Preparing Adventures -- Be prepared, be prepared, and be prepared!

Pleiades LLC

Some would say that it is good to have a strategy. It even better to periodically review the strategy to stay focused. From time-to-time I'll review and update my notes on being a DM with tips I've heard or lessons learned from playing the game. Much of it is based on my own experiences or tips from really smart DMs that come my way.

Get Started on the Game

Start on focus on making the independent elements for an adventure. Just start to absorb all the game material. Think in lists! What you want to do is start building up lists of potential encounters, traps, characters, rooms, skill challenges, spell lists, etc. that you find appropriate for the players. They should be challenges that you would want to use or characters you would want the players to meet. The problem with random generators is that so often they are not the kinds of challenges that you would find appealing. They are random after all. The advantage in building the elements separately is for flexibility during the game session. Build level dependant items separate from the independent ones.

For example when designing a room try and figure out what it looks like and what the players might find in it. Make sure it is specific to your campaign. Do several rooms of the same type at the same time. Don't get into too many details with the game mechanics. If it has a trap put a note as to where the trap might be located and the potential trigger. Don't bother with game statistics for the trap at this time. The room might be used when the PCs are two or three levels higher so all the stats would require modification. That would be time that could have been better spent. As the PCs advance in levels just maintain a list of traps with the appropriate difficulty. Also, wizards, clerics, sorcerers, and druids all customize spell lists for different types of encounters so when you have idle time just build a spell list. Nothing more. Note the kind of encounter where it would be useful and save it with some of your other spell lists for NPCs. Next time you need an opponent you've got a spell list planned out.

Published adventures are helpful because they have it all planned out and organized by character level. Message boards often post maxed spells lists, characters feats, and anything else relevant to the game. Take advantage of all this free work. Start collecting all of these individual pieces and get organized. Keep track of them in different documents or web pages. Make it easy to browse and edit the material. The more you do now, the easier it will be to put adventures together. Next time, you start to build material for a session put these independent elements together.

Planning the Adventure

The Campaign

Have a campaign outline that gets flushed out or updated after each session. Keep a calendar and figure out the next step. What it is that bad guys will do? What will happen next to the world?

Adventure Outline

When getting ready for a particular session create an outline. Don�t go into super detail because the more detail you add makes it more likely that the PCs will do something you can not predict. Start by drawing or printing another map of the area surrounding the players. This map should show an area no more than 20 square miles. Put game date on it. Plan out possible encounters based on the context of the adventure and mark the map where they might occur. Look at the outline for tasks that could let each of the PCs get a moment of glory. Look for locations that might require skill or ability check, trap, or treasure.

Now, realize that the events in the outline can be taken in any particular order. Keep this in mind when working on each part. Try and make them their own independent pieces. Be sure to allow for multiple ways to get to the same destination (Rumors, NPCs, etc to get them back on track). Try using a "Choose you own adventure format". In each section note, if the PC�s do A then go to B and if the PCs don�t do A then write out an idea that might lead them back to A at some other point in the adventure. This prevents the DM from controlling the game and lets the player think they control their own actions and have more freedom.

Adventure Index

Start by creating an adventure index page. Have it with you as you do the second reading of the adventure or preparation for the next session. Look at the outline and see if there are parts of it that you can foreshadow earlier. Foreshadowing could be gear towards any part of the outline so make a note of it. They could be presented either as a narrative or interaction and could indicate a potential skill challenge or encounter to come.

As names of important people, places and things come up, write them down. If you are creating your own adventure get the list of names and start incorporating them. If your adventure has a town with 20 named folks, only the mayor, blacksmith, inn, and tavern owner need be mentioned along with the name of the town, tavern, and inn so group them together.

When you're done, a good index should be easy to read at a quick glance. Mark page numbers to references that may be needed. Rolling names and details off your tongue with a quick glance instead of flipping pages is the sign of a professional.

