[Let's Make A Cryptworld Module] Part 5: Act 2 and The Finale -- Howls In The Night

[[This is the fifth and last in a series of blog posts where I'm using The Covetous Poet's Adventure Creator and Solo GM Guidebook to create an adventure module from scratch for the Pacesetter horror RPG Cryptworld.]]

In our previous outings, we established our plotlines, fleshed out our primary antagonist, constructed our Act 1 Action Scenes, and inserted some clues for the players to follow. (In fact, you might want to re-read these entries as I'll be referring to events described earlier.)

Today, we'll move onto Act 2 and Act 3, where the PCs now know what they're generally facing (though the primary villain may still be undiscovered). It's time for them to take steps to put an end to the menace!

With the Adventure Creator's Three-Act format, Act 2 is a series of "Challenge Scenes" for the players. These are the things, situations, and events that now stand between the heroes and their ultimate goal of solving the mystery and putting an end to further malfeasance. Act 3 is the finale, where the final conflict and resolution happens. To keep this short, we'll only have 3 scenes in Act 2, which will then lead into scene 4, which will also be our Act 3 Finale.

When we last left the players in Act 1, they were rescuing Louise Farmer from the Order of the All-Seeing Eye, currently overrun with werewolves. The PCs should now be very aware of the lycanthrope conspiracy, though they may not have ID'ed their leader yet. GM NOTE: Louise should impart on them that a straight-up firefight with a werewolf horde is probably suicide. (Especially if the PCs aren't packing a crap-ton of silver bullets and wolvesbane!) So sneaking out undetected is the best course of action. Once they've escaped, they can decide how to best deal with the menace. (If they want to charge in and attack the lycanthropes in their lair, go ahead and let them. After the slaughter, let their replacements show a bit more discretion...)

ACT 2 CHALLENGE SCENES

Challenge: Avoid Danger/Deal With Threat
Action: Trick
Thing: Rain
Plot: Zombie Potion
Opposition: Possession/Warlock
Location: Bathroom
Clue: Secret Door

Scene 1: The challenge here is for the PCs to escape from the All-Seeing Eye without being detected or seen (Avoid Danger). Louise's research may come in handy, as she was investigating the All-Seeing Eye's connection to the deaths in town. She recalls that her examination of the building's blueprints revealed a hidden secret entrance/exit they might be able to use for their escape (from its days as a speakeasy). The passageway is found in the back of a linen closet in a bathroom on the first floor (Bathroom - Secret Door). The PCs will need to find some way to distract (Trick) the werewolves in the building to get to the passageway and make their escape. This could be an exciting "stealth" encounter or, if it goes poorly, an exciting "chase" encounter! (When the escape is discovered, our villain Sheriff Pratt (Warlock) will know who's responsible. And he won't be happy about it (Deal With Threat).)

Challenge: Do Research/Find Help
Action: Humiliate
Thing: Monster
Plot: Vixen
Opposition: Plague/Disease/Fugative
Location: Religious Offices
Clue: Odd Behavior

Scene 2: Once that scene has ended, the PCs will probably hunker down in hiding for the evening. The next morning when the sun is up, the werewolf threat has passed. But the PCs will only be safe until the sun sets again, at which point the wolves will be after them again! They'd better Do Research/Find Help if they hope to survive! If they haven't done so yet, Louise suggests checking out the local church (Religious Offices). The church is empty, but unlocked, which seems strangely inviting (Odd Behavior). As they investigate, they should hear typing coming from one of the offices. The church secretary will be here ("Linda"), dutifully hammering together the church bulletin (Vixen...though it's a stretch). She is surprised to see them here, but unlike the rest of the town, she will be nervously forthcoming with information (Fugitive). She confirms that the lycanthrope conspiracy is real and that townspeople are fearful of talking about it. ("You either end up dead, or as one of THOSE!" she says.)

She begs them to help, even breaking into the church's altar room to give them some silver trinkets that could be potentially used as weapons. If asked who in town is cursed, she lists off a few of the town's notable leaders (but she is unaware of Pratt's involvement, though if asked, she'll say that he creeps her out). "And I think Pastor Burchell is one of them too!" she'll whisper. Linda will then scream as she falls to the floor. Behind her stands Pastor Burchell with a dagger. "She's right," he'll hiss as he attacks (Monster). So the PCs have a combat on their hands with one of the conspirators! He's not currently in wolf form, but he does have lycan claws and teeth in this encounter, so the combat will be a challenge. During the fight, Louise should be injured via scratch or bite (she's now cursed!). If it goes badly and if he's not killed outright, Pastor Burchell will run off.

