Fantasy City Encounters
Above Ground D100
01 -
The town guard think the party's mage is responsible for a magical duel fought
atop the cathedral roof last night. Can the party find the real culprit before
they are hunted down themselves? Do they dare, knowing that the criminal
dispatched his last opponent with a frighteningly high level spell?
02 -
The party is taken aside to the guardhouse upon first entering the city. They
are told the guard captain wants to speak with them. When the captain arrives,
he attempts to shake down the party under pain of death.
03 -
A woman falls into the street from the second story window in front of the party
and dies on impact. Soon after, a PC notices a hooded figure skillfully
dropping, uninjured, from another second story window facing into the alley. The
figure quickly disappears into a maze of side streets.
04 -
The party is invited to a manor by an important socialite for a potential job
opportunity. When they arrive, they are told to wait in an empty room. Soon
after entering the room, the party realizes they are locked in with a magical
ward.
05 -
The party stops to witness a funeral procession for a crime lord. Soon after
passing, the party hears an explosion and sees a gigantic smoking fireball rise
into the sky a block away.
06 -
In need of food and shelter from the elements (or from enemies), the characters
come to a ruined tower full of revelling adventurers. But the Rules of the House
say no one may enter until they have entertained the rabble with a rousing tale.
07 -
As you step out of the tavern, a disheveled girl smashes into you. "Wilkenson's
dog is loose again!" she exclaims as she attempts to hide behind you. You turn
back in the direction she came to see a metal construct resembling a dog
charging toward you.
08 -
The PCs spot a pregnant woman walking through the bazaar. As she passes the
baker's stall she quickly grabs a loaf of bread and keeps walking, favouring one
of the PCs with a wink as she goes. Is she a thief or the wife of the store
owner?
09 -
The PCs are resting in their inn room when suddenly the door bursts open. A
well-armed man with weapon drawn storms in and says, "Don't move, I've...crap,
wrong room." The intruder then quickly exits.
10 -
The PCs find the item they have been seeking in the marketplace. As the purchase
is completed and they are about to leave, a stranger rushes up to the merchant
shouting, "I know you have it Balthasar, and I want my back now!"
11 -
The inhabitants of a large building start a war against an identical neighboring
building. At the beginning it's because they are accused of stealing their
water, but in fact they have held many petty grudges for years and this way they
can vent them out violently. The party is hired by fearful authorities to stop
the revolt that threatens to scale into a civil war, but one of the tenants in
the rebel building is a PC's distant relative. Does the party intervene
impartially, risking a family feud or do they help the relative exact revenge
against his neighbors?
12 -
The party is mistaken by a wealthy man as carriage caretakers in a shantytown
neighborhood. He hands them money to protect his vehicle. The legitimate
caretakers challenge the PCs and try to steal the wealthy wagon. Does the party
protect the rich man's vehicle or do they leave the locals to do as they please,
risking later persecution by the noble client?
13 - The PCs arrive at the inn and find a large group (at least three times their
number) of mercenaries leaving for the jail where they plan to execute all the
prisoners. The party is connected to one of the inmates (an old, recurrent, but
not particularly hated enemy, maybe they put him behind bars in the first place)
and wishes him to remain alive for some reason. Do they face the killers, race
to save the prisoner first, warn the prisoners or set them all free?
14 -
The city has a zoo filled with wondrous and dangerous creatures brought from far
places. Just recently, some of the creatures escaped and now there is a royal
reward for recovering the rare animals unharmed. How can this be done?
15 -
A sector of the city lies under quarantine after an outbreak of a mysterious
fever. The party is being kept inside, and one of its members is starting to
show symptoms of the illness. Do they try to escape, risking further contagion,
or do they try to find a cure from the inside?
16 -
The PCs are being chased by a criminal party through the streets of a city that
celebrates its anniversary with improvised shows over plazas. They get caught in
the middle of a show, in front of a demanding audience. The only way the mob
will let them leave is by doing a successful artistic performance.
17 -
A gypsy intercepts the most charismatic member of the party and tells him of a
vision she had. She predicts the party member will find a beautiful person in
this city and it will be the love of his life. She provides no further details.
Later on, a beautiful person flirts with the character.
18 -
One member of the party is seen carrying an exotic weapon and the authority of
the local museum is told about it. This museum curator has been an adventurer
and masters some kind of whip weapon. He prepares an ambush to steal the exotic
weapon, yelling at the PCs on sight, "That belongs in a museum!"
