Ready-to-run 30-minute adventure

one shot d&d for beginners

The Lantern Pig: A gentle first adventure where every core D&D action gets a spotlight.

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Level 1
3–5 players
60–90 minutes
Cozy village chaos

Adventure Hook

A festival pig with a glowing lantern tied to its collar has escaped into the old orchard. The lantern is not decorative: it contains a sleepy fire spirit that keeps the village warm all winter.

Read-Aloud Opening

“The Harvest Lantern Festival has barely begun when someone screams, 'The pig has the winter flame!' A round pink blur rockets between your boots, wearing a brass lantern like a royal necklace. Behind it tumble three soot-gray creatures in potato-sack masks, waving forks and yelling, 'Bring back breakfast!'”

DM Brief

  • This is built to teach talking, exploring, ability checks, and one forgiving combat.
  • Tell new players what their characters notice before asking what they do. Offer two obvious options whenever the table stalls.
  • The pig, Duchess Snout, is not an enemy. The little ash-goblins chasing her are frightened, hungry, and willing to bargain.

Scene 1 — Festival Panic

15 minutes

“Stalls topple, cider spills, and villagers point in four different directions. The runaway pig leaves warm hoofprints that glow orange before fading.”

Goal: Let beginners try roleplay and basic checks without punishment.

What Happens

  • • Friendly NPCs include Mira the baker, Old Pell the lantern-keeper, and a child who saw the pig run toward the orchard gate.
  • • Useful clues: warm hoofprints, a broken fork stamped with a coal symbol, and the sound of squealing from the apple trees.
  • • If players ask what they can do, suggest tracking, asking witnesses, calming the crowd, or following the heat trail.

Checks

  • • Persuasion DC 10 gets a useful witness to stop panicking.
  • • Survival DC 10 follows the warm hoofprints.
  • • Animal Handling DC 11 keeps Duchess Snout from bolting again if found early.
Fail forward: A failed check makes the scene messier, not blocked: the pig knocks over a flour cart, coating the hidden hoofprints so they are easier to see.

Scene 2 — Orchard of Snack Traps

25 minutes

“The orchard smells like apples, smoke, and wet leaves. Tiny fork-pricks mark the dirt. Ahead, Duchess Snout snuffles beneath a tree while three masked goblins argue about whether pigs count as treasure.”

Goal: Teach players that combat is optional and plans matter.

What Happens

  • • The ash-goblins want the fire spirit because their burrow is freezing. They are more hungry than evil.
  • • Players can sneak, negotiate, distract the goblins with food, or start a fight.
  • • If the party talks, the goblins ask for soup, blankets, or permission to warm their burrow at the village kiln.

Checks

  • • Stealth DC 11 lets the party get close before being noticed.
  • • Insight DC 10 reveals the goblins are scared, not cruel.
  • • Performance or Deception DC 12 distracts them long enough to grab the lantern lead.
Fail forward: On a failure, Duchess Snout squeals and runs deeper into the orchard, dragging everyone into Scene 3 with disadvantage on their first initiative roll if combat happens.

Scene 3 — The Warm Burrow

25 minutes

“Duchess Snout squeezes into a hollow beneath an apple tree. Inside, a dozen tiny clay cups sit around a cold cookfire. The lantern's flame flickers blue, and a small voice from inside it yawns, 'Is it winter already?'”

Goal: Resolve with kindness, a simple fight, or a clever compromise.

What Happens

  • • The fire spirit can warm both village and burrow if the lantern is hung at the kiln vent instead of locked in Old Pell's shrine.
  • • If fighting starts, the ash-goblins throw soot and forks but flee once half are defeated.
  • • A peaceful solution earns cheers at the festival and teaches that D&D rewards creative choices.

Checks

  • • Arcana DC 10 understands the fire spirit can safely split its warmth through clay pipes.
  • • Persuasion DC 12 convinces Old Pell and the goblins to share custody of the lantern.
Fail forward: If negotiations fail, the fire spirit sneezes a harmless burst of sparks that scares everyone apart long enough for one final offer or chase.

Stat Blocks

Ash-Goblin Snack Thief

AC 12 · HP 7 · Speed 30 ft.

Traits

  • • Cowardly: flees or bargains when reduced to 3 hit points or fewer.
  • • Sooty: has advantage on Dexterity checks to hide in smoke or dim light.

Actions

  • • Bent Fork: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., 4 piercing damage.
  • • Soot Puff, once: one creature within 5 feet has disadvantage on its next attack roll.

Duchess Snout

AC 11 · HP 9 · Speed 35 ft.

Traits

  • • Beloved: villagers become upset if she is hurt on purpose.
  • • Greedy Nose: advantage on checks to find food.

Actions

  • • Bump: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., 1 bludgeoning damage, usually accidental.

Rewards

  • Each character receives a festival ribbon worth no gold but lots of local goodwill.
  • The fire spirit grants one ember token that can light a campfire in heavy rain.

Scaling Notes

  • For very nervous beginners, make the goblins surrender after one good hit.
  • For confident players, add a fourth ash-goblin and a swinging lantern hazard in Scene 3.