Notes: It s loosely based on the Keep of the Shadowfell in terms of section headers and layout. YMMV in terms of you re liking it or now.

Transcription

1 Notes: Attribution requirements: If you do use this document for modules that you release to the public I would ask that you keep the original document layout credit in the list of credits and for your own protection you should keep the various Wizard s mandated information as well as the creative commons license. This document is intentionally non graphical. Frankly I don t want to blow an entire ink cartridge to print a cover sheet and inline graphics need to be done after the module is finalized unless you move this data to a decent aka non Word page layout program. It s loosely based on the Keep of the Shadowfell in terms of section headers and layout. YMMV in terms of you re liking it or now. This is version 0.1 so consider it an alpha and there are bound to be stupid typo s and other mistakes in it. There has of yet been no proofing at all. I tried to use fonts that most people should have but for PDF s of course feel free to use any decorative, serif or san serif font as you wish. It is after yours to make derivative copies of once you download it from me. This document includes, as far as I know, Wizards mandatory disclaimers, copyrights and images. If there are more let me know and I ll add them to the master document. The text in red is the text you should overwrite with your data. In addition generally an X or xx by itself indicates you re supposed to provide some number. The colors in the stat box are NOT Wizard standard but are IMO better suited for printing on the average home inkjet or laser while still following the general color scheme of the official stat blocks. The last page includes a version of the Creative Commons license. This may or may not protect any work you do and release to the public. But at least you tried? If you want to cover every country then you ll need to hop over to the creative commons website and start generating them by individual country. I didn t want to add an extra hundred pages just for that so the U.S. version is just intended as a sample to get you started if you want to go that route.

2 DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS 4 TH EDITION Module Title Recommended Group//Levell X pllayers of llevell X An adventturre by Yourr name

3 Dungeons and Dragons 4 th Edition Module Title Recommended Group/Level X players of level X An adventure by Your name

4 THE SETTING CREDITS Design Original Document Layout: Dennis Dollins Editing Input something about your setting in this bit, where it s located, is it urban or rural? Mountainous or desert? What is the political climate? How did it get there? What s the synopsis of what s going on. Artwork DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Compatibility Logo, D&D, PLAYER S HANDBOOK, DUNGEON MASTER S GUIDE, and MONSTER MANUAL are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the USA and other countries and are used with permission. Certain materials, including 4E References in this publication, D&D core rules mechanics, and all D&D characters and their distinctive likenesses, are property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., and are used with permission under the Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Game System License. All 4E References are listed in the 4E System Reference Document, available at DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 4th Edition PLAYER S HANDBOOK, written by Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, and James Wyatt; DUNGEON MASTER S GUIDE, written by James Wyatt; and MONSTER MANUAL, written by Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert and James Wyatt Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All rights reserved THE PLOT What s going to happen if the adventure isn t solved, the bad guys aren t defeated? DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Compatibility Logo & Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. Used with permission.

5 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS What s going on recently in the area or with the quest? What are the major characters of the module doing right this very second? ADVENTURE SUMMARY What are the likely things that are going to happen during the adventure? Who are they going to meet and who are they going to beat up? What are the likely directions they re going to end up going in? PREPARING FOR ADVENTURE Before you start your adventure read through the hooks below and determine which one is a good fit for your player s characters as to why they re in this area and what they re doing here. Some hooks might have quests involved with them that also offer rewards in XP if they re completed during the course of the adventure. In addition some hooks might have alternative ways to get a particular side quest started even if you elect not to use that hook as the main reason the party is here. HOOK: HOOK ONE This would be where you put in a Hook to explain why the characters are in the area and possibly provide a sub quest that they can do for a reward. You can also provide an alternative way for the characters to become involved in the quest without making it their primary reason for being here. Alternative: Another way to get the characters involved in this quest, perhaps an NPC will ask them about it or task them with it. Quest XP: How much do the characters get for solving the quest and what are the requirements for succeeding at the quest. HOOK: HOOK TWO This would be where you could put in a second Hook to explain why the characters are in the area and possibly provide a sub quest that they can do for a reward. You can also provide an alternative way for the characters to become involved in the quest without making it their primary reason for being here. Alternative: Another way to get the characters involved in this quest, perhaps an NPC will ask them about it or task them with it. Quest XP: How much do the characters get for solving the quest and what are the requirements for succeeding at the quest. HOOK: HOOK THREE This would be where you could put in a third Hook to explain why the characters are in the area and possibly provide a sub quest that they can do for a reward. You can also provide an alternative way for the characters to become involved in the quest without making it their primary reason for being here. Alternative: Another way to get the characters involved in this quest, perhaps an NPC will ask them about it or task them with it. Quest XP: How much do the characters get for solving the quest and what are the requirements for succeeding at the quest.

