----------========== The NET.PLOTS.BOOK ==========----------
                         Volume II
                   Compiled by Aaron Sher

Short Summaries
----------------
========================================================================= 
   One of the PC's falls in love with a woman who happens to be a 
witch...perhaps she is allied with a group working against the PCs?
========================================================================= 
   The PCs are sent with an ambassador to another country to protect him 
and do his bidding.  There may be some espionage, rescuing, downright 
bullying, etc.  Could make a nice medieval special operations background. 
========================================================================= 
   After a rash of thefts from wizards in the Guild, the PCs are hired to 
catch the perpetrators.  They could be other mages, three dozen halfling 
thieves, demons, or even time travelers.  PCs need to figure out who 
might get hit next, how to catch the criminals, who are they, etc. 
========================================================================= 
   After a fight where all the PC's seemingly died or are captured, they  
wake up to the crack of a whip, as they have been sold into slavery 
onboard a galley.  They have no equipment, they have to work to 
exhaustion, they get very little food, but if they play well, they might 
be able to escape. 
=========================================================================
   The Queen's beau (a very handsome knight-errant or something) is 
missing and he was last seen in a tavern at the edge of town.  The PC's 
are the people who were determined to have useful information, after a 
lengthy interview/screening by the Queen's Marshall-General, etc.  They 
set out to find him, since it is thought he is in grave danger. 
========================================================================= 
   The party wakes up around a table with wine goblets near at hand.  
They discover that they have forgotten everything they did over the past 
two weeks.  Apparently, as they uncover clues, they were hired by someone 
to do a job, and when the job was finished the person invited them to 
dinner.  Interesting events abound as the party attempts to piece 
together the events of the last fortnight... 
========================================================================= 
   Bonecrusher (an Orc, now a Giant Orc Chieftain) has found the Gauntlet 
of Grummsh (an orcish Artifact) and is kicking some serious butt, raising 
an orc army and is about to invade the country to, er, root, pape, and 
lillage the area (he's powerful, but he's still an orc.)  Of course, the 
destruction of this gauntlet is very important to the players.  
Bonecrusher could be considered the Guardian of the Gauntlet, and 
destroying it *will* bring curses from Grummsh onto the party. 
========================================================================= 
   Four dragons (one blue and three greens) have banded together to 
increase their wealth.  They (gasp) spent it on various magical weapons 
and defences and then attacked and took over a port city.  Now they've 
removed all laws, taxing everything.  All the good folk have escaped, and 
some are running a resistance force.  Of course, there's a catch.
The blue dragon's been possessed by a lower planar being, and is opening 
a gate... 
=========================================================================
   A young drow got 'left behind' after a raid to the surface.  He is a 
mid-level fighter, slightly lower-level magic user.  Maybe give him a few 
pet large spiders for some extra challenge.  He could take over a farm 
house (or two) with charm spells (maybe even charm a few of the animals).  
He could try and trick the party into finding the entrance to the drow 
realm for him (or maybe kill some inconvenient big thing).  Anyway, as 
there's only one drow, a party of four or five lower level characters 
wouldn't really be in too great a danger. 
==========================================================================
   In a cave, in an incredibly cold pool of water, is a large round white 
stone (about 3 or 4 feet in diameter).  It feels to all the world like 
marble, and radiates magic. 
   It's actually a white dragon egg.  It stays in stasis, just hours from 
hatching, until it's heated up... to just about room temperature.  Then 
it hatches.  If your players are like mine, they'll take a big white 
magic rock without thinking twice; it should then hatch at exactly the 
worst time.  My players made it all the way back to their ship, and put 
it in the hold, before it hatched.  Great fun. 
========================================================================= 
   One of the things I do for comic relief is have the PCs run across a 
particular ship full of really stupid sailors. 
   They are almost always in dire trouble when the PCs come across them, 
like the one time they were out in the middle of the ocean and their 
sails were on fire.  The PCs had to put the fire out for them, because 
they didn't think of using sea water to put it out themselves. 
   The name of the ship is the _Storm_, and the captain ("pilot") looks 
and sounds an awful lot like Robert Plant. 
   It shouldn't take too much prodding before the PC's start calling it 
the "Ship of Fools".... 
=========================================================================
"Wolf in Sheep's Clothing"

   A demon (e.g. Cambion demon) has taken the shape of a respected member 
of the community (using polymorph self) and, masking his true alignment, 
shape and abilities, is slowly spreading death and terror in the city. 
The PC's are hired (as special agents by ??) to find the perpetrator and 
capture/kill them before it gets even more out of control.  The demon is 
able to change shape easily and hence occasionally changes to take the 
form of one of its victims to throw off the scent.  Its sole purpose is 
to cause disruption and Chaos (or was it brought here by someone for 
other reasons and escaped or was turned loose ?). 
========================================================================= 
"Curse of the Incontinent Dragon" 

   The party ventures into a small town after their latest expedition, 
only to find that the towsfolk are in an uproar.  The mayor tells the 
party about the "cursed beast of darkness" which rises from its burrows 
to the north and flies over the hapless village dropping flaming missles 
from his bowels.  As the players pass by the mayor's house, they note the 
gruesome stench.  Gobs of acid-spitting larvae still snake through the 
burnt ruins.  To make a long story short, the witch of the wyrmwoods 
which surround the village has cast a curse upon the foul dragon who used 
to be a nature loving and solitary beast.  Now, in his incontinence, he 
regards the town as his private toilet.  Furthermore, the curse has also 
reduced his intelligence by, oh say, 15 points perhaps.  "Aww... duh... 
you mean you know ahh... I wasn' a 'spose to poop der... dahhhh!" 
========================================================================= 
   There's a logging town nearby that, all of a sudden, starts spending 
money like there's no tomorrow.  They go from a little frontier town to a 
place like <insert your favorite preppie-type suburb here> in a matter of 
months.  The players should be "just passing through", and notice this 
large change.  They pass a bard that tells of the eighth murder in the 
town in a month. 
   What's really going on is that someone with tons of money is having 
the loggers clear-cut the forest the logging town is near.  
Unfortunately, the forest has a guardian (a dragon) that is a bit 
fanatical and unscrupulous in his guardianship; to scare the loggers into 
ceasing from clear-cutting the forest, he hires some assassin/terrorists 
to kill random loggers in the city.  The players' mission, should they 
choose to accept it, is to stop this situation from escalating any 
further. 
=========================================================================
   This adventure is best for a party of low-level fantasy characters.
   A mage has managed to control an Ice Lizard (a la Fiend Folio), and 
uses it to his own ends.  In my case, kidnapping a sage.  The trick:  it 
can appear to be a white dragon.  Thus, the adventure seems very scary 
indeed from the all the dragon rumours surrounding the kidnapping, but 
Ice Lizards aren't even pale shadows of real dragons.  So, it's exciting, 
but manageable for low power parties. 
   Eventually, the party may figure out that it's not a real dragon and 
gain confidence to attack it (if they were too cautious).  The final 
showdown is between the party, and the low level mage and his pet.  For 
extra excitement, add a few minions, some traps in the lair, etc. 
   Naturally, the lure doesn't have to be a kidnapped sage, it could be 
rumours of dragon raids, a fair maiden kidnapping, or whatever you 
please. 
========================================================================= 
   The party finds a book, a second copy of a book they have or have seen 
before, or can look at.  On reading and/or close examination they find 
that the new copy has an extra passage/paragraph detailing where the 
famous hero/ine was buried/trapped.  The book could be a history of the 
land, a tale of brave deeds etc.  No other copies of the book have this 
passage, wise persons who are familiar witht the work can't recall the 
passage in anything they've read (but maybe someone will partially 
confirm the rumor...). 
   Once they get there there are a few options (in order of time 
consumption increasing concerning the book): 
   -The place exists but is uninteresting 
   -The place doesn't exist (could take the party a long time to believe you) 
   -The place exists, but people tell the party it doesn't 
   -The place doesn't exist, but people say it does
   -The place exists but it's somewhere else
   -The place exists, but it's a trap by the scribes who confirmed its 
    existence for you.
========================================================================= 
   The party is hired to transport scrolls to a temple in the hills, far 
from their hometown.  They arrive in town, and discover that some 
townsfolk have disappeared.  They meet the high priest, deliver the 
goods, and are prepared to leave, when they find the body of the high 
priest somewhere in town. 
   It seems a small band of doppelgangers have uncovered a lead to a 
magic item/relic that is buried beneath the tombs under the temple.  The 
scrolls provide information of some sort the doppelgangers need to get to 
the item.  The missing people are being used as slaves to dig beneath the 
tombs (which of course are full of nasties). 
   The final scene should be between the head doppelganger and his 
cronies just as the item is unearthed. 
   I've kept the details out of the description, because a lot of the 
stuff (like what's in the scroll) can be campaign-dependent.  But if the 
players are perceptive/paranoid, they might blow this into a full-blown 
campaign:  Did their employer know the high priest was a doppelganger?  
Is there a conspiracy to get doppelgangers into power in the human world? 
========================================================================= 
   In a big classy town that the PC's have reason to go to every once in 
a while (I have it set in a city near a paladin training center) is an 
even classier restaurant called Chez Ralph.  It's about as nice a 
restaurant as you could possibly have.  Waiters check on you every minute 
or so, there's a string quartet playing in the background, and glasses of 
water ("Mineral water, imported from halfway around the world" is what 
they tell you, and they're telling the truth) cost around 20 gp. 
   Besides being a wonderful place to have players dump some cash, it's 
also Soap Opera City.  The bizarrest people show up there, at the same 
time the PCs are there - but since nobody wants to make a scene, the 
whole feeling is very tense.  Old girlfriends, major enemies, spies, 
polymorphed dragons, you name it, end up eating there - and usually with 
each other. 
   This requires a lot of continuity in the game.  Most games couldn't 
support the type of background and tension Chez Ralph requires.  You need 
long-term NPCs that the PCs have come to hate - and put them here, where 
you just can't DO anything about them! 
=========================================================================
"Tower Snatch"