Foreshadowing

This can't be stressed enough, but it goes a long way. It's also more work, but worth it. The best way is to keep one step ahead of the players and know where they are going, and what their interests are. For example, in a campaign the party was going to come to a city where they needed to follow leads on a particular villain. When the players were lamenting their shortage of cash in their home city, they came across a wanted poster with a sizeable reward posted for the fellow in question. Another way to do this is to mention areas in your campaign world almost nonchalantly in your descriptions and NPC conversations. A Fletcher may make an off-remark about the amazing wood found in the woods of Celene, and later when an elf is found slain with a mark of a tribe from that wood, there's at least one player who will remember what the Fletcher said about the elf's home, creating a small but worthy tie to the players. This technique can only work best if you read ahead of the group...plant seeds, drop hints, etc. Only discovering things as the party comes to them makes them feel like they are walking from encounter to encounter.

Recurring NPCs

Keep up with the NPC's that players seem to keep an interest in. It's easy to see if you look for it. Say the barkeep's name and the player sit there then it is time to move on. Say the name of the local baron's son and the note-takers jot it down on their paper then check it off on the outline that is a name to remember! Next time when the players come through they may learn that the local baron's son has recently completed training to become a knight and his coronation is tomorrow. Put note on your adventure index next to that NPC. You've built in a world around the players, not just for them.

Varied NPCs

Try to vary NPCs from region to region, and quickly think for a moment about their reaction, needs, and wants. Speech, outward appearance, even body language should be noted. A list of notable persons, places, or groups in the area that the adventure takes place makes it easier to tie an NPC to the local region to add flavor. A mercenary that wears an old faded uniform of a Knight of Furyondy is more interesting. A weapon smith in a city rampant with rumors of an impending invasion from the nearby empire will have a whole different attitude, pricing, and workforce than the weapon smith in the peaceful outlander village surrounded by high mountains. When they deal with the players, have their personalities reflect their environments. That simple mercenary captain may just be gruff and covered with scars, but what if last night his betrothed left him for another...suddenly puts a huge spin on his presentation to your players and gives him life. Players are less likely to take advantage, or make light of their interactions with NPC's so played.

Consequences

If the party has impact on an area, if they know about it or not, remember to keep that in mind the next time they are around or in your NPC gossip. For example, suppose the group gets hired to explore a fallen meteor. They do, and discover a fell mind flayer that laired nearby and they return to the town with a trophy. When they return to the town in the future some folks are sure to remember them and comment on their past deed. Or they find themselves in a nearby town asking for adventuring help, and their employer mentions how he hopes they "aren't crazy like the fools who tackled the mind flayer in the town over." If someone gives money to a beggar, beggars suddenly become their best friends. If a player makes mention of his favorite outfitter back in his home town, he may return to learn that the outfitter's business is booming from out of town orders. Best of all, set up things the party is meant to change so they feel they are interacting with the world, not that it's a static background set!

Character hooks

Players role-play based on scenarios presented to them. Knowing the players goals and motivations is critical to the players role-playing. For example, the cleric receives a dream or for that matter the entire party instructing them to accomplish some goal. Pre-write each dream and hand them out for the players to read or read each one out, start them all out the same way but then change them to fit each player. Each will make a decision based on the their motivations. Add flavor, rinse repeat.

Handouts

Make notes on handouts that will be needed in the adventure and have them ready for the players as the game progresses. They're fun, and even more so if they're ready!

Preparing Encounters

Treasure

Figure out how much treasure should be awarded based on your PC�s level. Use this as your seed money to purchase magic items for NPCs and monsters and leave some as loot. PCs get a lot of magic items by winning it in combat but remember not all of it will roll into the PC coffers. Some of it will get missed or used by the NPCs for combat. Include a lot more disposable magic items it is an excellent way to buff up NPCs and make them more challenging.

Encounter Levels

Encounters that require skill checks for interactions or overcoming challenges should be rated so give out experience for accomplishing them. Look at the chart in the DMG and assign an EL based on the difficulty of the DC needed. Otherwise, players will pursue more hack and slash opportunities because of the benifits.

