Adventure #53

Romance
Theme
This sort of adventure (rarely played, but worthwhile anyway) has as its central plot the romance between two
characters, usually a player-character and an NPC.
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.
Not in Kansas
Story Hook
The PCs are minding their own business and find themselves transported to a strange place. They must figure out
where they are, why they are there, and how to escape.
A-B-C Quest
Plot
This is an epic sort of plot. In it, the heros are given (or undertake) a task to perform: The taking of a city, the
rescue of an innocent, the destruction of a monster, the creation of a magical item, the defeat of a Master Villain,
etc. But the path to victory is not a simple one. To get to their goal, Event A, they find that they must first
accomplish some other task -- Event B. But when they undertake the task of accomplishing Event B, they find that
they must first accomplish Event C. This goes on for several encounters, until the heroes accomplish all the
obstacle events which prevent them from returning to Event A, their original goal.
Throne Room Duel
Climax
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.
Cosmopolitan City
General Setting
Most of the story takes place in a large, sophisticated city; center the villain's plot and activities around that city.
This setting is best suited to adventures involving more people than monsters; most of your villains should be
human or demi-human.
Tavern/Inn
Specific Setting I
This is a classic fantasy setting, the residence of travelling heroes and the home of the tavern brawl.
Classic Dungeon
Specific Setting
II
This would be the standard monster-filled labyrinth; perhaps it's a nesting ground for the master villain's monster
troops.
Organizer
Master Villain
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.
Snivelling Vizier
Minor Villain I
The Vizier is a throne-room villain. Functionally, he's rather like the Hard-Eyed Advisor, offering tactics and
advice to his master; but he's an ooily, sleazy, cowardly sycophant. He's usually brilliant in his field of advice but
has no combat abilities.
Single-Minded Soldier
Minor Villain II
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.
Absent-Minded Expert
Ally/Neutral
The characters find they need an expert in some fields -- pottery, alchemy, whatever -- but all they can find is a
somewhat daffy and absent-minded master of that subject. He's useful when around his subject matter, but
otherwise absent-minded, incautions, in frequent need of rescuing, etc.
Nocturnal Predator
Monster
Encounter
This is a classic monster encounter; the arrival of a hungry carnivore in the middle of the night. Usually, this attack
happens to heroes camping between villages or out in the deep wilderness; a wild animal, attracted by food odors
(from the heroes' campfire or from the heroes themselves) sneaks in for a bite.
Belligerent Soldier
Character
Encounter
The billigerent one has just had his ears pinned back by his commanding officer and is anxious to take it out on
some hapless civilian. If this is a city gate, he claims that the hero's papers are wrong or that he recognizes the hero
from descriptions of a wanted criminal; if this is the streets, he insults the hero's lack of military bearing, pretty
looks, clothes, smell, companion, or whatever it takes to provoke a reaction.
Animal Pit
Deathtrap
This is a classic trap of the adventure genre: The heroes (perhaps just one hero) are dropped into a pit filled with
dangerous animals -- snakes, lions, bears, whatever. They must either fight the beasts or delay them until they can
escape -- climb back out, open a secret door, break down a wall, have a rope lowered by friends above, etc.
Footrace
Chase
The chase involves the characters on foot, probably through such terrain as city streets or the corridors of a palace.
One hero may realize that the's being pursued by a party of enemies and choose to run for it; the heroes may have
caught up to the Master Villain, prompting him to run for his life.
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.
Element
Secret Weakness
The Master Villain can be banished, dispelled, killed, or otherwise defeated by some of element or item. The
Master Villain tries to get rid of all the examples of this element in his vicinity; he doesn't let his minions carry it
or bring it into his presence. But he's not stupid; he doesn't announce to the world what his weakness is. He tries to
hide his concern within another command. If he's allergic to red roses, for instance, he orders all "things of beauty"
destroyed within miles of his abode.
No Weapons Allowed
Special
Condition
At some point in the story, the heroes must surrender their weapons. Perhaps they're visiting some quarter of the
city where weapons are not allowed; or a particularly peace-loving temple. In any case, once they're there, they are
attacked by enemies belonging to the Master Villain.
Honor Quandry
Moral Quandry
You want to use this on the character with the most strongly developed sense of personal honor -- someone who
has lived all his life by a strict code. Toward the end of the adventure, this character realizes that the best way to
defeat the Master Villain is a violation of that code. For instance, the character might be a paladin, who discovers
that the only possible way for the heroes to defeat the Master Villain is to sneak up on him and stab him in the
back.
False Path to the Artifact
Red Herring
Once again, if the heroes have had too easy a time finding the artifact capable of destroying the villain, give them
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.
Based on tables from the Dungeon Master's Design Kit by TSR, Inc.