Adventure #193

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

Mystery
Here, the characters are presented with a mystery -- often a murder -- and have to find out who did what to whom.
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.
Mistaken Identity
The hero could be mistaken by one villain for another villain involved in the master plot. This has good comic
potential if the hero and missing villain are in fact so similar that no one can tell them apart. (This is even more fun
if they turn out to be long-lost twins.)
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 Road
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 loathesome villains.
Classic Dungeon
This would be the standard monster-filled labyrinth; perhaps it's a nesting ground for the master villain's monster
troops.
Mansion of a Lord
This can be the home of a villain -- the characters may have to break in and rescue someone or steal evidence, or
break out if they've been captured -- or of a heroic ally, in which case it may be used as the headquarters for the
heroes' plans and activities.
Conqueror
This character is moving his army in to take over; that's what he lives for. He's been the enemy of your characters'
nation's ruler, and has launched a full-scale invasion of your characters' favorite nation. The heroes have to beat their
way through or elude his hordes of soldiers in order to get at him; better yet, they might lead their own nation's
troops against his and outthink him in military fashion.
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.
Coward
This character is an ordinary grunt minion of the Master Villain, but he's a coward. He's deathly afraid of the Villain
and the heroes. He's best used when you plan to have the heroes captured; by his mannerisms, you can make it clear
to them that this fellow is a coward and they will begin to work on him psychologically.
Gibbering Madman
Some poor wretch blundered into part of the master villain's plan and saw too much. What he saw drove him crazy.
He gibber and jabbers, occassionally uttering clues about what he's seen, but just isn't coherent. He knows enough
that the heroes will need to take him along to comment on what they're encountering, though, so he can't just be met
and forgotten.
Reconaissance Monster
At some point in the adventure, the Master Villain will become aware of the heroes' activities against him. If he has
magical abilities or a magical servant, he will send some sort of quiet, clever monster to spy on the heroes. The

heroes should have an opportunity to realize they're being spied upon, leading them to a mad scrable as they try to
capture or destroy the spy.
Press Gang
In any port city, the heroes, in a tavern or hostel, may find themselves set upon by ruffians employed by the city;
Character
these ruffians use clubs and strike to subdue. If the heroes fight and beat the ruffians, they find themselves wanted
Encounter
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.
Rock and a Hard Place
This trap starts out as an Animal Pit, Pit and the Pendulum, or Tomb Deathtrap, but an obvious escape suggests
Deathtrap
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.
Water
Don't forget the water chase: Whether it's a battle of seamanship between naval vessels, a chase of rafts toward the
Chase
inevitable waterfall ahead, a contest of canoeing ability, or a chase between the villain and his giant shark vs. the
heroes and their dolphin friends, the water chase can be a distinctive and dramatic one.
Comet's Progress
Omen/Prophesy Events during the adventure may be enlivened by a large and menacing comet which appears in the night sky for
several days during the scenario; the locals take it for an omen of doom. The comet may be the result of magic being
used by the Master Villain, or the comet's appearance can pertain to an old legend involving the Master Villain.
Holy Symbol
The villain may have the traditional weakness to a specific holy symbol -- but don't choose just an ordinary one. It
Secret Weakness may be a holly symbol no longer used by the church, or may be some forgotten variation of the current symbol. (For
instance, the cross may not work, but a variation -- such as the Roman cross -- might; alternatively, it might have to
be a holy symbol which has undergone some unfamiliar ritual.)
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.
Ally Quandry
You
set up the situation so that the heroes have a good chance at defeating the Master Villain if they get the aid of
Moral Quandry
two specific individuals, probably experts in fields relating to the villains' activities. But the two experts hate one
another and refuse to work together, even if it costs them their world.
False Path to the Artifact
Once again, if the heroes have had too easy a time finding the artifact capable of destroying the villain, give them
Red Herring trouble this way: When they get to the place where the artifact 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.
Wanted by the Law
Cruel Trick One final complication, one which occurs pretty frequently, is when the heroes are wanted by the law. When they're
wanted by the law, they have to travel in secret and very limited in the resources they can acquire.