Five Cool Plot Hooks Vol. 4

Steal these hooks if you need some inspiration!

By MARK WILSON

There are an endless number of great plot hooks. Sometimes, though, we struggle for inspiration. If you’re stuck, or just enjoy considering new ideas for adventures, here are a handful I find intriguing. Enjoy!

One: Shipwrecked on an island, the party (and remaining crew) spot the pirate vessel that sunk them on the shore of the island. The pirate outnumber them significantly and would like win a direct confrontation. Can they be picked off individually, or can their ship be stolen?

Two: A nearby town has gone missing. Not its inhabitants; the whole town. The party is asked to investigate.

“If you’re stuck, or just enjoy considering new ideas for adventures, here are a handful I find intriguing.”

Three: Tryouts are being held for a local elite mercenary company. The tryout involves tests of magic and fighting prowess, but is just an excuse to exhaust the participants before the mercenaries take all of their gold. Their base is a fort just outside of town, and the company has many local enemies. How will the party take their revenge?

Four: A local theater production has had a few too many accidents of late for it to be a coincidence. Being magically proficient, the party is asked to be present for a series of shows, to rule out foul play. They are given full access to the cast and crew, who have become suspicious of one another.

Five: The party is asked to attend a lavish dinner party in various roles (member of the catering staff, nobility visiting from out of town, sneak in, etc.) to root out a plot to kill the host. Conspirators are indeed present. In truth, though, the host traps attendees inside the house, which is rigged to collapse. She has a teleport spell prepared, and will find financial gain in her rivals’ deaths. Can the party escape or uncover and stop the plot before being buried?

For more content, or just to chat, find me on Twitter @BTDungeons, and if you enjoy my content, be sure to subscribe on Youtube!