Brewing up your own adventure is one of the greatest joys a DM can have in D&D. Here are some basic plots to get you started.
Cooking up your own adventure is one of the coolest things about being a DM. You get to play in the raw creativity that fuels any RPG. You just have to know the right blend of ingredients. And, key to the whole ordeal, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time.
Sometimes you can reach for a familiar plot structure. Kind of like knowing how to make a good base for a sauce can help you make myriad meals. And while there’s not a one-to-one equivalent of say, a bechamel or a roux, these plots can help you get any adventure going when you’re hungry for some playtime.
Rescue Someone
This is perhaps one of the most basic adventure plots out there. Like some kind of brown butter sauce, it’s really very simple – you just have to rescue someone from a dangerous situation. What that situation is can vary. Sometimes it’s an NPC that’s been kidnapped. Or maybe you learned that they are going to be kidnapped – or someone’s trying to assassinate them and it’s up to the party to stop it.
It’s sort of the basic heroic building block, too. Saving someone from danger is something any party can feel good about.
Investigate A Mysterious Location
Slightly more complex is the idea of investigating somewhere mysterious. Or spooky. Or thought long-lost but now it’s found. This is an adventure plot that hails from theeaarliest days of D&D, when PCs would carouse in bars to hear rumors of things like strange lights in old ruins. Or of the discovery of a temple, deep in the woods by some hunter who dares not get closer, leaving that to the brave and foolhardy adventurers.
These adventures are all about exploring a place. All you have to do as the DM is figure out what’s going to be in the place they’re exploring. Both in terms of risks (like monsters) and rewards (like treasures).
Stop An Evil Plan
Another plot that comes up a fair amount is to stop something evil from happening. This could be an occult ritual meant to summon a demon or raise an army of undead. Or it could just be something like a bunch of bandits that plan to rob any traveller or caraven that leaves the safety of the nearby town.
Whatever the case, sometimes just putting a stop to evil deeds is the perfect base for an adventure.
Find A Magic Thing
How many fantasy stories are littered with heroes that have to go out and find a magical macguffin of some kind. A rare artifact. The components needed for a spell. A magical crown that can help put a rightful ruler back on the throne. Whatever the case, finding one specific thing (and figuring out where it is and what’s protecting it from adventurers like the party) is a sort of mirepoix that can start even a whole campaign.
Protect The Town
Finally, for those who like their adventures to be slow cooked and give adventurers time enough to stew in all the local flavors, there’s the classic ‘protect the town’ type of adventure. Here, the party knows that a town is going to come under attack a la The Seven Samurai, Magnificent Seven, or A Bug’s Life. So the adventure revolves around getting the town ready for whatever danger is to befall it – it’s a classic fantasy trope that can have your adventurers marinating in NPC interactions, while the combat goes from a simmer to a rolling boil at the end.
Why yes, I did write this one while I was cooking dinner? How’d you guess? Any way, happy adventuring!
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