Adventure Hook
At a lantern-lit night market in a narrow alley, vendors sell teeth labeled courage, secrets, loyalty, and luck that force promises at dawn. This ready-to-run adventure starts at the problem, gives the DM two concrete clues, and resolves in three scenes without extra prep.
Read-Aloud Opening
“Lanterns shaped like molars glow over the alley. Vendors whisper prices in secrets, and a velvet sign reads FRESH PROMISES, GENTLY USED TEETH.”
DM Brief
- Target query: dnd one shot for 6 players level 3. Start with the premise and avoid lore homework.
- Core truth: breaking promise jars weakens the hag faster than direct attacks. Put three stalls bearing the same hag mark under their counters and a gum-pink strongbox ledger listing every buyer's promised act in play early so the table always has a next action.
- Primary NPC: a courier who bought bravery and now regrets every dare. They point toward danger, model the tone, and keep the pace moving.
30-Minute Pacing Notes
- Total runtime: 75 minutes. Cut travel and start at a lantern-lit night market in a narrow alley.
- Keep each scene to one strong image, one decision, and one consequence.
- If a clue roll fails, reveal the clue anyway and attach a cost, timer tick, or complication.
Clip-Worthy Moments
- three stalls bearing the same hag mark under their counters becomes the first visual reveal.
- a courier who bought bravery and now regrets every dare delivers the session's most table-friendly clue.
- The finale turns on this twist: breaking promise jars weakens the hag faster than direct attacks.
Scene 1 — Three Stalls, Six Clues
15 minutes“The first sign in a lantern-lit night market in a narrow alley is three stalls bearing the same hag mark under their counters. a courier who bought bravery and now regrets every dare can explain one piece of the problem, but only if the characters act before vendors sell teeth labeled courage, secrets, loyalty, and luck that force promises at dawn.”
Goal: Introduce vendors sell teeth labeled courage, secrets, loyalty, and luck that force promises at dawn and put three stalls bearing the same hag mark under their counters directly in front of the players.
What Happens
- • Make three stalls bearing the same hag mark under their counters visible without a roll; checks reveal context, not access to the adventure.
- • a courier who bought bravery and now regrets every dare knows one useful truth but wants reassurance, proof, or a quick favor first.
- • If the table hesitates, show vendors sell teeth labeled courage, secrets, loyalty, and luck that force promises at dawn getting worse in one vivid sentence.
Checks
- • Investigation or Perception DC 11 identifies why three stalls bearing the same hag mark under their counters matters.
- • Persuasion or Insight DC 11 gets a courier who bought bravery and now regrets every dare to share the next lead.
Scene 2 — Promise Debt
20 minutes“Pressure builds as the party reaches the second beat: a gum-pink strongbox ledger listing every buyer's promised act. The space reacts to every loud choice, making the next move obvious but costly.”
Goal: Let the party use a gum-pink strongbox ledger listing every buyer's promised act to understand the twist and prepare the finale.
What Happens
- • a gum-pink strongbox ledger listing every buyer's promised act is the actionable clue: touching, reading, following, or disrupting it points to the finale.
- • Reveal the twist plainly once players connect both clues: breaking promise jars weakens the hag faster than direct attacks.
- • Let a clever spell, prop, or social play create advantage on the final scene.
Checks
- • Arcana, History, or Survival DC 12 interprets a gum-pink strongbox ledger listing every buyer's promised act.
- • A fitting skill DC 12 lets a player turn the environment into an advantage.
Scene 3 — The Smile Collector
25 minutes“Promise-Tooth Hag emerges at the heart of the trouble. The truth is now clear: breaking promise jars weakens the hag faster than direct attacks.”
Goal: Resolve the one-shot by confronting Promise-Tooth Hag, using the peaceful answer, or winning a short fight.
What Happens
- • trapping the hag in an impossible promise empties the jars at sunrise.
- • If combat starts, keep it cinematic: the foe fights to protect the crisis, not to grind turns.
- • End as soon as the party solves the core problem, even if the foe still has hit points.
Checks
- • Attack rolls against AC 14 work, but smart use of the clues is faster.
- • Persuasion, Performance, or Arcana DC 13 can trigger the peaceful resolution.
Stat Blocks
Promise-Tooth Hag
AC 14 · HP 58 · Speed 30 ft.
Traits
- • Market Escape: teleports 20 feet between stalls unless the ledger is destroyed
- • Focused Weakness: when players use three stalls bearing the same hag mark under their counters or a gum-pink strongbox ledger listing every buyer's promised act, Promise-Tooth Hag loses its next reaction.
Actions
- • Many-Teeth Smile: +5 to hit, 1d8+3 piercing damage
- • Pressure Beat: DC 12 Wisdom save or the target has disadvantage on its next check tied to vendors sell teeth labeled courage, secrets, loyalty, and luck that force promises at dawn.
Rewards
- a harmless lucky tooth that adds +1 to one roll, then crumbles
- A social favor from a lantern-lit night market in a narrow alley that can open the next adventure.
Scaling Notes
- For four players, reduce HP to 44 and use two promise jars.
- For level 4, raise DCs to 14 and add one tooth golem minion.