   A mage returns home after 1 year away and finds that someone has taken 
over his tower in the city.  He wants it back and hires the PCs to 
reclaim it.  He can supply maps etc of what it was like when he owned it 
(but someone may have moved "Walls of Stone" and placed whole new trap 
areas etc).  The PC's can keep anything in the tower which is not 
specifically his (of course he can claim anything interesting and they 
won't know) and a cash reward.  No-one knows who has it but he suspects 
someone respected in the community, hence the attack must be done fairly 
quietly so as not to warn the current possessor (the mage can prove that 
he is the owner however, he is not setting them up - unless you want this 
to happen).  The tower is appropriately trapped and guarded, mostly with 
the expectation of killing the mage who owns it when he tries to return. 
The guards and traps are there to kill (not capture) anyone breaking in. 
City guards etc will not take sides unless the conflict ends up outside 
the tower. 
========================================================================= 
   This is a non-linear adventure, good as a sideline for whenever the 
PC's happen to be home. 
   The PC's are based in a large city.  The city is basically composed of 
three sectors. Two of which are virtually lawless and the other is 
extremely well controlled.  The law portion is extending outward and 
slowly taking over the other two sections. 
   A faction war is taking place in the city.  There are two opposing 
forces at war with each other (it could be a peasant/slave revolt, or a 
religious purge, or a supernatural invasion, or whatever.) 
   The war expands steadily, more and more groups getting dragged into it 
and being forced to choose sides.  An interesting twist would be for 2 
groups that 2 different PC's belong be on different sides.  Great chance 
for roleplaying here! 
   The war could develop while the PCs are away, and upon return they get 
the opportunity to jump in. 
   Think of it, the politics!  The adventure!  The intrigue!  The danger! 
The chance to be hunted by one of the most powerful groups in the 
city/county/country/kingdom! 
=========================================================================
"Gamma World"

   An item has been stolen from a temple/mage/lord etc, the thieves 
trailed to a portal leading to an unknown plane/realm.  The PC's are 
hired to follow and retrieve the item and/or scout the realm.  The realm 
escaped to is from the Gamma World game.  Several thousand years after an 
atomic war, patches of technology still exist.  Most survivors are animal 
and/or human mutants and have a mix of equipment.  Laser pistols, bow and 
arrows, smart missiles, swords, armalite rifles, battle axes, war robots  
etc.  Survivors are TOUGH and many have physical and/or mental mutations, 
as the weak ones have already died out.  Several technological 
installations still exist, guarded by robots etc.  PCs must trace the item, 
find the current owners, retrieve the item and return before radiation 
traces in the atmosphere slowly kill them.  (Optionally, the portal is 
now set so that it can only be used by someone carrying the stolen item, 
hence stopping the PC's escaping or more raiders coming through). 
Equipment bought back may or may not work.  PCs with laser pistols, 
rocket launchers and mini-tanks are worrying in fantasy worlds. 
========================================================================= 
   A plot for a Paranoia campaign:
   A Death Leopard Head Honcho decides to run a scam on the First Church 
of Christ Computer Programmer.  Her theology is fairly limited: "Jesus H. 
Christ" stands for J. HARLEY C., and Harley is the 3rd person in the 
Trinity.  Jesus said "Have Fun!", and Harley shows us HOW to have fun.  
As the prophet of the Lord, she begins convincing lower Church members of 
the truth (her Death Leopard handle is Son of David, which she changes to 
Son-U-David for missionary purposes, and which also allows a handy link 
to Harley).  The main mission consists of forming a rock group where she 
and her lieutenants take on yet more persona as ELL's Angels (Gabr-I-ELL, 
Raph-I-ELL, Mike-I-ELL and Ur-I-ELL) and give impromtu concerts to the 
Infrareds, inciting all 30 000 of them in the sector to "Have Fun!"  She 
proposes a link between the Church and Death Leopard, which shall be 
called the First Church of Harley Games Progammer.  It is a vital, yet 
little understood (especially by her) part of her thelogy that Jeremiah 
was a bullfrog.  
   Troubleshooters should be inserted, perhaps as agents for the high 
Church officals in Internal Security, who may or may not have varying 
degrees of certainty on how heretical all this is.  Of course, if the 
Troublesootters are IntSec, they have a good chance of being Church 
themselves, and may get caught up in the low clearance revivalist 
atmosphere...
========================================================================= 
   The party has just cleaned out some ex-mage's compound.  In the 
scenario I was working with, the party had found a virgin ring of spell-
storing and some matched jewelry, but just about any similar high-power 
magic would be useful as a set-up. 
   The party is resting from their endeavors when a well-dressed person 
comes to find them at their current quarters.  He is an emissary from a 
high-level noble of a nearby country.  He asks if the party is the one 
that cleared out the mage's quarters.  If the party denies it, he 
produces proof.  After the identification, the emissary asks if they have 
the magic item.  He explains that the item belongs to his master, it was 
commissioned and paid for.  He demands the item and offers little or no 
(DM's choice as necessary to provoke the party) reward.  When the party 
refuses the emissary explains that by the laws of the country he comes 
from the item belongs to his master and they must return it to him. 
   If the party still refuses, the emmisary declares them outlaw 
(something most countries ignore) from his country.  
   Whenever life is getting boring after that, send an assassin or two or 
maybe thieves to steal the desired item after the party.  If the party 
tries to go after the noble they will have the difficulty of manuvering 
in a country where they are outlaws.  The whole setup provides a good 
hook for several other plots and can be used to cause havok wherever the 
PC's go. 
========================================================================= 
   The group has come to a city of which half has been taken over by 
orcs.  The humans still control the other half.  This stalemate has 
lasted for approximately 2 weeks with occasional border penetrations by 
each side into the opposing half (guerilla raids, party loves 'em, 
2sp/head!). 
   But things have changed for the better/worse.  An army from the north, 
in an attempt to make good on the city/kingdom's problems, has sailed 
into town.  They wiped out the mercenaries guild (the only opposing 
force) and stated that all people were now citizens of the new empire and 
they would be rid of the orc menace within two weeks.  Everyone has been 
drafted into the militia.  What is really bizarre about the army is that 
it consists of all sorts of races (human, elf, 1/2 elf, etc), all speak a 
common tongue, they are VERY well organized yet are individuals.  
(Everyone has personal weapons, armor, etc.) 
   The party can decide what to do.  They may not like the idea of being 
drafted into the militia to be used as fodder (for an empire they don't 
belong to) to rid the town (that they are only visiting) of the menace. 
However, it WILL provide for some good roleplaying trying to explain to 
the new invaders why the group should (or rather wants) to remain 
together. 
   The plus is that after the orcs are gone, the militia wil be disbanded 
(or so the invaders say) and the members will be free to go on their way 
as citizens of the new empire (more lands to visit).  The other bonus is 
that the party may be able to get ahold of a little of the recaptured 
territory.  
=========================================================================
"Acquainted With the Night"

