TEXT: Short Encounters for
  Characters of Any Level
  by Alan Tucker
  
  HEY, MISTER
  CAN YOU HELP ME?
   
  A series of short encounters and story hooks
  that may cause your party
  to never trust a child again…
  Designed for characters of all levels
  by ALAN TUCKER
  Edited by Linda May
  Artwork by the Fine Folks at the DMsGuild & Alan Tucker
   
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  A Collection of Short Encounters for D&D 5e Characters of All Levels  •  3
  The Innocence of YouTh
  Included herein are seven short encounters— 
  side quests, if you will— to intrigue, distract, or 
  introduce a new adventure hook to your party 
  within whatever campaign setting you might be 
  running. All of them are presented to spark the 
  DM’s imagination and springboard into something 
  new and different for your play session.
  Terrains vary from urban to wilderness and 
  each is presented with a suggested average 
  party level at the beginning, but they can all be 
  adjusted in difficulty by substituting various 
  elements as detailed within each description. 
  If you enjoy this collection of encounters, please take a moment to rate it
  and leave a comment or review! And be sure to check out my other products!
  Alan Tucker also writes fantasy and science fiction novels and you can find 
  links to all of his books (several are FREE!) at www.AlanTucker.net
  PWYW!
  FREE!
  
  4  •  Hey, Mister Can You Help Me?
  Double Tap
  parTY level as presenTeD: 1-2
  can be aDapTeD To parTY levels: 3-5
  envIronmenT: urban or WIlDerness
  A small child approaches you as you begin your 
  meal. “Excuse me, sir. My ma and pa are sick. Can 
  you help me?” She looks at you with tear-filled 
  eyes, wearing a dirty dress and her feet are bare.
  The child’s name is Irma and she’s confused as 
  to what’s happening to her mother and father.
  She will lead the party to her home— either 
  a shabby room in a creaky tenement building 
  or a run-down farmhouse, depending on what 
  location serves your campaign best— and show 
  them where her parents have been resting. 
  Unfortunately, they have both passed on and 
  been raised as zombies by an unknown force.
  ZombIe
  Medium undead, neutral evil (MM page 316)
  Armor Class 8
  Hit Points 22 (3d8 +9)
  Speed 20 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   13 (+1) 
  6 (-1) 
  16 (+3) 
  3 (-4) 
  6 (-2) 
  5 (-3)
  Saving Throws Wis +0
  Immunities poison; poisoned, prone
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces the zombie to 0 hit points, it 
  must make a Con save vs. DC 5 +the amount of damage taken, unless 
  the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On success, the zombie 
  drops to 1 hit point instead. 
  Actions
  Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.                 
  Hit: 4 (1d6 +1) bludgeoning damage.
  Irma will scream and either run, or try to attack 
  the party who is hurting her parents as she 
  doesn’t understand what has happened.
  The DM can expand the problem by having 
  more of the residents in the building become 
  zombies, or animals on the farm rise as undead 
  versions to terrorize the countryside. Is there 
  a crazed necromancer running amok, or has 
  something gotten into the food supply to cause 
  this terrible plague?
  Ultimately, Irma will need someone to care for 
  her, which can give the party some role playing 
  opportunities with the neighbors or nearby 
  relatives. Maybe Irma will bear a life-long grudge 
  against the party for murdering her parents 
  and do everything she can to become powerful 
  enough to take her revenge someday!
  alTernaTIves:
  To increase the difficulty of the encounter, the 
  DM can substitute other types of undead, such 
  as ghouls or specters, or even wights, to replace 
  the zombies. Giving the zombies more hit points, 
  or higher damage attacks can also bump up the 
  challenge for a more powerful party.
  Page 217 of Volo’s Guide to Monsters has a 
  typical 12th level necromancer statted out to act 
  as possibly a recurring villain, or an end boss 
  for this encounter if the party is of higher level 
  (6th and above). You can also scale down the 
  necromancer’s stats for a lower level party to 
  take on if desired.
  
  A Collection of Short Encounters for D&D 5e Characters of All Levels  •  5
  soul of The foresT
  parTY level as presenTeD: 2-4
  can be aDapTeD To parTY levels: 3 anD up
  envIronmenT: WIlDerness
  Traveling along the fairly well-worn path, up ahead 
  you see a small form, huddled by itself next to a tree.