Challenge: Assist/Save NPC
Action: Decide
Thing: Owner/Proprietor
Plot: Never Speak of This
Opposition: Serial Killer/Animated Objects
Location: Crime Scene
Clue: Lack of Alibi

Scene 3: Louise is now cursed with lycanthropy, so she only has until sundown before she becomes one of the pack! (Assist/Save NPC) Louise explains (per our clues in the previous post) that destruction of the pack leader will break the curse for all those who have contracted the disease. The chase is on to find the leader! The PCs should now know most of those Coldcreek residents cursed with lycanthropy (from both their observations as well as Linda's list). Although I mentioned in an earlier entry there were eight of them at the temple, I'm going to scale back and say there were five: Pastor Burchell; Steve Thompson, the town food market proprietor, and Roger Warner, the town mechanic (the large surly townperson who threatened them in our first act) are three that they know of. (The other two are Pratt's deputies. And, of course, Pratt is behind it all, though he was not at the temple that night.) Logically speaking, confronting Thompson for info would be the best course of action (Owner/Proprietor). His store is closed, so the PCs should investigate his home.

It will be locked, though it's obvious someone's in there. Whether they break in or talk to him through the door, Thompson will beg them to go away and leave him alone. If convinced to talk by telling him they know he's one of the pack (Lack of Alibi), he will let them in and agree to tell them everything (Decide...Never Speak of This). Thompson is afraid for his family, friends, and the community, and he wants to be rid of the curse. (He's been able to retain his humanity in human form, though he feels Pratt's influence on him at all times.)

"It's Sheriff Pratt!" he says. "He used to be a great man, but now he's a monster! He and his deputies are planning to turn everyone into wolf-men under his control! He controls them all, you know! With that medallion of his! Right now, I can feel him looking at you through my eyes!" Thompson can explain what he knows of the Eye of Anubis, and how Pratt uses it to control his minions. Pratt is indeed using the medallion on Thompson right now, but his will is too strong. So Pratt has sent his deputies to put an end to the meddling PCs (Serial Killer). They are now waiting outside Thompson's house with guns drawn, ordering everyone to leave the house with their hands up. (Doing so is suicide.) Thompson may decide to end it all by charging at the deputies, buying time for the PCs to escape. Or the PCs may decide to confront the lycan deputies during the day. (Though the deputies are crackshots, so the firefight may be one-sided.) The deputies are completely loyal to Pratt and have orders to kill everyone in the house (Crime Scene).

If the PCs overcome or drive away the deputies, Pratt's voice crackles on the patrol car radio: "You've been a thorn in my side since arriving. It's time to end this. Come to my Temple. Fail to show up, and I'll slaughter everyone in town."

And the gauntlet is thrown...

ACT 3 FINALE

(Normally the finale doesn't use random results. But the items for Act 2, Scene 4, just lent themselves so well to the finale resolution that I've incorporated them here.)

Challenge: Collect Evidence/Recover Items
Action: Rally
Thing: Pick-Pocket
Plot: Cursed Artifact
Opposition: Conspiracy/Evil God
Location: Study
Clue: Things Out of Place

Scene 4 and Finale: The cat (er..."wolf") is out of the bag now. Pratt and his plans have been exposed, and the clock is ticking now that Louise is in danger of turning. Pratt is now in the Temple and is completely delusional. He has put on his Anubis costume and is ready to show the town of Coldcreek their new "god." (Conspiracy/Evil God). He is summoning his minions to return to his side using the Eye of Anubis (Cursed Artifact...Rally). Depending on what the PCs have done, there could be two, one, or even no one showing up to defend their master! Pratt is now ready for the final showdown with the "infidels."

When the PCs arrive, Pratt will be waiting on the steps of his "temple" wearing his Egyptian finery. Any minions still alive will be standing before him. The townpeople watch from behind closed doors and through window curtains. It's an Old West showdown with a Middle Eastern flair.

