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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 5445156" data-attributes="member: 16069">HS1 The Slaying StoneSession 9 Part 3Structure, I always think of an adventure as being a film, it's what I do- I can't help it.There are a whole host of basic plans and outlines for how to structure a film (or any other narrative), I think of the Three Act Structure (thanks Todorov), and then mix in a bit of the Writer's/Hero's Journey, so we end up with this kind of thing-ACT 1 SET UPHook- Exposition- Inciting Incident.ACT 2 CONFLICTPlot Points- Turning Points- Point of No Return- Plot Points- Turning Points.ACT 3 CONCLUSIONMoment of Truth- Climax- Resolution.Key-Hook- something to 'hook' the PCs in, an interesting fight/scene/or other, a little taste of the unknown.Exposition- the telling of the story, or at least enough to get the adventurers interested and with something to do/accomplish.Inciting Incident- something happens and the story/adventure begins.Plot Points- the story unfolds or is made clear anew.Turning Points- the story twists and turns, the things the PCs believed to be true... well, they may not be.Point of No Return- the PCs commit to see it done, from this point on there's no going back.Moment of Truth- the real 'truth' is revealed and the PCs get it.Climax- the finale, the big end of game bad guy, or similar.Resolution- the answer is explained, digested and discussed- which usually leads to more questions (and adventures).So, and apologies for those that aren't interested in this- back to the adventure next time, looking back at HS1, and then slotting it in to the Three Act Structure we get-ACT 1 SET UPHook- The PCs are in the mist fighting a bunch of Wolves (Encounter Level +0), disorientated and not sure how they got there, but fighting for their lives all the same. It's foggy out because, it's a metaphor, the players are foggy, their future is foggy- they cannot see what's coming, or what's behind.Exposition- They kill the Wolves, find Treona's tower, and still aren't sure how they got here. The PCs think back- and we end up in a flashback and a drinking competition, the PCs  show us (the audience) and each other who they are. Which brings us back to the Tower and Treona.Inciting Incident- Treona tells the PCs about the marvelous coincidence, always get the coincidence in early so the players forget about it by the time they get to the end, the coincidence being that Treona has been looking for a bunch of adventurers- the ruined town of Kiris Dahn etc.ACT 2 CONFLICTThe PCs head off for Kiris Dahn, a small problem arises- they need food, they hunt en route and find food- problem solved. The PCs must get in to Kiris Dahn, without getting seen, tramp through woods, wade through river- danger, but they manage it, rest in the farmhouse for the night, the PCs learn what it takes to be an adventurer.Plot Point- In the night lots of creatures are about, including a torch lit procession which heads down to the gate. Who was that? What's happening here? Things are a foot, the PCs need to find out.Next day PCs discover they have to remain under cover as they move about the ruined town- more danger.Head in to the Kiris Library and beat up some Goblins (Encounter Level +1), Goblins tell them about the belching Demons below.Head further down and are ambushed by the belching Demons- which turn out to be Bullwugs (Encounter Level +0).Head down again and more Bullwugs (Encounter Level +0), with Giant Frogs and a yet more fighting and more danger.Head down again and discover the Mud room with Portal and the Mudmen, close the Portal and destroy the Mudmen (Encounter Level +2).Plot Point- Discover chest full of papers, Magic Items manufactured by Tyristys, Treona and Dreus (and others). Dreus did something bad.Head over to ruined Church of Pelor, kill Rat Swarms and Stirges (Encounter Level +0).Plot Point- Discover dead Kobolds, killed by something with bigger weapons than Goblins.Head over to ruined Church of Sehanine, it's locked- hmm.Plot Point- Discover, and talk at length, with Kiris Hoyt- the PCs get some answers about how Kiris Dahn got to be this way. Kiris Hoyt is a good guy.Turning Point- Goblins attack (Encounter Level +1), lead by Triflick, mid-fight Kiris Hoyt (the good guy) turns in to a Wererat- bugger, then goes running off. Goblins defeated.Plot Point- Kiris Hoyt (the Wererat) chased down as the Inn of the Tallest Fir explodes, lots of dead Goblins- what's going on here?Plot Point- Triflick tells PCs Kiris Hoyt is a very nasty