Page 9 - Player's Handbook_Neat

their companions. The advenlurers musl coopera te to that a captured scout reveal the secret entrance to the
successfully complete the adventure. goblin lair, getting information from a rescued prisoner,
The adventure is the heart of the game, a story with pleading for mercy from an ore chieftain, or persuading
a beginning, a middle, and an end. An adventure might a talkative magic mirror to show a dislant location to
be created by the Dungeon Master or purchased off the the advenlurers.
shelf, tweaked and modified to suit the DM's needs and The rules in chapters 7 and 8 support exploration and
desires. In either case, an adventure features a fantastic social interaclion, as do many c1ass features in chapler 3
selting, whether it's an underground dungeon, a crum- and personality traits in chapter 4.
bling castle, a stretch of wilderness, or a bustIing city. Combat, the focus of chapter 9, involves characters
It features a rieh cast of characters: the adventurers and other creatures swinging weapons, casting spells,
created and played by the other players at the table, maneuvering for position, and so on-all in an effort
as well as nonplayer characters (NPCs). Those char- to defeat their opponents, whether that means killing
acters might be palrons, allies, enemies, hirelings, or every enemy, laking captives, or forcing a rout. Combat
just background extras in an adventure. Often, one of is the most struclured element of a D&D session, with
the NPCs is a villain whose agenda drives much of an creatures taking turns to make sure that everyone gets
adventure's action. a chance to act. Even in the contexl of a pitched battIe,
Over the course of their adventures, the characters there's still plenty of opportunity for adventurers to
are confronted bya variety of creatures, objects, and altempt wacky stunts like surfing down a lIight of stairs
situations that they must deal with in some way. Some- on a shield, to examine the environment (perhaps by
times the adventurers and other creatures do their pulling a mysterious lever), and lOinteract with other
best to kill or capture each other in combat. At other creatures, including allies, enemies, and neutral parties.
times, the adventurers talk to another creature (or even
a magical object) with a goal in mind. And often, the THE WONDERS OF MAGIC
adventurers spend time trying to solve a puzzIe, bypass Few D&D adventures end without something magical
an obstacle, find something hidden, or unraveI the cur- happening. Whether helpful or harmful, magie appears
rent situation. Meanwhile, the adventurers explore the frequently in the life of an advenlurer, and it is the focus
worId, making decisions about which way lo traveI and of chapters 10 and 11.
what they'1I try to do next. In the worlds of DUNGEONS& DRAGONS,practitioners
Adventures vary in length and complexity. A short of magic are rare, set apart from the masses of people
adventure might present only a few challenges, and by their extraordinary talent. Common foIk l11ightsee
it might take no more than a single game session to evidcnce of magic on a regular basis, but it's usually
complete. A long adventure can involve hundreds of minor-a fantastic monster, a visibly answered prayer,
combats, interactions, and other challenges, and take a wizard walking through the streets with an animated
dozens of sessions to play through, stretching over shieId guardian as a bodyguard.
weeks or months of real time. Usually, the end of an For adventurers, though, magic is key to their sur-
adventure is marked by the adventurers heading back to viva\. Without the healing magie of c1erics and paladins,
civilization to rest and enjoy the spoils of their labors. adventurers would quickly succumb to their wounds.
Sut that's not the end of the story. Vou can think of Wilhout the uplifting magieal support of bards and
an adventure as a single episode of a TV series, made c1erics, warriors might be overwhelmed by powerful
up of multiple exciting scenes. A campaign is the whole foes. Withoul the sheer magieal power and versatility
series-a string of adventures joined together, with a of wizards and druids, every threat would bc mag-
consistent group of advenlurcrs following the narrative nified tenfold.
from start to finish. Magic is also a favored tool of villains. Many adven-
tures are driven by the machinations of spellcaslers
THE THREE PILLARS OF ADVENTURE who are hellbent on using magic for some ill end. A cult
Adventurers can try to do anything their players can leader seeks to awaken a god who slumbers beneath
imagine, bul it can be helpful to talk about their activ- the sea, a hag kidnaps youths to magically drain them
ities in three broad categories: exploration, social of lheir vigor, a mad wizard labors to invest an army of
interaction, and combat. automatons with a facsimile of life, a dragon begins a
ExpIoration includes both lhe adventurers' movement mystical ritual to rise up as a god of destruction-these
through the worId and their interaction with objects and are just a few of the magical threats that adventurers
situations that require their altention. Exploration is the might face. With magic of their own, in the form of
give-and-take of the players describing what lhey wanl spells and magic items, the adventurers might prevail!
their characters lOdo, and the Dungeon Master telling
the players whal happens as a result. On a large scale,
that might involve lhe characters spending a day cross-
ing a rolling plain or an hour making lheir way through
caverns underground. On the smallest scale, il could
mean one characler pulling a lever in a dungeon room lo
see what happens.
Social interaction features the advenlurers talking to
someone (or something) else. lt might mean demanding

INTRODUCTION
8