   A group of players *start* by discovering that one of their friends 
has been bitten by a vampire.  They follow through the entire process, 
possibly killing their friend once he/she has risen again, probably 
hunting down the vampire that bit their friend.  Happy ending. 
   Then the vampire community seeks retribution.  Yes, it was clumsy of 
the vampire to get caught, but it's not the place of the herd to exact 
justice on the vampires.  The complexity of this scenario depends upon 
how you imagine the entire supernatural community. 
   One possible idea is that vampires -- the cool manipulative Undead --
just don't exist.  Vampires are mindless creatures which reek of clotted 
blood and which fixate on their families because those are the strongest 
memories left.  A vampire is what happens to someone who dies of a ghoul-
bite.  (Doesn't happen often because ghouls don't usually bite live 
people.  NOTE:  these are obviously not _Vampire: The Masquerade_ 
ghouls.) The image of the vampire is the result of a plot between the 
ghouls and the werewolves: they wanted a patently false supernatural 
image that would distract attention from themselves.  In this case, the 
PCs are under attack because they have a sample vampire to look at and 
modern science may discover the connection. 
   If you're running _Vampire: The Masquerade_, then the PCs are 
initiated by a Sire for their own protection.  The Sire has some long-
standing grievance against the Sire of the clumsy vampire, or has some 
ideological conflict with those who would kill the PCs. 
=========================================================================
"Dandelion Party"

   North America is balkanized, split into twelve smaller countries, most 
of which call themselves the United States of America (except for two 
which call themselves Canada and one Quebec).  Teleporting aliens (the 
Dandelions) have discovered Earth, which means that the other races of 
the interstellar Confederation have found us. 
   All trade agreements are tentative and depend upon Earth's acceptance 
into the Confederation.  We are engaging in an exchange of art objects 
(yeah, I know I stole this from _Doorways In The Sand_), and Earth seems 
to have lost one of the alien artifacts.  [When I ran this, it was a 
"pure" AI they lost; a wirehead had accidentally jacked it into the world 
network.  Choice of artifact depends upon how the artifact was lost (by 
accident or not) and who is after it.] 
   Each country wants to be the one to find it.  [Country of choice], 
which had the artifact when it disappeared, doesn't want the news to get 
out, though all the security services know about it.  A subgroup of 
carnivorous aliens don't want the humans to find it. 
   Alien motivation:  Humans may make amusing game or food animals, but 
it's not practical to ship them across interstellar space.  However, if 
humans fail to make it into the Confederation, the aliens can bid on 
copyright to human DNA, producing clones for whatever purposes they want.  
[Intelligent species own their own copyrights.]  Aliens may also have 
internecine struggles. 
   The characters could be innocent bystanders, diplomats, detectives, 
police officers, spies for the L-5 colonies, ninjas, yakuza...
=========================================================================
"Not All Be Changed"

   Superheroes seem to form their own communities, their own strata in 
society.  Given that some of these people have the power of a nuclear 
bomb, it's understandable that certain espionage, police, and security 
agencies would want a mole in the superhero community. 
   The easiest types of supers for a non-super agent type to simulate are 
martial artist-gadgeteers and armoured-suit guys.  (Actually, the agency 
may not have the budget for a *really good* armoured suit; I ran it with 
a martial-artist gadgeteer as the mole.)  And having a secret ID is a 
good excuse for wandering off at odd times (and making reports to 
superiors). 
   The problem begins when the mole goes native.  He forgets about making 
reports, he forgets about his loyalties, he's just caught up in the 
entire experience of being one of the Good Guys and thumping the Mauve 
Marauder.  He ignores a recall order, so the Agency sends people in to 
collect him. 
   The PC's can be the agents sent to collect the mole, or they can be 
other supers, who are helping to defend the mole without knowing quite 
what's going on. 
   If you need to make things more confusing, there's the fact that he's 
been recalled because his ID has become known to *other* Agencies, and 
they want to capture him (in the guise of a supervillain, perhaps) and 
wring his brains about that little escapade in Bangkok four years ago, or 
the defection of Gyorgi Dimitrov, or whatever suits your political 
inclinations. 
========================================================================= 
For a mostly non-human party:
   The party is approached by an elf.  He explains the following 
situation:
   His nephew (niece, whatever) was visiting some relatives a ways away, 
and during the travel home was "invited" to stay with a human lord.  The 
lord sent a message that he wanted to arrange a "lease" of some territory 
for his brother to hold for (say) 30 years or so.  The elves are very 
aware that such "leases" nearly always end up being permanent.  They wish 
to secure the return of their relative, without allowing the lease.  By 
their standards the health of their relative is more important than the 
relatively small lease, but they cannot act directly as the lord is on 
the other side of a neighboring humano-centric country.  An elven force 
large enough to take the relative back would have to fight its way there 
and break long-standing peace treaties and probably start a war.  So they 
want someone to act in stealth for them, they cannot provide any security 
outside their own country.  The party's job, should they accept it, is to 
find the relative, break it free and return to the elven territory... 
without causing an inter-racial incident in the process. 
   The lord's holding should be strong enough that a direct attack by the 
PC's is suicide.  Be prepared to have the party try several different 
methods.  
   Some twists possible:  The elf is a mage, but has lost/used up all his 
spells and the lord has his spell-book hidden.  The elf is drugged and 
won't cooperate.  The elf is forced by a magical curse to stay near the 
lord's castle.  A member of the elf's retinue is a traitor and tries to 
interfere with the party in non-obvious ways..... (traitor is a 
polymorphed human?) 
=========================================================================
"Make Judgement by Their Rules"