Challenge Ratings

Trust in the system when preparing encounters. The proper way to make combat or dungeons harder is to run the encounters one after the other and not by adding more creatures to each encounter. Remember this when structuring the adventure. Each encounter is designed to drain resources. Wizards and clerics run out of spells and fighters run out of hit points. Space the encounters out by an hour of game time and not real player time. Let spells durations from the previous encounter expire. Run the encounter again with the same statistics. The experience you award will reflect the difference between the two encounters. The first being relatively easy when the character were fresh on spells and hit points and the second being a little harder when the characters were more depleted. If you find players are one shot dying wonders or instant kills then you�re probably having problems structuring encounters.

New Monsters

Beware of the modules and source material that are used in a campaign. New material can be unbalanced or of poor quality. If you want a new monster take an existing creature and make minor changes like changing a resistance type or appearance but leave all the statistics the same. Adding templates and class levels make for unusual monsters.

Combat Stat Sheets

Do Combat Stat Sheets! Role-playing is easy. You don't have to roll for initiative, keep track of positioning of foes & friends, or track numbers. Combat is TOUGH if you're not prepared. Tough on you as you frantically look things up and tough on your players if you don't have the answers to the scores of questions they will ask. When combat comes, you want to be able to spring it suddenly on the players with "roll for initiative!" not "hold on now while I look this stuff up..."

1. A sheet to track individual initiative and spell durations throughout the rounds.
2. A sheet with the combat statistics of every conceivable participant opposing the players. i.e. if a baatezu has the capability of summoning in another type of creature to help it, get that creature's stats ready too, even if it doesn't make an appearance. Tracking it in a word processor helps and you can always use it in another adventure.
3. A list of spells, items, skills, tricks, traps, and tactics your monsters or NPC's might pull off, or referenced page numbers in the game books.
4. A clear roster sheet to track the accurate hit points of damage the character's foes take.
5. A clear roster sheet to track the accurate hit points of player damage for those they lose AND recover during the session.
6. Label miniature figures or counters and track them accordingly. Have this sheet done in advance.

Encounters

Get the miniature figures, counters, or props ready or know right where to get them. If you don't use either, know the scene so well that it's in your minds' eye to describe. Print out a second copy of the map to use as a tactical view then track changes on the map as creatures move around, open doors, and spring traps. Don�t use "random encounters" suddenly decided with a die roll. Every encounter is planned out in advance even if you�re not sure where to use it (thus the illusion of intermediate danger). Random encounters usually are impossible to predict, and hardly do anything to further the story and are hell to get ready for due to the complexity of running a smooth combat. Having the setting and miniature props ready ahead of time keeps the action fast and furious.

Starting a Session

Recapping

Set the scene by preparing player questions that the players should answer in character. After everyone has settled in at the table there's a dozen different ways to bluntly announce "Okay, let's stop discussing movies and start the game". So instead just ease into it, ask each player their own question to answer in character to help everyone get into their role. The questions can be anything like about a character's family to what their favorite weapon looks like to asking them to prioritize their goals from a small list you provide. The answers usually reveal more about a character helping everyone to "see" them as well as give you some interesting idea hooks for future adventures! Simple answers, short answers, interesting retrospect and interesting in-depth answers are all cool, but the idea is to spend about one minute per player, and right afterwards recap the last session and get under way, now that everyone's in their character's mindset!

In Game

Golden Rule

Remember the Golden Rule. Information overload can happen so never loose track of your player's hit points! Of all the things you track it is the most important. The game has a lot of healing so the number can change a lot by going up and down. It can be very hard to especially at high levels where there is a lot of healing and damage being done. Regardless of whether you fudge numbers or don't, you want to be one step ahead of the players. If the character is going to die then you can always describe it heroic fashion. Soften the blow.

Whenever you�re about to do damage have this number in mind! Doing enough damage to hit the window where a player might be dying is more dramatic and also harder to do than hitting the window where the character is just plain dead. However, the former can be done a lot more often without huge negative effects on the player's feelings and be just as effective.