  As the players approach…
  Closer inspection reveals the object in question to 
  be a little girl, probably about five or six years old. 
  She looks up at you, with a mixture of joy and 
  relief in her eyes, and says, “I’m so hungry. Can 
  you help me?”
  If the party offers her some food, she will gladly 
  reveal, between bites, her name is Bea— short 
  for Beatrice—  and she’s been sitting here for 
  a very long time. Her friend is in trouble back 
  in the woods and she would very much like the 
  adventurers to come help.
  If pressed for more information, she will 
  describe her friend as the “tree girl” and insist 
  that she needs help from the “bogey man” that 
  has her trapped.
  Bea can direct the party to the dryad’s tree, 
  which is just a few minutes travel off the path.
  DrYaD
  Medium fey, neutral (MM page 121)
  Armor Class 11 (16 with barkskin)
  Hit Points 22 (5d8)
  Speed 30 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   10 (+0) 
  12 (+1) 
  11 (+0) 
  14 (+2) 
  15 (+2) 
  18 (+4)
  Skills Perception +4, Stealth +5
  Resistances advantage on saving throws vs. magic
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
  Languages Elvish, Sylvan
  Challenge 1 (200 XP)
  Speak with Beasts and Plants. The dryad can communicate with both 
  beasts and plants at will. 
  Fey Charm. The dryad currently has Bea charmed and cannot charm 
  another humanoid unless she releases the child. 
  The dryad’s tree is covered in strange, oily 
  vines. If the party finds means to communicate 
  with her— either through knowing one of her 
  languages, or some kind of magic— she will warn 
  them of danger just before the redcap attacks.
  reDcap
  Small fey, Chaotic Evil (Volo’s page 188)
  Armor Class 13
  Hit Points 45 (6d6 +24)
  Speed 25 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   10 (+0) 
  12 (+1) 
  11 (+0) 
  14 (+2) 
  15 (+2) 
  18 (+4)
  Skills Athletics +6, Perception +3
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
  Languages Common, Sylvan
  Challenge 3 (700 XP)
  Iron Boots. While moving, the redcap has disadvantage on Stealth checks.
  Outsize Strength. While grappling, the redcap is considered to 
  be Medium sized. Also, wielding a heavy weapon doesn’t impose 
  disadvantage on its attack rolls.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The redcap makes 3 attacks with its wicked sickle.
  Wicked Sickle. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. 
  Hit: 9 (2d4 +4) slashing damage.
  Ironbound Pursuit. The redcap moves up to its speed to a creature it 
  can see and kicks with its iron boots. The target must succeed on a DC 
  14 Dex saving throw or take 20 (3d10 +4) bludgeoning damage and 
  be knocked prone.
  The redcap found a scroll with a spell to bind 
  the dryad from escaping and ordered her to lure 
  creatures here for it to murder, or it would kill her 
  and Bea’s family, who live in a farmhouse nearby, 
  instead. This seemed like a clever way to make 
  sure its cap was always fresh with blood without 
  having to do all the work of finding things to kill.
  Reluctantly, the dryad charmed Bea in hope of 
  finding a band of hardy adventurers to come slay 
  the redcap. She didn’t like using the little girl 
  this way, but didn’t see any alternative since she 
  couldn’t fight the evil fey herself.
  The redcap’s death releases the magic and 
  the dryad, along with Bea and her family, will 
  be extremely grateful to the party, though they 
  won’t have much to offer in the way of reward. 
  alTernaTIves:
  An additional redcap can be added if the party is 
  particularly strong, or a more sinister creature of 
  the DM’s choice can be substituted.
  Story hooks can come in the form of something 
  the dryad knows about the surrounding area, or the 
  party could find something in the redcap’s stash of 
  trinkets in a cave close by, where it has resided.
  
  6  •  Hey, Mister Can You Help Me?
  WITh frIenDs lIke These…
  parTY level as presenTeD: 2-4
  can be aDapTeD To parTY levels: anY
  envIronmenT: urban
  It’s late afternoon and the marketplace you’ve 
  been shopping in is about to close for the day. 
