tetsujin28
First Post
I've run almost nothing but modules in most of my years gaming, due to the fact that I A) suck at coming up with plots, and B) really don't have the time to invest in them.
How do YOU personalize adventures?
- Thread starter Psion
- Start date
Hussar
Legend
Well, considering my current campaign is set in the World's Largest Dungeon, I guess I come under the "using premade modules" category. I do tweak and change things here and there. Primarily tactical additions for the most part. Most modules do not include a lot of tactics for the bad guys and I tend to add that in later. Who does what and goes where when the alarm is raised sort of thing. Time permitting, I'll start adding in movement around the adventure so that NPC's or critters can be met anywhere inside an area, depending on the time, rather than in the set location. Keeps the players on their toes when they can bump the Boss in the hallway 15 feet inside the dungeon. 
If I have more time and inclination after that, I start adding some extra personal touches to the adventure. Maybe a nifty critter from another sourcebook (my players just met a Simurg from Dragon and a flock of fiendish hookwings from Creature Collection) or a spiffy piece of loot from somewhere else. Again, it keeps the players on their toes when you toss in stuff they cannot possible know. Of course, this all depends on the amount of time and energy I feel like expending. Sometimes I'll add a complete little side adventure inside the adventure. Other times, I get lazy and leave things pretty much as they are.
Really, the amount of work I do really depends on whether or not I get the inspiration or energy to do it. As a general rule, I don't reinvent the wheel. I bought the bloody module so I wouldn't have to do that, so, unless the module is really bad or desperately needs something, I don't do it. I usually take a fairly minimalist approach and do the least amount of work I can.
If I have more time and inclination after that, I start adding some extra personal touches to the adventure. Maybe a nifty critter from another sourcebook (my players just met a Simurg from Dragon and a flock of fiendish hookwings from Creature Collection) or a spiffy piece of loot from somewhere else. Again, it keeps the players on their toes when you toss in stuff they cannot possible know. Of course, this all depends on the amount of time and energy I feel like expending. Sometimes I'll add a complete little side adventure inside the adventure. Other times, I get lazy and leave things pretty much as they are.
Really, the amount of work I do really depends on whether or not I get the inspiration or energy to do it. As a general rule, I don't reinvent the wheel. I bought the bloody module so I wouldn't have to do that, so, unless the module is really bad or desperately needs something, I don't do it. I usually take a fairly minimalist approach and do the least amount of work I can.
The_Magician
First Post
I also like running my own material, but since life is a bit busy right now, I have decided to run offical adventures (in PBP format). The exception being an Eberron Campaign I am DMing to my table top group, but we only have one session per month, so it's ok.
I don't usually take official adventures and modify them, when I am running my own stuff. I think the only things I tend to borrow are maps of dungeons, as I am doing right now for another PBP game I am creating.
I don't usually take official adventures and modify them, when I am running my own stuff. I think the only things I tend to borrow are maps of dungeons, as I am doing right now for another PBP game I am creating.
Keeper of Secrets
First Post
Here is the kind of thing I do: when running a published adventure I go through the thing and see what NPCs interest me or which ones would be a lot of fun to play (as well as show up a lot). I tryto do some foreshadowing or create a personal hook for one of the characters (or more than one if possible).
So while I am running a current scenario I already know that I want to run say, Shackled City. I get those NPCs from Shackled City and make allusions to some of them ahead of time, such as an off handed referenced to an old friend (who is an NPC from Shackled City) or a cusion (Shackled City) or something like that. Therefore when I introduced the Shackled City story (in maybe four sessions from now) it feels more like part of the story.
If starting some scratch, such as a new campaign, I look around and try to get a sense of which adventures I might want to run. I then go through and personalize them the same way I would do it if I were running a continuing game.
Honestly, I think that one of the coolest things you can do is get characters to feel as if the world they are in 'works' with their background and personality.
So while I am running a current scenario I already know that I want to run say, Shackled City. I get those NPCs from Shackled City and make allusions to some of them ahead of time, such as an off handed referenced to an old friend (who is an NPC from Shackled City) or a cusion (Shackled City) or something like that. Therefore when I introduced the Shackled City story (in maybe four sessions from now) it feels more like part of the story.
If starting some scratch, such as a new campaign, I look around and try to get a sense of which adventures I might want to run. I then go through and personalize them the same way I would do it if I were running a continuing game.
Honestly, I think that one of the coolest things you can do is get characters to feel as if the world they are in 'works' with their background and personality.
Klaus
First Post
I take a look at the characters and try to emphasize their strengths in play.
For instance, my last group's only rogue was multiclassed, which meant she didn't have many points into Disable Device. So I minimized traps in our games.
My next group likely will have no cleric, so I'll minimize undead and change turn undead in order to use the Complete Divine option, which allows the paladin to be effective and the party will be able to pitch in.
I ran the Adventure Path. In FoF, the PCs are hired by a noble to retrieve masterwork weapons. Knowing that I'd run SiD, I changed the noble in FoF to be the baron from SiD, instead of just throwing in a random noble.
For instance, my last group's only rogue was multiclassed, which meant she didn't have many points into Disable Device. So I minimized traps in our games.