   A starship receives a distress signal from a cold-sleep colony ship 
launched X years before, to an unexplored section of space.  When they 
arrive, they discover that the entire colony ship is under the death 
sentence (or has already been killed) because a native killed one of the 
colony ship's scouts.  The reason was that the scout violated <apparently 
untranslatable concept>.  You may up the stakes by leaving the entire 
colony ship, still in cold sleep, in orbit, and the captain apparently 
committed suicide.  The scenario is a mystery:  why do *we* get punished 
for *them* killing us?  *Why* did they kill us? 
   The crew of the starship is soon under the same death penalty. 
Evidence shows that the scout had a slight xenophobia--("Well within 
bounds, though--he was a scout, after all.")  The aliens happen to be 
horned hominids, vaguely Satanic looking.  Further examination shows that 
the scout also had a strongly religious background. 
   Eventually, peculiarities in the alien culture are explained when it's 
discovered that they are telepathic in some ways, and that <concept> is 
*Privacy*.  Or maybe *Aggravated Mental Assault*.  The scout didn't have 
the decency to keep his/her emotions under control, the alien picked them 
up and broadcast them back, and *voila* positive feedback cycle wherein 
the alien was tougher than the human, and won the fight. 
   This scenario depends upon a universe where telepathy is not 
impossible but is also not present among any of the players and probably 
not common or reliable in player space.  I've never run it because I 
haven't had any brilliant thoughts about a society created by 
graminivorous telepaths. 
=========================================================================
"Sword Of Kadorn"

   An introductory fantasy adventure.  Players are a group of village 
adolescents who have discovered a Sword of Power.  The local lord 
responsibly decides that it should be sent to the capital, where they 
have mages who would understand such a thing, and since the PC's are not 
needed between spring shearing and harvest, the lord sends them with an 
advisor (village hedge-wizard, old man-at-arms, family retainer, 
whatever).  The sword has chosen one of the PCs as its carrier. 
   Beyond the simple journey to the capital is the fact that the sword 
has its own agenda.  Possibilities include: 
   -The sword was created to kill a particular ethnic group in a war; 
    that ethnic group subsequently won the war, and it turns out that all 
    the PC's but the chosen carrier are descended in some way from that 
    ethnic group. Over the course of the journey, that PC argues with the 
    sword over whether or not the other PC's should be killed.  (PC:  "It 
    will be rather a long fight if I have to kill everyone in the 
    province"   SWORD:  "But the glorious fight will at last be won!") 
   -The sword is a Lawful Good sword created a millennium ago, when 
    morals were considerably different.  *It* wants to encourage the kind 
    of behaviour that it believes is good, probably rough eye-for-an-eye 
    justice that is frowned upon in most civilized societies. 
   -The sword is a weapon to be used in an upcoming Apocalyptic War 
    between Good and Evil (tm) and is searching for the best Hero (tm) 
    for the war.  In this case, the PC's are simply a vehicle for it to 
    get to the capital.  It may have magical abilities that keep the PC's 
    alive during the early parts of the journey, but after it leaves 
    them, they must learn to live without it. 
========================================================================= 
   (This is an entire campaign, and begins with 1st level chars that have 
never met each other.) 
   Each PC is doing normal, everyday things (sword practice, study, 
drinking, etc) when he is arrested by the city police (knocked unconcious 
if they do not go peacefully).  The PC's all end up in the same jail 
cell.  The next day, they are brought to trial for the murder of some 
important official.  They are convicted and sentenced to burn tomorrow.  
They are returned to their cell (stripped of all equipment) to await 
their execution. 
   The PC's have at least two escape paths:  (more, if they're creative) 
     1) If they carefully search the cell, they can find a loose stone 
under a cot (everyone gets a 'concealed doors' roll) (and if they look, 
they will eventually find it: the odds are in their favor, if there are 
more than a few PC's).  By falling through, they can drop into sewers, 
float to the exit, batter away the grate, and they are free. 
     2) Have a mage do something to the single guard (charm comes to mind 
immediately) 
   Once they are out, they must flee the city (if they try to stay, tell 
them the police have noticed their escape, and are beginning a house-to-
house search.  This information could come from a bartender or similar 
person.) They may wish to steal some equipment, or maybe a friend will 
provide them with weapons, urging them to run. 
   The PC's can travel either to the ocean (if they can capture a small 
vessel) or to the unexplored mountainous regions.  There, they can gain 
experience and hide until they are ready to return, and find out who 
framed them for the murder.  (It was the judge, or maybe another 
politician.  After killing the victim, he planted evidence pointing to 
the PC's.  The PC's may have been political opponents of him, or just 
randomly chosen.) 
=========================================================================
"Double-Cross"

   The PC's are hired to retrieve a family heirloom which was stolen from 
the family 5 years ago.  The family has just found who now has the 
heirloom and want the PC's to steal it back.  The current owner is the 
original thief and is an accepted member of the community (probably not 
Lawful Good but not CE either).  The theft must be done quietly so as not 
to attract attention as the familiy would lose social esteem if it was 
known that the object had been lost i.e. no questions asked in town etc. 
The current owner has a normal house with normal traps and precautions to 
protect this type of treasure, plus whatever skills or guards are 
required. 
   After the theft has been performed, the object handed over and the 
PC's are still congratulating themselves on a job well done, reward 
posters go up around town for the return of the object, the thieves 
wanted dead or alive or the object returned and no questions asked.  The 
PC's have been suckered, the object has ALWAYS belonged to the person 
they stole it from and they are forced to either flee the area (never to 
return), or to get it back again from the person they originally stole it 
for (probably a member of the local Thieves' Guild or similiar).  The 
preferred method is to lead them toward stealing it back again (if they 
can break into the thieves' guild etc) as there are no other safe 
alternatives.  If they are captured, no-one will believe them unless the 
PC's pay for a cleric to "Detect Lie" (very expensive under the 
circumstances) and no-one will mind if they are accidently killed while 
trying to retrieve the object. 
   Last time I did this the object was a diamond tiara and used in royal 
coronations (one of which was due in 2 months). Nearly brought the whole 
political structure down. 
=========================================================================
"Time War"

