Alternative Adventures: 6 Adventures That Aren't Your Average Dungeon Crawl

Being a DM isn't easy. You have to craft the towns, assign the bad guys, remember all the DCs, recall where the traps are, and a dozen other things over and above managing the roving pack of murderous kleptomaniacs that make up the average party. With all those details fighting for your attention, it's easy to get stuck in the same rut time and time again when it comes to the challenges your party is actually facing.

Put another way, what's the challenge this time? Is it a combat slog, or a dungeon crawl?

Maybe this time it's a combat slog IN a dungeon crawl!

As a player who is also a DM, I know how hard it can be to come up with adventures that feel unique. Even if your story is original, the pieces that make it up can cause it to feel a little bland, and a bit samey. So consider, if you will, using some of the following scenarios I wrote for Kobold Press if you want to spice up your game, and throw your players for a bit of a loop.

Also, if you're looking for a specific campaign to run, you might want to check out the first installment from TPK's Critical Hits series, False Valor! It's by yours truly, so give it a look.

#1: The Heist

What's the DC on this thing, again?

Most adventurers are out for loot, but most of the time we pretend that's just a side benefit. We're really here to fight tyranny, or save the town, or slay the dragon. Not so with the Heist. You're here expressly to steal something, and you can't just kick in the front door to take it. You need to assemble a team, come up with a plan, and go after the treasure Ocean's 11 style.

#2: The Hunt

We have confirmation on the target. Take him down!

It's one thing to go toe-to-toe with the Bloodcut Gang, but it's a separate challenge entirely if they escaped from confinement a week ago and you have to hunt them down before you can draw steel. Whether your party are bounty hunters who have to bring them back alive, or just a group empowered by the law (or perhaps an extralegal organization), you have to find the target, trail them, and only once you've found them can you kill, capture, or otherwise decide what to do with the object of your quest.

#3: The Infiltration

So... how long have you been guarding the Baron?

The Hangmen are one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the country, and their leader has never been seen without his iconic black hood. No matter how many of the gang are killed, though, the leader remains at large, recruiting more people to fill the ranks. So if you want to eliminate him, you need double agents to get close to him. That's where the party comes in.

#4: The Mystery

This note should give us some insight to the killer... "should" being the operative word.

Sometimes things happen that are inexplicable. A man was murdered, and the killers are still at large. A great treasure has gone missing, and they need to know how it was stolen. A man's wife vanished into thin air, and he needs to know where she went. You may not have to throw a single punch, but the mystery can engage characters of all classes, and from all walks of life.

#5 The Escape

No one gets out of Black Gate, boy. Not alive, anyway.

Sometimes the party is put in a place they don't want to be. Whether it's the dungeons beneath the Red Citadel, or in the caved-in warrens of the Rat Tunnels, they need to get out. That means they have to band together, and pool their resources, if they expect to escape the walls, and the inevitable pursuit that will come afterward.

#6: The Diplomatic Mission

Must not insult the ambassador... must not insult the ambassador...

Most parties have used Diplomacy at some point, but rarely is that their entire mission. War is expensive, though, and most organizations would rather operate in peace than waste valuable resources. So if the party can negotiate a truce, their services will be in high demand. And make them targets for assassination.

Hopefully folks enjoy these 6 pieces of DM advice! That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday post. If you'd like to support Improved Initiative, head over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page today, and pledge $1 a month. This buys you my undying loyalty, and gets you some sweet swag in the bargain. Lastly, if you haven't followed me on Facebook, Tumblr, or Twitter yet, now would be a great time to do just that!

Who Wants Me To DM For Them At Gen Con?

So, despite my running a blog all about RPGs, and living in the state of Indiana, I don't make Gen Con anywhere near as often as I should. The last time I made it was two years ago in the summer of 2014, and that was my first year actually working for someone. This year I'll be back, and in addition to manning the booth for artist Brent Chumley in Artist Alley, (who I covered in my Monday posts that same year in Meet Brent Chumley... No, Seriously, You Really Should), I will be DMing a single session of a game for Kobold Press.

What am I running? Well, the game is called Gravebinder's Daughter, it uses Pathfinder rules, and it starts at 7:00 pm Thursday evening. The game goes to 11:00 pm, or whenever the group finishes the module before that. I need at least 4 players, and I can't take any more than 6. The ID for the event is RPG1694800, and it takes place in the Hyatt: Cosmopolitan Ballroom C.

Be there, if you've got the bones for it.

