Greetings gamers from all systems, places and timelines!
Recently we ran a Saint Patrick’s Day game which was a great deal of fun for all of those involved. And while it took place on an island called the Emerald Haven, if your group is down for some over the top antics, these could be used for a one-shot in a location of your choice. So grab your shamrocks and hopefully some of this material will help you share some holiday fun with your players. The adventure was originally designed for four characters of 5th level but could work for more players, and at higher levels, with some mild tweaks.
Shamrock Lake
The characters reach a colorful green lake, which can be crossed by hopping across five large stones, which act as a path. The catch is that there is a sign which explains that each time someone hops on one of the stones, they must name a drink with alcohol in it. Failure to do so wins you a blast from the green liquid from the lake as if struck by a nonheated geyser, but causes one level of exhaustion, and the smell of Sour Apple Schnapps for the next 2d6 rounds. Also, none of the drink names can be repeated.
Speaking of Shenanigans
While in the forest, characters find themselves squaring off against four mischievous pixies in a battle of pranks. Both teams will have a chance to execute a total of three pranks against the other team and the DM judges which prank was the funniest each round.
- Skills used to execute the prank – Stealth, Deception, Acrobatics, Athletics or Insight
- The pixies’ names are Peri, Firefler, Nikki, and Sari, and their Ability Score bonuses are +3 to all of the above checks.
Some Examples of Pranks:
- They dump cold water over someone’s head
- Ties shoes together, causing the person to trip
- Pulling down someone’s pants
- Give one of the characters a hot foot ( is that even a thing anyone?)
Victory earns the respect of the wee ones of the forest, allowing the path further into the island to be explored. Failure causes each of the characters to be on the business end of a Grease spell before the pixies all depart (btw, don’t sleep on the power Grease… take our word for it!)
Who are We?
The party steps into a clearing surrounded by trees, where they are met by three individuals standing by a sign that reads, “If we were drinks, who would we be?” Now for this, the players were also shown an image which I threw together using Meta AI, so nothing would be revealed.
For this challenge, the party had to get two out of three of these right throughout three rounds to move on to the next section, or be subjected to a battle. Some examples in my game were:
- El Diablo – In the image, you have a classic-looking devil.
- Bloody Mary – Blood soaked woman in a Victorian-style dress.
- Old Fashioned – A classically dressed man.
For the battle I selected a spriggan named Shamus. Spriggans sadly didn’t cut into 5e, but all you really need to know is this angry goblin looking fey guy has the power to transform into a Hill Giant-sized version of himself using all of the same CR 6 stats.
Woman of the Fairy Mound
This scary lady (a Banshee) almost gets the drop on the party, but everyone was allowed to take an Action before she uses her Wail ability. If they attack her, she wails and the battle progresses normally. However, if one of the players tries to talk to her or talk her off the ledge (DC 13 Persuasion check) They discover that in life her name is Cara and she was viciously murdered by man who she refused to love (Finn Mcginn) – If one of the groups swears to avenge her murder she leaves them in peace
Fancy a Pint?
After walking into a pub, the friendly bartender pours everyone a shot and asks each of the players to choose to be either one, two, three, or four. Then the following occurs:
- Everyone needed to make a DC 12 Constitution Saving Throw or suffer -1 penalty on all actions for the next five rounds.
They then gain one of the following characteristics from the number they selected – until the end of the adventure:
- Extreme Honesty: Your character now has no filter and speaks their mind like they are a 70-year-old Italian grandmother.
- Beer muscles: You are convinced that you are the toughest person in every room, so “why would I ever back down?”
- Very emotional: “I’m only crying because I love you guys so much!”
- Party animal: Your new mission, which you have accepted, is to party, and to party hard. No one shall stand in your way!
Each of the players was asked again to select a number between one and three (no repeats!) The following encounters then occur:
- You get pulled into a high-stakes gambling contest. The player must succeed on a DC 13 Skill Check using Deception or Insight. This causes you to either lose or win 5d6 gold pieces.
