Help with encounters

Sup, Veeky Forums

I need examples of encounters without using combat.

Pic unrelated(?)

>You stumble upon a nude man, furiously beating off to art of men kissing
>He notices you and introduces himself as OP

...

Neat. Thanks

Combat will always be an option, but here are some Ive used and suggested on Veeky Forums before. They're more hooks than encounters, but some have consequences that would probably demand attention.
>Rogue apprentice enchanter has taken up in an abandoned mill down the river. He's not bothering anybody, but someone should probably check on him.

>The sheep were all disappearing in the night. We figured they'd been taken by wolves or...worse. Now they're all back.

>Our trade is in vinegar. Its not glamorous, but every year at our fall festival we have a contest to see who can drink the most of it. The winner gets a cask of mead and a whole smoked pig.

>Somebody's been dumping stones in the river. Not sure who or why. Mind straitening that out?

>We had a flag made to comemorate the king's passing, but it blew away into the woods. His son is touring the fieldlands before his coronation and it'd be nice to have something to show for ourselves. We're not too concerned, but we should probably at least make an effort.

>We herd sheep here, just like the giants over the ridge in the neighboring valley. We get along alright, but they're not exactly talkative folks. Problem is, our sheep keep wandering into their flocks. They dont keep a good count of theirs, figure they must not care to account for such small creatures, but they dont take kindly to us trying to get a few back from them. You seem like sturdy types, mind nabbing a few back for us?

>The Jacobson's boy thinks he's got it in him to be a squire in the capital. We really need him around here. Wont be enough men around in a few years to raise new houses, what with the losses from the war. See if you cant talk some sense into him. Ill make it worth your while: he up and bought himself a fine lookin blade. Get him to give it up, and I promise it'll find its way to you.

>Give this animal a makeover without anyone noticing

This is exactly the kind of thread I was going to make. Here's my context if anyone has more ideas:
- Fantasy game, level 1 party, springtime in a temperate-warm area, mostly humans and few monsters

- PC's town just got taken over by demons appearing out of thin air and slaughtering everyone. A few hundred people have escaped and are trekking to the nearest city to seek refuge and ask for help taking back the town.

- I want a few short role-play encounters to tighten the party's bonds and further define their personalities. Can be with other survivors, farmers along the road, other folk met on the road coming from the opposite direction, etc. Not looking for combat encounters or wild beast attacks considering the number of people involved.

So far I have things like refugees raiding farms for food and needing to be brought back to order, a local noble who's too traumatized to act as a leader for the refugees, and a girl who comes to the party healer pretending to have been wounded in the attack, but who actually secretly has an uncurable disease that is taboo and is desperate for help.

I once ran a Rogue Trader session devoted to overseeing an archaeological dig, and every X amount of time some issue would pop up for the players to deal with
>unknown disease spreading among the laborers
>supplies and equipment disappearing
>first contact with native abhuman tribe
>shipborne food processing breaks down
>native megafauna hindering work

Here's one I'll be using soon, loosely inspired by an old story on Veeky Forums.

>PC is in a busy city street, notices an eccentric looking man shoving his way into the crowd, running away from some guards.
>Stranger stumbles into them, shoves something into their hands saying "can you keep this for me a moment?" and takes off without waiting for an answer.
>Guards don't notice the exchange and keep chasing the man.
>PC is left with a cursed/dangerous magic item they know nothing about and no idea whether they should turn it in, try to use it, or wait for the guy to come back.

This is the perfect sort of thing to do for players who are quiet and indecisive, or who haven't yet figured out all motivations and directions of their character.

How do they respond to this situation without any inputs, it will help shape the character.

This is great because it works in any setting. I could totally see the man pushing his way through a post-apocalyptic bazaar, the small box he shoves into the players' hands contains a large key covered in letters and numbers.

Thanks for the feedback! In this setting, people's emotions coalesce in the spiritual world and can eventually take on a physical form, so I chose a magically sealed box that contains a spirit of greed. The player will feel a little more attracted to riches while it's in their possession, but if they choose to break it open, unless they manage to resist the spirit's influence through force of will, they will be compelled to steal the first valuable thing they see regardless of consequences.

If that happens, I look forward to seeing what kind of situation they will have put themselves in by being greedy in the first place, and how they get out of trouble. Certainly the mage will be pissed and may become a recurring NPC later on.

>The sheep were all disappearing in the night. We figured they'd been taken by wolves or...worse. Now they're all back.
This one. I like this one.

Rolled 89 (1d1372)

I posted that in another thread already, but what the hell, it might fit here too. Enjoy.

>89. A wagon ahead has overturned. It appears to have been carrying four large metal containers that are now scattered about. The driver lies dead, some wicked pustules marking his exposed skin. One of the containers looks like it might be leaking some sort of liquid.
Oh shit ...

