As my party travels back to town as part of a caravan with one wagon loaded with 1,000 gp in goods, I plan 4 encounters for them. The rest of the caravan is abstracted and the encounters focus mainly on the party and usually put their wagon and some of the goods at risk (but doesn't have to).
I am looking for some non combat encounter ideas. Maybe something that requires a series of skill checks that if not succeeded in some way puts some or all of the wagaon goods at risk? Maybe something that doesn't seem threatening at first.
I already used the wagon getting stuck in the mud requiring str checks in time before a dragon came down and ate most of the wagon.
Let me know if there are some good ideas you can offer. I thank you in advance.
I had an idea for a non-standard combat. The caravan is attacked by bandits, but these bandits are unarmed, ragged, and desperate for food. Too desperate to graciously accept an offer of free food, even. The PCs have to (I assume) find a way to solve the problem without chopped/blasting the enemies to pieces. A good opportunity to utilize unarmed attacks, incapacitation, spells, skills, etc... or simply an opportunity for your PCs to butcher unarmed, starving people.
Rival merchant gang beating them into town. If the PC's can't make good time their wares might be worth less than they were expecting (profession/skill/handle animal checks)
Caravan leader tries to pull a fast one and change your deal, demanding a bigger cut of the profit (diplomacy, intimidate, appraise, several different options).
Guards give them a hard time, or possibly the merchant's guild in the town they get to want their palms greased. Give them some leeeway in solving the pressure (find a way to blackmail the leader of said group, start rumors, drive a hard bargain, recruit allies, talk to the mayor).
Give them some sort of incentive to CARE about the encounters and you should get a better response. The greasy snivelling low life who "don't want no trouble to happen to you" might get a more lively response than guard #739 demanding 5gp.
Finally, some sort of river/ferry crossing! It's a classic trope for a reason, social encounter, opportunity for the PCs to save or possibly even earn some money. Combat is an easy optional add on, even a side question for a miniature aboleth who ate some customers last week. There are tons of things that you can add.
Love your contributions. Thank you. I really like the rival caravan beating the party to town and the guards wanting a bribe. Not sure what to do with the ferry crossing to make it interesting.
Thanks!!
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Bridge washed out now the ranger or druid has to make some good nature knowledge rolls or local rolls to get them across the river. The better the rolls the better the trip. misses could mean they loose part of the cargo. the more cargo the more likely they wont get paid. merchant can't pay them full wages if the routes a bust.
Drivers love to gamble, roll dice, craps game. Either one particular guy tries to cheat them using loaded dice or blames them for it now have to deal with a grade a ass without killing him.
Gamblers gotta gamble. near a tavern or favorite spot the drivers sneak off to play a few games. Can turn into orcs or some other nasties that they are playing with. Now with most of the drivers here the players can't start a fight they'll loose most of the drivers that way. They got to get the drivers out without starting a fight.
Boy those drivers love to sneak off. One has a love interest in a dryad that he drops a present for when he goes past. He would pay the bard a few coins to help him with a song as he tries to court her. Oh there is also a pixie that loves her... jealousy ensues. Did i mention the pixie has a long temper he might follow the caravan for a few days to cause mischief.
They run across a big ole droopy looking dog watching them pass. He doesn't belong to the caravan but sure enough he keeps popping up ahead of the caravan. If they try to go near it the dog goes behind the tree and disappears. Is neutral so never reads good or evil. and is not magical. Druids etc can never get it to communicate nor will any spell effect it. Everyone in the caravan knows the dog it is considered a good luck charm. if he is relaxed no danger is near. If he is agitated then something bad is up ahead so they'll detour. (there is a psi or powerful mentalist, dog isn't real it is just in everyone's mind so no matter what they can't defeat it...it doesn't exist. Or maybe he is a bored god who just likes to protect people on that road. In any case it is a mystery... it never attacks, just leaves no matter how nasty pcs get.
Ashern has some great ideas. I second getting the players to care. even a little personality to the caravan people will make them interesting. Gambling, courting a dryad etc. find other ways to make individuals unique. Don't have to do it for all of them but one or two will make the trip more interesting.
Favorite ones i've used. Check out The Black Company. Goblin and Toad. two old men in the caravan. drivers who are both failed wizards. they never made it past caltrips but boy do they make the most of them. They are constantly playing tricks on each other. Both use prestidigitation or other illusion spells on each other to put donkey ears on each other or tie laces etc. occasionally one or the other will get ahold of a scroll and do something a little bigger like a shrine of an ass with little versions of the other kissing it. Although they fight they are long friends who have an absolute rivalry and have to one up each other. When you need some comic relief you can always have them start something. Or freak the players out when they see a snake with an old man's face crawling around.
Horse goes missing in the night. The ranger/druid follow the tracks till they find a pile of bones. it's been eatten. Now they got to find another animal to pull the wagon. Or maybe they trap the hill giant that ate it and force him to pull the wagon. he's a coward and won't fight. but boy will he whine. He's worth no xp killed(won't fight) but worth full xp if they can get him to actually work instead of whining about the blister on his toe or his bunions or how much the ropes chafe his hands. They get extra xp for keeping in working for x days of trip and not eating any more horses. (he can pull up to three wagons if they get really lax and let him eat that many more horses)
Well thats all I have time for.
cheers