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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Voadam" data-source="post: 9063691" data-attributes="member: 2209">First, recognize that this is normal and happens a lot. While it can be disconcerting to be caught off guard without something planned when you had a plan in mind that did not work out, it is not a failure on your part as the DM, it is a normal part of the game.You have a couple options that come down to style preference.1 Riff off of what they are now unexpectedly doing and make things up as you go, mixing in things that you think logically make sense and possibly random things that you come up with on the spur of the moment. Freeform storytelling using D&D rules. It helps to use stock NPC and monsters straight when called on quickly to have an opponent for combat. It is OK to have combats that are lower powered so as not to unexpectedly TPK (kill the entire party) which can still be fun and make the party feel like kick butt combatants. In a one shot it can also be fine depending on group and tone and style to go the other way and have their choice to follow the dragon into its lair end disastrously for them with a story about how they got eaten by a dragon.2 Redirect and recontextualize your planned material as makes sense in the moment. If they decide to climb the mountains instead of following the road around it, have the road ambush monster instead ambush them on the mountain pass and just change the map terrain slightly. As long as it makes sense from the Player's perspective that works well and you have material you had planned out to be appropriate for your party.</blockquote>

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