Getting Started: Making an Adventure, Part 2
*EDIT* - The link to Getting Started: Making an Adventure, Part 1 has been repaired.
We covered part 1 of Making an Adventure here --> (Link Here), and dealt with all the trappings of a single-stage adventure. This post will cover the ins and outs of a multi-part adventure, and even a multi-part campaign.
As per usual, it’s intended that you’ve read the posts:
Getting Started: Settings
Getting Started: Combat
Getting Started: Making an Adventure, Part 1
This will ensure that nothing said herein goes over your head, and also that you have two very big pieces of making an adventure already figured out. Those being where is the adventure happening, and what are you killing?
Part 2: Multi-Part Adventures
In Part 1, we learned about Flags and Characters, two of the greater cornerstones for any D&D (or other tabletop game, for that matter) adventure. After all, pulling your players in, and giving them something to sympathize/empathize/hate is a large part of what elevates any tabletop game from just getting more experience and loot to something more.
For multi-part adventures, we return to an old topic and learn how to string everything together...
Flags, Part 2
That’s right! Those events that trigger the adventure’s start in the first place are making a comeback! What you learned in part 1 was only the beginning.
You see, an adventure doesn’t really end when you get the last room and kill the bad guy. It does sometimes, even most times, but sometimes the big bad evil guy in the last room is working for someone else. Sometimes, that bandit taking prisoners is working for a far more nefarious slave trader, or that rogue necromancer is actually part of a cabal that seeks to destabilize a prosperous kingdom for their own nefarious means. It’s usually nefarious.
So how do we get from ‘just a bandit taking prisoners’ to ‘bandits all over are taking prisoners to fuel an underground slaver’s trade’? The answer, of course, is Flags. Flags for this sort of thing need to be more nuanced, though. They need to reach the players organically, and typically play off of the players’ own tendencies. Here are a few examples that would propel such a scenario forward:
The Bandit Captain in charge had a note on his/her person which details where to meet when ready to sell their prisoners.
Another group of prisoners at the site overheard something important from one of the bandits before the players rescued them.
Upon reporting the incident the players escaped from to the authorities (the guard, or whoever happens to be in charge of keeping order where they’re at), the players hear word of several similar incidents happening all over the kingdom.
Each one of these flags can push a player to a new adventure on their own, but you don’t always want to do that. Sometimes, flags connect to other flags, and keep players out of the action a little longer while they work to figure out where all the clues lead.
It’s very important when connecting flags to other flags, however, that you keep you party’s tendencies in mind. You might enjoy a sprawling tale of intrigue filled with dialogue and sparingly used combat, but D&D is about fun for everyone on both sides of the DM Screen. If you want lots of story to happen between encounters, look for ways to keep your more combat-oriented players happy by peppering in single encounters or even entire one-offs.
For instance, following the theme of the bandit slavers, let’s say we gave the players the third flag. They’ve spoken to the guard, but the next clue hasn’t been as forthcoming as they’d hoped. The guard informs your players that the bandits don’t stay in one place for very long, and that while they’d love to have the help, they just don’t know where to send them. This results in another flag, one the players didn’t realize they triggered when entering the guard house, through which an associate of a separate criminal element informs them that their boss wishes to speak with them.
At this point, we segway into...
Characters, Part 2
A criminal is not lawful. A dedicated officer of the law is not chaotic. This, however, does not restrict them from being good or evil. A guardsman can be corrupt, or carrying out the laws of an evil master. Likewise, a criminal can be Robin Hood-esque, with a heart of gold, and embarrassingly sticky fingers.
When players are pushed to make criminal contacts, it’s important to understand that not every criminal need be their enemy. This holds especially true when there are bigger fish to fry, and the suave, charismatic fellow who makes a living running illegal gambling dens and peddling less destructive substances (petty drugs, bootleg liquor, etc) is likely to hate a cabal of slavers moving into his territory as much as the guard.
That’s not to say that someone who makes a living being dubious will be forthright about this, though. We are, after all, looking to keep the players entertained as the story runs its course. In this way, you as the dungeon master have a new option to keep things fresh and varied: having this seedy, criminal mastermind demand something of the players in exchange for what his own criminal network knows that the guards do not.
Possibilities for this include:
Clearing out a safe house in some out-of-the-way place that has been overrun by dangerous, native creatures (Hi, Critical Role!)
Dealing with yet another, far worse criminal that the players’ new contact would like gone (a murderous mugger, or someone peddling extremely destructive and dangerous drugs perhaps).
Going somewhere on the character’s behalf, such as to an auction they can’t afford to be seen at, and carrying out business in their place (a possible non-combat option, for the rare party that thrives on that sort of thing)
On the other hand, you can keep the party going by taking any one of these things and connecting it to the bandit slavers instead. Perhaps the safe house is overrun by them, or one of the bandit slavers’ more notorious members is nearby and needs to be dealt with.
Whichever path you choose to take things, it’s important to remember the characters involved. Our new party contact is still a criminal, and what they’re doing can be a complete flip on what the players perceive. Who’s to say they’re not working with the bandit slavers from the start, and these jobs are intended to get the players killed? In the event of this, plant an ambush in the job the players are sent on, one with a flag that fingers their new contact as the dubious mastermind stringing them along, and prepare an additional adventure in which the players get their revenge!
