the shackles of life bounds our love on this earth, they will melt in the purest water.". Then they wander off in the night in two different directions.
A Knowledge(Religion) check of 20* reveals that those were the final words of the Drowning Oath of Naderi, a minor goddess of drowning and tragical love: it is exchanged the night before a couple attempts a double suicide...
*Reduce this check to 10 if a PC is a follower of Shelyn, or pass it automatically if the PC is a rare follower of Naderi.