“Session Zero Tutorial”
Difficulty: This is a tutorial to use during session 0 to teach new players
Run Time: 30-60 minutes.
Summary
A Tutorial battle that teaches attack and damage rolls, spell saves, movement, death saves, character death, introduces backup characters, and ends in a TPK. A skill challenge to teach skill uses, advantage, and inspiration. A scene to promote roleplay and story.
Setup: Goblin Ambush!
Enemy: Goblin(MM166)
In addition to their starting gear, give each member of the party a healing potion. The party is on the road traveling. Have each player roll a perception check against the Goblin's stealth of DC16. Anyone who fails is surprised for the start of the battle. 16 Goblins attack from the cover of the trees. Each goblin has half cover and are in pairs in all 8 directions 80 feet away from the party. The goblins fire arrows and retreat to behind trees farther away, trying to keep 80ft distance between them and the party members. Have the goblins move out of threat range to allow attacks of opportunity as well so that you can demonstrate that. Roll the attacks and damage dice for the goblins in the open at the same time to help demonstrate how attack and damage is rolled. Have one of the goblins be a priest with the cantrip sacred flame. Use that to demonstrate spell saving throws. When a party member is downed, use that as an opportunity to explain healing potions and remind your players that they each have one. Have the goblins shoot at downed PCs and explain death saves. Have goblins make melee attacks again downed PCs. When a PC dies, have the player roll initiative for their backup character and that character arrives right away to join the battle. If the players defeat the goblins, before a player dies, be sure to demonstrate the mechanics for them after the battle. Ask the party if they understand the following mechanics: Movement, Bonus Actions, spell saves, attack and damage rolls, death saves, potions, half cover, surprise, initiative, critical hits, and attacks of opportunity.
Investigation: Tracking the goblins.
Skill Challenge: The following format is only a suggested method of doing non-combat portions of adventures. I have found it works well in my games. Tell the party that they are tracking a group of goblin raiders that have taken captives back to their hideout. Have each PC describe what they are doing while tracking the goblins. This is like a movie montage of events, so the events don't have to be in chronological order. Each PC can do anything, and you and the PCs decide what skill is appropriate for their action. Once they have said what they are doing and you have decided what skill they will roll, they all roll their skills against the DC of the task. In this case, I recommend using 15 for the DC. If their are more failurs than successes, then the party suffers a setback. In this case, the setback is that they trigger a trap left by the goblins. Have each player roll a dexterity saving throw. The one who rolls the lowest takes 1d6+1 damage from a log suspended from vines that swings down to hit them. After a setback, reduce the DC and have them try again, with each player using a different skill from what they tried before.
Role Play: Rescuing the Villagers
After the skill challenge, tell the players arrive at the goblin base. Tell your players that this will be a roleplay encounter. Tell them, specifically, not to attempt combat. When they arrive at the base, the goblins are having some sort of celebration. The villagers who were 'kidnapped' are happily eating food and joining in the celebration. The traps in the woods were for hunting food, not intended to hurt the PCs, and the goblins are appologetic about the minunderstanding. Use this party to practice roleplaying. The villagers went with the goblins willingly, and the other villagers who said they had been kidnapped had been mistaken. Here is a list of NPCs at the party along with information that can be obtained from them.
Erroll Dundragon: Brother of the village chief, he is trying to broker a peace agreement with the goblins during the festival. He does not have his brother's permision to do so. His brother would prefer war with the goblins.
Silas Bodwyn: An archivist and historian, Silas learned of this goblin festival in his studies. On this one day, goblins will not harm anyone, even choosing to eat only carrion or plant matter on this day. He doesn't understand the origins perfectly, but thinks it is a celebration of their freedom from enslavement by some dark god long ago.
Linette Prestcote: She is looking for her brother, Samm, who was captured by the goblins. Samm is locked up in a cave and the goblins plan to sacrifice him and eat him tomorrow at the closing ceremonies of the festival.
Arla Corbin: Arla is Silas' assistant. She has a huge bag of books that she carries around, ready to produce a specific tome upon request. She is teriffied of her surroundings and wants desperately to go home.
Rath Bigbug: The goblin high priest is far into the celebration with drink and is a friendly drunk. He will gladly release Samm if the players provide some animal to substitute for the sacrifice.
Makdox Duckstomper: The goblin chieftain is open to terms of peace with the villagers. He wants control of everything this side of the river, and will promise that no goblins will cross the river, and any people on this side of the river will be considered fair game. If pressed for different terms, he will allow 1 day per month of safe travel on the road through his territory during each full moon.
Goomluga Threefingers:The Goblin Chef is cooking vegtable soup over the fire. The soup is highly alcoholic even after being cooked. She is happy to serve the PCs food and drink. The food is as safe as strong whiskey.
Luckums Stinkbottom: This goblin girl will challenge the PCs to soup drinking contest. Any PC who competes rolls a constitution saving throw DC15. On a failure they lose the contest. She will freely tell them where Samm is. She has talked to him, likes him, and doesn't want to eat him.
Wrap-Up: Session 0 Checklist
Ask your players what they liked and didn't like about how the game play felt. Go through a checklist of what themes are off-limits for them. Talk about courteous behavior and discuss PVP. I don't allow pvp without consent of both players and the DM in my games. Discuss how deadly the game shoudl be.
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