Theme

Espionage

Espionage adventures are active, grim scenarios involving spying and perhaps other cloak-and-
dagger deeds such as assassination or rescue.

Goal

Thwart Monstrous Plan

This is a classic fantasy-adventure plot: The characters learn of some horrible plan made by a
monstrous enemy, and must thwart it before the kingdom is lost or the world is destroyed.
This is an epic goal, and usually requires that the characters go to all sorts of places, rounding
up allies and artifacts, before being strong enough to face their enemy.

Story Hook

Dying Delivery

On some occassion when the hero is out wandering the streets or is otherwise all alone, a
dying man bumbs into him, hands him something, says a few words, and dies.

Plot

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.

Climax

Divine Retribution

Here, the heroes' goal has been to alert the gods that the Master Villain threatens them or
their plans; in the last scenes of the adventure, as our heroes face an overwhelming enemy
force, the gods bring down their divine retribution on the villain, causing a massive
earthquake, tidal wave, lightning storm, or flood of monsters. This is all well and good, but the
heroes are too close and must escape the fringe effects of this awesome disaster. A variant on
this is the Natural Disaster. No gods are actually involved, but the Master Villain has been
tampering with the delicate forces of nature. He may, for instance, have been powering his
master spell with the energies of a volcano. When the heroes attack the scene of his
spellcasting, the spell goes out of control and so does the volcano. The villain is consumed in
the eruption and the heroes must escape or be consumed themselves.

General Setting
Exotic Distant Land

The adventure will take the heroes to some fascinating and exotic distant country, where
they'll have to cope with new customs, monsters unfamiliar to them, and very colorful NPC
encounters; choose one of the more fascinating foreign lands from your campaign world.

Specific Setting l

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.

Specific Setting II

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.

Master Villain

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.

Minor Villain I

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.

Minor Villain II

Snivelling Vizier

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.

Ally/Neutral
Ingenue in Distress

The heroes must protect some defenseless young innocent who is in danger from the villains.
This person, perhaps the sheltered son or daughter of a nobleman or merchant, has no
abilities at all but is sweet, charming, and in great need of help.

Monster Encounter

Assassin Monster

This monster, at some time in the adventure, is sent by the Master Villain to attack one or
more heroes when they're at their most vulnerable -- asleep, enjoying themselves, etc.
Usually, the Assassin Monster attacks, but the hero, though injured, is able to hold it off long
enough for his friends to respond to his shouts. The Assassin Monster is usually killed by his
friends, who can then speculate on who sent it and why.

Character Encounter

Belligerent Soldier

The belligerent 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.

Deathtrap

Framed

One or more of the heroes is accused and convicted of a capital crime -- one for which the
mandatory punishment is death. The heroes must escape or die, and they're escaping from the
well-built, well-protected prison of the local authorities.

Chase

Special Terrain

You can make any chase more memorable by having it take place in a setting to which it is
utterly 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, labyrinthine, treacherous catacombs.

Omen/Prophesy

Hero Fulfills Prophecy

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 Weakness
Love

The Master Villain possesses the "weakness" of genuine affection or love -- probably for some
NPC, though it could be very intriguing if the object of his affections is a player-character. The
heroes can then defeat the villain by holding his loved one hostage, or proving that his loved
one will be seriously harmed, betrayed, or killed if the villain keeps up with his activity.

Special Condition

Magic Doesn't Work Right

If the adventure is taking place on an alternate plane, then that plane's magic works oddly or
not at all. (A spellcaster will find that just making himself useful is a challenge when none of his
spells works.)

Moral Quandry

Respect Quandry

This is much like the Ally Quandry, only at a greater distance. The heroes have been utilizing
the aid of 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.

Red Herring

Lying Rumor

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.

Cruel Trick

Heroes Must Work with Villain

If they have to work for the villain, it's due to some hold he has over them -- probably, he's
kidnapped one of their NPCs and will kill this person if his demands aren't met. Put the heroes
through the encounter where they have to do something they are loathe to do, such as sack
and pillage a temple, before they have the opportunity to retrieve their friend.