- You are pulled into a debate between two people arguing over who is the best-looking between two women and two men (Minia and Gwen, or Bradly and Trevor.) The player must succeed on a DC 13 Persuasion check to sell your answer without offending the other. On a success, the player received a DM Inspiration (stackable.) On a failure, the player the player receives a -2 penalty on their next Skill check.
- You are trying to enjoy a drink and someone bumps into you, causing you to spill your drink and tells you to “watch where you are going!” A DC 12 Persuasion check can defuse the situation and receive Bragging Rights. Alternatively, three successful DC 12 Athletics checks can have you kick the crap out of them. Failure results in 3d4 bludgeoning damage.
A final encounter for the entire party occurs in the form of a Skill Challenge (4 out of 7 successes, DC 14)
An all-out brawl breaks out. There is a sign on the bar wall which states that the use of magic (spellcasting) is strictly prohibited. Here are some examples of options:
- Throw hands: Make 4 out of 7 successful attack rolls versus a 14 Armor Class.
- Athletics – smash people with furniture.
- Acrobatics -avoid getting hit while throwing bottles at attackers
- Intimidation – stand there and look so tough that no one will mess with you.
- Stealth – hide under a table or behind the bar until the encounter ends.
Failure of any Skill Challenge results in 4d6+3 bludgeoning damage.
Lords and Ladies of the Dance
The party comes across a massive gathering at a beautiful Irish castle – where a contest for the Celtic Cup is underway. This contest, if the party is brave enough (because all of the drinking or otherwise) is not one which can be won with fists, spells, or blades, but by their skill on the dance floor.
The party is competing against three other teams: The Lucky Charmers, The Emerald Steppers, and Celtic Fusion. There are three rounds where points could be scored: the opening, the main routine, and the big finish.
During each round, the players could use their Athletics, Acrobatics, or Performance skills, where their total score was recorded instead of trying to beat a Difficulty Class. Then, before the event started, I determined that Celtic Fusion had +3 as a total bonus, The Emerald Steppers a +5, and The Lucky Charmers a +5. To which all of their scores are rolled out and recorded before the event begins, so the players aren’t subjected to watching the DM roll twelve times a round.
If the characters succeed, they are the winners of the Celtic Cup, which comes with an exclusive boon: The Luck of the Emerald Isle. This affords all of the characters the same benefits as if they were attuned to a Stone of Good Luck.
Final thoughts
There were many more encounters to be had in my Saint Patrick’s Day game: the players trying to catch the Fish of Knowledge, almost being swept away by a massive creamy alcoholic milkshake, and battling a scaled down Balor of the Evil Eye; but the encounters I listed in the article are easy drop ins to any themed game you might be running.
When our real-world events and holidays come around, it’s a great time to think how you might be able to incorporate the themes and traditions into your current campaigns, or even as special one-shots, as a fun palate-cleanser to renew spontaneity and fun into long-running games.
What are some of the ways you have worked your own traditions into your games? We’d love to hear!
Got a Question?
3 Wise DMs mission is to help DMs with problems that you can’t find answers to in the rulebooks. If you’ve got a question or a problem, visit the website and enter it in the “What’s Your Problem” field. Or reach out to us at 3wisedms@gmail.com.
YouTube!
3 Wise DMs is scaling up into the 21st Century! We’ve begun loading our new episodes, starting with our “Back in Black” return episode onto our shiny, brand-new YouTube channel. We’d love if you’d all head over and Subscribe and “Hit the Bell Icon” to get all the latest from 3WD as we venture into new multimedia territory.
Be sure to LIKE and FOLLOW us on Facebook and Instagram as well and please, feel free to share with your friends or anyone else who rolls funny looking dice!
Need Dice?
If you’re in the market for dice (and who isn’t?) visit our affiliate link at FanRoll Dice and enter code 3WISEDMS10 to get 10% off your entire order!