  You’ve just completed your final purchase when 
  you hear a mournful sob from the corner of a 
  building a few feet from you.
  Noticing your attention, a little girl looks up with 
  tears in her eyes. She wipes her nose and asks, 
  “Can you help me?”
  The girl’s name is Ellie, but her friends know her 
  as Shank. She’s an aspiring member of the local 
  thieves’ guild and looking for her first mark of 
  the evening.
  Ellie will spin a yarn of terror and woe, saying 
  that she and her younger sister were captured by 
  two men last night who did unspeakable things 
  to them. Ellie managed to escape earlier today, 
  but her sister is still in their clutches. 
  If the party asks, she asserts that she can 
  remember the way back to the hideout and 
  would be ever-so-thankful if the players can 
  assist in recovering her sister. She will protest 
  if the adventurers wish to involve the local law 
  enforcement, saying that she and her sister are 
  orphans and the locals don’t take kindly to street 
  urchins, possibly even selling them as slaves!
  If the party agrees to help, Ellie will lead them 
  on a meandering route, ending in a dead end 
  alley and a door where she says she and her 
  sister were taken. Hiding amongst the garbage 
  in the shadowed alley, however, are a number of 
  thugs, looking for trouble.
  Thug
  Medium humanoid, any non-good alignment (MM page 350)
  Armor Class 11 (leather armor)
  Hit Points 32 (5d8 +10)
  Speed 30 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   15 (+2) 
  11 (+1) 
  14 (+2) 
  10 (+0) 
  10 (+0) 
  11 (+0)
  Senses passive Perception 10
  Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
  Pack Tactics. Thugs have advantage on attack rolls against a creature if 
  at least one of the thugs’ allies are active and within 5 ft.
  Actions
  Mace (2 att.) Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.   
  Hit: 5 (1d6 +2) bludgeoning damage. 
  Heavy Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, range 100/400 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 5 (1d10) piercing damage.
  ellIe (shank)
  Small humanoid, chaotic neutral, level 1 rogue (PHB page 94)
  Armor Class 14
  Hit Points 8 (1d8)
  Speed 25 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   8 (-1) 
  16 (+3) 
  10 (+0) 
  12 (+1) 
  12 (+2) 
  14 (+2)
  Skills Deception +4, Perception +2, Performance +4
  Senses passive Perception 12
  Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
  Sneak Attack. Ellie does an extra 1d6 damage once per turn if she hits 
  with an attack she has advantage on or if an ally is within 5 ft. of her target.
  Dagger (2 att.) Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. 
  Hit: 2 (1d4) piercing damage. 
  Ellie will cower and attempt to hide once combat 
  starts, looking for an opportunity to surprise the 
  party, or escape if things are going poorly.
  As a general rule, use one thug per party 
  member at 2nd level and add one for each level 
  above that (i.e. for a party of four 4th level 
  players, six thugs should be used).
  If the players manage to defeat the thugs and 
  Ellie is captured, she will do her best to convince 
  the party that she only did this because her 
  sister truly is in danger and she had to find 
  people for the men to rob or they’d kill her. She 
  will try to escape at the first opportunity.
  alTernaTIves:
  The thugs’ stats, as well as Ellie’s, are obviously 
  very scalable for stronger parties. Plus, an 
  outnumbered party is always at somewhat of a 
  disadvantage, even against weaker foes.
  Fun twists could include a higher level Ellie, 
  whose natural talents have moved her up 
  quickly in the thieves’ guild ranks. Perhaps she 
  is in charge of this group of thugs, rather than 
  the other way around.
  Other hooks include particular members of 
  the party have been designated as person(s) of 
  interest by nefarious influences in the city, or 
  even marked for death, and Ellie can provide 
  information regarding such circumstances.
  
  A Collection of Short Encounters for D&D 5e Characters of All Levels  •  7
  hansel, Is ThaT You?
  parTY level as presenTeD: 3-5
  can be aDapTeD To parTY levels: 5-8
  envIronmenT: WIlDerness (foresT/sWamp)
  Moving through a particularly dense area of 
  foliage, you are surprised to come across a young 
  girl. She is sitting calmly in the dark wood, 
  playing with what looks like a doll made of sticks 
  and vines.
