Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Gnollbane Feb 21, 2015 16:48:30	I'm a new-ish DM, and I've recently created my own town set in Forgotten Realms that I want a few adventures to be based off of.    I don't really know where to start. I have a good idea for a main quest (When Mount Hotenow erupted, a mysterous magician shielded the town, but was never seen again by the townspeople save a few woodsmen who claim to have seen him), but I don't really know how long an adventure needs to be, what should go into it, and how to organize one of my own creation.
#2 DM_HEEGZ Feb 21, 2015 17:09:58	All kinds of things can give you inspiration. If you have played computer RPGs, or MMOs, pull from them for ideas. You can also google for quest ideas. Just for an example, I will brainstorm half a dozen quests as fast as I can for new low level PCs:   local temple has undead stirring in the crypt beneath it or in graveyard out back local inn has rats infesting their larders underground, or in stables, use a dire rat for the miniboss local magistrate having trouble with thieves in marketplace, on trade road into town, missing shipments, missing guards/patrol local politician having issues with a rival, wants you to collect info, steal a signet ring, bribe a servant local thieves guilds are fighting each other for dominance. assassinate rivals, steal territory, frame enemies local watch captain hiring mercs and heroes to fight back monster threats outside of town or to bring back relevant information   So that only took me a couple of minutes. There are thousands of ideas floating around online for you to find. Here are some old ones from WOTC:   http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/hookgenerator   http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ab/20060728a   Plus a few other random links I found in a quick search:   http://www.dndadventure.com/html/articles/art_adventure_idea_generator.html   http://donjon.bin.sh/fantasy/adventure/   Also, if you have the DMG, it is chock full of ideas on how to make adventures and campaigns. You can randomly create NPCs and dungeons and encounters, and so on. Glad to hear you feel successful in incorporating your city into the FR. Hopefully you can get your campaign off on the right foot. I would suggest the Starter Set to you as it has a great adventure that will get you off to a nice start in your campaign if you want it. It's only $12 on amazon.
#3 Gnollbane Feb 21, 2015 19:01:44	Awesome. Now I have lots of good quest ideas. But now my concern shifts to the narrative aspect. Does there need to be a main quest? Should I treat it like a module or more like a sandbox? This may be a stupid question, but what qualifies as an "adventure"?
#4 iserith Feb 21, 2015 19:06:02	There's a whole chapter on this in the DMG, starting on page 71.
#5 bonethug0108 Feb 21, 2015 19:19:29	There never needs to be a main quest. A main quest helps to give direction over several sessions, but you can just as easily run a Scooby Doo type game where there is different a(some) different adventure(s) each session with no real connection.
#6 bonethug0108 Feb 21, 2015 19:33:51	As for what qualifies as an adventure, it could be as simple as some obstacle the players have to overcome to complete a goal or as complicated as a world spanning network of evil that is slowly taking over cities and towns but no one knows who or what is begin it.
#7 DM_HEEGZ Feb 21, 2015 20:35:56	Gnollbane wrote:
(Reply to #3) Ranthalan	Gnollbane wrote:
#9 Goon-for-Hire Feb 22, 2015 8:20:43	Having an overaching plot that strings adventures together is handy, but it is not necessary.  You might also find that it grows organically over time.   If you play with a more open sandbox and let the PCs interact with the characters and events there, you may well find that they develop motivations of their own - whether it is to bring down a corrupt Baron, discover what happened to the lost civilization that built all of those dungeons, or find the wealthy to build a nation of their own.   Ultimately a larger campaign plot, if you do settle on one, is something you have to be ready to sacrifice at a moments notice when your characters make an unexpected choice and end up going full Henderson on you.   I have found the best thing to do is come up with the shadow of a plot and see if the PCs are ready to play along - and if they are, flesh it out as you go.  If they are not, then no big loss, let them play in the sandbox until they come up with their own motivations, then take those and run wih them to create a fresh plot.   As to adventure design, a quick and dirty guideline for you is that you want to build enough encounters into the adventure for the PCs to gain one full level.  If you are looking for a good rough outline try this:   Choose a goal for the characters to accomplish by the end of the adventure.  Pick an exciting climax that you would ideally like to see.  Choose one interestig dilemma, side-quest, or plot twist between them and completing the encounter.   Plan eight medium encounters based on their level. Make at least one of those encounters a friendly and helpful being. Make at least one involve a deadly environmental hazard. Make sure the PCs can talk or think their way through at least two of them peacefully. (cont.)