19 -
The Tourist. The PCs have messed up (possibly been framed) in the eyes of the
King and have been apprehended. The King will release the party, if they allow a
wealthy, influential and obese merchant to come along on a dungeon delve, where
there are sure to be many tight spaces.
20 -
Medieval Proliferation. Two blacksmiths are in competition to create better
melee weapons for the King's army and only one can win the contract. One of the
blacksmiths approaches the PCs to try the weapons and plead their virtues to the
King. He also claims his competitors are playing dirty.
21 -
Kindergarten Magic. Street urchins are rumored to have special powers. A
representative of the Magicians Guild approaches your party to investigate. In
reality, they are learning magic from an unknown source. The children have less
inhibition and magical control, but have much more mana and capability of
replenishing mana, making them dangerous magic users.
22-
As the PCs turn a corner, a law enforcement officer slams into them at breakneck
speed. As they help him up, they notice he is covered in blood with grievous
wounds. As he dies in their arms, he begs them to find his wife and relay his
sincerest love and apologies.
23 -
"Psst, do you want to buy a crystal ball that really works? It's cheap!" says a
shady character while sneaking up on the PCs from an alley. The price really is
cheap, and you might even lead the PCs to believe the ball works when they try
to use it for petty things, but it is unreliable, maybe even cursed. And the big
problem is that one or more groups of NPCs badly want this crystal ball.
24 -
The PCs witness a break-in at a shop. If they intervene, then right at the end
of the encounter the shop owner shows up and accuses the PCs of breaking in and
causing damage in his shop. He immediately calls for the guard.
25 -
The party runs over or mortally injures a shepherd's goat by accident. After
apologizing, the shepherd starts demanding money equivalent to three or four
times what the goat's value is. Then, as things settle down, another shepherd
comes up and displays another goat injured. City guards start to show an
interest in the event as well....
26 -
A merchant discovers the PCs are buying something and comes to give them a more
expensive offer for something of lesser quality. However, the merchant insists
this is a good deal as his cousin works for the town hall and will cause great
grief to the party if they refuse his offer.
27 -
Two speeding coaches collide, leaving a bloody scene and angry families. The
road is blocked, and the guards seem disinterested in assisting with either
clearing the road or arbitrating between the families.
28 -
Townspeople come up to the party and blame them for the local infestation of
evil. If the PCs weren't there, so the argument goes, the evil would go
elsewhere. A crowd gathers in support of their fellow citizens.
29 -
There is but one accepted religion in town. What about the party cleric who
serves what is here deemed a false god?
30 -
Young lovers have taken the PCs' room as refuge to meet in. They are sought
after by families that do not approve.
31 -
Injustice breaks out as revolution against a tyrant. The PCs are there to see
the first flames, and may play a pivotal role in either supporting or crushing
the uprising.
32 -
A fast ship in the bay is bombarding the helpless port with siege engines. It's
out of range for the locals to deal with, and possibly not alone.
33 -
The PCs hear shrieks from a dark alley where a young maiden just went. Under the
full moon, she is painfully turning into a werewolf for the first time.
34 -
There have long been rumours of the cemetery being desecrated by someone
stealing the corpses. One night the PCs chance upon the necromancer walking home
with newly animated undead.
35 -
One or more PCs are short-changed by a merchant who considers himself
untouchable. Whether he truly is....
36 -
An NPC seeks the protection of the PCs. To grant it makes her enemies the PCs'
enemies, and gives them the responsibility to protect a high-profile, fragile
person who can't or won't leave town.
37 -
PCs are marked by a guild of thieves or assassins for a contest. Low-skill,
would-be guild members keep targeting the party with attempts on their health or
goods.
38 -
The spoiled child of a noble finds a PC has something he just *has to have*. The
noble's staff does what it can to acquire it, by nearly any means necessary.
39 -
The appearance of the PCs breaks the balance of a cold war between two rival
mages. Each wishes their support to destroy the other, and fears that the other
is successful in recruiting the PCs.
40 -
A string of building construction accidents has occurred lately throughout the
city. Fortunately, no one's been seriously hurt, but the accidents are
increasing in size and damage. The local guild has put up flyers asking for help
in solving their problem.
41 -
As the PCs walk across a bridge over the river that cuts through town, they
notice a couple of young boys standing near the edge of the bridge. They each
have a large rock in their hands, and are watching one of the approaching river
boats with smiles on their faces. As the boat gets closer, one of the boys
raises his rock as if he is going to drop it.
