Adventure #261

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
Character
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.
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.
Bloody Battle
This is the best Climax for an adventure involving the clash of mighty armies -- or for any adventure where, toward
the end, the Master Villain and a large body of minions confront the heroes and their own troops. This finale is
characterized by a monstrous clash between the two forces, with the heroes chewing through the enemy ranks to get
at the Master Villain and his elite guards. It's strenuous, exciting, and classically simple.
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.
Madman's Fortress
This is the citadel of a major enemy: Strong, unassailable, filled with soldiers and monsters, lined with secret
passages and deathtraps; not a wholesome place for adventurers to spend their time.
Demi-human Community
In wilderness areas, this will be a large community of demi-humans -- elves, dwarves, halflings, whatever -- or
intelligent nonhumans such as orcs. If your action is taking place in a city, this could be a hidden community (such
as a secret underground dwarf community) or a section of the city inhabited mostly by demi-humans.
Avenger
This villain seeks to avenge some wrong he thinks he's suffered. He may be right; he may have suffered a wrong,
and this makes him a little more sympathetic than villains who are purely evil. The Avenger uses his organization -thugs and bribed officials -- to get at the one who wronged him, and will want either to duel (singly) the one who
wronged him, or to put the wrongdoer in a deathtrap.
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.
Lovable Rogue
This character is like the Master Villain of the same name, except that he has no minions of his own and serves at
someone else's bidding. However, he's very independent, not always working in his employer's best interests; he
often makes fun of the Master Villain's pretensions and may suffer that villain's retaliation because of it.
Merry Minstrel
This character follows the heroes in order that he might find inspiration for his song and storytelling. He can't be
shut up; he sings all the day long and into the night, is a showoff before crowds, and is far too noisy for a party
trying to remain unobserved.
Foreshadowing Monster
With this monster encounter, combat may not be necessary. This monster encounter exists to alert the characters to
the fact that something unusual is going on, a foreshadowing of their upcoming conflicts with the Master Villain.
Inquisitive Official
Some local authority has noticed the characters' presence and it makes her curious. She snoops around asking

questions all the time. She may be a city guardsman or special agent of the ruler, but (functionally) she's a police
lieutenant, asking the rong questions at the wrong time; the heroes have to work around her, sneaking where
normally they'd be able to work in the open.
Demolition Zone
Deathtrap
In this classic deathtrap, the heroes are placed (usually bound and weaponless) in some building or area just as it's
due to be destroyed.
Endurance
The Endurance Chase is not some sort of climactic chase -- it's a rugged, tiring, persistent pursuit that tests the
Chase
characters to their limits. In this chase, the heroes and villains are pursuing one another across a lot of territory and
they're not catching up with one another very fast. This may be a horseback pursuit across a hundred miles of
savannah, a camel chase across several days' worth of desert, or a chase across arctic tundra.
Fortune Teller Predicts Doom
This is an ominous encounter: A fortune-teller predicts doom for one of the heroes, or for some community menaced
Omen/Prophesy 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.
No Hurting the Villain
Special
For some reason, the heroes cannot afford to fight the villain directly. For instance, what if a demon possesses the
Condition
body of the child of one of the characters, or a very important child spoken of in prophecy, one without whom the
world will perish?
Honor Quandry
You want to use this on the character with the most strongly developed sense of personal honor -- someone who has
Moral Quandry 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
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.
Villain Accompanies Party
In this distressing situation, the Master Villain, in disguise or his secret identity, accompanies the heroes for much of
Cruel Trick their quest. He gets to know them, learns their strengths and weaknesses, learns their plans, and just as soon as it's
most efficient for him, he thwarts their current plans and leaves. Alternatively, the Master Villain might be with the
heroes all along, up to the very end; the heroes know that one of their companions is the villain, and the whole thrust
of the story is finding out who he is. This is the whole purpose of most Mystery-type adventures.