One Page Adventure: Roll and Shatter

Our ninth one page adventure (OPA) – download bite-sized inspiration for your RPG sessions!

Quickphix’s adventures through roadside dungeons today takes you to a strange tower in the middle of the desert. A short but sweet adventure, which is especially fun if you manage to build a rudimentary, physical replica of it. Have fun!

Overview

Recommended RPG: D&D 5e, but easily adaptable to others
Number of players: 2-3
Duration: medium (2-4 hours)
Difficulty: moderate

The Story

The people of Jobak were desperate. Every day, the desert claimed more of their land. They hired me to find the evil sapping the strength from their perviously rich soil. It was surprisingly easy. I found it in almost the exact middle of the spreading blight: a strange tower bursting with arcane energy. Whoever built it was long dead, but they left me a message:

“Once the sand has started to spread

It is time for him to once again scatter.

Bring his symbol up to the head,

Then watch it fall, roll and shatter!”

In this one-page adventure, you and your fellow travellers must scale the mysterious desert tower. It was abandoned a long time ago – but walking through its strange floors you feel like you are being watched. What’s the purpose of this strange tower? Where does the giant shaft in the middle lead? Where is this symbol, which is supposed to “roll and shatter”?

Hints, notes and ideas for this One-Page Adventure

The tower itself should be much of a puzzle to figure out – the main challenge lies in getting the ball to the top floor to drop it down the shaft.
Some players will want to investigate the giant shaft in person – there’s no reason no to let them. It drops 240ft. straight down and ends at a stone seal, which can only be broken by dropping in the magical heavy ball.
The backstory of the tower is only hinted at – the land around the tower was never fertile. It was the magic of the people who build the tower, which made the land arable. The ritual of the scattering has to be performed every time the desert starts to spread.