   An experimenting Cleric/Mage has opened a portal to another realm. 
Accidently this corresponded with an experiment in a modern-day 
underground military base which is performing a physics experiment on 
time/space.  A trans-Time/dimensional portal is formed, both attuned to 
each other such that neither can be closed until both are closed 
simultaneously.  Meanwhile, a military scouting party of Rambo types have 
passed through and are exploring the AD&D area (walky talkies, hand 
grenades, sub-machine guns and pistols, hand-to-hand combat etc).  They 
don't believe what they've ended up in (save vs illusions and mind-
affecting spells at +4) and are taking prisoners of anyone who can give 
information on the situation.  
   Problem 1:  Stop the scouting party (including retrieving their gear 
if possible).  
   Problem 2:  Find what equipment is needed to close both portals 
simultaneously - sages can probably help with this - and get the required 
equipment.  (I used a Redeye missile and Staff of power, both of which 
were in the possession of a Barghest on the plane of Gehenna). 
   Problem 3:  Go through the portal to the Underground base, find the 
source controlling the portal, and get control of the area.  The guards 
are the (US ?) army equiped with modern gear, but the primary security 
structure is to block access to the experimental area, rather than the 
area itself. 
   Problem 4:  Destroy both portals simultaneously.  For example, fire 
the missile into controlling computer complex, while simultaneously 
breaking (retributive strike) the Staff of Power at the fantasy-side 
entrance to the portal.  Then get the surviving PC's from the underground 
base to their home realm (either use plane shifting magic or have a time 
delay on the portal destruction). 
========================================================================= 
   The elderly Lord of a small adventuring town was found missing from 
his home a after a visit from some strange men.  The man's family 
determines that he has been kidnapped and hires the PC's to find him.  
The PC's, following various clues, find the man, and, after a bit of a 
fight with Kenku and (some other bird race) the Kenku call for a truce.  
They say they were hired to kidnapped the man and the person who hired 
them has not shown up with their money.  They want no more trouble with 
the PC's and hand over the old man.  So far, so good.  What the PC's 
don't know is that the 'man' they take back is actually the Kenku leader, 
shape-changed into the old lord's appearance.  The Kenku were able to use 
magic (my version allow them to be up to 3rd level mages) to ESP and 
CHARM the lord into telling them about his home, servants and treasure. 
All goes well until a few days after the PC's return the 'lord'. It seems 
that most of the servants have been fired, guard captains dismissed for 
failing in their duties, etc.  In other words, the 'lord' is clearing the 
castle of any who could recognize a difference in him.  His family (if 
any - in my campaign there was a granddaughter set off to a nunnery and a 
son who was locked in the dungeon for treason - he was blamed for the 
kidnapping!!) have been done away with and most of the loyal 
servants/guards are gone.  The 'lord' has hired new 'people'; more Kenku 
coming in as advisors, guards, etc.  Once this was done, they began 
cleaning out the castle treasury.  Needless to say, the PC's will be 
curious, and the townsfolk furious.  The 'lord' has diverted all monies 
to his "new and worthwhile projects" while neglecting the town and 
allowing things to decay.  In the meantime, servants (Kenku) are looking 
for a ship (with a captain that would not ask questions) to come to the 
castle's dock during the night.  This does not go unnoticed by the PC's.  
It all comes down to the Kenku, loading the castle treasure into the 
ship, and in the midst of this, the PC's come in and battle the Kenku and 
their mercenaries.  They may also find the true lord and his son in the 
castle dungeon. 
========================================================================= 
   The PC's, after wandering into the nearest town for some R&R, suddenly 
find themselves drafted into an expeditionary army as a scouting party or 
even a small, *expendable* unit with an NPC leader.  The pay is a little 
money plus food and any necessary clothing.  If you want to be nice, you 
may assign the PC's horses, if they don't have any.  As a scouting party, 
the PC's don't have to travel with the main force of the army, which gets 
rid of the possibility of *huge* battles. 
   At this point the PC's have several options:  
   -Join the army (possibly in anticipation of relieving the kingdom's 
enemies of unnecessary wealth) 
   -Play draft dodger and be chased by an elite group of warriors (plus 
MU's and clerics, if you want to get nasty)
   -Pretend to join and desert at first opportunity (this would tend to 
rocket the PC's to the top of the local "10 Most Wanted" list).  
   Any way they choose, you can follow up with new ideas or just adjust 
the outcome so they wind up back in the army.  The overall goal of the 
army is up to you.  Whether it is to rescue a princess, lend aid to a 
besieged town or outpost, explore uncharted territory, or even to defeat 
an opposing army, the PC's need not participate in any large-scale 
battles.  The job of scouting gives many opportunities for encounters.  
Wilderness encounters, encounters with enemy forces, a ruined temple, or 
a castle or two, are just some of the things that can be encountered.  
Nature itself can provide lots of good role-playing opportunities.  For 
example, do you make the dangerous trek over the mountains or go around?  
How are you going to cross that rain-swollen river?  The possibilities     
are endless.                                                               
   The total outcome of the whole campaign can also be the basis for 
another adventure.  What happens if the army is defeated or routed? Do 
the PC's try to carry on and compete the mission?  What will the PC's do 
when they find themselves stranded deep in hostile territory or deep in 
an uncharted wilderness?  If the campaign is successful, will the PC's be 
tempted to split up by being promoted to higher positions in the 
military?  Will the PC's distinguish themselves and become heroes or 
celebrities?  Will they fail and be looked on as traitors and criminals?  
The rewards can be great and so can the risks. 
========================================================================= 
   Baron Harksheen requests an audience with the adventurers.  Background 
checks will reveal very little is known about this baron.  The local 
vassal is named G'caird, and is a duke.  G'caird has never heard of 
Harksheen.  Harksheen castle is rather remote, to say the least. 
   If asked, Harksheen will relate a story about saving the life of one 
of the kings' children several years ago, and how he received this barony 
quite by surprise some years later.  If the party asks too many 
questions, they may be imprisoned in the baron's dungeons.  The baron has 
15 men at arms, and can command the skeletons which inhabit all of the 
numerous suits of armor displayed in the great hall.  (Note that this 
armor gives the skeletons much better than normal defenses and weapons.)  
If the party notices the skeletons in the armor, the baron will claim 
they are the remains of the great warriors who died in the armor. 
   The Baron's story is that he would like to obtain a certain suit of 
armor that has fallen out of sight.  He has uncovered some clues (which 
he will be glad to show any mages in the group), that indicate that the 
armor, called "The Hide of Harker", was interred with the remains of one 
Keforid, apparently a priest of some sort.  The Baron would like to 
commission the party to recover the armor, will provide escort and 
livestock, and allow the party to keep all other booty.  
   The Baron's real name is Harker, he's a demon.  The armor was once his 
hide. Besides the defenses of the armor, and the fact that it is nearly 
weightless, it has the following abilities:  Telepathy with Harker, sense 
danger, protection from cold.  If Harker is killed, the telepathy 
converts to a sort of scrying from his skull.  Without it, he is pretty 
weak, but if he gets his hands on it (or rather, the other way 'round), 
look out.  He will warn the party that the armor is cursed, and to be 
careful not to wear it.  (It isn't cursed per se, but with it's special 
abilities, wearing it might be a tip off.)  The real reason Harksheen 
won't go after the armor himself is that the Wraith wearing the armor 
would know what he was going to do next and would be an extremely 
formidable opponent. 
   If the party looks closely at the warrior statue in the crypt, they'll 
notice that the base of the statue is a defeated demon who looks a lot 
like the Baron.  One of the Tapestries depicts the skinning of the demon. 
========================================================================= 
   This plot can be used to get the party together.
   During the last few weeks, the characters have been hearing rumors of 
bandit raids on caravans travelling the <insert appropriate direction 
here> road.  These raids are carried out against fairly large and well 
protected caravans, indicating a well prepared and large group of 
bandits.  Regular travellers are almost never bothered.  (Note: In my 
campaign, this is set in a largely agricultural area.  Locals aren't 
worth it). 
   In addition to the caravan raids, several minor officials and 
merchants have been kidnapped and ransomed.  The bandits are well 
informed, leading the local authorities to believe they may have an 
informant in their midst.  Also a local minor cleric of the temple of 
<insert local good deity here> has vanished without a trace. 
   Some member of the party is contacted by the local government's 
intelligence organization (preferably one that makes sense.  I have a 
rogue/spy/courier in my group).  They are tasked with gathering a group 
of adventurers to scout out the bandits and locate their lair.  They are 
not to engage the bandits, as the city government is planning a full 
scale attack.  They are also given some appropriate amount of money to 
give the characters incentive.  The group gathered is not to know they 
are working for the local government.  Let the player devise a cover 
story. 
   At the same time, a cleric/paladin character (hopefully of the same 
temple as the one above) is contacted by the head of their order, and 
instructed to find out what happened to the vanished cleric. 
   For a more twisted plot, have a party thief in the group be contacted 
by the local guild, and told about a supposed government expedition to 
find the bandits.  Instruct the player to join the party and 
sidetrack/stop them if possible. 
   Behind the scenes, the bandits are actually not as powerful as it 
seems.  It just so happens that the band's wizard has developed/found a 
more powerful version of the sleep spell, which allows the bandits to 
gain a great initial advantage.  Furthermore, they are working with the 
local thieves' guild to plan their attacks and are sharing the profits 
with the guild.  In return, the guild provides information and fences 
goods for the bandits.  The thieves' guild would be most upset if their 
safe and profitable arrangement is disturbed. 
=========================================================================
   (This is played as semi-serious comedy and is a good way to lighten 
PC's of extra equipment, normal and magic e.g. armour, swords, potions, 
etc) 
   The PC's hear rumours of a Dragon down the coast, not far (30 miles) 
from the village through which they are currently passing.  The local 
council can't afford to pay anyone to get rid of it but it's been a pest 
to all the local fishermen for years.  (It used to be worse but has been 
a bit quieter for the last 15 years).  The PC's will be heros and a small 
reward may be found.  The Dragon is actually Puff the Magic Dragon (from 
the song for anyone who knows it) and was drawn into this realm from the 
dimension of Dreams by a young boy's imagination (young Jacky Papers). 
They always used to play together terrorising pirate ships (fishing 
boats) etc until Jacky outgrew his boyhood "imaginary" friend.  Puff has 
become broken hearted with the loss of Jacky and just mopes around all 
day in his cave (hidden in the mists of the coast).  He is also a 
compulsive coward, and the only valuables he possesses are those things 
he and Jacky collected when Jacky was younger (balls of string, used 
pirate's flags, blocks of sealing wax etc).  Puff is a green dragon 
(nonstandard) with a sonic breath weapon (his cry/wail) which 
shatters/disintegrates metal/crystal etc within 40'-70' (save applies) 
and does appropriate damage to people as suits the scenario.  He can wail 
every 2nd round with NO limits and will usually do so (he really is 
depressed).  (This makes it hard for fighters to do much to him unless 
they are lucky with their magical armour, magical swords etc). 
   At any time the PC's approach him he will be sobbing gently.  He is a 
huge Ancient Dragon of green color (NOT a Monster Manual 1 Green dragon), 
hit only by magic weapons and the tears he is crying (every round) are 
actually large drops of acid (splash all within 20' for damage as 
appropriate).  If they hurt him much at all, he will try to escape, still 
sobbing and wailing.  Even when escaped, he will try to stay close to his 
cave (Jacky's toys are there) unless it is too dangerous.  He will NEVER 
try to seriously hurt anyone!  Any damage is incidental and caused by 
crying.  If the PC's try to talk to him, he will check to see if Jacky is 
with them, then stop communicating, breaking into even more heart-rending 
sobs (tears in all directions - splashing out to 40' for 3 rounds). 
   The preferred solution to all this, if they bother to actually find 
out what's going on (the local sages/mages know and will explain for a 
fee), is to either send Puff back to the realm of dreams (extra 
adventure) or find Jacky Papers and reunite them (he is probably that 
madman wandering the kingdom having lost his memory with a great feeling 
of unease about dragons). 
=========================================================================
"Artifact Search"