This will be my first time running a game at Gen Con, and my first time running something in Midgard. Hopefully it will be a memorable experience for all who show up. So, if you're someone who's a fan of my work, and you want to see what I'm like at the table, I'd recommend stopping in and taking a seat. Or, if you just want to say hello, it's always nice to meet the folks who fill my tip jar.

That's all I wanted to say in this week's Moon Pope Monday update. I won't be writing any posts during the time I'm actually at Gen Con (won't have time to sneak off the floor), but I guarantee that I'll be back on the job the Monday after, and ready to share any adventures I had. Speaking of my tip jar, if you'd like to help support Improved Initiative, then I'd suggest stopping over at The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron today. All it takes is $1 a month ($12 a year), to keep the content flowing free, and if you become a patron there's a shiny thank-you gift in the mix for you. Lastly, if you haven't already done so, why not follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter to keep up on my latest updates?

6 Tournaments To Add Some Bloodsport To Your Campaign

There is nothing quite like a tournament. The pomp and circumstance juxtaposed with the speed, skill, and sometimes brutality, of combatants doing everything they can to be the victor. A tournament can often be the centerpiece of a campaign chapter, and winning one of them (or at least putting on a good show) is a phenomenal way for your party to get noticed. I recently completed a series of 6 tournaments for Kobold Press, and they're free for any player or DM to use.

If you like these, then you might want to check out the previous series I did for Kobold, 6 NPC Organizations to Spice Up Your Campaign.

Or if you're looking for some other pieces of lore to add to your campaign you should check out the supplements A Baker's Dozen of Rumours (And The Truth Behind Them) as well as A Baker's Dozen Pieces of Lore. Both pieces were authored by yours truly for Azukail Games, and they're full of urban legends, potential plot arcs, traditions, and local legends to spice up your setting.

6 Tournaments To Add Some Bloodsport To Your Campaign

#1: The King and Queen of Sharps

Where scoring "points" is a whole new game.

The King and Queen of Sharps tournament is a display of astonishing skill, and fast-paced swordsmanship. When your goal is not to kill your opponent, and where wounding them could lose your victory instead of clinching it, only those with a nearly supernatural skill will win the honor of being addressed as one of the Kings or Queens, and be given the right to carry one of the weapons awarded to the tournament winners.

#2: The Iron Fist

No tricks, no weapons, skill against skill alone.

When it comes to bare-knuckle brawling, no tournament is more brutal, or more revered, than the Iron Fist. A tournament by invitation only, participants have their lots drawn at random. They enter the arena with no weapons, and no clothing, fighting with strength, skill, and training to see who is the toughest. While some participants will only fight a handful of opponents, it isn't unheard of for one fighter to have to best a series of fresh, eager enemies with no more than a few minutes to catch their breath.

#3: The Arcane Masters

Never call it the battle of the bands... the bards take it personally.

Tournaments aren't only for the martially-inclined. Wizards, sorcerers, magi, and others all flock to the Arcane Masters as a way to prove their skill, knowledge, and power. However, the goal is not to do your opponent serious harm; the goal is to make them concede. This is where strategy comes into play, as many powerful spellcasters will try to keep their best spells and abilities a secret in order to throw off their opponents. Guile and strategy are often just as important as raw power when it comes to winning this tournament.

#4: The Labyrinth

It's around here somewhere... I think...

The Labyrinth is unusual among tournaments, in that it's not a test of battle skill... or not just that, at least. Every year the Labyrinth is different, and its location is set up so that only those in the know, or who are skilled at ferreting out information, will be able to find it. The challenges are kept completely secret, but participants need to overcome those challenges as quickly as possible. So, it's not a question of can they beat the Labyrinth... but how quickly can they do it?

#5: Blood on The Sand

A day at the beach, it isn't.

In the desert, water is life. Warring over water is expensive, though, which is why the tribal chieftains and nomadic caliphs came together, and created a way to determine who would control the oases. Blood on The Sand is often a battle to the death, but as the years have passed and the desert tribes have grown wealthy, the fighters have grown stranger. Mercenaries wielding bizarre weapons, mystics from faraway nations, and even inhuman creatures spawned from the desert's depths are all common sights in this tournament, but there's no telling who will win.

#6: The Devil's Dance

And your first opponent is...

Some tournaments are only available by invitation. Others are held in secret places, inaccessible to the common people. The Devil's Dance, though, is a tournament so secretive it's considered a legend by many fighters. Matches are held in a dark cavern before a masked and hooded audience, who never breaks their silence while fighters are pitted against fiends belched from the innards of some mad, despicable hell. Is the tournament real, or merely a figment in someone's imagination? And what prize would be worth fighting such inhuman creatures?

