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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Guilt Puppy" data-source="post: 403729" data-attributes="member: 6521">Okay, so far my campaign has gotten dragged into the Dragon magazine archetype for adventures: There's some plot and backstory, sometimes interesting, but it all eventually leads to a place full of monsters, which you have to kill.I'm tired of this... I want some new ideas. I'm planning on having a much longer, quest adventure which leads them through some fun wastelands (overused too, but at least it has that epic sense to it)... I'm interested in having some sidetreks on the way -- not really separate adventures, just little obstacles that they get drawn into.Now, in theory they will be trying to track down a lich during all this (he's travelling to get to this tower -- yes, very cliche -- which he can use to become a god)... Aside from wandering monsters, what else can impede their journey?I want there to be a couple of not-quite-unfriendly races on the surface of the wastelands -- descendants of humans and elves, their bloodline distorted by the evil of the land. Further, underground there will be dwarven equivalents, and possibly some mind flayers, because I like mind flayers. I want the wastelands to be dotted with the occasional ruined city, full of weird crap...Now, the question is, how do I draw them into this when their objective is so clear? Getting them underground isn't so hard... They can just find out that BBEG is taking that route, and follow. Getting them to really explore these places is a different problem. Obviously, the "there's something heroic to be done!" doesn't really apply in a place where everything has already been decimated by evil, and all its inhabits are just trying to survive. The power level of most of these inhabitants should be low -- oh, and also, they don't speak common. Meaning NPC interactions/problems will likely be minimal.So, any suggestion as to what side adventures can occur during this? Really, they should all continue leading toward their primary goal, but I want to keep the pursuit of that goal.</blockquote>

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