No matter how it happens, your players will return to this new contact. Whether they find the next flag by rifling through their things after a hard won fight, or have it given to them after finding their new contact to have the heart-of-gold they hope, they’ll feel a sense of accomplishment over completing that leg of this multi-part adventure.
Characters, Part 2a - Villains
At this point, assuming your multi-part adventure isn’t a campaign in and of itself, your players will probably have a name, and maybe even a face, to attach to their enemy.
It’s at this point you need to understand your own villain, and their motives, to keep the way they fight the players in line with their beliefs. Here are a few examples of ‘general archetypes’ you can apply to the ultimate ‘Slave Lord’ your players will end up encountering:
A garden-variety sociopath, uncaring for the emotions and plights of others, and arrogant enough to believe no one is capable of stopping them. This character is cruel, and oftentimes oblivious to it, and carries with them a colder, joyless demeanor that might unnerve others. They’re also intelligent, but suffer for their overconfidence. A character of this sort will attack other characters the player know, possibly even using them as hostages, but may be too confident to consider the failures of their plans and how they might trace back to them, or think to have a Plan B for their own safety.
A born and raised criminal, seeking great wealth to rise above their status as a powerful name in the underworld and potentially seize power in a far more meaningful way. This character is smart, ambitious, and aware of their own faults. Their lack of sadism and sense of purpose will have them shy away from the more brutal tactics of the sociopath, but will make them more difficult to track down or catch.
A literal demon. Yes, that’s right, a demon. Some crimes are worse than others, and fiends, such as demons or devils, enjoy the prospect of corrupting others. How better to corrupt than to not just subjugate people, but to aid others in subjugation as well? The fiend is not like the other options because it is not human, and while its lack of empathy might seem similar to the sociopath, a fiend can be far more theatrical in nature. Where the sociopath if cold, a fiend can be downright jolly as they act out their sadistic desires. A fiend might also command other fiends, and the appearance of any fiend itself can be a major flag to send the players scrambling for answers.
The corrupt noble. Oh yes, nothing quite sums up a villain like someone already in power abusing their station as a means to gain even more wealth and power. This character might seem cruel and uncaring, but their inner monster is typically more nuanced than that. An instilled belief that the lower classes are not to be thought of as people, while horrible, typically means the corrupt noble thrives on a sense of superiority, and accepts other nobles as worthy of their time. As an addition to the corrupt noble’s tendency to abuse power, it is very likely that they have corrupt guards working for them as well. When using corrupt guards, remember that they can rope in legitimate guards as well, and try to remind your players that not everyone they kill might deserve it.
Wrapping it up
Yes, yes, it’s time to end it. Your players have followed the bread crumbs, met an interest cast of characters along the way, and finally cornered the mastermind of whatever evil scheme they worked to stop.
What now? Well, you know your villain. Make their last words quick, as any monologuing is almost guaranteed to be interrupted by a player looking to get a cheap shot in.
You know the characters involved in your over-arching story of your multi-part adventure (or maybe even campaign, if it spanned enough time). When the fighting is done, and assuming the villain hasn’t come out on top and ended your party’s adventuring for good, you’ll want to think about how these characters react, and how they might get in touch with the players to offer congratulations or thanks.
That aside, you know how to build a combat encounter, and at this point, you probably know the party’s capabilities well enough to make it just a little more difficult than the other tough ones they’ve had so far. If the adventure they went on tied in to the greater theme of their setting, perhaps it can them an audience with someone important (a powerful lord, or even a king) as a result. Whatever the reward you give them, recognize the time it took for them to achieve their hard-fought win, and make sure it’s at least a little better than the usual. If you’re worried about giving them too much, something special, like a favor from someone powerful or a grant of land to do with as they please might also suffice.
And yes, when the ultimate villain of the adventure is dead, you can add yet another flag to an even greater threat. I suggest taking the players to a new region if you do this, though, as a change of scenery (and local problems) goes a long way towards keeping things fresh.
In Conclusion
This is it. At this point, with a setting, an understanding of how to build combat encounters, and the know-how to make your own adventures, you have all the bare bones tools to run your own game of D&D.
You’re probably going to make mistakes, whether it be in your own performance or some of the decisions you make (the most common one probably being to give your players too much loot/gold). That’s fine, so long as everyone is having fun.
That is, after all, all that really matters: having fun. If you’re doing it, and your players are doing it, then you’re doing it right. Realize this as you do things, and understand the players are driving the ship. This will destroy your hard work on occasion, but that comes with the territory. If your players are ever abusive or uncaring of the hard work you put into organizing the game, don’t be afraid to walk away! You are not there for their enjoyment, and they are not their for your enjoyment. You’re all there for each others enjoyment, to hang out and have a good time with a bit more theatrics and dice rolls than usual.
Thank you for reading along here at D&D&EE, and stay tuned for additional posts on the finer points of things like Loot, Legendary Actions, and how to keep a sprawling campaign interesting.