"Kneel cattle!" Pratt demands. The PCs will probably refuse. They may even say something fairly insulting. Or they may open fire. Regardless, Pratt touches the medallion, and his minions charge. If the sun is down, Pratt transforms into his werejackal form and joins the fight as well. If the sun is up, he still transforms, but into a form of considerably lesser power. Since Louise has been "touched", she may join the fight for Pratt under the influence of the medallion. (It could be an interesting turn to see if the PCs can hold her at bay without hurting/killing their partner.) If the medallion is somehow taken from Pratt during the fight (Pick-Pocket), all of his minions will break off their attack on the PCs and will then turn on Pratt! If Pratt is killed or destroyed, the curse will be broken and his minions (and Louise) will return to normal. The lycanthropic threat to Coldcreek has ended.

THE END

[Let's Make A Cryptworld Module] Part 4 - Act 1 Addendum: Get A Clue!

[[This is the next in a series of blog posts where I plan to take The Covetous Poet's Adventure Creator and Solo GM Guidebook for a spin. Over the coming weeks, I'll be generating an adventure module for the Pacesetter horror RPG Cryptworld using the book's Adventure Creator. And you can follow along with the creation process...]]

In our previous outings, we established our plotlines, fleshed out our primary antagonist, and constructed our Act 1 Event Scenes. Those of you reading this post"out of the blue" may want to go back and read up on the "story thus far" just to get some context. Now then, I was preparing to hammer out Act 2's Action Scenes (and lots of action is about to happen!) when I discovered the Adventure Creator's "Clues Chart" in the General Tables section. Intrigued, I read on...

When you use the Adventure Creator (as we're doing in this exercise), the Clues Chart isn't really implemented. A bit of reading showed me that the Clues Chart is primarily used with the Solo GM portion of the book. I read through the entries on the chart and determined that this would come in REAL handy for an adventure like this! After all, a monster-hunter scenario requires a bit of research and investigation, so having some evidence and information presented to the PCs in various scenes would be both helpful and intriguing.

So, I've decided that my Cryptworld scenario really needs some clues scattered about for the players to follow. (We need to get those Investigation and Research Skills involved!) As with everything else, whether or not an entry comes into play is solely at my discretion. In Act 2, I'll have the Clues listed with all other random elements, but for now, let's double-back to our Act 1 Event Scenes and see what interesting tidbits and threads may be laying about for the players to follow...

ACT 1 EVENT SCENES (CLUES)

Clue: Strange Jewelry or Item

Scene 1: (I won't reiterate what transpired in each scene in this follow-up, so please refer back to the previous post for background info.) This clue is a good one to have right off the bat, as it gives me a great idea to "plant a seed" in the PCs' minds. As we've determined, The Mystical Order of the All-Seeing Eye is our villain's unofficial base of operations. His first few "converts" are all members. Therefore, when the PCs first arrive, I'll have one of them notice that some of the townfolk wear a ring or pendant with an All-Seeing Eye icon on it. Subtle, and it clues them in that this place could be important down the road.

Clue: Hidden Passageway

Scene 2:  Although this is a "red herring" scene, it'd be fun to give the PCs something to investigate. Since we're dealing with an old decrepit house, let's say that they find a hidden passageway. But since nothing of interest is truly here, it will end up being innocuous. In the kitchen, there will be an obvious false wall, easily found. This hidden passageway leads to a stairwell to a basement fruit cellar. There is nothing of interest, as it was never used for this purpose after the advent of refrigeration. Also, there is a storm cellar door on the outside of the house that leads to the same location (in case of tornado), so it's not really "hidden". But while they're poking around in the dark cellar, perhaps that's when our "angry townfolk" decides to confront them. (He heard them in the cellar and used the storm cellar door to follow them.)

Clue: Things Left At Crime Scene

Scene 3: The PCs meet Sheriff Pratt for the first time when he shows up at the house. (His excuse was he was on patrol and he noticed the cars at the old abandoned house. He actually "sensed" that one of his minions was up to something and, using the Eye of Anubis, came out to see what was going on.) Since the house was established to be a dead end (all of the action followed our PCs here!), there's not really any good way to shoehorn any other clues into this scene. And having Pratt or our ruffian "drop" something would be too obvious this early in the scenario. So we're going to ignore this clue and leave Scene 3 as written.