6 THE ADVENTURE BEGINS You ve informed your players of the reason they re here, either through one of the supplied hooks or one of your own devising. They should have at least some idea of Who, Where and/or Why as well as some idea of how to proceed further. Module specific notes here. WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY This module works best with a group of X characters of X level. If your group deviates from this you can make adjustments to increase the encounter difficulties by adding or reduce them by removing additional creatures from each encounter. For some encounters there may be suggested ways to modify the difficulty as well. Another option if your group has fewer players than the module is designed for is to allow players to run more than one character at a time. Note this is not a simple task and one better suited for experienced players. Although not strictly required a flat surface marked off in 1 grids and tokens to represent the player characters as well as the monsters and NPC s will again help speed game play. Tokens can be as simple as excess dice to painted miniatures but in general as long as everyone knows what token represents what creature it should work out fine. USING TACTICAL ENCOUNTERS In the following text is a list of the Tactical Encounters, these typically will be encounters that include combat or require skill checks of some kind. Each encounter can include several common elements each of which is described in detail below. ENCOUNTER LEVEL Each encounter is based on the modules group requirements listed under What You Need to Play. You may need to adjust portions of the encounter to adjust for a non recommended group size or makeup. Each encounter will list an XP or Experience Point value next to the Level and this is the experience that is divided equally between the players once they ve successfully defeated or otherwise succeeded at the encounter. SETUP This section will provide the basic settings of the encounter. It will provide context or how the encounter fits into the module as a whole. It will also provide a key to the encounter for any map or diagram indicating the recommended placement of the creatures or items involved in the encounter. READ ALOUD TEXT This section includes text that you should read to the players at the indicated times. This is usually written for the most likely way that the players will come into the encounter but be prepared to change or alter it as needed to adjust for player actions. MONSTER STATISTICS Obvious but this section includes the stat blocks for the monsters or items included in the encounter. TACTICS Any recommended tactics involving the monsters abilities or the area they re will be listed in this section. MAP If an encounter includes a map or diagram it will be included here or reference on and included materials with the module. FEATURES OF THE AREA Any noteworthy either for visual or aural

7 descriptions or that might be of use in the encounter by one side or the other will be described in this section. This can also include special information about the otherwise ordinary appearing items in the room like hidden chambers or secret doors. USING INTERLUDES Interludes are generally any setting, information or encounter that will not likely involve combat. This could be a description of an entire town or perhaps a chance meeting with a traveling merchant on the road that might provide the players with some clues to help them on their mission or a way to purchase needed supplies or simply to provide a chance for the players through their characters to interact with the world that the module is set in and bring life to both. Interludes can involve several of the same features of a tactical encounter. There might be a Setup that describes the area for the DM, a Read Aloud section to transfer pertinent bits of that information to the players. If an Interlude takes place in an inhabited area then a listing of the major or important locations in the village/town/city will be listed as well as details on the individuals the characters are likely to meet during their interlude. Additionally there can be entries for some of the following as well as entries unique and not listed. SIDE QUESTS This section might list any quests that can be picked up by the players and the who/where/how they can be obtained. Each is similar to a Hook in that it will provide information on what the quest parameters are how to fulfill them and what the reward for doing so. In addition some side quests might have a broader impact on the characters, the non player characters, the setting or the area. Failing to solve a side quest with a time limit could trigger other encounters or cause some encounters to become nonavailable. ANSWERS Here you ll find answers to typical questions that a player or their character might ask about the interlude or its setting. These answers might be available from any NPC or from observation or skill checks or only under very specific circumstances and those conditions will be listed with each question and its possible answers. WHAT COMES NEXT Here is where you ll find the various paths that you can set the players on or that will open up for them. This information can change based on their actions, the passing of time or as they work through other encounters. OVERVIEW This will list general knowledge that might pertain to features of the Interlude. DM TIPS Can offer advice for the DM on how to make a section better fit their world, various ways to present it to the players or suggestions on how to make a section something personal and unique to them.