42 -
While travelling down by the docks, a ship captain waves the PCs over to talk.
He's in a bind, he explains, saying that some of his dock workers didn't show up
for work and he has a lot of cargo to load onto his ship so he can make the
tide. The captain and crew look disreputable, and nervous, but he is willing to
pay well for the work.
43 -
The PCs come upon a sobbing woman holding a teenage boy who looks to have been
severely beaten. If the PCs ask the woman if they can help, she explains her
youngest son was beaten up by a gang of toughs. Of more immediate danger though,
is that her oldest son has gone off to exact revenge on them, and she's afraid
of what they will do to him.
44 -
Down the dimly lit alley, two guards can be seen beating a kneeling man. One
rips a coin purse from the kneeling man's belt and says, "Don't be late next
month, old man."
45 -
Storm clouds hang heavy, and thick cold rain pounds down as it has for hours.
Gutters gurgle, and the sewers moan as if carrying some great weight. From a
drain, a swarm of thousands of black rats burst out and charge the PCs.
46 -
As the PCs are travelling from one district to another they are confronted by a
traffic jam. A building has fallen in and the umber hulk responsible is hiding,
waiting for a snack to move near it.
47 -
The PCs are hired as security for the auction of a mysterious artifact. While
stopping repeated theft and auction-rigging attempts, they eventually learn of
its evil nature and have to debate breaking their contract and destroying the
thing while getting away with it.
48 -
Someone falls out the window of a high building. It wasn't suicide as he had his
hands and feet bound together and three large sacks of gold tied around his
neck. What will be more important, the murder or the money?
49 -
A rich man walks through a bad part of town with obvious riches and money. If
mugged, he gives it willingly. He has been doing this for the last three days.
50 -
A small animal brushes past the PCs as they walk along a dock. After it jumps
into the water, a group of sailors rushes onto the dock, firing crossbows and
flinging harpoons at the ripples the animal left in the water. While the sailors
curse and fire the last few missiles they have, one of the PCs notices the
animal left a muddy gem on the top of her shoe.
51 -
Access to the market area is blocked by a number of burly trade apprentices and
a barricade of wagons. They advise PCs the area is off limits - they should move
along. Sounds of combat and cheering can be faintly heard coming from behind the
blockade.
52 -
A harried man approaches the PCs. He looks as if he hasn't slept in days. He
states he has been framed for his lover's murder by her husband, and fears he
will not get a fair trial as her husband is well connected in the community. He
begs the characters for assistance. He can offer them nothing. Will they help
him escape, or at least represent him before the city tribunal to ensure justice
is done?
53 -
A character attempts to buy food from a vendor in the market, but the merchant
gets angry and refuses because the character does not have any local currency,
only foreign coins.
54 -
During a magical performance by a gnome mage something goes wrong. A simple
trick summons a beast from another dimension and it attacks the audience and
PCs. After a long battle the PCs must decide what to do with the gnome. Is he
the one responsible for all that pain or is there more going on than meets the
eye?
55 -
Reports come in about a ghost haunting a dark alley in a city, and anyone
investigating the ghost ends up dead in that alley. Most people who live near
the alley avoid it and stay in after dark when the ghost is said to come out.
The PCs investigate, leading them to an elaborate operation in the sewers where
crooks are attempting to break into a vault of a nearby building. They created
the ghost story to keep people away. The crooks are behind the deaths of those
who investigate the alley.
56 -
A young girl wants the party to find her doll. The girl is the daughter of a
mage, and the doll is a miniature golem.
57 -
A small insect continuously buzzes the PCs' ears. The insect, if listened to
closely, can be heard giving warnings, secrets or other vital information to the
PCs' quest. The insect can be an NPC transformed or simply an intelligent being
in disguise.
58 -
A landlord is convinced one of his tenants is actually a dragon disguised as a
human. He wants the tenant out but is afraid to evict them himself. He asks the
PCs to evict the tenant without causing damage to the building.
59 -
A half-orc sells kittens by the roadside. Do the PCs investigate?
60 -
One of the PCs is able to outperform a local performer. This shames the
celebrity, who now hates the PC and tries to save their own reputation while
bringing down the PC.
61 -
A famous adventurer was found dead outside the main gate and his body laid to
rest in one of the temples. What's he doing walking into the tavern? And why is
he coming toward your table?
62 -
Goods are going missing from stores in broad daylight. Owners have gaps in their
memories, and if pressed, can be made to vaguely remember a kindly soul offering
to help hide their more valuable items from thieves.
