Low level adventure Ideas.

[Infernum]

Hello, I am seeking input and aid for adventure ideas for my party of third level characters. The game takes place in my own home custom setting. They are in a kingdom of humans and halflings with a halfling king. The country is a mix of German and English influences. I am just currently trying to give them options of things to do to pull the "Character of of their characters".

Once Ive got that and understand their motives a bit better, ill make some custom plot for said aspects. But for the moment they are in a port town at the west coast of the country, about to hold up there for the winter. During this time they will be training in mundane skills, having things made and general lazing about. They will encounter potential plot threads over the course of the winter through rumor and hearsay. My current rumors for plot are as follows:

*The local baron has heard of your recent deeds and would like for you to carry a messages of his in secret to a neighboring noble. You are chosen due to your relative lack of notoriety and your recent appearance in the country. Do you carry the Barons message, with strict orders not to look inside?

*A hunter comes into the the inn, babbling about missing folk in a nearby community. Near 60 people gone missing or dead since winter set in, Rumors of dark things in the surrounding forest, of people who eat people. Are these stories of cannibals true? Or are there other forces at work here?

*Winter has been prolonged by near three weeks now, with snows that leave the halfling portion of the population trapped in their homes. A local druid contacts the party with information as to the reason of the long snows, perhaps something sinister compels these storms?

* As the first thaws being a blazing sight is seen in the sky, a star fallen from above impacting in the hills to the east. Do you dare chase the Fallen Star and discover what it really is?

These are just some of my ideas and am looking for input or other ideas for potential adventures for their level. Any comments are welcome.

Thanks for the help.

[Dren Nas]

Goblins/kobolds have been raiding supply wagons from this town. A young man has gone off to put an end to them. His grandfather hires the party to save him from his stupidity.

I named him Robert something or another and had the bbeg be a cleric of a new god. It was able to zombify Robert and make him fight the party.

[Chainsaw]

In a campaign I recently played, our DM started us in a human racist city where our characters, a dwarf, half orc, and gnome, were arrested and then sent to look into goblins that were increasing the amount of raids on passing caravans. we were attacked on the road with an empty wagon (bait) and we tracked the goblins back to camp, we were vastly outnumbers but we heard the chieftain give a speech about attacking the city soon with unknown allies. We warned the city, where the king asked if we would help defend it (for free) my dwarf didn't want to after he was arrested for getting a drink and then pummeled by 5 humans. So he paid us to do it. It really helped the DM figure out our motives etc.

[Azoth]

With winter's chill thick in the air and hours of light ever shortening people find excuse to make it home before the sets. To most it seems to just avoid the worst of the cold, but there are whispers. Whispers floating about of strange things happening, and stranger still shadows that stalk the empty streets in the long hours where even the moon and stars dare not show themselves. No one will breathe a steam filled word of what they have seen, but know true the streets are not safe for any.

Great hook that is open ended enough you can fill it in with just about anything you want as the PCs track down whispers and clues. Some false, and some true. Best if some of the truly outlandish whispers that seem bonkers turn out to be true clues, while reasonable ones that are believable are lies.

I have used this for murder mystery, incorpreal undead, fey pranks (after a solstice), random monster running the streets, a Barghest maskerading as a werewolf...and many more.

[Scarce]

A wizard’s tower has been “stolen.” All the doors and windows of the Jeoth Ketterly’s mansion have simultaneously and mysteriously locked without cause or explanation. Unable to enter his own home, which is filled with more traps, treasure, and fortifications than almost any other castle, he enlists the adventurers to infiltrate.

He is able to open a portal through the wall on the first floor, but requires all his effort to hold it open (and therefore can’t enter himself.) Inside, the players avoid his deadly traps, encounter the tower guardian (a Minotaur), and the old wizard’s familiar (an ill-temped imp, which attacks, but surrenders when below 5 hp.) A few traps are designed to annoy, a few traps are merely unattended experiments in the “abandoned wing” which the players must venture through, and a few traps are designed to maim and kill as they approach the tower, where a localized antimagic burst might deactivate the doors and traps.

You decide how and why the tower was stolen. I had a master thief orchestrate the heist to make off with the wizard's wand.

[Scarce]

Here's a few quests with shorter descriptions:

A xenoalchemist is experimenting on monstrous creatures, creating monster repellents and grafts. He needs fresh parts from certain creatures to complete his experiments, but his assistants have run off due to the danger involved. He’s currently looking for new, braver assistants.

The PCs are at sea when a behemoth from the depths attacks their ship. It swipes passengers and crew members from the deck and swallows them whole. Many people land in the water during this attack and will drown if unaided. The PCs don’t have to kill the sea creature, and can drive it off by inflicting enough damage—but regardless of the PCs’ efforts, the ship starts to sink.
The PCs can use a lifeboat to save crew and passengers from the waters. One of the passengers who they rescue, however, was not one of the initial crew.

The Southpaw Killer has struck again, a local bulletin in Shroudspire reads. This deranged madman has been on the loose for months, assaulting people at night in the lower districts and cutting off their left hands. Many die from blood loss. The town guard is beginning to panic, and has their eyes on different local crimelords who might be behind it, but the local clerics think the killer has something far more sinister planned.