probablyfunrpgideas

[probablyfunrpgideas]

Boss Fight Idea - Battle Of Dimensions

Tired of your Big Bad getting overwhelmed by player characters and their shenanigans? Do you want to encourage tactics beyond "surround and bash the greatest threat"? Idea: The villain fights a few heroes at a time!

Deep in the cyberpyramid of Acrosticon the Puzzling, our bold adventurers have entered the central datacrypt. Acrosticon's soul downloads into one of his mechanical bodies and prepares for combat... On the villain's turn, he flickers sideways and vanishes into a semi-virtual state, and only some of the party can see him. Bernice the witch and Champion the gunslinger are the lucky (or unlucky) ones, while Dover the alchemist and Edwin the summoner have to deal with the mummified crocodile and digital sphynx minions.

The dimensions shift each subsequent round, and all the heroes get their turn to face the villain - just not all at once. Perhaps other features of this fight are also phasing in and out of existence, like the minions, terrain, control panels that can affect the fight?

[probablyfunrpgideas]

The local half-elf bookie Gemini “Wild Card” Wolfe has rapidly gained popularity and wealth as xe capitalizes on the new sport. Wild Card used to run a small illegal casino, but a lucky break came along when some of xir regular patrons became skyjousting managers and squires. Now a part of this new-money crowd, the gambler’s underworld connections allow xem to collect on bets. You don’t want to meet Wild Card’s halfling leg-breakers on a dark night.

Item Idea: Wild Card’s Scope of Sneakery

This small pair of binoculars has a ring that can slip onto your finger. They become invisible at a command word, allowing you to look through while pretending that you’re just shading your eyes with one hand. As normal binoculars, they allow you to observe things with no penalty for distance, up to a half mile away. Furthermore, you can cast Message on a creature you’re observing within 150 feet.

Idea: skyjousting is the next sport that has been spreading across the realms! Contestants ride on flying steeds (Pegasus, hippogriff, vulture-cow etc) and attempt to knock each other out of the saddle. In smaller towns, the joust is done about 15 feet up, with a shallow pool of water to cushion the fall. However, there are more enhanced and wealthy stadiums in the cities, where legions of fans can watch from elevated seats as knights clash 100 feet in the air. Some of these have mages with Feather Fall on hand. Some don’t.

Skyjousting is a series of opposed checks - the riders make a Ride check and the mounts make a Fly check. The winner of the Ride check gets a bonus to a subsequent attack roll, and the winner of the Fly check gets a bonus on a Fortitude save. If you hit your opponent but they don’t fall off (worth a point) your lance may break. If you hit your opponent and do unhorse (unpegasus) them, you score three points. The first rider to score three points will win.

[probablyfunrpgideas]

Idea: a Fey offers to trade something you want for the color of your eyes. Turns out they meant your ability to see color!

Bard: So, a lot of people in the Feywild seem to be trading things in exchange for the color of peoples' eyes. Do they actually use those eye colors, or is it like... more of a collectors item? Eladrin: Both? Bard: Oh! So it's like how we are with shoes. Eladrin: You people collect shoes? How many feet do you have??

[probablyfunrpgideas]

Here’s a creature that might be the missing link!

Idea: make a campaign about a strangely fast evolution or mutation that threatens to disrupt the ecosystem and even destroy the world! A plague of half-fiend dire puffins could lead to economic pressures on the PCs’ fishing nation, driving them to war. Or maybe there’s a hive-mind subspecies of hamsters that inspire a cultural revolution as they become popular pets!

Shark with no mouth. It just absorbs other organisms by touching them.

­This is what gelatinous cubes will evolve into in 20 million years.

Yes I am implying an evolutionary like between sharks and gelatinous cubes

[probablyfunrpgideas]

Idea: a crime lord has on his payroll a pair of Mimic barbarians, vicious killers who follow him around in the form of two heavy boots. Rumors vary - the constables think it’s an Invisible Stalker, the mage guild mentions the enforcers in a lecture on the mad tatterdemalion spirit.

And if you don’t show respect, if you break a deal or come up short when it’s time to pay for protection? One of these days, these boots are gonna walk all over you.