8 ENCOUNTER NAME ENCOUNTER LEVEL X (XXX XP) SETUP Describe the setup of the encounter here. Where they are exactly, what the encounter will consist of in terms of monsters, traps or skill challenges. If necessary have the players place their character s tokens on the appropriate map. You would list any monsters at this time and include their Key symbol so they could be matched up with any map or if a map isn t provided then you d simply give a description as to where they d be placed in the described room or area. As the characters began the encounter read: This is where you d come up with a descriptive bit of text that the DM would read to the players to set the mood, describe the setting, dictate anything the player s characters may have noticed. What happens next would go in this area after the players have reacted to the Read Aloud portion or to setup what happens next. As something else happens read: And now we provide the characters with additional details as to what s reacted to their reacting etc. TACTICS Here in we describe any special tactics that the participants of the encounter might be taking, how they ll react to the most typical responses, what they might do if they re winning or losing etc. Monster Level X Role Size origin type XP XXX Initiative +x Senses Aura HP xx AC xx; Fortitude xx, Reflex xx, Will xx Resist Speed x Attack or Power (action; power) * Keywords Description Attack or Power (action; power) * Keywords Description Attack or Power (action; power) * Keywords Description Alignment Languages Skills Str xx(+xx) Dex xx(+xx) Con xx(+xx) Int xx(+xx) FEATURES OF THE AREA Illumination: Light level Wis xx(+xx) Cha xx(+xx) Main Terrain: Describe the general terrain type, any special impact it might have on the encounter. Terrain Feature: Describe individual terrain features that might come into play during the encounter to help or hinder either side. Repeat as necessary. MAP Include your map here or a reference to the appropriate attachment to the module. Now include any stat blocks needed for the monsters and traps etc that are involved in the combat here.

9 INTERLUDE XX: INTERLUDE NAME OVERVIEW List a general overview of the area or interlude s purpose for the DM here. SETUP Describe the setup of the interlude here. What the setting is, how the players got here etc. If the interlude takes place in a town for example you would also include descriptions of any buildings that are of import to the characters as well as descriptions of any NPC s they might encounter. Where possible NPC s should be fleshed out to some extent to better give the DM an idea of the critical 4 W s of a character, Who, Why, When, Where. Who are they? Why are they there? Why do they do the things they do what s their motivations, dreams, desires? When do they do things? Where do they go? Where can a player expect to find them? Something like the below would provide more than enough information for most DM s to be able to work with in terms of running that NPC during an encounter with the players: Gorak is the baker for the town. He s a single human who moved to the town several years ago. He rises well before the sun comes up to start his baking and with the setting of the sun he closes his shop and has dinner at the Smoke and Eel tavern and has been known to stay a bit longer to down a pint or two. He has secret love on Millie the provisioner s daughter and has been trying to work up the nerve to talk to her of things other than flour and salt. Gorak is a man of early years not having yet reached his third decade and is generally covered in a fine dusting of flour which hides his ruddy complexion and brown hair. He has an open manner with all but those who anger him. Or something as simple as this: Janik is a hunter that provides game for the the local taverns and inns. After an unfortunate incident with a large black bear he s been recuperating at the Smoke and Eel the last three weeks while his leg heals enough for him to get back into the forest where he s most comfortable. Include any sections mentioned previously here that fit this particular Interlude or make up your own that are more appropriate for the entry. Text box for pullout information or optional rules. ANSWERS Are any questions able to be answered by this interlude? Can the players gain any special knowledge during their time here? WHAT COMES NEXT Where does the adventure continue from here? What are the repercussions of the typical player s actions during this interlude? DM TIPS Are there any tips you can give the DM to better run this section? Perhaps it involves specific but under used rules? This would be where you d mention those rules and help explain them perhaps in more detail.

10 This is a text box for pasting in a map or diagram.

11 Module Template by Dennis Dollins Version This work released under the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Share Alike 3.0 United States License the full details of which can be found here: nc sa/3.0/us/ You are free to share, copy, distribute, display or perform this work and to make derivative works based on it under the following conditions: Attribution. You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Noncommercial. You may not use this work for commercial purposes. Share Alike. If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.

12 ENCOUNTER OR INTERLUDE HEADER SUBHEADER Text box for pullout information or optional rules. A box that could be used to indicate Read Aloud text.