1st level adventure

[Lvl45DM!]

Hey guys im just looking for some help with making a first level adventure interesting. I wanna have them hunting creatures probably fey or undead, without falling into the same pattern of get the mission hook, spend half the session finding info, find trhem kill them REWARD!
Some suggestions about how to mix up the plot please? They are playing
Halfling Ranger
Half Orc Druid
Elf Assassin
Changeling Mage (spec Ill)
Gnome mage (spec Ench)
Human Monk (I improved its BAB to make it more viable)
Human Bard
all level one
Theres no overarching plot(yet) cos its a new game just looking for some ideas to spice it up Thanks

[Mr. Mud]

Maybe, they're getting a quest, or talking in a tavern or something, and they hear (spot/listen/perception check, of course) a fight outside. Thinking it's a normal tavern brawl, one party member goes out to see what all the fuss is about, and sees a peasant being beaten to death by some of the creatures you want to include (maybe orcs, or some other undead? I'd go with melee only here). If he's alive, great. He tells the PCs what the beasts/brutes want, and asks you to save the rest of his family/farm/money? If they're going to burn down his house or farm or what have you, that'd be a kind of cool crescendo...

The players arrive at his house, and find nothing out of the ordinary there. They hear banging on the roof, and go up to see what that is. Then, their ambushed by the baddies? Maybe some bats or something are attacking them, commanded by one caster that was trying to kill the peasant for a magic shield he has?

Anyway, I think it'd be kind of cool to have a "defend-the-house" type battle.

No deep though, just throw something you can meld to your needs out on the chopping block .

[Inhuman Bot]

Nitpick: Is the elf assassin a rogue/ninja/scout...?

[jmbrown]

If you're dealing with fae, use fairy tales for inspiration. Perhaps the PCs are sent to the forest to deliver medicine to a researcher. On the way they become overwhelmed with fatigue and an inviting cottage on the side of the road compels them to enter. There they're taken care of by a kindly old couple but at night their crops are ravaged by brownies. The twist is that the old couple are in service to redcaps; if the PCs decide to hunt the brownies (like most travelers would do) the redcaps feast on the brownie remains. If the PCs refuse, the redcaps ambush them further down the forest.

[Thurbane]

Nitpick: Is the elf assassin a rogue/ninja/scout...?

Since he hasn't stated an edition, it may well be an (1E) Assassin.

[Lvl45DM!]

It is indeed a 1E assassin, i mix and match 1 and 2 with sprinklings of 3 edition (sorceror is a good idea) but isnt there an assassin in 3E anyway?

Defend the house is cool and fairy is useful
Thanks guys though please...MOAR!

[Lvl45DM!]

Ok ive got something planned out, they will be fighting the Busker fey that was intorduced in a Monster competition a while back, but majorly gimped

Now im a bit lost as to how to play the combat? should i have him go for the kill? non lethal damage? i mean i have squishy wizards galore in this party?
advice?