  She looks up at you, apparently unafraid, and 
  says, “Hi. What’s your name?”
  The girl appears to be nine or ten years old and 
  is well-fed and, though her clothing is crude, it 
  seems to be in good repair. Her name is Marie.
  Marie will happily chat with the players. She 
  lives nearby with her Auntie Tilda and her doll’s 
  name is Bertram. 
  At some point in the conversation, she will 
  pause briefly, then ask if the party would like 
  to meet her Auntie Tilda. If the players accept, 
  Marie will lead them to her home— a decrepit 
  stone building that might have once been a 
  small guard tower or outpost, but has completely 
  overgrown with sickly, dark vines and loose 
  stones litter the ground. Auntie Tilda is a green 
  hag and this is her lair. 
  green hag
  Medium fey, neutral evil (MM page 177)
  Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 82 (11d8 +33)
  Speed 30 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   18 (+4) 
  12 (+1) 
  16 (+3) 
  13 (+1) 
  14 (+2) 
  14 (+2)
  Skills: Perception +4, Deception +4, Stealth +3, Arcana +3
  Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
  Challenge 3 (700 XP)
  Innate Spellcasting. Auntie Tilda can cast each of these at will (spell 
  save DC 12): dancing lights, minor illusion, vicious mockery
  Actions
  Illusory Appearance. The hag covers herself and anything she is 
  wearing or carrying with a magical illusion that makes her look like 
  another creature of similar size and humanoid shape.
  Invisible Passage. The hag magically turns invisible until she attacks 
  or casts a spell. While invisible, she leaves no physical evidence of her 
  passage.
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.                
  Hit: 13 (2d8 +4) slashing damage
  Lair Actions: On an initiative count of 20 (losing ties) Auntie Tilda 
  can pass through walls, doors, ceilings and floors as if they weren’t 
  there until the next turn. Or she can target any number of doors 
  and windows that she can see, causing them to open or close as she 
  wishes. Closed doors can be magically locked, requiring a DC 20 Str 
  check to open.
  As a third option, she can create an illusory copy of herself, which 
  appears in its own space. As long as Auntie Tilda can see her duplicate, 
  she can move it a distance equal to her normal speed and even 
  speak with it on her turn. The duplicate can take no actions, but can 
  interact with its environment and even pick up and hold real objects. 
  The illusion disappears if any damage is done to it, dropping any real 
  objects it may have been carrying.
  Auntie Tilda is training Marie to take a place in 
  her coven in a few years, but has grown bored of 
  late since no one has come seeking her aid with 
  their petty mortal problems in quite some time. 
  The appearance of the adventurers has piqued 
  her interest and she telepathically instructs 
  Marie, via a small token Marie carries with her, 
  to bring them to the lair.
  Auntie Tilda is not seeking combat with the 
  party, but will defend herself if necessary. 
  If the battle isn’t going in her favor, she will 
  use any means available to escape, including 
  putting Marie into harm’s way if she has no 
  other options. Auntie Tilda may be interested in 
  something the party has in its possession, or 
  she may have a task for them to undertake in 
  exchange for a boon of some sort if the players 
  are willing to negotiate with her. The DM can 
  decide what story hooks to dangle in front of the 
  party at this point.
  alTernaTIves:
  To increase the difficulty of the encounter, 
  a second hag of the coven could be present, 
  enabling coven actions and shared spellcasting 
  to aid in a combat situation. Consult the MM 
  page 176 for a list of spells or Volo’s Guide, page 
  58 for more options.
  If the DM wants to have the encounter in a 
  more hilly or mountainous area, one or more 
  annis hags could be used instead (Volo’s page 
  159), also increasing the difficulty in a combat-
  oriented encounter.
  
  8  •  Hey, Mister Can You Help Me?
  The soul of revenge
  parTY level as presenTeD: 3-5
  can be aDapTeD To parTY levels: anY
  envIronmenT: urban
  You stop to admire some finely crafted items in a 
  store window when you feel a tug at your jerkin.
