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Random Adventure Generator

Horror
Theme
This type of adventure is designed to scare both the characters and the players. Just having a monster attack is
not enough for a horror theme; the monster must first frighten the characters.

Win War
Goal
In this adventure or set of adventures, the characters become part of an army -- a force assaulting another
kingdom, perhaps, or an army defending one realm from another.

Old Friend
Story Hook
Another classic story hook is the Old Friend, the childhood friend of our hero, who shows up in one of several
ways to drag the hero into the story.

Event
Plot
For this plot, choose some sort of event -- a tournament, a holiday, a celebration called by the king, a masked
ball, or whatever -- and set the commencement of the Master Villain's plan against that backdrop.

Scattered Duels
Climax
In this climax, the heroes have gotten to the end of their quest -- they may have broken into, sneaked into, or
escaped from imprisonment within the villain's citadel, or have marched into the little town where the villain is
holed up -- and they become separated. You can separate them by having traps and tricks break the party apart,
by having them see two or three things they must resolve (such as danger to innocents or the appearance of
minion villains) pop up simultaneously; they'll have to run in all directions at the same time or suffer failure.
Once the party is broken down into bite-sized chunks, you confront each individual or small group with the
enemy or enemies he most deserves to face -- his personal enemy, the monster which defeated him before, etc.
-- for a grand series of climactic duels.

Torturous Terrain
General Setting
The adventure takes place in some sort of unsettled, uncivilized, dangerous terrain; in action stories, the desert
and jungle work best; choose one of those two or decide on a setting that is similarly dangerous and exotic.

Demi-human Community
Specific Setting I
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.

Craftsman's Quarter
Specific Setting II
This can occur in either the shop of the master craftsman of a palace or manor, or the guild-area of a city.

Lovable Rogue
Master Villain
This Master Villain isn't really evil -- he's just chaotic and fun. Cheerful bandits in the forest who rob from the
rich and give to the poor, singing and rope-swinging pirate kings, and romantic, sophisticated duellists all
belong to the category of the Lovable Rogue. Often, the Rogue will not be behind the nastiness the heroes are
encountering; he may be in competition with them for the prize they're seeking. Often the heroes and the
Rogue (and his minions) will have to team up to succeed at their task. Just as often, the Rogue will try to get
away with the whole treasure.

Lovable Rogue
Minor Villain I
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.

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.

Tragic Fellow Hero

Ally/Neutral
The heroes are in the company of some hero well-known to them; he may have been a companion or ally, or
they may just know him by reputation. He is a tragic figure; he may have lost his family to the master villain, or
lost his properties and titles, or be afflicted with a curse he cannot be rid of, or be committed to a quest he
knows will take his life. He's dour, and gloomy, prophesying doom and having no fun at all.

Terrain Monster
Monster Encounter
Don't forget the simple run-in with the animal belonging to the terrain where the heroes are: Every type of
wilderness has its predators and big, nasty herbivores.

Seducer
Character Encounter
One of the characters is invited to a romantic liaison with an attractive local. This local can just be interested in
a brief tryst, could fall madly in love with the hero and follow the hero through the rest of the adventure, could
be a Loving Deceiver monster encounter, could be a thief and rob the hero blind, or could be a spy or assassin
working for the Master Villain.

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Rock and a Hard Place

Deathtrap
This trap starts out as an Animal Pit, Pit and the Pendulum, or Tomb Deathtrap, but an obvious escape suggests
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.

Endurance
Chase
The Endurance Chase is not some sort of climactic chase -- it's a rugged, tiring, persistent pursuit that tests the
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.

Hero Fulfills Prophecy

Omen/Prophesy
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.

Love
Secret Weakness
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.

No Lawbreaking
Special Condition
For some reason, at one point in the story, the heroes cannot allow themselves to break the law -- even when it
would help them greatly to do so. For instance, the heroes may be asking for the help of a king whose word is
law and whose power is immense. When they arrive for their audience, an emissary of the Master Villain is
making a similar plea for help. If the heroes attack and kill that emissary, they will lose any chance at the king's
help -- in fact, he may order their execution.

Ally Quandry
Moral Quandry
You set up the situation so that the heroes have a good chance at defeating the Master Villain if they get the aid
of two specific individuals, probably experts in fields relating to the villains' activities. But the two experts hate
one another and refuse to work together, even if it costs them their world.

Extraneous Details
Red Herring
When giving the heroes details on their enemy -- for instance, details they are learning from investigations and
readings -- you can give them just a few details too many. This may prompt the heroes to investigate the "extra"
(i.e., irrelevant) details in addition to the relevant onces, thus losing them valuable time.

Villain Accompanies Party

Cruel Trick
In this distressing situation, the Master Villain, in disguise or his secret identity, accompanies the heroes for
much of 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.

Based upon tables from the Dungeon Master's Design Kit by TSR, Inc.

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