#10 Goon-for-Hire Feb 22, 2015 8:26:06	(from above)   Plan four easy encounters. Make one of them with something mindless and dangerous, like an ooze or plant monster. Make one of them a well-coordinated group of mooks who use clever tactics or environment to make up for their weakness. Make one an interesting NPC with interesting info the PCs can get if thet are clever.   Plan three hard encounters One should be a small number of monsters who use each otehr's abilities to great advantage. Plan one Deadly encounter This doesn;t need to be your climax encounter, in fact it should't be, because boss fights happen when the PCs have already depleted their resources.   Design three decent treasure hoards to place around the adventure location. Any other encounter where it makes sense for the target to have money should have individual treasures.   Make sure there is one encounter tht is designed to let eachplayer really show off.  If there is a wizard in the party, have one involve riddles or magic.  If the party has a rogue, create one with an environment where the rogue's stealth and snea attacks save the day.  Make sure the fighter / barbarian has somethign really big and dangerous they can slay in single combat... you get the idea.
#11 Goon-for-Hire Feb 22, 2015 8:27:07	Note:  This will apply best to characters level 3 and up.  Adventures for 1st and 2nd level characters are usually much shorter.
(Reply to #8) Gnollbane	Ranthalan wrote:
(Reply to #12) grendel111111	Gnollbane wrote:
(Reply to #12) Ranthalan	Gnollbane wrote:
#15 DigitalEccentric Mar 02, 2015 8:56:30	I'd recommend just doing what feels natural. I'm a brand new DM as well creating a campaign for friend-group, and me being me I've got a large over-arching plot, with several factions and several 'Big Ideas' driving everything... I've tried to keep my individual quests as open as possible, but it's hard.   I've got a 12K quest document, an 8K background document, several other docs with notes etc... and I'll probably not end up using any of it :D   The exercise was a lot of fun though.
#16 Devils-Advocate Mar 02, 2015 9:01:15	A good adventure starts with a goal - "find the magician who saved the town" or "slay the spectator to avenge the wounded adventurer's former party" - and then poses obstacles that the heroes must overcome to achieve that goal - the monster-filled dungeon they must explore to find the spectator, the rival wizard who doesn't want the magician to be found, the bandits that accost the players on the road.   A great adventure also takes into account the adventurers' personal goals (encourage your players to come up with some) and gives them opportunities to persue them, and obstacles to achieving them.   But an important thing to remember when writing adventures this way is that your job is to create obstacles, not solutions to them. A common mistake for beginner DMs is to plan for certain outcomes - the BBEG survives the first encounter to menace the party at a later date, the adventurers decide to look for a safer route through the woods, etc. Then when the players inevitably come up with a different solution, you either have to change your plans or force the players to follow your script, which is not something most players enjoy. Remember, you only pose the questions, the players have to be the ones to answer them.
(Reply to #15) Ranthalan	DigitalEccentric wrote:
(Reply to #17) DigitalEccentric	Ranthalan wrote:
(Reply to #18) Ranthalan	DigitalEccentric wrote:
#20 Dreamstryder Mar 02, 2015 16:20:24	One of the tricks to designing adventure scenarios is to give the party something to gain as well as something to lose. They could gain anything from treasures or justice to escape from the magic prison of Zanzer Tem. They usually stand to lose their lives or the lives of others they like, but it could also determine who rules the kingdom or whether a flood overcomes the levies and floods the lowlands.   When they take the dark path thru an ancient wold (a kind of forested terrain), if most of the things the party meets just want to eat them without offering any sort of positive benefit, the PCs are likely to try to avoid them entirely (some may find battle enjoyable for its own sake, but don't depend on it). If they come across a traveler beset by wolves, or a merchant with peculiar but fabulous wares, they have more to consider.
#21 RasmusNord Mar 06, 2015 2:44:07	Think about what impact the volcanic eruption had and link it to the fine quest ideas already presented: - the accompanying earthquake opened the way into the merchant's storage for rats and vermin.   - the neaby village was covered in ash creating ash-undead (see real life Pompeii images and descriptions for inspiration) - goblin tribes on the mountain fled into the low lands - a red dragon awoke from its slumber or an ancient crypt was breached. Was there something behind the eruption? Who benefits from the eruption?  Who had to flee?  Why was the town protected? The ash poisoned a river. What was the impact of that? What social change does the many refugees crowding the town create? Such as anti-immigrant attitude, crime, overworked priests in the temple, lack of supplies, increased prices etc.