  “Hey, Mister. Can you help me?” A young waif 
  says, looking up at you with expressive brown 
  eyes. She’s dressed in rags and her face is 
  smudged with dirt.
  The girl’s name is Rosie and she’s been sent 
  to lure the party— one specific member, 
  preferably— to her mother or father, who is 
  holed up in an abandoned shack, an unused 
  livery, or possibly a room in an unsavory inn.
  Use some aspect of one of your party’s 
  backstory, or an incident in their adventuring 
  exploits, to explain the revenant that seeks 
  revenge in order for its soul to be laid to rest. 
  The child, Rosie, has stayed with their undead 
  parent and is desperate to help them exact the 
  revenge they desire. She doesn’t understand 
  that once this happens, she’ll lose her parent 
  forever. She thinks that she’s working to cure 
  the strange disease or curse that has affected 
  her mother or father.
  revenanT
  Medium undead, neutral (MM page 259)
  Armor Class 13 (leather armor— or adjust to make appropriate)
  Hit Points 136 (16d8 +64)
  Speed 30 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   18 (+4) 
  14 (+2) 
  18 (+4) 
  13 (+1) 
  16 (+3) 
  18 (+4)
  Saving Throws Str +7, Con +7, Wis +6, Cha +7
  Immunities poison; charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, 
  poisoned, stunned; turn undead
  Resistances necrotic and psychic damage
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
  Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
  Regeneration. The revenant gains 10 hit points at the start of its turn, 
  unless it suffered fire or radiant damage the previous turn. Its body is 
  destroyed only if it is reduced to 0 hit points and doesn’t regenerate. 
  Actions
  Fist (2 att.) Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. 
  Hit: 11 (2d6 +4) bludgeoning damage. If the target is one who the 
  revenant has sworn vengeance upon, they take an extra 14 (4d6) 
  bludgeoning damage.
  Vengeful Glare. the revenant chooses one target it can see within 30 
  ft. that it has sworn vengeance upon. The target must make a DC 15 
  Wis saving throw or be paralyzed until the revenant deals damage to 
  it, or the end of the revenant’s next turn. When the paralysis ends, the 
  target is frightened of the revenant for 1 minute.
  Even if the revenant is defeated in this encounter, 
  it will Rejuvenate (see entry in the MM) after 
  24 hours and continue its quest for vengeance 
  until a year has passed since the incident which 
  incited its creation.
  Rosie, now parentless, is another loose end 
  for the players to attempt to tie up— either 
  figuratively or literally!
  alTernaTIves:
  Instead of the revenant seeking revenge upon 
  members of the party, Rosie has been sent to 
  find aid for her parent in dealing vengeance 
  to someone else within the town who wronged 
  them in the past, but the revenant has, thus far, 
  been unsuccessful in its quest.
  The target could be a powerful noble, an 
  influential cleric or wizard, or any other entity 
  the DM wishes to put in front of the party. Time 
  may be running out in the revenant’s year before 
  its soul is lost forever. It will insist on joining the 
  adventurers, its hunger for revenge unrelenting 
  until the deed is finished.
  
  A Collection of Short Encounters for D&D 5e Characters of All Levels  •  9
  mY mInD To Your mInD
  parTY level as presenTeD: 4-6
  can be aDapTeD To parTY levels: 7 & up
  envIronmenT: urban
  Walking past an alley next to a crowded street, 
  you hear a small voice sobbing. A closer look 
  reveals a young girl crouched down with her head 
  in her hands.
  She looks up with tears in her eyes as you 
  approach. “My brother got lost in the sewers. Can 
  you help me?”
  The girl’s name is Tess and she’s unfortunately 
  become the victim of an intellect devourer. 
  The devourer was traveling with its master, a 
  mind flayer, to scout out areas for a potential 
  lair. They ran afoul of some stout members of 
  the local thieves’ guild in the city’s underground 
  tunnels and the mind flayer was badly injured 
  before managing to flee and hide, while its 
  assailants retreated to tend to their own 
  wounded. The illithid’s plane shift ability won’t 
  be available again until tomorrow and it’s in 
  desperate need of a brain to help it heal. The 
  intellect devourer went in search of aid and first 
  found the unlucky Tess, playing near a drainage 
  grate. It is now using her to lure some juicy, 
  unsuspecting brains down to its master. 