[probablyfunrpgideas]

The Frozen Megadungeon of Chillopolis has opened up for exploration. Portals into the three major levels have opened across the world, and teams of adventurers by the dozens march in to search for the icy treasures within.

Idea: Use temperature as a mechanical factor in your dungeon! You can put in doors, traps, floors and puzzles made from ice or metal that melts at different points, and then as people explore, new parts of the dungeon become accessible or inaccessible.

You can also make magic items out of ice - your +2 troll-bane mace works perfectly in the Megadungeon, but taking it out into temperate environments might make you lose the special loot!

[probablyfunrpgideas]

Idea: skyjousting is the next sport that has been spreading across the realms! Contestants ride on flying steeds (Pegasus, hippogriff, vulture-cow etc) and attempt to knock each other out of the saddle. In smaller towns, the joust is done about 15 feet up, with a shallow pool of water to cushion the fall. However, there are more enhanced and wealthy stadiums in the cities, where legions of fans can watch from elevated seats as knights clash 100 feet in the air. Some of these have mages with Feather Fall on hand. Some don’t.

Skyjousting is a series of opposed checks - the riders make a Ride check and the mounts make a Fly check. The winner of the Ride check gets a bonus to a subsequent attack roll, and the winner of the Fly check gets a bonus on a Fortitude save. If you hit your opponent but they don’t fall off (worth a point) your lance may break. If you hit your opponent and do unhorse (unpegasus) them, you score three points. The first rider to score three points will win.

[probablyfunrpgideas]

HEY WHY IS NOBODY TALKING ABOUT THIS

Idea: Flumph Warlock Patron

Disheartened by the plots of mind flayers and terrible half-real things from the Far Realm, you sent out a psychic call, seeking hope and guidance from an alien mind that wasn’t trying to enslave or destroy the planet. And you found one!

Your patron could be a colony of Flumphs, joining their powers to send you advice or point you toward people who are sad or angry. Or perhaps you work with a single powerful psion, a legend among the space jellyfish.

Your powers manifest as a Warlock of the Great Old One, but at level 14 the Create Thrall ability is replaced with “Protective Bond - As a bonus action, you can ward your allies by manifesting your care for them. Choose a number of creatures within 30 feet, up to your Charisma bonus (you may include yourself). For one minute, targets have a +2 bonus to AC and to saving throws against being Frightened or Charmed. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to your proficiency bonus.”

[probablyfunrpgideas]

Item: Samurai Retainer

This teeth-straightening device has lacquered plates and a tempered steel bar. It was made from the shattered remains of a great warrior’s armor and blade, and perhaps it carries his fighting spirit.

The Samurai Retainer provides a quick-draw effect, making you fast with a charming smile or with sharp teeth. The first time you meet someone, you gain a +2 item bonus on Diplomacy checks to Make an Impression. You also have the free action “Toothed Lightning” which allows you to Step and make a Bite attack as a free action when you roll initiative.

Though most of the world had poor orthodontic care in medieval times, high ranking classes of the Shogunate in Japan were known to have good teeth on account of their loyal Samurai retainers.

[probablyfunrpgideas]

Spell Idea

Vicious Hammockery - This variant of the popular Bard cantrip is less psychic than the original. It conjures a lashing swath of fabric that strikes your enemies, but can also provide a temporary sleeping situation!

Make a spell attack roll against a creature you can see within 40 feet. On a hit, you deal 1d6 bludgeoning damage (this increases by 1d6 at 5th, 11th, and 17th level). Additionally, if the target is adjacent to two surfaces or objects, the fabric adheres, knocks them prone (on a hit) and creates difficult terrain in that space as it forms a hammock. The hammock lasts for 1 hour, and if a creature is in it the duration extends for an hour at a time, up to 8 hours.

[probablyfunrpgideas]

Monsters From the Past: Owlbear

I looked back at some classic D&D creatures that were famously based on plastic toys - the bulette, the rust monster, and the owlbear. I thought it was strange that the first two have such cool attacks*, while the owlbear is stuck with a basic claw/claw/beak… but upon further research, I learned that the owlbear was ROBBED!

From AD&D 1e all the way through to 4th edition, owlbears had the ability to grab a creature and crush them, an ability that was lost with the change to 5e. What’s their problem? Too scared of the grappling rules?