>When the sheep are organized and are actually using a small group to spy on the humans while switching places during the night.

>Turns out they were taken by wolves after all... werewolves.
On a sidenote, would a sheep bitten by a werewolf turn into a weresheep, a sheepwolf, or nothing at all?

>shoot the jacobson boy in the knee with an arrow

Wer is the part that means man, so I suppose it depends on the nature of the werewolf curse. Is it a wer- curse that makes wolves periodically turn into humans or is it a -wolf curse that makes humans turn into wolves? Presumably it would continue on in the same fashion once it made the jump to sheep.

This does raise the question, what if one of the sheep afflicted with the wer- version of the curse went on to bite Steve while being sheared or what have you? Would he just turn into a different guy now and then? What if Steve was a huge asshole and new-moon Steve was much more likable?

Possibly neither.

And also id suspect this prings up the One Piece dilemma ''What happends if a human eats the humanhuman fruit, or an animal eats its corresponding fruit?'' The answer - Nothing, they just lose the ability to swim.

Do you think Lycanthropy is interspecies? A human lycanthrope can bite another human and turn them into an lycanthrope, but can it be transferred to animals at all?

What about plant life? Bite into an apple, it becomes a wereapple. When the seeds go into the ground, a were-apple tree grows there. A decade later, everyone who eats its fruits becomes... were... shit I don't know anymore.

>Two exorcists of different traditions arguing on the road about how to best banish/prevent re-manifestation of the demon
>Farmers quarreling about whose cows these are
>The taxman harasses the group and demands an explanation
>Diseases
>Occultist who heard of the attack through magical means demands more information about the attack, for possibly sinister reasons

>you gotta enter a fire in a wet environment.

Rolled 19 + 1 (1d20 + 1)

well, let's roll this shit

Rolled 3 (1d10)

shit, well we know it's about a person now

Rolled 9 (1d12)

rescue a person then, let's see the complication

This will be invaluable. Thank you.

>72. A massive feather spirals from the sky to land on the road as a huge shadow passes overhead.
Fucking run.

Nah, then he'll *have* to leave for the big city, to become a town guard.

The party finds the remains of a higher-level adventurer/party in the countryside. They were returning from a quest and still have the treasure they were sent to retrieve with them. The PCs must find out what happened to them and deliver the item as intended, but they have a feeling they may be targeted next.

That sounds like a real challenge that one. Nobody gets hurt but everyones pride and dignity go down just a little if they fail.

A well spoken troll/Ork/monster found himself in quite a pickle, as it appears a piece of forestry dropped in him and now he is suck beneath it.
Would you adventures be so kind and help him out of this?

>60) A strange dog or other animal follows you at a distance

I would do this, describing select, specific features, making the dog sound very unusual. It's just a pug bred by a local specialty breeder.

>the players encounter a large pack of peasants fleeing their homes for the capital after their homes were razed by recent world events

>a squad of veteran rangers approach the players and warn them about nearby dangers, possibly revealing the best route to the parties destination if they are co-aligned

>a huckster has "set up shop" from the back of his wagon on the side of the road, offering a variety of dubiously magical artifacts and potions

>jews

>a funeral procession for a beloved knight crosses their path, possibly harming relations with a nearby kingdom if they show disrespect and try to barge their way past

>a filthy hermit waves his stick at the party and tires to chase them away from his cave dwelling - he turns out to be as powerful as he looks and his worldly possessions are soiled beddings, a small fire and his robes

>two ships battle far off the coast, lighting the night with flashes of magic and flame

Thats all I have for now, not that hard

Here's some I've either used or been apart of

>The party is ordered to sneak into a neutral lords Ball to convince his son to marry the daughter of the players patron lord

>The party has to be the legal team for either another PC or an NPC in a town where the party is in good standing. Go nuts with the detective angle and have the courtroom be a battle of wits.

>City is experiencing a plague and the party, because of a previous adventure, is immune. Queue 1854 John Snow shenanigans

>Party is invited to a formal banquet at a mansion not far outside of town. The NPC hosting the event dies during, foul play is suspected, have fun playing Clue for three or four sessions

>A rich merchant wants to marry a party member into his family via his attractive and sweet daughter, only he wants proof that even should the adventurer lose the ability to adventure he could still provide. "______ Tycoon" insert here.
When I did it, I think I bought out a printing press and became a publisher? It was fun.

There's a couple, hope they're good.

>>>Rogue apprentice enchanter has taken up in an abandoned mill down the river. He's not bothering anybody, but someone should probably check on him.

I'm not sure about this one. He's not a rogue unless he's bothering someone or breaking some laws. And even if the local townsfolk are curious what he's up to, they're not going to be throwing around rewards just for the hell of it.