   (This is based in a world where some great despotic Wizard-kings used 
to rule before the free races allied against them and collapsed their 
rule, some time in the distant past.) 
   Recently, a farmer in a rural area fell into an underground cavern 
while hunting.  Within the cavern are remnants of a vanished culture with 
gleaming buildings and strange creatures moving about on unknown errands. 
The farmer fled the scene immediately but his stories soon spread, 
prompting several expeditions by locals and greedy adventurers.  The only 
person to return from these was found dead outside a village in the area, 
clutching an object fashioned of a strange crystal form.  The area is now 
treated with caution and fear. 
   The mage who acquired the crystal form is now hiring a capable group 
with the intentions of exploring further in search of greater treasures. 
   Options:
     1) The item was actually an artifact from the Wizard Kings and where 
there is one there should be others (Greed inspired). 
     2) The item was a portion of an unknown artifact, the rest is 
desired (Interest and fascination inspired). 
     3) The item is now known to have been the key holding a major 
servant of the Wizard-Kings imprisoned.  He/She/It is now free and the 
PC's are required to capture/track/kill it.  (Fear and caution inspired). 
Maybe the servant knows where some of the Wizard-kings are still alive, 
hiding in suspended animation or with their souls held in a magical gem, 
waiting their moment of rebirth. 
     4) The item is actually a map to a hitherto hidden realm (in a 
magically shielded valley or alternate dimension) where the cavern's 
inhabitants have come from.  They have been preparing themselves for a 
looting/slaving expedition into this realm and must be stopped before 
they have a chance to expand out of their cavern.  (This sets up a 
possible major campaign:  first clean out the cavern area, then gain 
access to the hidden and unknown realm and scout it, then find those who 
intend the raiding expeditions etc and stop them). 
     5) The item is the key to time-travel.  The mage who has it wants to 
travel back to the time of the Wizard-Kings, alter history so that the 
Wizard-Kings win and rule with them over one of the realms.  He intends 
to trick the PC's to act as his advance guards and protectors and take 
them with him to spoil the plans of the allied free people.  (This would 
involve lots of trickery and be sneaky to manage, as the players can't 
find out what's going on until too late - at which point they will 
probably want to stop him and go home again). 
     6) The object has given its new master some great abilities and he 
now wants to use the powers of the PC's to slowly build his personal 
power until he is able to rule as the great Wizard-Kings ruled. (See 5). 
=========================================================================
   In the far west, under a permanent cloud, sits the Obsidian Castle.  
Twice it has protected some powerful beings bid of domination of the 
world, twice is has been foiled.  But the Castle is patient, and is 
already nuturing the third, who has already begun his march. 
   The Castle is made of jet black obsidian, each block is exactly the 
same size, mortared to the next with a dull brown film, the blood of the 
victims sacrificed to build it.  Enchantment runs through the entire 
structure, oridinary weapons can make no mark upon the walls.  The castle 
is black - gloomy, and horrific. Light cannot travel far within it - 
absorbed by the walls.  The floors within are pure black ebony, with no 
trace of light or color.  It's hard to breathe in the castle, though 
character never seem to run out of air. 
   The castle actively protects the Dark Lord.  It has a nearly infinite 
supply of glassy obsidian or ebony or black granite guardians.  Gargoyles 
guard the upper heights, razor-winged obsidian bats range the great 
halls, the moat has no water but is filled with delicately balanced 
sheets of razor-sharp glass that would instantly shred anyone who fell 
within, even in armor, for the points would find every gap and pierce the 
body within.
   The Castle is the home and last redoubt of the Dark Lord.  Your 
characters must raise an army to defeat his orcs, ogres and trolls.  They 
must forge a treaty with the beings of the light and air - the eagles, 
the ki-rin - to provide protection and cover against the Dark Lord's 
leather-winged reptilian flyers.  But the army is mere diversion - to get 
the players into the Castle. 
   Deep inside the bowels of the Castle is a room perhaps 100 feet wide 
and nearly as high, and paved with gold.  The walls are bright polished 
marble, hung with cloth-of-gold and studded with endless tiny gems.  The 
ceiling has an enormous crystal chandelier, whose bright glow is nearly 
eclipsed by the six-foot-diameter gem on a low dais in the middle of the 
room.  The gem is a composite, made of thousands of smaller gems, from 
fist-sized to tiny grains, of every shape and kind.  They are packed into 
a great sphere, facet-to-facet, edge-to-edge, and the sphere is alive 
with light of every color in the spectrum.  Bolts of light flash from 
point to point within - tiny dots in many colors swirl about inside.  The 
evil spirit of the Castle - its "brain" - dwells within.  No living being 
has ever entered this room - or even knows it exists, but until the gem 
is destroyed, the Obsidian Castle will always rise again, and new Dark 
Lords will threaten the world... 
   Of course, you'll need to work out a lot of details, but this idea 
should be good for three or four campaigns before they figure out that is 
isn't "just another Dark Lord" but the Castle itself that is the real 
enemy, and that destroying it is merely a temporary setback.  You'll need 
to decide who built it, and why, and when.  You'll need more monsters in 
the "broken glass" idiom - many people are afraid of broken glass, it's a 
powerful symbol.  Perhaps the Castle is lit with black light torches - 
you can see, though all is black and dark, and the flames rime the walls 
with frost and burn like frostbite...
========================================================================= 

