When I DM, my sessions have pretty stupid plots. I often just string together a bunch of wacky encounters. If I had my way, the PCs would stay in town the whole time and just deal with crazy people and situations.
And when I completely run out of ideas, I’m not afraid to fall back on the classic “doppelgangers impersonate the PCs and commit terrible atrocities”.
Below is an encounter from my Wild Wilderness book available on the DM’s Guild.
Talent Show
Suggested Level: 1-3
Terrain: Any
Type: Social
NPC Class: Bard
The PCs are walking down a road as evening falls. While searching for a place to camp, they find the campsite of a troupe of bards. The four bards invite the PCs to join them for the night. If the PCs agree, the bards will be very friendly. They are a boisterous group who are happy to share their food and booze. They more than willing to eat, drink, talk, and sing the night away.
At some point in the evening, a debate begins about which bard is the best singer. One suggests performing for the PCs and letting them settle the matter. Each bard will perform one song and the PCs vote on who was the most entertaining.
Fernio: Fernio is a regal-looking elf. Before his performance, he slips the PCs a note. In the note, Fernio offers them a treasure map if they vote him the winner and do not tell the other bards about the bribe. Fernio sings and plays a harp. He is a very proficient singer with a large vocal range, but his lyrics are unimaginative. They describe the beauty of nature and Fernio’s elven homeland. Anyone but elves and nature lovers will probably find the music very boring.
Dorna: Dorna is a tough half-orc with a badly scarred face. Before her performance, she slips the PCs a note. In the note, Dorna offers them 100 gold if they vote her the winner and do not tell the other bards about the bribe. Dorna is a poor singer with a loud, gravelly voice. She sings a ballad about her life as a sailor, gladiator, bouncer, circus performer, and bard. Allegedly, she has plucked out a basilisk’s eye, slept with a vampire prince, and been kicked in the head by a horse so hard that she was comatose for year. If even half of her story is true, Dorna is a contender for the most interesting person alive.
Shallu: Shallu is an incredibly beautiful human. His gender is totally ambiguous, which only adds to his uncanny allure. People of either gender find Shallu attractive, and her stunning appearance is part of her performance. He wears a tight, revealing robe, and his song is full of innuendo and seductive promise. Each verse is addressed to a different PC. She praises their looks and potential prowess as lovers.
Rompers: Rompers is a clown. She wears face paint, a wig, and brightly-colored clothes. Her song is a hilarious but cruel attack on the other bards. Rompers describes Fernio as snobby and boring. She quips, “If he thinks nature is so beautiful, he should make love to a bear”. She says Dorna is a liar and a blowhard, and claims that Dorna’s facial scars were caused by a venereal disease. Lastly, Rompers calls Shallu is a talentless airhead who would “sleep with a beggar for the change in his cup”. If the PCs do not seem interested in her song, Rompers might insult them too.
When the performances are done, the PCs will be asked to vote the most entertaining song. The bards might contest the decision or bicker about it, but they will not be mean or hostile about it. If Fernio or Dorna is declared winner, the PCs will be discreetly given their reward at some point in the evening. Dorna’s gold coins are counterfeits, which the PCs will realize with a successful Intelligence (Investigation) check (15). If not, the coins will probably cause a conflict when the PCs try to spend them.
If Shallu wins, he will flirt with the most attractive PC who voted for him, which might result in a romantic encounter. If Rompers wins or comes in last place, she will celebrate or drown her sorrows by getting extremely drunk. The next morning, the troupe will discover that Rompers is missing and will beg the PCs to help them find her. One of the bards looks worried and says, “When Rompers gets drunk, she’s capable of anything.”
The next morning, the PCs and the bards might part ways, but they do not have to. The bards could suggest traveling with the PCs. They could hire the PCs wilderness guides or as security at their next performance. If any of the PCs are bards, the troupe may try to recruit them. If any of the PCs were flirtatious with Shallu, a romance could begin.
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
areudirty
gracieabrams
vaporwave
dailybridgerton
tangentwithtanner
germansingergirl
romaincrisis
