Brainstorming

One liners, words or phrases to ignite a starting point idea to expand on for scenarios or characters. A brain dump!

• Royal fletcher, retired, living as hermit, needed to help craft some magical arrows for a hunt
• Leper colony
• Corruption, danger and intrigue during an election campaign for the graf of (cityname)
• Abandoned/boarded up building in a main street in town
• Dead messenger on road
• Noble ‘fop’ who is out ‘adventuring’ - comedic character, drags the players into danger without really understanding the reality or consequences

Dark Shadow

A heavy storm boils up while the players are on the road. They head for cover in a remote wayside shrine, from which signs of life can be seen. As they approach, a bolt of sudden lightning blasts down form the sky, striking the roof of the shrine with a crack and setting the place ablaze. A cry for help can be heard inside. The players rescue a young terrified cleric form the burning wreckage. He is injured, and the players take up the quest to get him to a doctor or some medical help.

Along the way to the nearest city/town, strange things start to happen to the party. The truth is that the young curious cleric had tried a certain spell, and failed, causing a dangerous series of events to unfold, allowing a shadowy demon to make its way into the plane. The cleric will keep this info hidden from the players as long as possible.

The shadowy demon will hunt down his summoner (and by association the players) until the problems is revealed and dealt with.

Maybe the young cleric was too curious and wanting to prove his magical might? Maybe he had been taken under his wing by another, more powerful sorcerer which the players must find to bring about an end to the shadow? Maybe the players leave the cleric in care, and later find out the cleric is found dead? does the shadow keep following the players? possibility of using the demon spectre across a few scenarios, always on their trail...

Will the players have to battle the spectre in an all out fight? Will they have to quest to find a spell/magic/item to help them banish the creature? Will the demon overcome the young cleric?

Rescue Effort

A town by the base of the nearby mountains has suffered an earthquake, and has almost been destroyed. Many people from a neighbouring village have gone to the rescue, providing supplies, and clerics and Druids for healing and spiritual attendance. The players hear of the disaster and also go to investigate.  While helping the dying and rebuilding the village, the players discover secrets behind the village.

Maybe the earthquake seems less natural than everyone first thought? Maybe evil magic is afoot? Maybe a cult messing with powers that they didn’t understand, has released 'something' evil from beneath the earth's crust?

Artifacts

Locals around the village are finding more and more strange and half buried artifacts in the surrounding rocky hills. Old armour, tablets, idols and so forth. The news is spreading and has reached our players ears. Maybe there is an old tomb/s which has been just revealed by the erosion of time, sand and wind?

Maybe the news of this has spread to tomb robbers and thieves, and they move secretly into the area, searching the mountains to find the tomb first. Maybe the tomb robbers set up traps to scare off other thieves?

Maybe the players want the possible treasure inside the tomb also?

Maybe there is an old spirit which is left haunting the tomb, defending its last resting place? Will the players be thieves, or will they be the spirits saviours?

Baby Bunting

The players discover a mutant baby, floating in the reeds of a river they are following. Where did the baby come from? Who does the new born belong to? Why is it mutated? The players will find a village upriver, and possibly some more leads. Maybe the mutant baby is a bastard son of a village elder, or witch-hunter, who wants to hide the truth?

The Lost Idol

In the dense forest around a town, there is rumoured to be some overgrown ruins of an ancient temple to Taal. It is rumoured that the temple was attacked years ago by chaos mutants and beastmen, who destroyed the temple, all except a small wooden idol. The surviving clerics of the old temple will tell tales of how the chaos creatures are warded off by its mysterious power.

Maybe the old priests are to old to recover the idol, and want someone to get it for them?
Maybe the players will be drawn by the rumoured powers of the idol?
Maybe there is an impending beastmen attack on the town, and the idol could be a chance of survival?

Whats the Cause?

Rumours have spread to the ears of our adventurers, that mutants are appearing in growing numbers in a small village nearby. Reports of seeing mutilated bodies, strange monsters and dismembered corpses are drawing the players further into the intrigue. What's causing these events?

Maybe a crazy surgeon/sorcerer, who lost a son to mutation, is experimenting with taking apart and putting back together body parts, in order to find a cure to mutation? What is the moral outcome - should the surgeon be stopped, or will the players be interested in a cure too?

Maybe a necromancer is at work with warped and evil powers?

Maybe a piece of warpstone lays undiscovered nearby, and is turning the locals either mad or into mutants?

Maybe a deadly disease has broken out?  Maybe the players catch it while investigating, and are forced to help find a cure or it would be the end of their days too...

Gold Fever!

An old Alchemist (maybe a friend of a PC) is found dead in his laboratory. There is obviously foul play afoot, and the alchemist's working partner/apprentice is nowhere to be found. Further investigation reveals the alchemist might have discovered a way of turning solid elements into gold!

Maybe the apprentice has stolen the formula, murdered his teacher and is hiding somewhere on his own, working on making gold, or claiming the discovery as his own!

Maybe the players will be drawn to find the magic formula themselves?
Maybe they want to avenge their friends death?
Maybe the old alchemist was a bit of a crack-pot, and no-one believes he REALLY found the formula, and just killed himself?
Maybe have the players find the formula, but somehow lose it forever, never to be discovered again…

Doing Our Job?