Long Summaries
---------------
========================================================================= 
"Large Hideous Monsters"

   Mostly huge, garishly colored slimy monsters have overrun the 
Eastmarch.  Refugees are crowding into the city, and a large refugee camp 
by the north wall has been set up.  The Temple of Osiris is advertising 
for adventurers. 
   The monsters are all different.  Even the occasionally recognizable 
monster is the wrong color, and they're mostly very underpowered.  One 
refugee has been celebrated as a "Dragon Slayer", since he took out a 
huge, firebreathing beast with one blow of his yard rake.  The tale 
definitely grew in the telling, but the man, "Lucky" Luke Sty-walker, 
former pig rancher, hasn't let it go to his head.  After all, after he 
killed the "Dragon", a giant slug ate his house. 
   On the other hand, there was the "killer bunny", that killed 6 
sheepdogs and a wolf one night, right in the middle of town!  It would 
have probably continued the rampage, except that it started to melt at 
sunrise (a Rarebit of luck, that.) 
   Finding the source of these monsters is the quest, obviously, and this 
is not too difficult a task, as long as the adventurers don't get eaten.  
Nearly every monster has left a clear and obvious trail.  The trails all 
converge on a stream bed.  Near the headwater of the stream is a cave 
mouth.  An idiot ogre couldn't miss the fact that major traffic has 
issued from it.  Inside the cave mouth is a very standard set of caves, 
caverns and corridors, unique only in the fact that all of the normally 
expected cave denizens are absent from, or dead in, their lairs.  One 
exception; the first side cave from the entrance has a very dead 12' 
cavebear, and a very cute, and hungry, cavebear cub (about 60 pounds).  
the cub is likely to attach itself to the first adventurer that doesn't 
hurt it.  Like most Ursines, it is omnivorous.  Monsters issue from the 
cave at about 5 per night (2d4/night), and come into being at the narrow 
end of the large cavern.  Some don't even survive walking the length of 
the room, which provides the heartier monsters with a much needed snack.  
None of the monsters can eat anything terrestrial.  Well, they can chew 
and swallow, but not derive sustenance. 
   During the 12 phases of the creation, a light can be seen coming from 
"somewhere else".  Careful attention will reveal that this `light' seems 
to be coming from a desk lamp.  Also visible is a desk with a hunched-
over "dwarf" in outlandish garb (actually, it's a kid in a striped T-
shirt).  Anyone stepping into the circle of light will be transported 
into a 12'x15' basement room filled with strange and wonderous objects, 
most of which will not function properly if brought back to the "real 
world" On the desk are the kid's `lucky dice', which are powerful magic 
items, and radiate magic strongly (noticed on 11-, 8- by spellcasters).  
These dice create monsters if rolled 12 times.  The monsters appear in 
whichever universe the dice are NOT in.  the Dice can be easily destroyed 
in either plane, but that destruction will close the trans-dimensional 
door that is in the basement behind the desk (which is also obvious to 
most adventurers.) While the door is open, anyone leaving the room will 
be transported to their own world.  Also, magic and technology both work 
in the basement room only (and in the cave). 
=========================================================================
   On a hill near the characters' home village once stood a proud castle.  
About forty years ago a mage resident there summoned up something he 
couldn't handle, and it pretty much trashed the place.  The castle 
consists now of the ruins of the outer towers and gatehouse, about twelve 
towers in all, only a couple of which have even part of a roof, six inner 
towers (including the inner gatehouse) most of which are in very much 
disrepair, and the inner keep, which is mostly collapsed.  Most of the 
castle walls are also torn down, and the moat is overgrown as well.  
Under the main keep is a cellar (about three rooms worth.)  All of the 
wooden buildings, interior wood etc. was burned.  The place is rumored to 
be haunted, about twenty years ago old Fred went there and never was the 
same since. 
   The players recently found out that the guy that built the castle had 
placed a mcguffin under the floor stones in each of the towers, and a 
large one under the keep.  (The mcguffin is some sort of enchanted jewel 
that was supposed to keep the castle from harm or something.  In 
practice, any enchantment has long worn off, but the jewels should be 
worth whatever is an appropriate amount in your campaign.)  The players 
are the only people (that they know of) with this information, perhaps 
they found it in a letter used as a bookmark in an old book. 
   You should stock the castle mostly with animal, or animal-like 
monsters.  Perhaps one tower is home to a couple of giant beetles, 
another has some feral cats, another has some snakes.  A group of 
brigands that operates in this neighborhood uses one of the more intact 
towers as a camp, perhaps they have hidden some treasure under it, 
perhaps several of them are there.  An old crone lives in one of the 
towers, free rent you see.  She makes healing poultices (herbal gunk 
etc.) for the brigands in return for food.  Treat her as a second level 
MU with a charm person spell.  You might, if you like, put a more "real" 
monster in the main keep, perhaps some sort of sentinel creature (ex. a 
water weird, one of the really minor devils etc.). 
   Wandering monsters.  Write up a wandering monster chart.  Some of the 
entries should be true wandering things such as passing birds, cows etc.  
Most of them should be the inhabitants of the towers. 
   For example: 
     1. 3 of the cats from tower #1 (night only) 
     2. The old crone gathering herbs (day only) 
     3. 1d6 of the giant rats from tower #7 (night only)
     4. A brigand patrol (details omitted).  If there are currently no 
brigands, they are going to their camp in tower #9.  If there are 
brigands in the camp, roll a d6, on a 1-3 they are going to the camp, on 
a roll of 4-6 the brigands in the camp leave etc.  
   Should the party go home before clearing out the tower, feel free to 
replace any slain monsters with others, especially if some time has 
elapsed.  For instance, now that the large snake has left, a weasel 
family has made their home in the moat.  The brigands will not always be 
there, sometimes there may be as many as (more than the party can handle) 
planning a raid somewhere.  Be sure to indicate signs of some of the 
animals, things like droppings, meal remains, shed carapaces etc.  The 
brigands are not all that neat, there might be signs that they are around 
such as the tower that they use as an outhouse, a pile of cow bones, a 
copper penny with a recent date, a torn but unrotted rag etc. 
========================================================================= 
"Survival"

