So K your world has a rich background and many interesting places to visit. What about the adventures? You say. Well you can rest easier now. Chapter 3 is all about creating those tense realistic moments in your game. Let��s begin!

First we have to pick out an area of adventure. I like to vary my adventurers. After all , not all battles take place in filthy dungeons. There are epic battles fought on the planes. Doomed struggles in the outer planes, Assasinations in grand mansions. All can be part of your adventure. Keep things varied!

Second of all you should not always have dungeons that are just meant for clearing out monsters. All your dungeons should have a background. For example:

You have been sent on a journey to rid a dungeon of foul orcs. You have walk your way to the bottom of the coop where to your surprise the orcs are already dead! You search for some clue as to why you would be sent to rid an area of orcs that are already dead. However you soon find that this was a clever ploy set up by your enemies. As the door slam shuts behind you all you can think about is�K DAMN!

There should always be a reason for exploring a dungeon. At least a background that is. Dungeons don��t appear out of no where.

So you��ve created the premise of a dungeon and want to learn more? Here��s a first. Don��t make your dungeons small. Make them large multi level dungeons with plenty of secrets your players don��t need to find out. for example

As you walk down the path you notice something shiny behind a ruined section of the wall. Upon closer inspection you see that the ��shiny thing�� is not gem but a gateway to the planes of shadow!

Also be sure to stock your dungeons with treasure chests. Roll the things that are inside before letting your players play. This will streamline play and make things more realistic. The same as before, make your dungeons very descriptive A 10x10 room Is a lot more boring than: A dark moist room that smells of carrion. You can barely make out the wall ahead but there are 2 candle holders with half burnt tallow candles that you could reignite.

Doing this also inspires creativity. For example if the players are out of matches then there wizard could cast a spell to light it up. However you must be prepared for these sort of things. Or your dungeons may turn for a worse. Always be prepared however there are exceptions..

When stocking your dungeons with monsters I like to create my own creatures that aren��t from the monster manual. This allows for more flexibility. Also when creating monsters just make a general sketch. Don��t make them to descriptive like there exact hp and such. You want to make your players feel like heroes you cant let them do that by slaying dire rats or dogs. There for give them deadly monsters that require strategy to kill. However tailor its power to the players current level. Also make it hard and possibly several tries to kill them. It all adds up to a very satisfying battle when your player finally vanquishes that netherfiend or doomscythe.

Make event dungeons. For example for NWN. Make lots of scripted out of the ordinary scenes. These spice up your dungeon so they seem more alive. Make multiple outcomes for your dungeon. Just because the players didn��t manage to kill the orcs and had to run home doesn��t mean they failed.

Quiz 3: Create 3 unique monsters and implement them in a dungeon.

Email your results to me at [email protected]