Clue: Personal Effects Left Behind

Scene 4: The PCs return to the hotel to find the room tossed and Louise missing. We already have an All-Seeing Eye pendant left at the scene, so the social club is the next place. Howls in the distance and the multiple "dog attacks" should have pointed them toward a lycanthrope in town. However, as I've mulled over the plot thus far, I realize that having several werewolves (OK, "werejackals") in action might be too much of a challenge for the PCs. Rather than having them go toe-to-toe with (at last count) 7 or 8 werejackals, I decided to give them a bit of help. In this scenario, I'm inserting the classic "kill the werewolf who sired its minions and you break the curse, restoring all underlings to their human selves." That way, the PCs have a bit of a chance to "win" without slaughtering a whole bunch of townfolk. Since Louise is a monster hunter herself, I'm going to say that her notes and research are here in the tossed room. Her personal journal is filled with werewolf data and has this scrap of information within. The PCs may not know the extent of the infestation (yet), but they now will know that IDing and killing the Werewolf Master (whomever that might be) is one way to end the crisis.

(Also, and it's a bit of a cheat, but I wanted the PCs to have an "out" if anyone does get bitten. After all, werewolves are deadly even without passing along the lycan curse.)

Clue: Witness to Odd Behavior

Scene 5: Another clue that ties in nicely to the scene as written. During the rescue, the PCs will see multiple lycan transformations! No need to insert another clue, as it's all coming together at this point. Louise will make it clear that rushing in is suicide, and they should try to find out who is the Lycan Leader of this horrific mob!

And we now have some interesting new threads to insert into our Act 1 scenes. I think the Clues Chart gives the creator a few more options to play around with, as well as giving investigatory scenarios some much-needed evidence to pursue. As I hammer together Act 2 (and with any future mystery scenarios), I'll be implementing the Clues Chart for some necessary inspiration.

Stay tuned for Act 2...

[Let's Make A Cryptworld Module] Part 3: Act 1 -- Terror Stalks The Streets Of Coldcreek, Kansas

[[This is the next in a series of blog posts where I plan to take The Covetous Poet's Adventure Creator and Solo GM Guidebook for a spin. Over the coming months, I'll be generating an adventure module for the Pacesetter horror RPG Cryptworld using the book's Adventure Creator. And you can follow along with the creation process...]]

In our previous outings, we established our plotlines and fleshed out our primary antagonist. Today, we'll move onto Act 1, where the PCs will be initially dropped into our scenario and introduced to the story (though they may not know the scope of the mystery). Act 1 is less "plot-driven," and more "character-driven" as the PCs snoop about to get a feel for the story. Subplots may also surface during Act 1. In Act 2 (to come later), the PCs should have discovered the plot that's afoot and will be taking steps to confront and overcome the challenges they face. But, at this time, let's bring the PCs into the tale and give them some events to ponder.

Two things we need to establish in Act 1 is, of course, why are the players here? What prompts their involvement? The Adventure Creator suggests that we come up with the "Initial Oddity" (What's so odd about the location that it initially makes the PCs curious enough to check?) and the "Inciting Incident" (What single event throws our PCs headfirst into the scenario?). The Initial Oddity has already come to me, so I'll be using "A series of suspicious deaths attributed to 'dog attacks' has been plaguing a small town in Kansas." The Inciting Incident may form as the PCs move through Act 1, so it's something to keep in the back of our head as we design it.

According to the Adventure Creator, Act 1 should consist of 10 or more "Event Scenes" in a full-scale adventure module. For this exercise, I want to keep it smaller, so we'll only have 5 Event Scenes for them to investigate. So, taking our Act 1 worksheet and rolling on the random tables, we'll begin designing the investigatory scenes that pique our PC's curiosity about the sleepy town of Coldcreek, Kansas. (As before, we're encouraged to pick and choose the results we determine randomly depending on how they "fit", so some elements may not be used as we progress.)

ACT 1 EVENT SCENES

Event: Something Good Happens to a PC
Action: Cover Up
Thing: Butchery
Plot: Screams in the Night
Opposition: Outsiders
Location: Plains

Scene 1: Our PCs are sent to Coldcreek, Kansas, (Plains) to investigate a series of dog attacks that have left a few of the townspeople dead. The townspeople seem to be surprisingly tight-lipped about the killings, muttering something about "damned coyotes", but not willing to give the PCs much more information. (Outsiders) One of the PCs will have a chance encounter with Louise Farmer, who IDs herself as a monster hunter already on the scene working undercover. (Something Good...) She explains that the townspeople seem to be terrorized by these attacks and that they seem to occur only at night. (Screams in the Night) She also says that any time she uses legal means to get information (autopsy reports, police records, etc.), she hits a dead end. (Cover Up Butchery) There's a conspiracy afoot, and the town isn't talking...

