Build an Original Adventure Part 5

In part 4 of this series, we finished work on our timeline and information pipeline by planning the events that will progress our story after the beginning of our adventure. Now we'll work with the mechanical nuts and bolts, and we'll use details to bring our story to life in the context of our game world.

Work out the mechanical stuff. This includes not only setting up the combat encounters in the abbey, but also determining what the difficulties are of social and investigation actions to get the information the PCs need in order to get them to the abbey. This step depends heavily on what system you are using to run your game. If your game has a level system, make sure that the difficulties are in line with the level of the PCs (unless you want to make something particularly hard or particularly easy). In a classic fantasy adventure game, we want more combat encounters than just the final one with the cult. With this adventure, I would suggest 3-4 combat encounters in the abbey, plus the cultists. In addition, we have established that the PCs will be ambushed by cultists in town, and that they may be detained by the guards. We need combat stats for the assailants and for the guards - we’re probably hoping the PCs don’t fight the guards, but don’t bank on that. Players will always do something you didn’t expect.

 Also consider additional avenues the PCs might use to get information. Will they conduct a physical investigation of the mayor’s house and his daughter’s room? Will they search the chapel? Set difficulties for these investigations, and make sure you know what clues the PCs could find. Perhaps the daughter has a diary she keeps hidden beneath a loose floorboard and the final entry is about a party she was invited to, and names the person who invited her - one of the cult’s agents in the town. Perhaps the priestess’s quarters show signs of a struggle, and the cultists carved a suspicious symbol in the wall.

Add details. Whether you’re using a published setting or a homebrew world, tie your adventure into the setting. Place the village and abbey on your world map. Note the village’s relationship to surrounding areas - is it a stop on a caravan route? Do the local rangers stop here on a regular basis to make sure the village is safe from wandering monsters? Consider if any of the residents are famous or well-known outside of the village. While establishing these details, consider how you can tie them into the PCs’ backgrounds or goals to create compelling hooks.

Also tie details into your timeline and information pipeline. Who are the cultists’ contacts in town? Perhaps a local grocer and the village blacksmith have joined the cult; the grocer has a small warehouse that the cult uses as a meeting space. The warehouse is the location where the mayor’s daughter was invited to the party. A sooty handprint in the chapel where the priestess was kidnapped points to the blacksmith. Who was the last person to see the innkeeper's husband? Maybe the groom at the stable saw him in conversation with a couple of shady characters on the night he disappeared. What leverage did they have? Was the husband buying potions or tonics from them to suppress a secret illness? These are the details that will bring your world and your adventure to life for your players. None of these events happen in a vacuum; they’re tied to the people and places of your game world.

Now that we've gone through this process together, you're ready to start crafting your own adventures!