Adventure 120

Adventure #120
Theme
Goal
Story Hook
Plot
Climax
General Setting
Specific Setting
I
Specific Setting
II
Master Villain
Minor Villain I
Minor Villain II
Ally/Neutral
Monster
Encounter
Character
Encounter
Deathtrap
Chase
Horror
This type of adventure is designed to scare both the characters and the players. Just having a monster attack is not
enough for a horror theme; the monster must first frighten the characters.
Escape
Early in the adventure, the heroes are captured. The remainder of the adventure consists of them learning enough so
that they can escape. They have to get to know their fellow prisoners, learn the prison's routine, inventory their
possessions, acquire other possessions they need, plan an escape, and execute it.
Legend and Rumor
In this classic story hook, the hero stumbles across some new or long-forgotten knowledge that promises great
treasure or gain.
Accumulation of Elements
In this sort of plot, the heroes have to go from place to place -- perhaps covering very little area like a city, perhaps
roaming the known world -- and accumulate elements to be used against the Master Villain. These elements may be
clues, pieces of an artifact, evidence, or allies.
Throne Room Duel
This is set up much like the Scattered Duels, except that you don't separate the heroes. It's harder to control whom
fights who in this situation... but if it doesn't matter who has the final duel with the Master Villain, this is a classic
climax choice.
Under the Ground
In this variety of adventure, the heroes descend into vast cavern networks beneath the earth's crust. There, they can
encounter bizarre races and primitive tribes, hitherto-unknown monsters and strange landscapes.
Catacombs
These can be catacombs beneath a living city or a ruined one; they can be long-forgotten or still in use.
Tavern/Inn
This is a classic fantasy setting, the residence of travelling heroes and the home of the tavern brawl.
Organizer
This Master Villain is the head of the local criminal syndicate -- the Thieve's Guild or slaver ring, for instance. He's
cold-hearted and unsympathetic, and human life means nothing to him. He employs assassins and musclemen
against the heroes, and can only be reasoned with when it's going to profit him more to cooperate with the heroes
than kill them.
Hard-Eyed Advisor
This is the sort of villain whom the heroes see in the Master Villain's throne room. He's hard-eyed and scary; life
means nothing to him and he enjoys killing. He's also a good advisor to his master.
Single-Minded Soldier
This most trustworthy of villain minions is the experienced, competent, persistent soldier -- a field-trained officer
who serves the villain with military precision. He is usually encountered in the field as leader of the villain's field
operations. He is not encountered directly until the middle of or the latter part of the adventure; until then, the heroes
encounter only his subordinates.
Inquisitive Chronicler
This character is a historian who wishes to accompany the heroes to record their exploits. He constantly pries into
the heroes' backgrounds, asking questions that are none of his business, as the adventure continues.
Terrain Monster
Don't forget the simple run-in with the animal belonging to the terrain where the heroes are: Every type of
wilderness has its predators and big, nasty herbivores.
Press Gang
In any port city, the heroes, in a tavern or hostel, may find themselves set upon by ruffians employed by the city;
these ruffians use clubs and strike to subdue. If the heroes fight and beat the ruffians, they find themselves wanted
by the law for assaulting officers of the peace. And if they fight and lose, they wake up to find themselves sailors,
headed far away from their quest! Now they must decide whether they're going to jump ship, mutiny, or just settle
down toa few years of seafaring life.
Stampede
Should the heroes ever cross plains or prairies, their villainous enemies may wish to stampede a herd of large
animals at them. Alternatively, beasts in the forest may be stampeded by fires set by the villains; in this case, it will
not be one sort of animal charging through, but a mixture of terrified forest animals, from the smallest fox-cub to the
largest bear.
Endurance
The Endurance Chase is not some sort of climactic chase -- it's a rugged, tiring, persistent pursuit that tests the
characters to their limits. In this chase, the heroes and villains are pursuing one another across a lot of territory and
they're not catching up with one another very fast. This may be a horseback pursuit across a hundred miles of
savannah, a camel chase across several days' worth of desert, or a chase across arctic tundra.
Hero Fulfills Prophecy
Omen/Prophesy This is the most useful sort of prophecy. In the early part of the adventure, one of the heroes discovers that he fulfills
some ancient prophecy.
Secret Embarrassment
Finally, the villain may have some aberration or secret shame that will force him to flee when he is confronted with
Secret Weakness it. It could be something as simple as the fact that his nose is too big, or that he is a small and nebbishly wizard
pretending to be some vast, powerful demonic power. When his shame is revealed, he is too humiliated to continue;
this is a good option for comedy adventures.
Time Limit
Finally, the most obvious condition to place on an adventure is to give it a time limit. If the Master Villain is going
Special
to conclude his evil spell in only three days, and his citadel is three hard days' riding away, then the heroes are going
Condition
to be on the go all throughout the adventure -- with little time to rest, plan, gather allies, or anything except get to
where they're going.
Respect Quandry
This is much like the Ally Quandry, only at a greater distance. The heroes have been utilizing the aid of two (or
Moral Quandry more) powerful NPC allies. Now, in the course of the adventure, the heroes come across a task which can be
accomplished in one of two ways -- say, through military intervention or by esoteric magic. The problem is, the
NPC allies are arguing for different choices, and the one whom the heores choose against will no longer aid them.
Lying Rumor
Red Herring This is the worst and most useful type of red herring -- the interesting rumor which just happens to be false. In
adventures of this sort, the best Lying Rumor concerns the Master Villain; it gives the heroes some "important"
information about him which later turns out to be useless.
Villain is Related to Hero
Cruel Trick In this very irritating complication, one of the heroes discovers that the Master Villain is related to him. The villain
might be his long-lost father or twin; perhaps this relative is not long-lost after all, but has secretly been a Master
Villain for years, and only now has the hero discovered it.

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Adventure #120

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