AdventureDesign/Plot

Plot

Plot design can be split into several steps:

1. The Outline
2. Questions on the Outline
3. Plotline
4. Logic Check
5. Revised Plotline

The Outline

Let's start with an example adventure:

A fair folk prince wants get his companion back, who his held \

   by a Dragon Blooded Dynast on the Blessed Island. \
   The fey has sworn never to set a foot on the island, so he threatens\
   to kill everyone in the village unless the player characters help him. \

Questions on the outline

Ask yourself some questions on the outline. Typical questions might be:

• How do the player characters get involved?
• What is the goal of the adventure?
• What is the motivation of the antagonists?
• What are possible complications?

Let's return to our example plot:

• How do the characters get involved?

the fey noble threatens to kill everyone the characters care about.

• What is the goal of the adventure?

Bring back the feys girlfriend to prevent the doom of the village.

• Why does the fairy need the help of the characters?

He has sworn never to go to the blessed island.

• Why has the fey sworn not to enter the blessed isle?

The dragon blooded has battled against the fey and won.

• How is his companion held?

The companion is enclosed in a crystal that suspends her indefinetely.

• And even more importantly, why does the dynast hold his companion?

Here comes a plot twist: The dynast has battled the companion and won.\

     The companion is actually one of the fey warlords that staged the great\
     intrusion after the Contagion. The dynast holds her hostage to prevent her\
     people from attacking again.

Plotline

Now that you have a good idea about the story it is time to write down an initial plot line.

• Introduction:
  Feys overrun the village where the characters live. Their warlord threatens
  to kill everyone unless the characters help him and bring the crystal before next full moon.
• The characters travel to the blessed isle
• First Plot Turn:They find out that the crystal is kept in a secure room at a Dynast Manse.
• First Climax: The characters try to steal the crystal.
• Second Plot Turn:The characters find out the real reason.
• Possible Conclusions:
  • The characters return the crystal to the fey and risk another fey war
  • The characters abandon their task and doom their friends
  • The characters reveal the ploy to the dynast and fight the fey together

Comments

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