man, Hoyt confesses, 'the things I have done to survive.'Turning Point- Triflick tells the PCs the torch lit procession was the arrival of a bunch of mercenary Severed Eye Orcs- they're after something.Turning Point- Kiris tells the PCs about the Dragon- what Dragon?PCs head to the Kiris Baths, find a very well concealed trapdoor, and head inside. They meet Channoa, the Dragon.Point of No Return- The PCs tell the Dragon the truth, the Dragon reveals he guards the Slaying Stone and makes it clear what the PCs need to do to earn his trust (and the Slaying Stone). The swear to see it done.The PCs head back to the ruined town gates and confront Boontah and his maniacs, they destroy the Goblins (Encounter Level +1).Plot Point- Severed Eye Orcs turn up- they want the stone.PCs fight the Orcs and manage (just) to take them down (Encounter Level +0).Attempt to rest and hide, fail spectacularly and bump in to a bunch of Kobolds (Encounter Level +1).Head over to the Kiris Library and hide, and rest.Trapped in the basement of the Kiris Library, fight their way out against a bunch of Goblins with big axes (Encounter Level +0).Turning Point- The Kobold slums are on fire and the streets are swarming with Goblins on Patrol.Plot Point- Their Goblin prisoners from the previous fight confirm, the adventurers are being hunted by the Goblins, Hu-Jat has called up the reinforcements, the finale awaits (the PCs think).PCs head out to the Kiris Mansion, manage to get there, and get inside.PCs fight their way through to Hu-Jat, eventually, this after reinforcements turning up- a long and nasty fight (Encounter Level +5).Plot Point- A small army of Goblins and Wolves turn up and try to break in to get at the PCs, time is running out, kill Hu-Jat quickly or else the bad guys are going to get in and decimate the PCs.PCs kill Hu-Jat.Plot Point- The door bursts open, Goblins and Wolves spill in- followed swiftly by Fire, Channoa has come to help out.Plot Point- The Goblin army flees, the PCs wave the severed head of Hu-Jat about.Plot Point- Channoa makes the PCs swear on their lives to keep the Slaying Stone safe, the PCs do and the Dragon gives them their treasure, the heads off.Note PCs think they have finished and are at the end of Act 3, oh no, not yet.ACT 3 CONCLUSIONClimax- The Severed Orcs are here to take the stone away. The fight is terrible and titanic, the PCs manage to overcome the Orcs (just), it's desperate stuff (Encounter Level +4).Moment of Truth- The Severed Orcs bear a scrap of paper, one word- 'Dreus.' He's the true enemy.Resolution- The PCs head back to Treona's Tower, she fills in the gaps, rewards them and then primes them for their next adventure- Fallcrest, Finding Dreus.Obviously this is just my interpretation of things, but it's a structure I always bear in mind when I'm working out what order things should happen, the stepped difficulty of the fights (rising tension), the slow drip feed of information, the addition of new information which twists the tale a little and adds details which branch to other adventures.Lastly in play I now have a number of patrons, NPCs, and villains including-Channoa, the Brass Dragon- will the PCs meet him again, in what circumstances?Dreus, the Elemtalist/Necromancer- why did he want the Slaying Stone? What is he up to?Kiris Hoyt, the Human/Wererat- can the PCs save him? What happens next?Kiris Petreus, Hoyt's scheming father- will he be made to pay for what he did? Where is he now?Severed Eye Orcs- are there any more of them? Will they come back?Shadowed Chain, The- Who or what are they?Treona, the Ritualist in the Tower.Tyristys, the last of the three Ritualist/Crafters- where is he? What part does he have to play?And some questions that need answering-What's to be done about Kiris Dahn now the Goblins and Kobolds are routed?Where's Dreus?Why was the Dragon protecting the Slaying Stone? Is there some authority over the Dragon?A start, I generally select scenarios, and encounters and events, I want to add to the campaign and build my plot which I fathom in stages (although I'm pretty certain where I intend to go). The PCs at the end of this adventure are only at second level and yet I have selected scenarios/ideas/events et al which will see them safely (perhaps) to Epic level already.Just some observations you understand, and remember I only had a week or ten days to prep the campaign so I selected the Slaying Stone as a start without really knowing where it was going to take me.Next Time... Fallcrest.</blockquote>

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