  InTellecT Devourer
  Tiny aberration, lawful evil (MM page 191)
  Armor Class 12
  Hit Points 21 (6d4 +6)
  Speed 40 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   6 (-2) 
  14 (+2) 
  13 (+1) 
  12 (+1) 
  11 (+0) 
  10 (+0)
  Skills Stealth +4, Perception +2
  Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non-
  magical attacks
  Senses blindsight 60 ft., blind beyond, passive Perception 12
  Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft., one target.                 
  Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) slashing damage.
  Devour Intellect. DC 12 Intelligence save or take 11 (2d10) psychic 
  damage and the DM rolls 3d6 against character’s intelligence score. 
  If the roll is equal to or greater to the adventurer’s intelligence, their 
  score is reduced to 0 and the character is stunned until they regain at 
  least 1 point of intelligence.
  Body Thief. The intellect devourer can initiate an intelligence contest 
  with an incapacitated humanoid within 5 ft. that isn’t protected by 
  a protection from evil and good spell. Success means the devourer 
  magically consumes the target’s brain and teleports into its skull, 
  taking control of the body.
  If the party suspects Tess is up to no good before the 
  intellect devourer is able to lead them to its master, 
  it will attempt to Devour Intellect of the party 
  member it thinks will be the most susceptible to the 
  ability and try to use that character to overpower the 
  rest of the party.
  If it can get the party close enough to its master, 
  the intellect devourer will shy away from any conflict, 
  seeking to keep its child host safe since the ruse 
  worked so well. The mind flayer will first use its Mind 
  Blast ability, then attempt to grapple and consume 
  the brains of any incapacitated adventurers. 
  InjureD mInD flaYer
  Medium aberration, lawful evil (MM page 222)
  Armor Class 15
  Hit Points 26 (13d8 +13) (injured)
  Speed 30 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   11 (+0) 
  12 (+1) 
  12 (+1) 
  19 (+4) 
  17 (+3) 
  17 (+3)
  Skills Arcana +7, Deception +6, Insight +6, Perception +6,      
  Persuasion +6, Stealth +4
  Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 16, telepathy 120 ft.
  Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) (lowered because of its injured status)
  Magic Resistance. Advantage on saving throws vs. spells and magic
  Innate Spells. (DC 15) At will: detect thoughts, levitate
   1/day each: dominate monster, plane shift (self only) (already used)
  Tentacles. +7 to hit; damage 15 (2d10 +4) psychic, grappled (DC 15) 
  and save or be stunned until grapple ends (DC 15 Int).
  Extract Brain. +7 to hit; damage 55 (10d10) vs. grappled target, if 
  damage reduces target to zero, target is killed and mind flayer 
  extracts and devours its brain.
  Mind Blast (Recharge 5-6). 60 ft. cone attack; damage 22 (4d8 +4) and 
  stun for one minute, save (DC 15) Int for half and no stun.
  DMs use caution with this encounter as it can go 
  badly for the players very quickly with an unlucky roll 
  or two if they are not prepared.
  alTernaTIves:
  If your party is of higher level, you can reduce the 
  severity of the mind flayer’s injury, or even give it 
  some companions, like quaggoths (MM page 256) 
  or troglodytes (MM page 290).
  This encounter can be the hook for a larger 
  infestation of illithids beneath the city, who have 
  grown bold enough to begin investigating the 
  world above in search of new feeding grounds or 
  gaining political influence within the city.
  
  10  •  Hey, Mister Can You Help Me?
  The joke’s on You
  parTY level as presenTeD: anY
  can be aDapTeD To parTY levels: anY
  envIronmenT: urban
  Walking down a crowded street, you feel a tug at 
  your belt. After checking for missing valuables, 
  you look down to see a young, human child.
  “Hey, Mister. Can you help me?” The girl is clothed 
  in simple linens and wools and has dirt smudged 
  on her face. She is rather gaunt and appears to 
  be six or seven years old.
  She will introduce herself as Ava and is actually 
  a copper dragon in disguise, looking for a bit of 
  fun on a dull day.