63 -
The Scaly Schooner on the Fisherman's Wharf explodes as the PCs pass by. Amongst
the screams and fire, a badly burnt, wild-eyed man in scorched pirate's garb
stumbles over to the PCs and hands them an enormous red ruby. "It's not the last
one, but don't seek the treasure!" he hisses at the PCs before collapsing at
their feet.
64 -
A child is crying in a dark alley. If PCs decide to help the child, it attacks
them, blood covering its face and black eyes. Will the PCs kill a young and
innocent child?
65 -
A merchant is whipping a talking mule who is desperately trying to explain that
the load the merchant wants it to carry is too heavy. The merchant is too
furious with the mule to listen, and the mule is stubbornly refusing to obey,
which only makes the merchant angrier. The load may or may not be too heavy, but
the beating is severe and getting worse. The mule appeals to the gathered crowd,
watching and mostly silent, for help.
66 -
A young man, who is obviously not an adventurer, claims he has a map showing the
location of the cache of an adventuring group that went missing. He offers to
sell the map to the PCs.
67 -
A chatty bard walks alongside the party repeating random bits of conversation.
68 -
The characters pass a storyteller who seems to be describing the party's current
adventure. The names have been changed, and the storyteller claims it is just a
story, but is it? Does the story contain a clue that the party needs, but
perhaps overlooked, or is the clue a red herring?
69 -
A rival's henchman who was defeated by the PCs is now being made to fight every
night in the pits as a punishment for failing his master. Do the characters
rescue him from certain death, or enjoy a night at the games betting on how long
he lasts?
70 -
The Overlord challenges everyone to recover decorative tiles that bear parts of
a message. It concerns a future quest to a neighbouring town's temple. The party
runs afoul of a competing party of searchers.
71 -
A group of young nobles are racing horses through the streets and nearly ride
down the characters. The nobles are arrogant, rude and more than slightly drunk.
How the party handles this situation will determine how well they are received
by the various factions in that city.
72 -
A bride and groom ride down the street in a horse drawn carriage. The horses
suddenly rear up and the cart threatens to topple. A terrified goblin tries to
dodge flailing hooves. Do the PCs go to the cart, horses or goblin?
73 -
A drought wreaks havoc in town. The PCs are asked by a medicine man to help
locate water using his tools. Once the water is found bad guys show up to break
the water supply or steal the tools.
74 -
An apocalyptic street preacher has been predicting the weather and minor events
with unerring accuracy. As the PCs pass by one day, they hear him predict an
important person's death.
75 -
A flock of chickens peck at the street. Upon investigation, it seems they are
eating small gems.
76 -
A round-faced boy is looking for his pet frog, Trevor. The PCs hear a croaking
noise coming from a building where several thugs lounge out front.
77 -
A plague of rats has befallen the best bakery in town. A fat and greedy wererat
can't resist nightly visits in rat form to gorge himself on the delicious
treats. He has so far killed every cat and dog used to try and stop the monster
rat.
78 -
A troupe of well-armed adventurers pass by chatting about returning to the
secret location for the rest of the treasure tomorrow.
79 -
A guard officer has lost his badge of office and must find it before the end of
his shift. One of the PCs spots an orphan beggar handing it discreetly to
another beggar through a window of a nearby building.
80 -
A group of goblins, fresh from their foray from the sewers beneath an
alchemist's shop, climb out of the sewer grate and then begin throwing alchemist
fire on many of the surrounding buildings and then commence breaking into store-
fronts and stealing. Do the PCs fight the fires or stop the goblin looting
problem?
81 -
A shady character approaches the party and offers a deal: he will trade news for
news. If the party agrees, they will tell a piece of information for a piece of
information in return. If the party tells the complete truth, the information
they receive in return will be the complete truth, but if they lie, so does the
info merchant. The more the party shares, the more they stand to gain.
82 -
A random party member is stung by a bee. They spot a strange man sitting on a
step nearby, tracing the air with his finger, muttering to himself. Suddenly, he
jabs a finger in the air, and then another PC gets stung.
83 -
A sewer worker is found after being lost for several days and claims he saw a
lizard man leading a monster on a leash through the sewers. The monster touched
his lantern and it crumbled to dust. The lizard man left him to find his way out
of the sewers, blind.
84 -
Dogs chasing each other run by. One of them gets vicious and a wounded dog turns
on the next weakest thing it spots, be it a PC, a homeless man, a wife bringing
home baking, etc.