The players are hired to retrieve a special artifact or treasure from a distant locale. They are meant to meet a contact or spy there, who will direct them further in their quest. Evil parties have intercepted the spy, and replaced him/her with their own, intending to deceive the players.

The players could end up unwillingly working for the enemy - but for how long? Will they realise before stealing from, attacking, or even murdering the innocent? Maybe the players realise, then counter-double-cross the evil parties!

What will they discover if the artifact is recovered?  Will they finish the job and hand it into their employer, or does the item hold secrets that lead further into adventure?

Prospector's Legacy

An old prospector has been jailed for a number of years over a large theft of treasure. The authorities never actually found the loot, but rumours have spread and other parties are becoming interested. As the date of the old man's release grows closer, a local gang is hanging out for him, and are planning to force the old man to lead them to his loot. However, corrupt authorities are also interested, and have planted fake prisoners in the old man's cell in order to get hints on where the treasure might be hidden.

Maybe the corrupt officials will try to strike a bargain with the old man, asking to be taken to the treasure peacefully, or they might let him loose into the more 'rough' tactics of the local gang waiting outside the jail.

Maybe frantic locals are already mining in droves in the nearby mountains, or maybe the rumours have spread enough to create a 'gold rush' for the hidden treasure.

The players could stumble across the small mining town, and get involved somehow - maybe they are interested in the treasure themselves, or maybe they would like to save the old man, hoping to become allies with a supposedly rich ally!

You never know - maybe the treasure doesn't ACTUALLY exist…

Buried Treasure

A dwarf mining camp in the foothills of the mountains has uncovered an ancient temple/burial site while digging - with loot! However the expedition to recover the treasure is found slaughtered and the treasure is missing. Players investigate and discover a troll has entered the remote tunnels of the mine through its own cave system, and stumbled upon the miners, killing them and even eating the treasure. 

Maybe the players hunt down the troll, delving into the caverns from the bottom of the mine, and face off against the mighty troll in its lair?

Perhaps the troll can be killed and a certain amount of treasure recovered from its belly? Maybe depending on how long it takes the party to kill the troll, the treasure dissolves more in the stomach!

The evidence of a dead troll slayer might be found? more clues to another adventure? Maybe the tunnels lead further into adventure?

Smugglers

Fort Northwatch, hanging precariously over the cliffs of the nearby rocky bay has been abandoned for as long as most in the area remember.  Strange goings on have been noticed. The players investigate to discover a Bretonnian smuggler crew operating out of the Forts secure and hidden lower levels, with access through old ammunition/storage tunnels in the cliffs, down to the sea. The players may deal with the smugglers, but what are they smuggling and More importantly for whom?

does the trail lead the players to an important figure, and how do they deal with accusations or resolving the issue? Is it local officials simply quaffing Bretonnian brandy? or does the trail lead much higher?

Are the goods more ‘interesting’ and sinister; bodies/parts, alchemical equipment, wizards ingredients and dark potion elements?

Maybe they are smuggling artifacts and treasures stolen from ageing temples and shrines in the Empire, for sale in Brett to high paying corrupt Brett nobles and scholars.

Scenario Ideas - Inspiration

Sometimes I find the smallest things in the core book ignite ideas for scenarios. Reading through the spell lists, bestiary, careers, and maps can give great ideas.

Our group have made adventures based around one spell ingredient, or even just hunting one particular animal/beast (sometimes in combination of the spell ingredient quests ;)

Spell ingredients list
Do the players or even an NPC need a giants scalp or pint of dragon blood, or some giant spider venom? great ideas to work into a scenario

Bestiary
The number of brilliant and diverse creatures in WFRP 1st ed Bestiary is incomparable. The details and lore surrounding some of these creatures is enough to build a frame work for an interesting adventure.

• Perhaps hunting a troll, rumoured to be roaming the wilds near a dwarf mining camp. Perhaps it simply has been raiding their coffers? maybe eating poor miners, even their rocks/minerals? hmm a troll with treasure inside it? or has it melted in that acidic stomach of his?
• Based on where a creature is found, can be used to lead players into lands/areas which they are unfamiliar with, as well as offering exciting new creatures to fight - keeps it interesting.

Careers
Use the PCs careers in a believable way. It uses their character/their background to make quests that are more engaging for the party.

• Is there a druid? work the re-dedication/protection of a stone circle into an adventure, and the experience will be richer and more meaningful.
• Are characters pasts going to catch up with them? were they once in an outlaw gang?
• Are most of your party elves? dwarfs? how does their race simply inspire an adventure with a personal twist?

Maps
Picking an unexplored area of a world map provides a sense of excitement and exploration as you can send the players to a town where they;

• Speak differently/have different customs, the players are culturally offending them?
• Dont like the predominant race of the party? lots of opportunity for conflict there...

Scenario Ideas

I'll use the blog to brainstorm ideas that could  be fleshed out into a full adventure or even spiral out of control into a campaign.

Different roleplay groups like many different types of adventures/scenarios. Your groups feelings about the tone and settings for WFRP scenarios could be vastly different to mine, so please just take these examples and ideas as just that - its just brainstorming - and I hope it helps spark some imaginative storytelling.