My next group likely will have no cleric, so I'll minimize undead and change turn undead in order to use the Complete Divine option, which allows the paladin to be effective and the party will be able to pitch in.
I ran the Adventure Path. In FoF, the PCs are hired by a noble to retrieve masterwork weapons. Knowing that I'd run SiD, I changed the noble in FoF to be the baron from SiD, instead of just throwing in a random noble.
Romnipotent
First Post
Repeating villains who are found leaving calling cards to the party... tormenting them till you hear "Where in the Realm is [Carmen San Diago?]" as their blood boils. Particular gods, and whats sometimes known as the "This is an odd week (1st or 3rd of the month), so 2 of us need to die today..." I go through PC's like eggs
Henry
Autoexreginated
The two things I do when running published adventures:
1) I remove or substitute those things which bore my players. I take stock of the players' motivations and try to add something for each of them. If none of my players are into character motivation and roleplay, I'll gloss over those parts. If they are into power and wealth accumulation, I may add a little more than what's in there. If they're butt-kickers, and the adventure includes little or no combat, I may add a little.
2) I try to gauge any encounters that, despite supposed CR levels, would likely kill all the PCs. I made a slight mistake with this in my recent Arcana Unearthed game, and one of the PCs got smashed to death by a 7-foot super-hot "Tar Baby," and they came VERY close to two of them buying the farm.
They quit the main adventure mid-stream, and I plan on writing my own for next few sessions.
1) I remove or substitute those things which bore my players. I take stock of the players' motivations and try to add something for each of them. If none of my players are into character motivation and roleplay, I'll gloss over those parts. If they are into power and wealth accumulation, I may add a little more than what's in there. If they're butt-kickers, and the adventure includes little or no combat, I may add a little.
2) I try to gauge any encounters that, despite supposed CR levels, would likely kill all the PCs. I made a slight mistake with this in my recent Arcana Unearthed game, and one of the PCs got smashed to death by a 7-foot super-hot "Tar Baby," and they came VERY close to two of them buying the farm.
They quit the main adventure mid-stream, and I plan on writing my own for next few sessions. 
Chaldfont
First Post
Most of my long-running campaign has consisted of Dungeon adventures tweaked to fit into our over-arching plot.
All the changes I make are in the name of making the adventure more fun. One of the things I do is customize the treasure for the PCs. Its easy to switch one magic item for one of roughly equivalent value that better fits the player's PC concept. I do this with monsters too: I once switched from gnolls to lizardfolk so that the party ranger could use his favored enemy ability. If a spellcaster has recently levelled and gotten a new spell (and can't wait to try it out), I might tweak the monsters, their tactics or their environment a little bit to make the first use of that spell more spectacular. I also look at the PCs skills & feats to see which ones they haven't used in a while. I'll make up a situation where they get to use them.
You can also mess around with the plots a little bit to fit the adventure into your campaign. Replace the Bad Guy with your PCs' nemesis. Replace the macguffin with something the PCs need to fulfill their goals. Hook in PCs backgrounds. That kind of thing.
All the changes I make are in the name of making the adventure more fun. One of the things I do is customize the treasure for the PCs. Its easy to switch one magic item for one of roughly equivalent value that better fits the player's PC concept. I do this with monsters too: I once switched from gnolls to lizardfolk so that the party ranger could use his favored enemy ability. If a spellcaster has recently levelled and gotten a new spell (and can't wait to try it out), I might tweak the monsters, their tactics or their environment a little bit to make the first use of that spell more spectacular. I also look at the PCs skills & feats to see which ones they haven't used in a while. I'll make up a situation where they get to use them.
You can also mess around with the plots a little bit to fit the adventure into your campaign. Replace the Bad Guy with your PCs' nemesis. Replace the macguffin with something the PCs need to fulfill their goals. Hook in PCs backgrounds. That kind of thing.
Psion
Adventurer
Some of the posts reminded me of a tweak I did in 2e.
I think that the Night Below has a wonderful end-game, but the middle is a droll hack-fest. We finished the first book but abandoned the campaign during the second.
Later I resolved to run Rod of Seven Parts. I worked the plot into a plot for my game (the rod was supposedly able to open the way to a lost demiplane and awaken the sleeping queen, a significant campaign event) and situated the specific adventures in appropriate points on my game world.
However, the adventure had a weak dungeon crawl involving an aboleth. Still liking the book 3 and the end of book 2 for night below, I basically yanked out the end of Nght Below and ran it in place of the dungeon crawl in Ro7P.
I think that the Night Below has a wonderful end-game, but the middle is a droll hack-fest. We finished the first book but abandoned the campaign during the second.
Later I resolved to run Rod of Seven Parts. I worked the plot into a plot for my game (the rod was supposedly able to open the way to a lost demiplane and awaken the sleeping queen, a significant campaign event) and situated the specific adventures in appropriate points on my game world.
However, the adventure had a weak dungeon crawl involving an aboleth. Still liking the book 3 and the end of book 2 for night below, I basically yanked out the end of Nght Below and ran it in place of the dungeon crawl in Ro7P.
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