Adventure #150

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

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.
Encounter Old Villain
If your campaign has a villain who shows up again and again to bedevil the heroes, then this is an episode featuring
that villain. You might wish to roll once again on this section to see what the villain's goal is.
Old Enemy
This is a straightforward story hook; the hero learns that his oldest enemy is back and is very active in the campaign,
up to something. The hero will naturally want to investigate and will walk right into the story.
Geographic Progression
This is the simplest sort of adventure plot. The heroes have an area to investigate or travel through; they have
encounters based on where they are. For instance, the traditional dungeon, where monsters are tied to specific rooms
or areas. Or, if the heroes are travelling along a narrow valley or through an enchanted forest, they might suffer
ambushes and other encounters fixed to various points along their travel plan. The plot, then, is getting to the villain
by surviving the intervening obstacle encounters.
Scattered Duels
In this climax, the heroes have gotten to the end of their quest -- they may have broken into, sneaked into, or
escaped from imprisonment within the villain's citadel, or have marched into the little town where the villain is
holed up -- and they become separated. You can separate them by having traps and tricks break the party apart, by
having them see two or three things they must resolve (such as danger to innocents or the appearance of minion
villains) pop up simultaneously; they'll have to run in all directions at the same time or suffer failure. Once the party
is broken down into bite-sized chunks, you confront each individual or small group with the enemy or enemies he
most deserves to face -- his personal enemy, the monster which defeated him before, etc. -- for a grand series of
climactic duels.
On the Sea
Most of the action occurs on the sea -- the heroes are shipborne for some reason, docking in lots of ports. Again, this
is good for adventures where the heroes are investigating clues left all over the map, are part of some trading
enterprise, or are being pursued by villains.
Tavern/Inn
This is a classic fantasy setting, the residence of travelling heroes and the home of the tavern brawl.
Demi-human Community
In wilderness areas, this will be a large community of demi-humans -- elves, dwarves, halflings, whatever -- or
intelligent nonhumans such as orcs. If your action is taking place in a city, this could be a hidden community (such
as a secret underground dwarf community) or a section of the city inhabited mostly by demi-humans.
Agent Provocateur
This Master Villain is a clever spy who inflitrates an organization, order, or army, and tries to effect its destruction
by getting it to perform actions which will cause others to oppose it directly. The identity of this Master Villain is
usually a closely-guarded secret; the heroes will encounter his cover identity, but will not suspect that he's
responsible for all this chaos until they start adding up clues. Females in this role can be very, very effective.
Mistress with a Heart of Gold
This character is much like the "Lover or Daughter of Villain" type of Mystery Woman from the Story Hooks
section. In this case, she usually accompanies the Master Villain, but sometimes goes on missions of her own, where
she runs into and develops affection for one of the player-characters.
Moronic Muscleman
This fellow is a huge, powerful monster of a fighter. His job is to smash anything the villain tells him to smash. He
does that very well, but don't ask him to do any thinking; he has no time for such brainy stuff.
Government Observer
For some reason, the heroes' ruler wants one of his own people accompanying them. Whatever the reason, the
heroes are now stuck with a haughty, self-important royal observer, an expert in (probably) military tactics or
espionage. He continually offers unwanted advice and tends to get the heroes into trouble by pulling rank whenever
he's not satisfied.
Loving Deceiver
One of the player-characters, specifically one of the better-looking ones, attracts the attentions of a very attractive
local of the opposite sex. This local person, encountered in unthreatening surroundings, invites the hero off to a
liason away from his friends and other people. Of course, this person is a human-appearing monster of some sort;
once alone with the character, he/she will attack the character with monstrous intent.
Thief

Encounter

At some point in their adventure, the heroes have a run-in with thieves.
Coliseum
If it's appropriate, you can have the heroes captured by the local authorities -- particularly when they're in an exotic
Deathtrap
land, lost world, or whatever -- and have them armed with gladiatorial gear and dropped into a coliseum for the
entertainment of the locals. (Note that this works much better with fighting-type heroes than spellcasters.)
Horseback
Chase
This is a relatively short chase -- it only needs to go on for a mile or so before even the best horses are winded. If it
goes on longer than that, the horses may collapse and perhaps die.
Birthmark
Omen/Prophesy One of the heroes has a birthmark that pertains to the adventure in some way. He may have a birthmark identical to
some NPC -- for instance, some person endangered by the Master Villain. This mystery can give the hero his reason
to become involved. Alternatively, his birthmark may mark him as a hero fulfilling 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.
Artifact that Doesn't Work
Often, epic quests against powerful Master Villains require that the heroes find some legendary artifact, the only
Red Herring object which can defeat the villain. If your heroes have had no trouble getting to the artifact -- they've effortlessly
sliced through every obstacle you've put in their path and are confidently advancing on the resting place of the
magical item -- you can have it not work.
Villain Accompanies Party
In this distressing situation, the Master Villain, in disguise or his secret identity, accompanies the heroes for much of
Cruel Trick their quest. He gets to know them, learns their strengths and weaknesses, learns their plans, and just as soon as it's
most efficient for him, he thwarts their current plans and leaves. Alternatively, the Master Villain might be with the
heroes all along, up to the very end; the heroes know that one of their companions is the villain, and the whole thrust
of the story is finding out who he is. This is the whole purpose of most Mystery-type adventures.