How do YOU personalize adventures?

[Psion]

I am considering putting a cap on my current campaign and plugging into Shackled City for my next campaign. I imagine that it will give me a bit of a breather when it comes to making things up and stating them out.

But still, running published adventures is more the exception than the rule to me, and as a DM I feel the great need to create my own... things.

Does anyone out there run in a mode where they primarily run published adventures but tweak them or otherwise make them their own? What sorts of changes do you make?

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Though I rarely run published adventures, when I do, abou the only thing I change is inserting it into my homebrew. This, obviously, changes in difficulty and amount of work based on whatever the adventure is.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

One of the easiest changes to include is references to past adventures.

If you're clearing a dwarven-made dungeon, make it an extinct colony founded by the same dwarves who created one of your earlier dungeons. Put in references to that earlier dungeon, such that perceptive players can pick up on it - and maybe gain some extra hints ("Hey, weren't the Clan Brokenstone dwarves known for hiding secret door catches in [a particular location]?").

For a more cinematic example, I'm reminded of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, as Indy and Else are traversing the crypts beneath the Chuch-cum-Library. She points to a pictogram on the wall, and asks what it is. Indy responds, "It's the Ark of the Covenant." "Are you sure?" she asks. "Pretty sure," Indy answers.

 

[Psion]

Though I rarely run published adventures, when I do, abou the only thing I change is inserting it into my homebrew.

But what does that involve? Do you do the minimal changing names of NPCs, countries of origins, villainous organizations? Or is it more extensive, as in inserting NPCs of homebrew races, creatures unique to your campaign, editing out creatures (I had to change wererats in Rappan Athuk to ratemen since I have no living lycanthropes in my game), what?

I am thinking of adding more psionic and planar content to shackled city.

 

[Crothian]

Does anyone out there run in a mode where they primarily run published adventures but tweak them or otherwise make them their own? What sorts of changes do you make?

That's me!! I look at my 5 players and their backgrounds and place things in there that reflects back to that. For instance I'm running the Steading of the Hill Giants right now. For the dwarf cleric there are some captured dwarve craftmen being forced to work stolen andamentium. For the half elf ranger there are priests of a god he dispises captured in there as well. Also, I place in there some things that tie into other things they did and have discovered. Its pretty much just redifing some details and some encounters.

I also add in certain creatures that are campaign specific like Goblin Bears that I stole from Sccared Lands.

 

[Dog Moon]

I agree that putting them into your own homebrewn world would definitely help. Personally, I think that might be the best idea. In that case, you could switch out important NPCs for those of your own world. It would be like putting an adventure focused in Lalaland and there is an important Wizard well respected by the people into Forgotten Realms [say it's your homebrewn world] and making that town part of one of the Dales and that important Wizard be Elminster.

You could also put in rumors and stories about things happening in different parts of the world.
"Sounds like wars abrewin' in Waterdeep."
"Ah, cool."
Things like that.

Also, if you have something you do commonly in all your campaigns, put them in yours. If you always have a clown/funny person for comic relief, make sure to add him in the prewritten one somewhere. But, I got to go, cause Dinner is done. Later.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

But what does that involve? Do you do the minimal changing names of NPCs, countries of origins, villainous organizations? Or is it more extensive, as in inserting NPCs of homebrew races, creatures unique to your campaign, editing out creatures (I had to change wererats in Rappan Athuk to ratemen since I have no living lycanthropes in my game), what?

I am thinking of adding more psionic and planar content to shackled city.

A little of all of that, depending on the adventure. I'll usually leave NPC names the same, just changing where people are from, location names, and setting based things like that. Though I have added entire plot arcs to campaigns with new races, NPCs, etc involved, just because it helped link the adventure to the homebrew well.

 

[Shadowslayer]

But still, running published adventures is more the exception than the rule to me, and as a DM I feel the great need to create my own... things.

Does anyone out there run in a mode where they primarily run published adventures but tweak them or otherwise make them their own? What sorts of changes do you make?

Really depends on what's motivating you to make the changes. My own philosophy is that I'm paying for a pre-written adventure as a time saver...I may as well use it as such. I rewrote an entire adventure once...never again. Took less time to make em' from scratch.

In my case, I use a fair bit of published stuff, and most of the tweeks are in 2 areas. The first is in the PC motivations. That just involves changing the story or motive behind the adventure.

Say you have a town plagued by, well, a plague. The generic adventure says the PCs will help because they're good guys, or they will be paid x amount of gold, or whatever. To homebrew it, maybe the PCs sister is afflicted with the plague. Maybe someone who has valuable information to the PCs is afflicted. Maybe doing the good deed will be part of a requirement of a quest to attain a prestige class. (you do make them EARN their prestige classes, right?) That kind of stuff. Its a little bit of homebrewing to make it more personal. In my case the adventure itself really changes very little.

The other tweek is when I find an adventure that fits into my game, but the PCs may not be an appropriate level. Basically changing critters for critters more suitable. Maybe the orcs in the keep are Hobgoblins instead...because Orcs would be too much of a cakewalk and I want them tougher without necessarily changing the number encountered. (though that can be good too) And occasionally I'll just replace a monster outright if the adventure has on I don't like, or if I'm just keen to use a new monster.

Hope this is what you're looking for
Peace
Trev

 

[Man-thing]

We play mostly published modules. However most are tweaked to include several of the following "stock items" below:

1) Kobolds - that are little dogmen that set traps and are afraid of magic
2) Skeksiz - Skeksiz is a Nagpa that talks in a whine an is often caught mumbling about gelflings
3) Librarians - all are extremely bureaucratic and make getting a library card a tedious afair
4) Scaves - Small humanoid race, live in jungle, wear camo, and use sleep poison on blow darts.
5) Timmy - Timmy is a Bulette that first appeared years ago in our campaign. He is a normal bulette but has a collar identifying him as Timmy. We have yet to find Timmy's owner.
6) Traps - many from grimtooth
7) Mundane Treasure - almost exculsionly from Phil's stuff
8) Cursed Items - probably 1 in 8 will be cursed.

 

[Herobizkit]

My co-player/DM and I simply absorb pre-made adventures into our own campaign worlds.

For example, I played through RttToEE. All of the adventures' locales and personalities becaame a living, breahing and active area in our own homebrew. My character currently has plans to "clean up" the Moathouse and use it as his personal "summer home". A second character I ran set up a church near one of the entrances to the Evil Shrines to watch for any stragglers.

Another campaign I ran was composed entirely of old modules and Dungeon adventures. Each new adventure became a new part of the world at large.