In Shadowdark, the bandit is a “hard-bitten rogue in tattered leathers and a hooded cloak.” The bandit is the quintessential low-level foe in both Shadowdark (Level 1) and in 5e (CR 1/8). They make for excellent fodder for parties at early levels and can be useful minions.
The nice thing about bandits is that they can be encountered anywhere. While they are usually going to be found on the road, they might appear in settlements or even camping in the wilderness. I tried to make them a bit more meaty in one of the encounter seeds with some added alchemical weapons. There are also social opportunities.
Encounter Seed: As the party is traveling, they can hear what sounds like arguing from a distance of far. They observe two men pushing each other with a third man trying to get them to calm down. If the party gets close enough to hear what they are saying, they are arguing over the suitability of the area as an ambush point for merchants. They are three disorganized bandits.
Encounter Seed: An elderly-looking man with a cart stops the party on the road. He has several vials of various colored liquids and asks the party if they want to buy any potions. While the party is distracted, six bandits sneak behind them. They demand money from the party. If combat starts or seems inevitable, the elderly-looking man (disguised bandit) throws one of the vials in the direction of the party, causing a blinding fog to surround in a near-sized cube. [Mechanics: Vial of Blinding Fog: lasts 1d4+1 rounds. Anyone within the cube, including the bandits, has disadvantage on attacks. Vial of Fire: Where the vial breaks, a ball of fire ignites all flammable items within double-near; causes 1d6 damage. Vial of Acid: Has the same properties as acid arrow but the acidic damage only lasts 1d4+1 rounds. Also has a healing potion]
Encounter Seed: A brazen group of twelve bandits enter a tavern late at night and brazenly demands everyone’s money. One group of humans chooses to resist, and combat ensues. Most of the remaining patrons panic and try to get out. The bandits seem surprised because they were not expecting resistance.
Adventure Seed: A merchant and his family have gone missing while traveling between two settlements. Guards interrogated several bandits who denied any involvement but did admit to the location of a bandit camp in the forest. The merchant’s partners are willing to pay a reward for any information on the whereabouts of the merchant and his family.
Adventure Seed: A courier has an important message that could prevent an impending war. The most expeditious route travels through an area known for wolves, goblins, and a particularly aggressive group of bandits. Going the safer route might lead to the message arriving too late.
Ridiculous Adventure Seed: A settlement is holding a public trial for a group of accused bandits. Perhaps they are guilty, but the evidence is absurd. The color of a farmer’s apples, the direction the wind moves when they speak, and the shapes of their heads are all used as evidence against them. Indeed, there is almost no actual evidence against them.
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This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at https://www.dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ legalcode.