Event: The PCs Run Into Trouble
Action: Pretend
Thing: Breakthrough
Plot: Until the Devil Knows You're Dead
Opposition: Dark Cult
Location: Cabin

Scene 2: When the PCs begin investigating, they'll hear of a local legend that supposedly haunts a decrepit house on the edge of town (Cabin). This "ghostly coyote spirit" attacks those who trespass upon its land. (Until the Devil...) This legend is false and is just a wive's tale (Pretend Breakthrough). However, once the PCs realize they've been chasing a red herring and abandon that line of investigation, a large, surly townsperson (a member of the All-Seeing Eye) corners the PCs at the house and "suggests" that they should stop poking around and leave town (PCs Run Into Trouble...Dark Cult). The conflict escalates...

Event: A New NPC Is Introduced
Action: Carry
Thing: Dog Catcher
Plot: Powerful Artifact
Opposition: Human Collaborators
Location: Bedroom

Scene 3: Fortunately (?), the local sheriff arrives before the fight gets out of hand (A New NPC...). The townsperson is driven off/arrested (depending on how the fight goes) without incident. (Pratt is using the Eye of Anubis to calm his minion down and to force him to cooperate -- Carry Powerful Artifact). Sheriff Pratt apologizes for the trouble the PCs have encountered in town, and he asks if there's anything he can do to assist them, hoping to gain their trust. (Human Collaborators) If the PCs are forthcoming, Pratt confirms (in a misleading way) some of the PC's suspicions as he feels them out. He hopes to learn their business in town, what they know, and gain their trust so he can subvert them later.

Event: Something Bad Happens to the PCs
Action: Seize
Thing: Eclipse
Plot: Mass Delusion
Opposition: Guardians
Location: Inn

Scene 4: When the PCs get back to their hotel (Inn), they find signs of a struggle and Louise is missing! (Seize...Something Bad Happens...) A small All-Seeing Eye pendant is found, pointing to the social club's members as being behind Louise's abduction. The full moon is coming up (Eclipse...close enough), and the PCs can hear the howls of  a werewolf in the distance. This must be a creature responsible, and the reason for the terror of the citizens! The townspeople have taken refuge behind closed doors and will offer no help to the PCs (Mass Delusion). The PCs are on their own to fight their way to the All-Seeing Eye Temple to attempt a rescue, and in the streets, a werewolf lurks to stop them! (Guardians)

Event: Unexpected Turn of Events
Action: Follow
Thing: Necromancer
Plot: This Is *****!
Opposition: Monster
Location: Town Hall

Scene 5: Arriving at the Mystic Order of the All-Seeing Eye (Town Hall...close enough again), the PCs must try to sneak their way in to attempt a rescue. (Follow) There could be members roaming the halls on patrol. If they come across the Great Hall, they'll see a handful of townspeople milling about -- and one of them is the NPC who accosted them earlier. When the moon reaches its apex, every club member transforms into a werewolf! (Monster...Unexpected Turn of Events) It's not just one werewolf, it's an infestation! The PCs should be able to find and rescue Louise, who also now realizes the scope of the problem. One or two lycans are difficult, but eight of the beasts? The PCs will need to escape and try to come up with a way to deal with the mass werewolf conspiracy that has infected the town of Coldcreek! Perhaps that nice sheriff can lend a hand... (This is *****!)

And Act 1 comes to a close. Our PCs now have their hands full as their investigations have now revealed a "werewolf conspiracy" is at hand! And we now have our Inciting Incident: "The PCs realize that the entire town is being transformed into werewolves by the Mystic Order of the All-Seeing Eye."

When we return to this adventure, we'll begin constructing Act 2, where the investigation ends and PCs are tasked with stopping the horrific plague that is starting to engulf the citizens. And, perhaps, the identity of the mastermind behind it all will come to light...

TO BE CONTINUED

[Let's Make A Cryptworld Module] Part 2: Our Villain--Sheriff Larry Pratt, Werejackal

[[This is the next in a series of blog posts where I plan to take The Covetous Poet's Adventure Creator and Solo GM Guidebook for a spin. Over the coming months, I'll be generating an adventure module for the Pacesetter horror RPG Cryptworld using the book's Adventure Creator. And you can follow along with the creation process...]]

