Page 75 - Dungeon Master's Guide

:. C ONSIDER THE IDEAL CLIMAX EVENT-BASED ADVENTURES
-:-::e climactic ending of an adventure fulfills the promise
In an event-based adventure, the focus is on what the
:all that came before. Although the climax must hinge
characters and villains do and what happens as a
:;:: rhe successes and failures of the characters up to
result. The question of where those things happen is of
·.::a moment, the Adventure Climax table can provide secondary importance.
~::ggestions to help you shape the end of your adventure.
Building an event-based adventure is more work than
building a location-based one, but the process can be
DVENTURE CLIMAX
simplified by following a number of straightforward
dl2 Climax steps. Several steps include tables from which you
The a"dventurers confront the main villain and a can choose adventure elements or roll randomly for
group of minions in a bloody battle to the finish. inspiration. As with location-based adventures, you don't
2 The adventurers chase the villain while dodging necessarily have to follow these steps in order.
obstacles designed to thwart them, leading to a final
1. START WITH A VILLAIN
confrontation in or outside the villain's refuge.
Putting care into creating your villain will pay off later,
3 The actions of the adventurers or the villain result
since the villain plays such a pivotal role in advancing
in a cataclysmic event that the adventurers must the story. Use the Adventure Villains table in the
escape. previous section to get started, and use the information
4 The adventurers race to the site where the villain is in chapter 4 to help flesh out the villain.
bringing a master plan to its conclusion, arriving For example, your villain might be an undead creature
just as that plan is about to be completed. seeking to avenge a past imprisonment or injury. An
5 The villain and two or three lieutenants perform interesting aspect of an undead villain is that this past
separate rites in a large room. The adventurers injury might have occurred centuries ago, inspiring
revenge against the descendants of those that harmed
must disrupt all the rites at the same time.
it. Imagine a vampire imprisoned by the members of a
6 An ally betrays the adventurers as they're about to
religious order of knights, and who now seeks revenge
achieve their goal. (Use this climax carefully, and
against the current members of that order.
don't overuse it.)
7 A portal opens to another plane of existence. 2. DET ERMINE T HE VILLAIN'S ACTIONS
Creatures on the other side spill out, forcing the Once you have a villain, it's time to determine what
adventurers to close the portal and deal with the steps the villain takes to achieve its goals. Create a
villain at the same time. timeline showing what the villain does and when,
8 Traps, hazards, or animated objects turn against assuming no interference from the adventurers.
the adventurers while the main villain attacks. Building on the previous example, you might decide
that your vampire villain murders several knights. By
9 The dungeon begins to collapse while the
slipping past locked doors in gaseous form, the vampire
adventurers face the main villain, who attempts to
is able to make the deaths appear natural at first, but
escape in the chaos.
it soon becomes clear that a depraved killer is behind
10 A threat more powerful than the adventurers
the murders.
appears, destroys the main villain, and then turns If you need additional inspiration, consider a few
its attention on the characters. different options for how the villain's actions unfold over
11 The adventurers must choose whether to pursue the course of the adventure.
the fleeing main villain or save an N PC they care
about or a group of innocents. EVENT-BASED VILLAIN ACTIONS
12 The adventurers must discover the main villain's d6 Type of Actions d6 Type of Actions
secret weakness before they can hope to defeat that Big event 4 One and done
villain. 2 Crime spree 5 Serial crimes
3 Growing 6 Step by step
6. PLAN E NC OUNTERS corruption
.:..fter you've created the location and the overall story of
the adventure, it's time to plan out the encounters that
Big Event. The villain's plans come to fruition during
make up that adventure. In a location-based adventure,
a festival, an astrological event, a holy (or unholy) rite, a
most encounters are keyed to specific locations on
royal wedding, the birth of a child, or some similar fixed
a map. For each room or wilderness area on the
time. The villain's activities up to that point are geared
adventure map, your key describes what's in that area: toward preparation for this event.
its physical features, as well as any encounter that plays Crime Spree. The villain commits acts that become
out there. The adventure key turns a simple sketch bolder and more heinous over time. A killer might start
of numbered areas on graph paper into encounters out by targeting the destitute in the city slums before
designed to entertain and intrigue your players. moving up to a massacre in the marketplace, increasing
See "Creating Encounters" later in this chapter for
the horror and the body count each time.
guidance on crafting individual encounters.

CHAPTER 3 I CREATTNG ADVENTURES
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