  Ava will tell the adventurer(s) that she and 
  her brother were playing and exploring in the 
  tunnels beneath the city when he fell and hurt 
  his ankle. She came back to the surface, looking 
  for help. 
  In reality, Ava just wants to watch the party 
  slog through the disgusting sewers, slipping and 
  falling in the muck and mire, as a distraction to 
  her recently uneventful life.
  Have the players make multiple Dexterity 
  checks to avoid slipping in the slime and falling 
  in pools of raw sewage and refuse. Ava, all the 
  while, will cheerfully lead the way, apologizing 
  profusely about forgetting to tell the following 
  party about that “extra slippy spot” which she 
  seems to always deftly avoid. She’ll also pretend 
  to not remember the way back to her fictional 
  brother, whose name she says is Sean, and make 
  the party backtrack multiple times. Be sure to 
  describe in detail how they look and smell after 
  several minutes of trailing the mischievous, 
  disguised dragon through her makeshift maze.
  Once they seem to be getting angry and 
  belligerent about the excursion, Ava will lead 
  them to her lair through a secret passage in 
  the tunnels. She has fashioned a huge space 
  that lies deep beneath a wishing well in the city. 
  Occasionally, the players will hear the tinkling 
  of a copper piece or two trickling down from the 
  well and into an enormous pile of coins in the 
  center of the chamber. Ava will transform into 
  her true form, once inside, and apologize for the 
  mess she’s left the adventurers in.
  If the party is good-natured about the ruse 
  after realizing that Ava has simply played a trick 
  on them, she may offer them a trinket or boon 
  for being good sports. If a bard is among the 
  party members, she will invite them to play a 
  song or tell a story and might even offer them 
  employment if she likes what she hears.
  aDulT copper Dragon
  Huge dragon, chaotic good (MM page 111)
  Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 184 (16d12 +80)
  Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft., fly 80 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   23 (+6) 
  12 (+1) 
  21 (+5) 
  18 (+4) 
  15 (+2) 
  17 (+3)
  Saving Throws Cha +8, Con +10, Dex +6, Wis +7
  Skills Perception +12, Deception +8, Stealth +6
  Immunities acid
  Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 22
  Challenge 14 (11,500 XP)
  Legendary Resistances. 3/day, If the dragon fails a saving throw, she 
  can choose to succeed instead. See the MM page 111 for Legendary 
  Actions the dragon can take each turn in addition to regular actions.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The dragon can use her Frightful Presence, then makes 3 
  attacks, one with her bite and 2 claw attacks.
  Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon’s choice within 120 ft. 
  and aware of her must make a Wis save against DC 16 or be frightened 
  for 1 minute. The creature may attempt the save again at the end of each 
  of its turns. If successful, they are immune to the effect for 24 hours.
  Bite. +11 to hit, reach 10 ft.;  17 (2d10 +6) piercing damage
  Claw. +11 to hit, reach 5 ft.; 13 (2d6 +6) slashing damage
  Tail. +11 to hit, reach 15 ft.; 15 (2d8 +6) bludgeoning damage
  Breath Weapon (Recharge 5-6). The dragon has access to 2 breath 
  weapons, one of which she can use as her action for that turn:
  Acid Breath. The dragon exhales acid in a 60 ft. line, 5 ft. wide and 
  each creature in that line must make a Dex save vs. DC 18 or take 54 
  (12d8) damage (half on a successful save).
  Slowing Breath. The dragon exhales gas in a 60-foot cone and each 
  creature in the area must make a Con save vs. DC 18 or suffer the effects: 
  speed halved, one attack per turn, and no reactions may be used. 
  alTernaTIves:
  Any number of plot hooks are available to the 
  DM with this encounter and can be used for 
  parties of any level. Ava can become a patron 
  of sorts, feeding the party information about 
  the city and its denizens, or she can call upon 
  them to perform tasks she is unable to herself 
  because of her size or nature.
  If the party’s alignment or behavior is 
  questionable to Ava, she could also become a 
  powerful adversary.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Tables & Charts/Encounters/Fantasy/DMs Guild - Hey, Mister Can You Help Me [v2].pdf