Adventure #159

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

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.
Clear Name
The name of one of the characters or an NPC has been sullied and the characters must clear it. The characters must
find out a) why the name has been smeared, b) who is responsible, and c) why the responsible party is doing it; then
they must find evidence to convince everyone they're telling the truth.
Not in Kansas
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.
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.
Prevented Deed
Here, the heroes have been defeated -- captured by the Master Villain, or so thoroughly cut up by his minions that
all believe them to be dead. And the heroes have learned, from the bragging of the villain, loose talk of his minions,
or examination of clues, what is the crucial event of his master plan. In any case, the battered and bruised heroes
must race to this site and have their final confrontation with the villain, bursting in on him and his minions just as
the knife or final word or key is poised, and prevent the awful deed from taking place -- and, incidentally, defeat the
master villain and minions who beat them previously.
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.
Magical Lake
This is the acquatic equivalent of the Legendary Forest, here beautiful and glistening, there treacherous and
dangerous, filled with water-breathing magical folk.
Classic Dungeon
This would be the standard monster-filled labyrinth; perhaps it's a nesting ground for the master villain's monster
troops.
Sufferer
This Master Villain disguises himself as some other sort of villain. Long ago, he was given an ugly curse -- he longs
for death but can never die unless slain by heroes unaware of his curse. (Naturally, the way the curse works, he has
to defend himself when attacked by the heroes.) So this villain works hard to make sure the best heroes in the world
have sufficient cause to want to come and kill him. He'll insult them, ruin them, kidnap or murder their loved ones,
whatever it takes to bring them against him. Often, he can only die -- his curse can only be undone -- in one specific
holy place, so he'll have to lure the heroes to that place to face him. If the heroes are doing research on the villain all
this time, they may find out his secret, leading to a sad and painful end to the episode as the unkillable villain has to
leave and find someone new to kill him.
Avenger
This character is much like the Master Villain of the same name, but he's not in charge of all this villainy, and he's
definitely an enemy of one of the player-characters. You'll have to decide who he is and why he hates one of the
heroes; he could be anything from a recurring villain to someone who simply lost a fight to the hero once.
Mistress with a Heart of Gold
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.
Talkative Barkeep
This classic encounter is the garrulous innkeeper who has information the characters want; trouble is, they'll have to
bribe him to get it, or agree to stay at his inn, or buy a lavish meal, or listen to his incessant stories about his career
in the army, or whatever.
Noble Beast
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.
Mean Drunk
Character
The Mean Drunk works much like the Belligerent Soldier except that he's not as tough, is of course drunk, and is
Encounter
usually accompanied by other Mean Drunks.
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.
Aerial
The heroes could be riding pegasi or friendly griffons or allied great eagles; the villains could be carried aloft by
Chase
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.
Reincarnation
The hero, seeing the portrait of some long-dead nobleman, may be surprised to see his own face staring back at him.
All evidence points to the fact that our hero is the reincarnation of this person, and the Master Villain may desire to
Omen/Prophesy destroy any trace of that nobleman's existence. Just as appropriately, this long-dead nobleman may have died after
making some important choice -- such as choosing love over career or career over friends; and the choice he faced is
identical to the one the hero now faces. Will our hero defy the prophecy and choose as he did in a previous life, or
will he choose the other option and see what happens?
Element
The Master Villain can be banished, dispelled, killed, or otherwise defeated by some of element or item. The Master
Secret Weakness 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.
Omnipresent Observer
If
a wizard, demigod or god has forced the heroes to undertake this quest, he may be with them continually -- in
Special
spirit.
He can't help them, but does magically watch everything they do. And when they do something he doesn't
Condition
like, he tells them about it -- loudly and nastily. (This is distressing when they're trying to break into a fortress or
sneak through enemy lines.)
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.
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.
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.