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Nerdarchy > Dungeons & Dragons  > Adventure Hooks  > Create Your Own Random Holiday Adventure with roll charts!

Create Your Own Random Holiday Adventure with roll charts!

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Tis the season for adventure! Whether you’re celebrating Winterfest, the Festival of Lights, or the Summer Solstice, there’s no better time to gather your party around the table and dive into a holiday-themed D&D session. But what if you’re short on time or inspiration? Fear not! Below are three random roll charts to generate your next great holiday escapade: the mission, the antagonist, and the holiday twist. Grab a d6 and let’s roll some festive chaos! You can check out our Winter Soiree here.


Chart 1: The Mission

  1. Retrieve a Stolen Relic A sacred holiday artifact has been stolen from the temple, and its absence is throwing the town into chaos. The party must track down the thief and recover the item before the holiday is ruined.
  2. Escort a Holiday Caravan A caravan delivering essential supplies or gifts to a remote village needs protection. Bandits, wild beasts, and mysterious snowstorms are only some of the challenges on the road.
  3. Solve a Holiday Mystery Strange things are happening in the town during the holiday celebrations. Is it a prank, a curse, or something far more sinister? The party must investigate and uncover the truth.
  4. Rescue a Captive Someone important to the holiday—like a local priest, town mayor, or even a magical creature representing the season—has been kidnapped. The party must save them before time runs out.
  5. Prepare a Magical Celebration The town’s holiday festivities rely on a magical performance, feast, or ritual. The adventurers are tasked with finding rare ingredients, gathering performers, or fixing a magical mishap.
  6. Break a Holiday Curse A supernatural blight has struck the town during the holidays, causing unnatural phenomena or transforming people into bizarre creatures. The party must break the curse and restore normalcy.

Chart 2: The Antagonist

  1. A Fey Trickster Mischievous and whimsical, this fey creature sees the holiday as the perfect time for pranks. Their actions may seem harmless at first but grow increasingly dangerous.

    Command the power of winter with Deep Magic: Winter Magic by Kobold Press. [Art by Marcel Mercado]

  2. A Grumpy Hermit An isolated spellcaster or recluse, bitter about the holiday, has taken action to disrupt the festivities. Their reasons may be tragic, petty, or both.
  3. A Band of Greedy Thieves A gang of opportunistic thieves is using the holiday as cover to rob the town blind. They’re after gold, magical artifacts, or even the holiday gifts.
  4. A Holiday Monster A creature tied to the season, such as a snow golem, krampus-like fiend, or enormous yule cat, is rampaging through the region. The party must stop it before it’s too late.
  5. A Disillusioned Cleric Once devoted to the holiday’s traditions, this former cleric now seeks revenge for a perceived betrayal by the gods or the community. Their faith warped, they’ve become a dangerous zealot.
  6. An Ancient Spirit An old, forgotten being tied to the holiday has awakened, furious that its role in the season’s traditions has been neglected or erased. It demands restitution, no matter the cost.

Chart 3: The Holiday Twist

  1. The Party Must Take On Holiday Roles Whether they become honorary gift-bearers, festival judges, or stand-ins for mythical holiday figures, the adventurers must embrace the holiday spirit to succeed.
  2. A Timed Challenge The holiday’s magical energy peaks at a specific time, giving the adventurers only a few hours to complete their mission. The clock is ticking!
  3. A Magical Holiday Zone The area is imbued with strange holiday magic. Snowmen come to life, cookies are animated, and the laws of physics bend in festive (and bizarre) ways.
  4. A Double-Cross or Betrayal An ally or patron who hired the party has their own agenda and is manipulating the adventurers. The party must figure out their true motives while completing the mission.
  5. Holiday Themed Magic Items The party receives temporary magic items tied to the holiday, like enchanted sleigh bells, a wand that shoots candy canes, or a cloak of festive invisibility.
  6. The Holiday’s True Meaning Success hinges not on combat or cleverness, but on bringing joy, reconciliation, or understanding to the antagonist or the community. A roleplay-heavy finale awaits!

Example Adventure

Let’s roll up a random holiday adventure using these charts:

  • Mission (Roll 5): Prepare a Magical Celebration
  • Antagonist (Roll 3): A Band of Greedy Thieves
  • Holiday Twist (Roll 1): The Party Must Take On Holiday Roles

Adventure Prompt: The adventurers arrive in town just as the annual Winterlight Festival is approaching. The highlight of the event is the lighting of the Eternal Hearth, a magical fire that symbolizes warmth and unity. However, the festival organizers are in a panic—a gang of thieves has stolen the magical kindling needed to light the hearth. The party must recover the stolen goods and, in the process, find themselves taking on unexpected roles, from festival organizers to performers, to ensure the celebration goes off without a hitch!


With these charts, you’ll never be short of holiday-themed adventures. Mix, match, and let your imagination run wild. Happy adventuring, and may your dice rolls be ever merry!

Thanks for reading. Until Next Time, Stay Nerdy!

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Ted Adams

The nerd is strong in this one. I received my bachelors degree in communication with a specialization in Radio/TV/Film. I have been a table top role player for over 30 years. I have played several iterations of D&D, Mutants and Masterminds 2nd and 3rd editions, Star wars RPG, Shadowrun and World of Darkness as well as mnay others since starting Nerdarchy. I am an avid fan of books and follow a few authors reading all they write. Favorite author is Jim Butcher I have been an on/off larper for around 15 years even doing a stretch of running my own for a while. I have played a number of Miniature games including Warhammer 40K, Warhammer Fantasy, Heroscape, Mage Knight, Dreamblade and D&D Miniatures. I have practiced with the art of the German long sword with an ARMA group for over 7 years studying the German long sword, sword and buckler, dagger, axe and polearm. By no strecth of the imagination am I an expert but good enough to last longer than the average person if the Zombie apocalypse ever happens. I am an avid fan of board games and dice games with my current favorite board game is Betrayal at House on the Hill.

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