Narrating

There are two elements in relating the game to the players. Narrating the scene helps players visualized the scene as accurately as possible. Dialoging or role-playing is how players interact or relate to their environment.

Environment Details

In your villages, dungeons, and role-playing, HAM. Ham it up. You already know to describe a dungeon room with sounds, smells, lighting, and texture, but it can go further. Ham up your NPC's and you will discover that those not too disposed to role-playing slowly come around, playing off your impromptu acting.

Avoid trouble transitioning from scene development to combat by giving better descriptions. Let players know what they can and can not see! Describe those items that are too far away or unable to be seen clearly. Many times all the details of the environment will have not have been related to the players before they start attempting to interacting with it. Be sure the narrative element is complete within the players field of view. Let the players know what they need to do in order to resolve a particular detail before they actually do it or suffer consequences for doing it. When a player asks, "How long is the corridor?" Let them know that they will have to stick their head around the corner to find out? Describe the character's action and allow player's to inject feedback as to how the action is accomplished. Doing it in the fashion allows the DM and player to agree what is accomplished before the results of the action are determined or disclosed.

Combat Details

Combats desperately have a need for colorful descriptions: sword blows, near misses, etc. If you use miniatures, always track full movement with the miniature, don't pick it up and drop it elsewhere. As you move a miniature describe its flailing claws as it charges past the torchlight. The best way to perfect this technique is to read fantasy books and keep combat descriptions in your head to mix and match and develop as your own. Don't have foes walk up and attack, have them dodge, try tactics, flank, jump and tumble into combat! Suddenly the opponents aren't like drones waiting to be mowed down, but adversaries with personality.

Your view of combat is always going to be different from that of your players. If you feel things are a cake walk remember they may not. As a DM you�re going to be losing most of the time. It�s hard to tell the easy ones from the tough ones. It you think things are going to easy for the players then start embellishing the action verbally. Make it sound scarier or tougher. This and not on-the-fly adjustments should always be your first step. If you still feel things are not challenging enough then end the session early and go home (or to the bathroom) to look over the encounters. Always end the session when you�ve run out of prepared material. Not every session has to last three hours. Make this a habit.

Slowing down

Slowing down can address the basic problem when players don't spend the time of the session doing any of the prepared material. How are they going to spend it? If you want to stretch out the game session but not bore the players try embellishing the role-playing and scene visualization. Throw out an NPC or locale description and see if the players bite. If they do attempt to do some in-character role-play. Remember:

Going from place to place always take time even within the town so you should describe the scenery and the everyday scenes they encounter. Furthermore, many things can happen during that time including some of your prepared random encounters. You do prepare them?

Meeting people isn't automatic. The characters may have to work for it, pay for it, or find out who knows it. It might require building something or getting the raw material. Those they want to meet might not be at home, busy with their work, or just not trust the players yet. The actual act of talking to them does take time and getting them to talk can be an adventure.

Remember to always provide a couple of different ways for the players to succeed and feed these hooks in a timely manner; otherwise, the players will get distract. If the characters are on a clock, if they must hurry, then they won't spend time investigating side rumors or trying to get too high powered a magic item. A good way to control the pace of the session is to explain to them why what they plan is going to take a lot of time. You're the DM and you can make up a perfectly reasonable cause for the delay.

While you are using all these delaying tactics, listen to your players. You would be surprised by how many adventure ideas they can sound off while trying to understand what is going on. It many even be possible to tie one of them back into some of the encounters you have planned. You know your writing good encounters when you can use them in multiple ways.

Ending the Session

Ask the player for their plans. Giving the players treasure or money before the end of session can make them spend some game time planning purchases.

Serial Ending

Note their location and try to find a dramatic non-combat event to end the evening on (the seed to the next session).

Award Experience

Track experience individually and be sure to note the magic items character�s purchase. If a player has gain levels then remind them to bring you a copy of new character sheet.

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