In our first outing with the Adventure Creator, we generated the overarching plot of our narrative, our villain, and his motivation. Today, I wanted to get our monstrous manipulator fleshed out, which will allow us to better envision his machinations in the background as the adventure takes shape. (Our Bad Guy's name and stats were all randomly generated using dice and an online name generator.) And since it's germane to the plot, I'll also present the "powerful artifact" Sheriff Pratt's using to further his goals...

SHERIFF LARRY PRATT, WEREJACKAL
STR: 78 --- WPR: 60
DEX: 55 --- PER: 62
AGL: 85 --- PCN: 92
STA: 72 --- PWR: NA
ATT: 3/90% --- WND: 15
MV: L 225† (75† when human)

Experience: 1,000

Larry Pratt grew up in the small town of Coldcreek, Kansas, where he was elected to the position of sheriff. Throughout the years, Pratt was a well-respected and liked member of the community, even acting as club president of the town’s fraternal organization, “The Mystical Order of the All-Seeing Eye.” But all that changed about a year ago.

While on patrol in an isolated part of the county on the night of a full moon, Pratt was ambushed by a large “coyote” that managed to bite him during the attack. While wrestling with the animal, Pratt grabbed the silver sheriff’s badge from his shirt and stabbed the creature in the eye with one of the star’s points. As the coyote staggered away from the defense, Pratt drew his pistol and shot and killed the feral animal. He was horrified when the animal’s corpse transformed into the body of an unidentified adult male. The man was nude with the exception of a small medallion hanging around his neck. In fear and panic, Pratt buried the body in an unmarked grave, taking the bauble in case it could be later used to ID the body.

Thirty days later, Pratt was horrified to find himself wracked with pain as the lycanthropic curse surfaced. Horror turned to acceptance as he embraced his new-found power as a Werejackal. He converted his two deputies, and the three of them have kept the citizens of Coldcreek subjugated for months. Pratt’s bloodlust and thirst for power has grown, and – with the help of the Eye of Anubis medallion taken from his attacker – Pratt plans to convert the townspeople to Werejackals under his command. Pratt sees himself as the reincarnation of the Egyptian god “Anubis,” and the “All-Seeing Eye” club building is his temple. Over the past few weeks, Pratt has begun a covert operation to infect others with the curse, bringing his new minions under his sway.

As a lycanthrope, Pratt has all of the abilities of a typical Werewolf (see Cryptworld rules, page 72). However, as a Werejackal, his transformed shape is that of a large humanoid dog-like creature rather than a wolf. Pratt is susceptible to attacks from a silver weapon, and takes +5 wound boxes of damage from such an attack.


THE EYE OF ANUBIS
The Eye of Anubis is a simple, round medallion that allows its possessor to control lycanthropes. The medallion has an Egyptian “eye of Horus” etched on the surface, which is coated in a blackened tint. The medallion is warm to the touch, but otherwise non-descript.

When worn by someone tainted by the lycanthropic curse, the wearer can mentally control all others cursed with lycanthropy within 20 miles. If the minion is in his human form, they should be allowed a save versus their Willpower at +20% penalty to fight the mental control. If the minion is in their wolf or wolf-humanoid form, the control is automatic with no save. The possessor is also able to see through the eyes of any of its thralls. In essence, the Eye of Anubis gives the owner a lycanthrope army at his command.

If the medallion is removed from the wearer, the mental control will be severed. Also, all lycanthropes previously controlled will be aware of their manipulation as well as the identity of who was controlling them. (It often ends badly for the medallion’s former owner at that point.)

[Let's Make A Cryptworld Module] Part 1: Hammering Out Our Villain, His Plot, And Our Players' Motivation

[[This is the first in a series of blog posts where I plan to take The Covetous Poet's Adventure Creator and Solo GM Guidebook for a spin. Over the coming months, I'll be generating an adventure module for the Pacesetter horror RPG Cryptworld using the book's Adventure Creator. And you can follow along with the creation process...]]

To start our horror RPG adventure creation process, we need to first establish our plot points for the adventure. The first thing we'll establish is our Story Plot, i.e., "What's going on?" and "Who or What is behind it all?" Using the Adventure Creator Plot sheet, we will first fill in the Story Plot section using random table-generated rolls. And here we go...

STORY PLOT

Adventure Type: Recover the Powerful Artifact
Opposition: Unnatural Creature
Motivation: Creativity
Theme: Vulnerability
Plot Device: Secrets of the Pharaohs
Plot Device: Malevolent Lands
Action+Thing: Fire Party
Action+Thing: Excite Strange Artifact

As we brainstorm, we're encouraged to use as little or as much of these prompts as we wish. (So if I ignore a result in any of random charts as we progress, it's because it didn't "ring" for me in this exercise.)