85 -
A dead author haunts a secondhand bookstore, vigorously defending the last
remaining copy of his only published work - "Sentimental Songs for a Soporific
Summer" from Vanity Press. The bookstore owner would like his store back. He'd
also like to know how the book got into his store, as he doesn't remember
acquiring the infamously bad poetry book.
86 -
A disheveled beggar follows the PCs through the streets of the city. He hounds
the PCs until he gets a coin or a boot to the backside. How the PCs react will
affect a later mission, as the beggar is royalty in disguise.
87 -
A druid is speeding up the growth of several trees, seeking to use their roots
to subtly destroy certain buildings. Unfortunately for him, the PCs notice what
he's doing, and he has no choice but to attempt to silence them.
88 -
A foreign diplomat has been kidnapped, polymorphed into an goblin, and dumped in
a rough part of town, outside the inn where the PCs are staying.
89 -
The adventurers are hired by a noble house to rid the Orc Quarter of a magical
weapons smuggling ring. Another party has the same goal, but different masters:
intelligent ghoul thieves who want a bigger piece of the action.
90 - The PCs are contracted by the neighbourhood leader to get rid of a werewolf
and her minions who are terrorizing the locals. During the battle, the werewolf
makes the group an offer: the gift of lycanthropy and the knowledge to use it,
as well as the spoils from the town if they will join her. Leave the decision
for the group to make as individuals and a group, as some may join and some may
not. Do the members who join kill those that don't?
91 -
A group of town guards confronts the party demanding they present their
belongings for search. The guards are responding to the claims of a poor peasant
that the PCs have robbed him of his mother's silver comb. In truth, the peasant
is part of the thieves' guild and is hoping when the guards search these
travellers belongings he will spot riches for him and his friends to steal later
that day.
92 -
A minstrel wanders, singing a ribald song about one of the PCs and the wife of
the Sheriff. Innocent fun, or is someone trying to get the PC?
93 -
A jail breakout disrupts the PCs' downtime in town. As the newly freed prisoners
riot through the streets, the PCs come face to face with the villain they helped
lock up some time ago. He's got himself quite a following since being locked up.
94 -
A pretty herald tries to get the party to join them in an inn tonight. When the
party arrives, the inn is packed with patrons that, in the end, don't turn out
to be patrons, but some shape-changing monsters preying on the party.
95 -
The PCs hear about heroes well known and loved in the area. The next day, the
heroes happen to show up. Young women go crazy, older ones ask the heroes to
bless their babies, the sick and weak reach out to touch them for blessings.
When people ask the heroes their most recent achievement, they pretend to be
responsible for the latest heroic act the PCs did.
96 -
A young girl struggles to carry two heavy buckets of water through the
marketplace, despite being tormented by a pair of small monkeys who seem to be
flinging pebbles at her. Off to the side, a pair of drunk gentlemen are placing
wagers on whether or not she will drop the buckets before getting them back to
her market stall.
97 -
A young noble asks the PCs to take him on adventures. Even if the PCs refuse, he
will try and follow. He is incompetent and a danger to himself and others, but
his family is powerful, so it might not be a bad idea to let him come along.
98 -
The group stumbles across a halfling running a 3 Card Gnoll game in front of a
tavern. PCs notice he is cheating and has racked up quite a sum against
unsuspecting town folk. They also notice another suspicious character eying the
halfling's ill-gotten gains.
99 -
The gambler PC hears of a racket with a race, where all the participants are
being drugged slightly to give the edge to a low-placed racer. The bets are paid
1 to 20. It is, however, a false story spread by a bad bookmaker to cover bets
against a star racer.
100 - In the midst of a city, trees and plants have begun to sprout
spontaneously, taking over streets, plazas, and even whole buildings. A radical
druid group is attempting to reclaim the urban environment for their nature
religion.
Sewers D20
1. D6 Homeless People
2. D6 Thugs
3. 10D10 Rats
4. D8 Chokers
5. Ochre Jelly
6. D4 Ghouls
7. D6 Giant Leeches
8. Pair of Ooze Mephits
9. D10 Wererats
10. Tribe of 3D6 Morlocks
11. 2D10 Dire Rats
12. Corpse Infested with Rot Grubs
13. Circular Chamber with Whirlpool at the centre
14. D6 Giant Centipedes
15. Shambling Mound infused with waste
16. Patch of Green Slime
17. Grove of Violet Fungus
18. A secret Under Market of illicit goods
19. Otyugh
20. Coven of D6 Green Hags