All right everyone, that's this week's Moon Pope Monday update. I hope you enjoyed, and found it useful. If you did, and you'd like to see more content just like this, then why not stop by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron? As little as $1 a month nets you some sweet swag, and it will help me keep creating content just like this. Lastly, if you haven't done so yet, why not follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter to keep up with my latest releases?

6 NPC Organizations to Spice Up Your Campaign

This Monday I'd like to put a little bow on a gift for the DMs out there. I know how hard it can be putting together a great game, and that sometimes you just don't have the available sweat to go elbow-deep into more world building. That's why I wanted to offer you these six organizations that I put together for Kobold Press which can add a lot of spice (and plot hooks, if you need them) to your campaign.

Also, the sharp-eyed among you might notice that some of these organizations were first mentioned in my post What Services Exist In Your Fantasy World (And Do You Use Them)? That post was the initial inspiration, but now these groups have a slightly more involved history, as well as tips that will allow you to incorporate them seamlessly into your game.

#1: The Brotherhood of The Brawl

Seriously, I don't care what level you are, don't get into it with the bouncer. Not here.

The Brotherhood is a loose confederation of skull crackers and leg breakers that live and train right out in public. Bouncers by trade, the Brawlers take all kinds, from pugilists and prize fighters, to grapplers and knockout artists. They might not look like much, but the Brotherhood is a training ground for some of the strongest, deadliest bare-fisted fighters in the world. They're good allies, and awful enemies.

#2: The Wanderer's Way

Package for you, sir!

Have you ever wondered how common people send letters and packages in your fantasy world? After all, if reading and writing are commonplace, then wouldn't there be some kind of postal service? The Wanderer's Way is a volunteer post that's made up of everyone from merchants and caravan guards, to wandering adventurers and no-account saddle tramps. The Wanderers are a great way to explain why a PC is in town, but they're also great for adventure hooks when you're trying to have a mysterious letter show up to drag the party into your plot.

#3: The Sundown Eyes Guild

You broke into the wrong house.

The Sundown Eyes Guild has one job; keep its clients safe. Security experts, bodyguards, and anti-infiltration experts, the Sundown Eyes Guild draws its ranks from both the famous, and the infamous. Former bandits, sneak thieves, spies, and other disreputable adventurers work shoulder to shoulder with detectives and former Watch officers, all doing their best to stymie the latest attempts from burglars, robbers, and, when necessary, assassins. If you need an extra challenge for your party to bypass, or you want a patron to employ them, you need look no further than this anti-thieves guild.

#4: The Iron Horsemen

Got a problem, squire?

It seems like every other campaign is a noble hiring adventurers to travel with him, or to deliver an unspecified parcel from point A to point B. You'd think, with so many valuable people and treasures about, that someone would just start a business centered around their delivery. That is the niche the Iron Horsemen fulfill, and the group only hires the best. Their black-clad coachmen are uniform in look, but their abilities and powers are often surprising. So, whether a party is looking for a paymaster, or they just want a reliable group to transport their treasure halfway across the continent, the Horsemen can easily get the job done.

#5: The Order of The Healing Hand

We can cure what ails you... again.

If you've ever had a game where no one wanted to play a cleric, you've probably found yourself wishing you had an in-game group of healers to fall back on. Something like a fantasy version of the Red Cross that your party could find all over the map, provided they get out of the dungeon alive. That is where the Order of The Healing Hand comes into play. Dedicated to curing the sick, the order is made up of bonesetters and surgeons, alchemists and priests, and it's rumored that among their number there are scholars of the body so learned they can resurrect the dead. Ideal for character backstories, escort missions, and even as secret villains, the Order has many uses for a cunning DM.

#6: The Raven's Quill Criers

How do I know? A little birdie told me.

Town criers are one of the easiest ways to make announcements to the general population, but the Raven's Quill Criers take their jobs even further. They write letters for the illiterate, provide maps for out-of-towners, and they collect information like a magpie goes after shiny objects. So, if you need a handy way to get a key piece of intel to your party, you want to introduce potential allies, or you want to turn the Criers into a front for a network of spies, they're available to you to do with as you please.

As always, I hope you found this week's update useful. If you'd like to help support Improved Initiative, why not stop by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron today? As little as $1 a month can be a big help! Also, if you haven't done so yet, why not follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter?