Link to artist found in the source of this post.
Here is a list of 10 relatively quickly resolved encounters, not necessarily combat, that your group can stumble upon. Some may spawn adventures of their own, others may simply serve as flavor for a particular location in your world.
While walking along an otherwise deserted street, the party spots a hulking wolf. Its muzzle and front paws are covered in blood, and it's limping slightly. This is a werewolf. She will not attack on sight, as she's wounded. If the party approaches her, she will try to scare them off. If they can discern her true nature, she will transform into her hybrid form and confess to having just killed someone in a fit of rage. She claims that she's trying to leave the city before she harms anyone else. The werewolf is clearly trying to suppress the urge to lash out at the party. Will they help her, or slay her?
ー Suggested ability checks: Animal Handling, Insight, Persuasion
One evening in the tavern, citizens complain that the water in the local well has lost its (alleged) healing powers. They speculate that the "gentle soul", which they believe is a spirit who lives in the well, is unhappy with them. If the party takes a sample of the water, they can discover some impurities, provided they have the right know-how or tools. The well ends in a flooded, subterranean cave. If accessed, the party can discover a water weird living in the cave. It seems friendly, but unhappy. What (or who?) is the cause of the impurities in the water, and why is the water weird so displeased?
ー Suggested ability checks: Alchemist's tools, Arcana, Brewer's supplies, Herbalism kit, History, Nature
While shopping, you hear a sudden racket down the street. A very angry merchant is chasing two small children - you hear the jangling of coins as they race past you, around the corner and out of sight. If the party chooses to proceed down the street to find the children, they'll see a sewer grate that isn't quite in place. If they enter the sewer, they'll have to be careful, as noise might attract the gang of bugbears who have their home there. If the players are perceptive, they'll be able to follow a combined trail of dropped coins and subtle markings in the sewer walls to discover the children's hideout. Turns out a group of about a dozen kids live down here, stealing to survive. One kid is "the face", and uses the money the rest of them steal to buy food. They are afraid to come up, because the city guard is likely to punish them, but live in beyond squalid conditions here. How will the party deal with this situation?
ー Suggested ability checks: Investigation, Mason's tools, Persuasion, Stealth
While exploring the city's underbelly, the party discovers (whether by accident or not) a secret passageway that has been improperly sealed. Behind it are two nothics, evidently in an argument. If anyone in the party speaks Undercommon, they'll be able to learn that one is upset with the other for not sharing the secrets of the Lady of Rot and Decay, while the other claims to have no such knowledge. What can the party learn from this conversation, and how will the nothics react if they find out their hiding place as been discovered? Do the nothics keep something interesting in there?
ー Suggested ability checks: Arcana, Calligrapher's tools, Investigation, Religion
A young mage with grand ambitions for urban improvement contacts our fearless adventurers. They had the bright idea to summon and use magma and steam mephits for luxurious and cheap heating of the city - no more firewood necessary, and the streets will always be free of snow in the winter! Unfortunately, the mephits proved unwilling to be helpful, and immediately escaped to a nearby bath house. The city guard is unwilling to go into the by now extremely hot building, and is more interested in finding the source of the problem. The mage is terrified that the guards won't understand they had the best of intentions, even more so because they aren't sure how to banish the mephits again. How will the party handle the mephits, and will they expose the careless mage to the guards?
ー Suggested ability checks: Charisma, Constitution, Deception, Persuasion
A local inn advertises a new, special brew: "A fun night guaranteed, or your money back!" After indulging, the party lose themselves to fits of laughter and don't remember much of the evening otherwise. However, the next morning they awaken to find that a nilbog followed them to their sleeping spot. Inspired by their chaotic merriment last night (and perhaps the amount of gold they carry around), the nilbog has approached them to ask for help with disposing of a particularly cruel goblin captain, who abuses the goblin tribe that resides in the nearby hills. Will the adventurers trust the nilbog and help the goblins, and what will happen if they do? What happens if they refuse? Is there something more to the drink they had last night?
ー Suggested ability checks: Constitution, Insight, Intimidation
An elderly beggar catches the hem of a party member's cloak and asks for "a little kindness". If the party helps them in a satisfactory way (DM's discretion), the beggar will give them a blunt dagger as thanks, saying only to use it at the uttermost end of need. The dagger seems ordinary. If the party can unveil its secrets, they'll learn it's an instrument of a blood-sacrifice happy cult. If two people use the dagger to make a blood pact, they'll be able to share in the other's suffering (if character A takes X points of damage, character B can choose to sacrifice themselves and take the damage instead. If this kills them, character A regains an amount of HP. DM's discretion; go ham!). How did the beggar get the sacrificial dagger, why did they get rid of it, and will the cult want it back?
ー Suggested ability checks: Arcana, History, Religion
The party takes a wrong turn and find themselves in a part of town none of them recognize. The people here seem suspicious of the party and don't believe they got here by accident. After meandering for a while, an elf with severe facial scarring stops them and offers to show the way out, if they'll take a little wooden doll with them and give it to someone in town. Will the party accept the deal? How will the elf react if they don't? Who is the intended recipient of the doll? What happens if they don't deliver it? And where exactly did the party end up?
ー Suggested ability checks: Insight, Survival, Woodcarver's tools
The party overhears a shouted exchange between a group of stone masons and their foreman. They're working on restoring a cathedral, but according to two masons, monstrous statues have appeared overnight. The masons are too spooked to go back to work, but the foreman is dismissive of their "superstitions". Should the party investigate, they'll find that three gargoyles have taken up residence in the cathedral, and they're not exactly planning to leave, as they have nowhere else to go. How will the party deal with the gargoyles? What happens if they stay? Will the foreman believe their story?
ー Suggested ability checks: Mason's tools, Persuasion
One day, the party witnesses a sudden, very bright explosion as they pass an alley. Upon investigating, part of the street has been blown to pieces, and there's now a massive hole leading into the city's sewer system. Wait - is someone crying down there? If the party goes into the sewer, they'll find a band of distressed darklings. They are fearful of the party and will attempt to flee. If the party can calm one (or more) of them down, they'll explain that their friend died as a result of a ritual to turn them into an elder. The darklings are afraid the explosion will attract the attention of less friendly characters. They ask the characters to distract anyone who comes this way so that they can gather their (stolen) possessions and flee through the sewers and hopefully hide somewhere until it becomes dark. Will the party help the darklings, and will the darklings manage to escape? What sort of treasures do the darklings keep?
ー Suggested ability checks: Deception, Glassblower's tools, Navigator's tools, Painter's supplies, Performance, Persuasion