Idea: enhance your owlbear with the following attack! Hug, +7 to hit. Damage 2d6+5 bludgeoning, and the target is grappled (escape DC 15). The owlbear cannot use Claw attacks while it has someone Hugged in this way.

*I mean, if you think the bulette pounce is cool, which it objectively is.

[probablyfunrpgideas]

Probably Wacky Leveling Up Idea

In this world, prophecies and signs guide our path in life. Each character has a riddle or omen (write it on a card, or on your character sheet). You must make up the riddle yourself, something that has no clear answer. Then, when you reach a milestone, have a conversation, or achieve a quest that helps you solve the riddle, you level up.

[probablyfunrpgideas]

Probably Unbalanced Pathfinder Idea

This is something I have put together because a puzzle in the pre-made adventure I’m running had no consequences for getting the wrong answer…

The Curse of Lamashtu! You are surrounded by illusions and feel as though you are in a nightmare, fighting for your very soul! Allies and enemies blur, there are only monsters here.

While in combat, you may voluntarily become stupefied 1, 2, or 3 at the end of your turn. This lasts until the end of your next turn. You gain a status bonus on damage rolls equal to twice your stupefied value.

Villains in this dungeon also have the following ability: Third Eye Enhancement! This spellshape action adds an effect to their spells “if a character Cursed by Lamashtu fails their save against this spell, they become confused for one round.”

[probablyfunrpgideas]

Idea: each time your players encounter a bird in the game, roll 1d100. If the result is 10 or lower, the bird gets a laser beam attack! Write down the number you rolled, that is the Laser Power Level.

Avian Laser Eyes: As an action, the bird can target two creatures it can see (some birds will have to target creatures off to either side, since their eyes are on the sides of their head.) Those creatures must make a Dexterity (Reflex) save with a DC of 10 plus the Laser Power Level. On a failure, they take fire damage, a number of d6 equal to the LPL. A success avoids all damage.

danger approaches 🚨

[probablyfunrpgideas]

NPC Idea: model train vendor

Nax is an elderly goblin who wears plaid overalls made from fabric scraps, and runs a little shop on a side street just off the market square. In the front window is her masterpiece, a model of the town and surrounding hills that has a working train and track looping along the most traveled roads.

The tinkerer Nax was being recruited into a cult of elemental evil when she was younger. Adventurers broke up the cult before she was indoctrinated, but she did learn a good deal about the interactions of fire, water, earth, and air. Now she applies the power of steam in a constructive way, building miniature engines that delight visitors and children, but bore most of her neighbors.

Engine: 45 gp. Track: 3 gp per foot. Bridges, buildings, general terrain: 1d8 gp each. Coal pellets (five pounds, enough for an hour of operation): 1 sp.

[probablyfunrpgideas]

Idea: you became an adventurer after escaping from the lair of a necromancer who was experimenting with magical grafts. Part of your nervous system was replaced with clay, glowing crystals, and protective iron scales. When you smashed through the skeletal assistant and slid down the cliff in your frantic getaway, you lost consciousness and memory - finding the laboratory again will be a difficult task. To restore yourself, you’ll need an excellent surgeon (if the necromancer can’t be found or trusted) and a Regenerate spell.

In the meantime, you have trained as a warrior and used the grafts as an enhancement for your natural fighting abilities. When you go into a barbarian rage, cold logic and calculation directs your weaponry, and you cannot feel emotion.

[probablyfunrpgideas]

NPC Idea: Roget is a saurial alchemist who roams through dangerous terrain and dungeons, always looking for new ingredients, components, and additives for his work. He offers the following:

Tonic of Healing, restores 4d4+4 hp (75 gold)

Potion of Undamaging, restores 6d6+6 hp (230 gold)

Elixir of Curing, restores 8d8+8 hp (450 gold)

Brew of Remedy, restores 10d10+10 hp (700 gold)

Draught of Alleviation, restores 12d12+12 hp (1200 gold).

When encountered, Roget only has one of each type of potion, but in exchange for helping, assisting, or aiding in his search for materials (1d4 days of work, or just 1 day with a successful group Survival check) he can make two more potions of undamaging, which he will sell for half price.

pepsi vs coke but for potions

­"Sorry, we don't have healing, is curing ok?"