Adventure #01

Revenge
Theme
In this adventure, some villain has so offended one or more of the characters that he cannot be suffered to live.
(Alternatively, the injured party could hire the characters to avenge his honour.) The villain must be found or
otherwise gotten at, setting up the final duel or showdown between villain and characters.
Explore a New Area
Goal
The heroes are hired or convinced to enter an unmapped area and explore it. They may be making a map; they may
be trying to find someone who disappeared into this area in the past; they may be following legends that tell of
treasure in the unexplored interior.
Missing Memories
Story Hook
One or more of the PCs wakes up with no memory of the recent past, and now they find themselves in some kind of
trouble they don't understand. The PCs must find the reason for the memory lapse, and solve any problems they
uncover in the meantime.
Series of Villains
Plot
This is a very dramatic plot, and very well-suited to oriental campaigns. In it, the heroes have undertaken a quest,
usually the finding and defeat of the Master Villain. They may have to travel to his citadel, or head off in another
direction to find some artefact capable of defeating him, or run away from pursuing villains until they can figure out
what's going on. All along their route, they are set upon by villains -- each villain has a name and distinct
personality, and each encounter is life-or-death for the heroes and villains; the villain never escapes to safety if the
tide turns against him, he fights unto death.
Chase to Ground
Climax
First, you have the Heroes Chasing the Villain. The villain, after a series of encounters with the heroes, is running to
safety, to some place where he can acquire more power, or to somewhere he can accomplish some dread purpose
such as assassination or mass murder. The heroes chase him, have to deal with the obstacles he leaves behind, and
finally catch up to him before or just as he reaches his goal. Here, we have the final duel between the villains forces
and the heroes. Second, you have the Villain Chasing the Heroes. Often, in a story like this, the heroes have found
out how to defeat the villain -- such as getting to a particular temple and conducting a particular ritual. The villain
chases them all through their quest, catching up to them just as they're commencing their ritual; they must, with
heroic effort, conclude the ritual while suffering his attacks. Third, you have the Master Villain's Sudden Escape
Attempt. This takes place in adventures where the Master Villain's identity is unknown until the end. His identity is
revealed and he makes a sudden bolt for freedom; the heroes give chase. This usually results in a dangerous foot-
chase through nasty terrain -- such as across rooftops, through the dungeons, or across an active battlefield.
On the Road
General Setting
Most of the adventure takes place on the road, as the heroes are travelling from place to place. This is especially
good for adventures where heroes are investigating a wide-ranging mystery, are part of a caravan, or are being
pursued by loathsome villains.
Tavern/Inn Specific Setting
I
This is a classic fantasy setting, the residence of travelling heroes and the home of the tavern brawl.
Lost City
Specific Setting
II
This is the remnant of some lost civilization or expedition, still thriving in some forgotten corner of the world.
Remnants of lost civilizations can even inhabit cavern systems beneath campaign cities, preying on the above-
worlders for their goods, slaves, and sacrifices.
Corruptor
Master Villain
The Corruptor is the villain who wants to make something nasty out of something that is currently nice. He may be
working on a small scale -- i.e., wish to corrupt one character or a few characters, particularly PCs and their favorite
NPCs. Alternatively, he may be a big-scale villain trying to change an entire city or nation into a jaded, debased pit
of sin, hatred and death.
Corrupted Hero
Minor Villain I
This villain was once a hero, possibly one known to the players. He was seduced by the dark side of the dungeon
master. Because of his own weakness, or of a curse, he has become a villain, a pawn of the Master Villain.
Lovable Rogue
Minor Villain II
This character is like the Master Villain of the same name, except that he has no minions of his own and serves at
someone else's bidding. However, he's very independent, not always working in his employer's best interests; he
often makes fun of the Master Villain's pretensions and may suffer that villain's retaliation because of it.
Congenial Madman
Ally/Neutral
This fellow is a pleasant, happy lunatic whom the heroes encounter; after the initial encounter, he follows them
wherever they go, commenting on their plans, behaving strangely, getting underfoot, and -- very occasionally --
proving to be a real help.
Stampede
Monster
Encounter
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.
Seducer
Character
Encounter
One of the characters is invited to a romantic liaison with an attractive local. This local can just be interested in a
brief tryst, could fall madly in love with the hero and follow the hero through the rest of the adventure, could be a
Loving Deceiver monster encounter, could be a thief and rob the hero blind, or could be a spy or assassin working
for the Master Villain.
Demolition Zone
Deathtrap
In this classic deathtrap, the heroes are placed (usually bound and weaponless) in some building or area just as it's
due to be destroyed.
Special Terrain
Chase
You can make any chase more memorable by having it take place in a setting to which it is utterly unsuited. For
instance, horse chases are fine and dramatic when they take place through the forest, out in the open plains, or along
a road -- but they become diabolical when they take place inside the Royal Palace or in dangerous, labyrinthine,
treacherous catacombs.
Innocent Fulfils Prophecy
Omen/Prophesy
An innocent could fulfil a prophecy -- one which endangers his/her life. This innocent might, for instance, be the
one who is supposed to slay the king, but is not a mighty adventurer able to protect himself from the king; the heroes
may find themselves sheltering and helping this poor dupe.
Secret Embarrassment
Secret Weakness
Finally, the villain may have some aberration or secret shame that will force him to flee when he is confronted with
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.
Coping with a Curse
Special
Condition
The curse might be making the hero progressively uglier, might be draining out his life-force (he's losing experience
which will be returned if he succeeds), or might be making him progressively insane. Each day, as he sees his
reflection in a mirror or pond or fountain, he'll know himself to be less than he used to be.
Friend Quandary
Moral Quandry
At a critical point in the story, one of the campaign's NPCs makes an impossible demand of one of the heroes.
False Path to the Artefact
Red Herring
Once again, if the heroes have had too easy a time finding the artefact capable of destroying the villain, give them
trouble this way: When they get to the place where the artefact is supposed to be contained, they find the coffer or
chamber or whatever empty, obviously looted by robbers, who have scrawled such remarks as "Kelrog was here!"
upon the walls.
NPC Turns Traitor
Cruel Trick
He may alert he enemy when the heroes are planning a raid; he may steal the artefact and take it to the villain; he
may stab a hero or important NPC in the back (literally) before departing.
Based on tables from the Dungeon Master's Design Kit by TSR, Inc.