Adventure 80

Adventure #80
Theme
Espionage
Espionage adventures are active, grim scenarios involving spying and perhaps other cloak-and-dagger deeds such as assassination
or rescue.
Goal
Explore a New Area

The heroes are hired or convinced to enter an unmapped area and explore it. They may be making a map; they may be trying to
find someone who disappeared into this area in the past; they may be following legends that tell of treasure in the unexplored
interior.
Story Hook
Old Enemy
This is a straightforward story hook; the hero learns that his oldest enemy is back and is very active in the campaign, up to
something. The hero will naturally want to investigate and will walk right into the story.
Plot
Accumulation of Elements
In this sort of plot, the heroes have to go from place to place -- perhaps covering very little area like a city, perhaps roaming the
known world -- and accumulate elements to be used against the Master Villain. These elements may be clues, pieces of an artifact,
evidence, or allies.
Climax
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.
General Setting
Alternate Plane
Most of the story takes place in an alternate dimension; this implies that either the PCs or the villains, or both, have magic powerful
enough to bridge the dimensional barrier, or that the PCs stumble across some dimensional portal.
Laboratory
Specific Setting
This can be alchemical lab of a friendly wizard, or the horrible experimental chamber of the villain where new monsters are created
I
and relased upon the world.
Palace of the King
Specific Setting The heroes could be here for many, many different reasons: Trying to get a favor from the ruler, part of some nobleman's retinue,
II
members of the palace guard, sneaking in to save the ruler from assassins, sneaking in to assassinate the ruler, thrown into the
dungeon for crimes they did or didn't commit, etc.
Master Villain
Destroyer
This villain is like the Corruptor, except that he likes destroying instead of corrupting. He operates like the Conqueror, moving in
his armies -- often nonhuman or monstrous armies -- and destroying everything in sight. Again, the Destroyer could easily be an
evil god or demon, meaning the heroes wil have to find his weakness in order to thwart his current plan.
Minor Villain I
Moronic Muscleman
This fellow is a huge, powerful monster of a fighter. His job is to smash anything the villain tells him to smash. He does that very
well, but don't ask him to do any thinking; he has no time for such brainy stuff.
Mistress with a Heart of Gold

Minor Villain II 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.
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
Stampede
Should the heroes ever cross plains or prairies, their villainous enemies may wish to stampede a herd of large animals at them.
Alternatively, beasts in the forest may be stampeded by fires set by the villains; in this case, it will not be one sort of animal
charging through, but a mixture of terrified forest animals, from the smallest fox-cub to the largest bear.
Character
Encounter
Mean Drunk
The Mean Drunk works much like the Belligerent Soldier except that he's not as tough, is of course drunk, and is usually
accompanied by other Mean Drunks.
Deathtrap
Tomb Deathtraps
Another classic type of trap is the sort of triggered trap left behind in abandoned tombs, ruins, and 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.
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, labrynthine, treacherous catacombs.
Innocent Fulfills Prophecy

Omen/Prophesy An innocent could fulfill a prophecy -- one which endangers his/her life. This innocent might, for instance, be the one who is
supposed to slay the king, but is not a mighty adventurer able to protect himself from the king; the heroes may find themselves
sheltering and helping this poor dupe.
Secret Embarrassment
Finally, the villain may have some aberration or secret shame that will force him to flee when he is confronted with it. It could be
Secret Weakness 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.
Special
Condition
Time Limit
Finally, the most obvious condition to place on an adventure is to give it a time limit. If the Master Villain is going to conclude his
evil spell in only three days, and his citadel is three hard days' riding away, then the heroes are going to be on the go all throughout
the adventure -- with little time to rest, plan, gather allies, or anything except get to where they're going.
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
Wanted by the Law

One final complication, one which occurs pretty frequently, is when the heroes are wanted by the law. When they're wanted by the
law, they have to travel in secret and very limited in the resources they can acquire.

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Adventure 80

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Adventure #80

Explore a New Area

Mistress with a Heart of Gold

Innocent Fulfills Prophecy

Wanted by the Law

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