Adventure #110

Theme

Goal

Story Hook

Plot

Climax

General Setting

Specific Setting
I
Specific Setting
II

Master Villain

Minor Villain I

Minor Villain II
Ally/Neutral

Action/Adventure
This is the most common and straightforward sort of adventure there is. In the Action/Adventure
scenario, you present your characters with a task and then confront them with obstacles to overcome in
order to accomplish the task successfully.
Gain Power
The heroes are on this adventure to gain personal or political power for themselves. They may be
looking for an artifact or weapon, or are performing a mission for someone who will reward them with
political power (a higher social rank or lands, for instance). If the characters are doing someone else's
bidding, you might want to roll again on this section to see what goal the patron will have assigned to
the characters.
Grim Necessity
If the hero doesn't involve himself with this adventure, he's going to find himself suffering or dead -period. That's the hook to bring him into the adventure... but you have to determine why he'll suffer or
die if he doesn't become involved.
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.
Temple/Church
This can be either the church of some lofty and good diety, or the dark and grisly temple of some horrid
deity (doubtless filled with evil soldiers and monsters), or even the temple that the madman villain has
dedicated to himself for when he becomes a god.
Organizer
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.
Single-Minded Soldier
This most trustworthy of villain minions is the experienced, competent, persistent soldier -- a fieldtrained 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.
Hard-Eyed Advisor
This is the sort of villain whom the heroes see in the Master Villain's throne room. He's hard-eyed and
scary; life means nothing to him and he enjoys killing. He's also a good advisor to his master.
Congenial Madman

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 occassionally -- proving to be a real help.
Foreshadowing Monster
Monster
With this monster encounter, combat may not be necessary. This monster encounter exists to alert the
Encounter
characters to the fact that something unusual is going on, a foreshadowing of their upcoming conflicts
with the Master Villain.
Lying Accuser
A captured thief may accuse the character of putting him up to the theft; an abandoned mother may
Character
accuse the hero of fathering the child; a reputable witness (working for the Master Villain) may accuse
Encounter
the hero of a murder or robbery. The hero shouldn't know what he's accused of until he's hauled in by
the authorities.
Tomb Deathtraps
Another classic type of trap is the sort of triggered trap left behind in abandoned tombs, ruins, and
Deathtrap
catacombs. Here, a hero who touches the wrong step, floor tile, wall brick, torch bracket, mounted
gemstone, or other device will trigger some sort of ancient trap designed to kill tomb-robbers and
intruders.
Special Terrain
You can make any chase more memorable by having it take place in a setting to which it is utterly
Chase
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, labrynthine, treacherous catacombs.
Hero Fulfills Prophecy
Omen/Prophesy This is the most useful sort of prophecy. In the early part of the adventure, one of the heroes discovers
that he fulfills some ancient prophecy.
Secret Embarrassment
Finally, the villain may have some aberration or secret shame that will force him to flee when he is
Secret Weakness 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
The curse might be making the hero progressively uglier, might be draining out his life-force (he's
Special
losing experience which will be retruned if he succeeds), or might be making him progressively insane.
Condition
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.
Respect Quandry
This is much like the Ally Quandry, only at a greater distance. The heroes have been utilizing the aid of
Moral Quandry two (or 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.
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.