Adventure #54

Espionage
Theme
Espionage adventures are active, grim scenarios involving spying and perhaps other cloak-and-dagger deeds such
as assassination or rescue.
Escape
Goal
Early in the adventure, the heroes are captured. The remainder of the adventure consists of them learning enough
so that they can escape. They have to get to know their fellow prisoners, learn the prison's routine, inventory their
possessions, acquire other possessions they need, plan an escape, and execute it.
Missing Memories
Story Hook
One or more of the PCs wakes up with no memory of the recent past, and now they find themselves in some kind
of trouble they don't understand. The PCs must find the reason for the memory lapse, and solve any problems they
uncover in the meantime.
A-B-C Quest
Plot
This is an epic sort of plot. In it, the heros are given (or undertake) a task to perform: The taking of a city, the
rescue of an innocent, the destruction of a monster, the creation of a magical item, the defeat of a Master Villain,
etc. But the path to victory is not a simple one. To get to their goal, Event A, they find that they must first
accomplish some other task -- Event B. But when they undertake the task of accomplishing Event B, they find that
they must first accomplish Event C. This goes on for several encounters, until the heroes accomplish all the
obstacle events which prevent them from returning to Event A, their original goal.
Chase to Ground
Climax
First, you have the Heroes Chasing the Villain. The villain, after a series of encounters with the heroes, is running
to safety, to some place where he can acquire more power, or to somehwere he can accomplish some dread
purpose such as assassination or mass murder. The heroes chase him, have to deal with the obstacles he leaves
behind, and finally catch up to him before or just as he reaches his goal. Here, we have the final duel between the
villains forces and the heroes. Second, you have the Villain Chasing the Heroes. Often, in a story like this, the
heroes have found out how to defeat the villain -- such as getting to a particular temple and conducting a particular
ritual. The villain chases them all through their quest, catching up to them just as they're commenciing their ritual;
they must, with heroic effort, conclude the ritual while suffering his attacks. Third, you have the Master Villain's
Sudden Escape Attempt. This takes place in adventures where the Master Villain's identity is unknown until the
end. His identity is revealed and he makes a sudden bolt for freedom; the heroes give chase. This usually results in
a dangerous foot-chase through nasty terrain -- such as across rooftops, through the dungeons, or across an active
battlefield.
Alternate Plane
General Setting
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.
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.
Classic Dungeon
Specific Setting
II
This would be the standard monster-filled labyrinth; perhaps it's a nesting ground for the master villain's monster
troops.
Conqueror
Master Villain
This character is moving his army in to take over; that's what he lives for. He's been the enemy of your characters'
nation's ruler, and has launched a full-scale invasion of your characters' favorite nation. The heroes have to beat
their way through or elude his hordes of soldiers in order to get at him; better yet, they might lead their own
nation's troops against his and outthink him in military fashion.
Misguided Moralist
Minor Villain I
This fellow has been convinced that only by helping the villain achieve the Master Plan can he improve the world.
He tends to be encountered all through the adventure's plot, usually escaping from the heroes and taunting them for
their wrong thinking. Fortunately, he's no more effective as a villain than he is as a thinker.
Corrupted Hero
Minor Villain II
This villain was once a hero, possibly one known to the players. He was seduced by the dark side of the dungeon
master. Because of his own weakness, or of a curse, he has become a villain, a pawn of the Master Villain.
Childhood Friend with a Dark Secret
Ally/Neutral
One of the heroes is accompanied by one of his childhood friends... but said friend now has a Dark Secret. He does
strange and mysterious things (sneaks off to send messages, or behaves strangely around certain NPCs, or is scared
to death of certain harmless animals or situations) and will not explain why to his PC friend until late in the story.
Monster Foreshadowing Monster
Encounter With this monster encounter, combat may not be necessary. This monster encounter exists to alert the characters to
the fact that something unusual is going on, a foreshadowing of their upcoming conflicts with the Master Villain.
New Enemy
Character
Encounter
In the course of his ordinary activies, one of the heroes can make a New Enemy. Hurrying along the street, he can
bump into a disagreeable fighter for whom an apology isn't enough; in a tavern, he can make some innocuous
remark that you deliberately have the irritable fellow misconstrue as an insult. The New Enemy will only exchange
heated words with the hero at this point, but will appear again later in the adventure and will eventually have to
fight the hero.
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.
Special Terrain
Chase
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.
Totem Animal
Omen/Prophesy
If a hero has an animal which is his totem, he may see the animal engaged in a fight to the death with another
animal -- one which, coincidentally, is the totem of one of the villains. How his totem defeats the other -- or is
defeated by it -- gives the hero some clues as how to fight his actual opponent when the time comes.
Element
Secret Weakness
The Master Villain can be banished, dispelled, killed, or otherwise defeated by some of element or item. The
Master Villain tries to get rid of all the examples of this element in his vicinity; he doesn't let his minions carry it
or bring it into his presence. But he's not stupid; he doesn't announce to the world what his weakness is. He tries to
hide his concern within another command. If he's allergic to red roses, for instance, he orders all "things of beauty"
destroyed within miles of his abode.
No Weapons Allowed
Special
Condition
At some point in the story, the heroes must surrender their weapons. Perhaps they're visiting some quarter of the
city where weapons are not allowed; or a particularly peace-loving temple. In any case, once they're there, they are
attacked by enemies belonging to the Master Villain.
Saving Quandry
Moral Quandry
Finally, another classic quandry puts the heroes in the position of choosing between a grand opportunity to hurt the
Master Villain -- or saving the lives of a number of individuals.
False Path to the Artifact
Red Herring
Once again, if the heroes have had too easy a time finding the artifact capable of destroying the villain, give them
trouble this way: When they get to the place where the artifact is supposed to be contained, they find the coffer or
chamber or whatever empty, obviously looted by robbers, who have scrawled such remarks as "Kelrog was here!"
upon the walls.
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 on tables from the Dungeon Master's Design Kit by TSR, Inc.