Page 127 - Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica

The Cross Purposes table can help you involve the
INVOLVING T HE
characters in an adventure by suggesting ways that a
CHARACTERS villain's activities might directly conflict with the player
characters' goals or interests.
Once you've chosen an adventure seed-a villain, a
mission, or a general hook- you need to figure out what CROSS PURPOSES
gets the player characters involved in the adventure. The
answer could be as simple as a guildmaster or other dlO The Villain's Activities ...
authority sending them on a mission, but it's generally ... di rectly target one or more characters. The ad-
good to hook the characters in personally. What motiva- venture begins when characters are attacked by the
tion do they have to thwart the villain? villain's agents.
The best answers to this question stem either from 2 ... threaten a character's contact or bond.
the adventurers' personalities, ideals, and histories, or 3 ... challenge a character's ideal or exploit a flaw.
from their guild affiliations. The characters might have
a common reason to fight the villain (especially if they The character might hear rumors of this activity,
all belong to the same guild or have been adventuring spurring them into action.
together for a while), or they might all oppose the villain 4 ... open an opportunity for a character to pursue a
for different reasons. personal goal.
For example, say your villain is a group of Gruul an- s ... compete with a character's guild. A guild
archs raiding in a densely populated area. A Boros char- authority might order the character to rectify the
acter might be assigned to protect innocent bystanders, situation.
or might just happen to be in the area and leap to the
6 ... threaten guild members or property.
defense of the innocents. An lzzet character might be 7 ... conflict with guild goals.
trying to make sure that an Iziet laboratory in the area
isn't damaged or its secrets looted. A Dimir spy might 8 ... open an opportunity for a guild to pursue its
leap at the opportunity to steal some lzzet secrets when own agenda.
the laboratory comes under attack. 9 ... catch the characters between fighting forces.
10 . .. cause an accident or catastrophe that traps the
characters.

126 CllAP11R 1 ICRI \!IN<. '[>Vl~TUJH<\