Adventure #30

Horror
Theme
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.
Settle a Debt
Goal
A player character may find himself in the position of needing to settle a debt. He could gamble away all his
money and need to raise some more to repay the gambling house before its enforcers come for him. On a more
personal level, the character may need to settle a debt of either money or honor that he owes to an NPC.
Old Friend
Story Hook
Another classic story hook is the Old Friend, the childhood friend of our hero, who shows up in one of several
ways to drag the hero into the story.
Accumulation of Elements
Plot
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.
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 somehwere 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 commenciing 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.
Exotic Distant Land
General Setting
The adventure will take the heroes to some fascinating and exotic distant country, where they'll have to cope with
new customs, monsters unfamiliar to them, and very colorful NPC encounters; choose one of the more fascinating
foreign lands from your campaign world.
Tavern/Inn
Specific Setting I
This is a classic fantasy setting, the residence of travelling heroes and the home of the tavern brawl.
Ruins
Specific Setting
II
These can be the ruins of some ancient civilization, an abandoned temple or castle, incomprehensible blocks of
stone arranged by ancient gods, etc. They can be magical or normal, inhabited by normal animals or by monsters,
centers of magic or just tumbled-down buildings.
Agent Provocateur
Master Villain
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
Minor Villain I
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
Minor Villain II
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.
Ingenue in Distress
Ally/Neutral
The heroes must protect some defenseless young innocent who is in danger from the villains. This person, perhaps
the sheltered son or daughter of a nobleman or merchant, has no abilities at all but is sweet, charming, and in great
need of help.
Noble Beast
Monster
Encounter
With this encounter, the heroes find that they have to capture -- but not injure -- some sort of powerful, noble beast
in order to accomplish their mission. For instance, to reach a mountain-top aerie, they must capture pegasi and ride
them up to their enemy.
Old Friend at the Wrong Time
Character
Encounter
When the heroes are trying to sneak through a guardpost, citadel, or city where they can't afford to be recognized,
one of the characters' old friends recognizes him and loudly renews their acquaintance in full view of the guards
looking for the characters. This usually leads to an exciting chase as the heroes must escape.
Rock and a Hard Place
Deathtrap
This trap starts out as an Animal Pit, Pit and the Pendulum, or Tomb Deathtrap, but an obvious escape suggests
itself very early on. Trouble is, it leads into even worse danger. The hole out of the animal pit may lead to the lair
of an even worse animal; it may lead through a succession of dangers (collapsing old catacombs, into an
underground river, into a den of zombies) before the heroes reach the light.
Aerial
Chase
The heroes could be riding pegasi or friendly griffons or allied great eagles; the villains could be carried aloft by
gargoyles or demons. The prospect of taking a mile-long fall if one's mount is hit is a very daunting and
challenging one for the hero.
Fortune Teller Predicts Doom
Omen/Prophesy
This is an ominous encounter: A fortune-teller predicts doom for one of the heroes, or for some community
menaced by the Master Villain. Shortly after, some calamity should befall the hero: He can be attacked by an
assassin, be in a building when it is struck by fire or an earthquake, or suffer other danger. Investigation of the
events can then point the heroes toward the Master Villain as the event's instigator.
Lack of Familiarity
Secret Weakness
The Master Villain, if he comes from the past or another dimension, or belongs to an alien race, might be
sufficiently unfamiliar with this world that he essentially defeats himself. How? By making incorrect guesses about
human behaviour. One classic error involves underestimating the human capacity for self-sacrifice.
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 retruned 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 Quandry
Moral Quandry
At a critical point in the story, one of the campaign's NPCs makes an impossible demand of one of the heroes.
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.
NPC Turns Traitor
Cruel Trick
He may alert he enemy when the heroes are planning a raid; he may steal the artifact 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.