Right off the bat, I want the game to take place in the Present Day. I see that the adventure will revolve around some powerful magical "whatzit" that the party will need to recover from our Bad Guy. I also see that, if this powerful/strange artifact is "excited," and that could lead to a Bad Thing. Magical bauble aside, I see that his motivation along with a plot device are "Creativity" and "Malevolent Lands." Our Bad Guy might be trying to transform an area into someplace different...someplace evil. Our Bad Guy is an Unnatural Creature, but I don't know what yet. But the Secrets of the Pharaohs interest me. What if I make this literally Egyptian? I don't want my Bad Guy to be a Mummy (too cliched), but I do know he's trying to create a new Ancient Egyptian Empire in the here-and-now, using the magical whatzit somehow. But I still don't know Who (or What) our Bad Guy is, nor have I decided upon our powerful artifact...

While I ponder those questions, we'll move onto establishing our Story Background. This will be where our PCs come in. What do they know? Why are they here? The information we generate will give the party a starting point, as well as potentially giving us some insight into our Bad Guy above. Let's see what's going on when the players show up...

STORY BACKGROUND

Complication: Extra Support
Complication: Doubt
Plot Device: Isolation at its Worse
Plot Device: Odd Newcomer
Action+Thing: Inquire Plotters
Action+Thing: Decrease Werewolf/Lycans
Action+Thing: Abuse Clowns
Location: Assembly Hall
Location: Seedy Part of Town
Location: Estate Grounds

Just looking at the results above has filled in a LOT of blanks for me. (Although "Abuse Clowns" -- although hysterical -- will not be appearing in this module. Sorry!)

The PCs have come to the town because they've heard of a werewolf crisis that's struck the town. Perhaps one or two of the slathering beasts have been spotted or may have even killed a victim or two. Let's assume they're here to offer "Extra Support" to a previous Monster Hunter who arrived earlier. That person sent for them. Although the PCs think this is a straight Werewolf hunt, our NPC may have discovered our Bad Guy's true intentions. (And our NPC may not be there to meet the PCs, having fallen prey to our Bad Guy, perhaps?) The PCs will need to nose around upon arrival.

The townsfolk will not be friendly to the PCs as they "Inquire Plotters", i.e., stick their nose into this small town's affairs. They'll be viewed as "Odd Newcomers", shunned and left without support. ("Isolation at its Worse"). Though, it's actually fear of our Bad Guy that keeps everyone distant...but our PCs don't know that yet! I like "Seedy Part of Town," so as we move into the opening act, we'll make that our arrival point for the PCs as well as the primary focus of the initial investigation. And the "Assembly Hall" gives me an eerie Masonic Hall/Social Organization vibe, as if there is a evil brotherhood working out in the open, appearing as a benevolent social club. Perhaps it's this location where my Bad Guy is based, manipulating things as the "cult leader".

Back to my Bad Guy: The werewolves angle has sparked something. What if these are misidentified as "werewolves", but are in fact "were-jackals"? The lycanthropic curse is being spread by a modern-day Egyptian god Anubis. "Anubis" plans to spread his curse to the town, converting the people into half-dog creatures that will obey him blindly. The town will be converted into his own personal empire with him leading as their "Pharaoh." Currently he's the town's sheriff, so the PCs will get no help from the law (and it's also why the townsfolk refuse to get involved).

And that magical whatzit? It's an ancient "Eye of Anubis" medallion our Bad Guy acquired (or killed someone for). When he wears it, he has total control over all other lycans in the area, and he is able to see through their eyes. He can control his were-jackal minions as his own personal army. If the PCs are able to get control of the Eye, they would be able to turn the tables on our modern-day Egyptian "god" quite nicely...

And there you have it. We've established our Villain's identity and motivation. We've given our PCs some starting information as well as motivation for the initial investigation into the situation. And we have a town slowly being transformed into mindless animalistic minions at the behest of a cult leader who sees himself as a modern god. Not a bad start for a series of random rolls!

When we next pick this up, we'll begin fleshing out Act I, when our PCs arrive on the scene and begin their investigation. And the local sheriff will be watching them from the shadows as he touches the odd medallion hanging from his neck...

TO BE CONTINUED