   This module is currently designed for 4-6 players of first and second 
level, with about 5 to 7 total levels in the party.  It provides a way 
for the party to meet without resorting to the trite "you're in a bar" 
scenario. 
   The geographic setting is the northern plains of a continent with a 
cool to cold climate during the autumn season.  The party begins in a 
country on the human side of a human/demihuman border.  The demihumans in 
question can be either Goblins and Orcs or Goblins and Hobgoblins.  The 
winter storms are expected to start sometime in the next 4 to 6 weeks, 
which will close down the commonly used trade routes through the 
mountainous plains to the northeast. 
   Each character, except thieves, starts as a merchant, messenger, or 
mercenary guard in a large caravan heading to another city further north.  
The winter seems to be setting in early and the caravan master wants to 
leave the city as soon as possible, due to a "special" package that a 
local temple has given into his care.  The cleric(s) in the party are 
sent to "guard" this package.  The fighters are mercenaries hired to 
guard the caravan on its seven to eight day journey, and the magic users 
are merchants (based on their nonweapon proficiencies) along for the 
ride. 
   During the first three to four days it becomes obvious to the fighters 
that the caravan master is taking a less traveled route (which is faster 
and dangerous) due to the package.  On the fourth night, a group of 
thieves (some of which are PC's) from the main town catch up with the 
caravan, and plan to steal the package and ransom it back to the temple.  
While the attempt is in progress, the camp is attacked by a horde of the 
demihumans which results in the eventual disabling of all the PC's. 
   The PC's awaken (roughly at the same time) with 1 HP, no equipment, 
money, food, or water, in the middle of a wrecked camp.  The PC's must 
"introduce" themselves, leading to a possible confrontation with the 
thief character(s), since no one knows who they are or where they are 
from.  They must then gather what equipment they can find and attempt to 
make it back to civilization and SURVIVE.  The obvious choice is to press 
onward toward the original destination. 
   Unknown to the party, the demihumans' camp is nearby.  It is the only 
source of food and water for miles in the surrounding terrain.  The party 
should stumble upon a patrol, and gain some additional items.  From here 
they can disguise themselves to gain access to the camp and possibly 
steal food, water, and possibly horses. 
   When the party finds the camp, they discover it is actually the ruins 
of an ancient fortress.  Several questions come up:  Who is leading this 
company of bandits?  What is their purpose?  Are they a threat (to the 
greater civilization)?  The party may investigate these questions.  If 
they do, several options exist for the adventure from this point.  Do 
they try and defeat the leaders?  Reconnoiter to gather more information 
to answer some of the above questions?  Try and find the treasure trove?  
Run?  As they investigate the ruined fortress, they gain the opportunity 
to do all of the above and more.  The dungeon also provides opportunities 
to introduce replacements for characters who may have died. 
   The adventure concludes with the PC's leaving the demihuman camp and 
finishing the 2 to 3 day trek to civilization on foot, leaving the 
bandits intact for a second adventure. 
========================================================================= 
   The background is that one of the characters in the campaign, has some 
major bodily damage, beyond the capabilities of the party to heal.  They
rush him to town to find a healer.
   The healer heals the character, but tells the party that it is only 
temporary.  He says that the character will need the application of a 
special herb to make the healing permanent.  The healer tells the party 
how to find a Druid whom he knows for the whereabouts of the herb.  The 
party is able to get the Druid to agree to accompany them. 
   The Druid knows the general area in which the herb grows.  Finding the 
herb is not a guarantee.  After a trip taking several days into the 
outback, and approximately one day of unsuccessful searching for the 
herb, the party has an encounter with a group of orcs.  (Party ambushes 
orcs, orcs ambush party, whatever).  When searched, at least one of the 
orcs will have a small quanity of herb on his person.  If all the orcs 
are dead the party will be able to track the orcs to their 'lair'.  If 
one is alive, he will bring the party to the 'lair' if threatened.  If 
asked about the herb, the orc is not aware that it is anything special. 
(The orcs gather quantities of the herb and use it as a narcotic and are 
unaware of the herb's healing powers, as they smoke it - not the proper 
form of application.  If any orcs are questioned about the herb, treat it 
as if someone on the street beat you up, took your cigarettes and asked 
about their 'special healing properties'.) 
   The orc 'lair' is actually a small village/outpost.  If this region is 
orc infested, make it a village (they have to come from somewhere).  If 
the region is relatively orc-free, have it an advanced orc outpost. (i.e. 
no non-combatants) 
   Have enough orcs in the 'lair' such that a frontal assualt would be 
nearly impossible.  Sneakiness counts here folks! 
   The 'lair' is actually above ground.  It consists of a group of huts 
sufficent for the orcs' purpose.  (Housing, maybe a forge, food, armory, 
etc.)  Two of the structures will be made of stone, the places occupied 
by the priests and the high leaders.  The entire village is surrounded by 
a wooden palisade.  (Think of old forts in western movies.)  The logs are 
buried deep enough so that they cannot be easily moved.  The wall is nine 
feet high with points at the top, and is treated with a sap-like residue 
from the local trees that make it nearly resistant to fire.  (Fires take 
more time to start and don't spread fast.)  The walls are not tough to 
climb by oneself and are easy with the help of another.  Within the walls 
are several outpost towers (approx. 15 feet tall) that are used to see 
out beyond the walls. 
   The orcs have enough of the herb to take care of the injured 
character, plus possibly some left over for the party. 
   For combatants, remember that in an organization this size there will 
be a chain of command.  I had a supreme leader, a second in command, a 
handful of lieutenants, many sergeants and about 150 standard fighters.  
I also used two spell-users to make things more lively (players 
occasionally fall into the trap in which they believe they are the only 
ones with magic accessible to them) and an ogre to make things exciting.  
I also included 20 worgs in a pen.  (Worgs are large semi-intelligent, 
evil wolves that orcs occasionally ride into battle, also called dire 
wolves.)  The worgs will only affect the outcome if either released from 
the pen or if the party tries to sneak by them. 
   If any of the party escape and at least one of the others are 
captured, one of the spell-users will attempt to charm the character.  
Once charmed the character will be instructed to find the rest of the 
group and bring them back to 'rescue' their comrades.  (This is a -great-
chance for roleplaying for the the player involved!)  Set up an 
appropriate ambush.  If the orcs' plan to entice the players back seems to 
have too many holes in it, that's ok, orcs aren't renowned for their great 
plans. 
   The herb, in addition to its healing properties is also addictive.  
For healing, the herb must be administered over a one week period.  In 
games terms, withdrawal from the herb will result in a penalty to action.  
Withdrawal will be complete five days after the last time the herb was 
administered.  During these five days, the penalties should peak at day 
three then gradually drop off.  Since the herb has a side-effect 
(withdrawal), races that have a natural resistance to poison will not 
benefit fully from the herb. 
========================================================================= 
   This plot is good for fantasy RPGs (designed for AD&D, approx. 6 
characters of 6th-8th level) 
   A small farming community several miles from where the characters are 
based has made an appeal to the mayor of the village to put an end to 
what are described as "dragon raids".  The mayor, who is coming up for 
re-election, has heard of the fame of the heroes and comes to them for 
help in slaying the dragon that has terrorized his constituents. 

What the heroes are told:
-------------------------
   Recently (in the last few weeks), a dragon with green skin has 
shambled up out of the nearby marsh and carried off livestock in its 
mouth.  The farmers are upset at this loss of their resources.  A group 
of the farmers held a meeting and sent two volunteers out into the swamp, 
but they have not been heard from since. 

What the heroes will find, upon investigation:
----------------------------------------------
   Large, muddy footprints on the grounds of the farmers whose livestock 
have been stolen--mostly those living right next to the marsh to take 
advantage of the fertile ground--ostensibly "dragon tracks".  If they ask 
questions of the right people, they will find someone who swears he saw 
the dragon change into a dragon-man and walk off into the swamp.  The 
rest of the town thinks this old guy is nuts.  The dragon has not been 
spotted any farther away from the swamp than about 30 yards.  None of the 
townsfolk remember seeing any wings on the creature. 

Some information the heroes *might* be able to discover:
--------------------------------------------------------
   Green dragons do not, by habit, live in marshland areas. They prefer 
the serenity and relative abundance of game supplied by verdant forests. 
Green dragons also delight in deceiving and controlling human operations. 
A green dragon without wings is an oddity, to be sure. 
   In fact, the kind of dragons who DO live in the swamp are black 
dragons. 
   None of this information should be available without sage 
consultation. 

What is actually going on:
--------------------------
   A little ways into the marsh is a small settlement of lizard men. 
These are not the ordinary warlike race, but rather a pacifistic 
offshoot... deadly when necessary, but downright friendly otherwise.  
They are, in fact, farmers themselves, cultivating nutritious plants and 
fungi, and keeping their own herd animals: giant lizards. 
   The harvest has been bad this year, and feeding the giant lizards has 
become second priority.  So the lizards, starving, wandered off towards 
the human village in search of food...and found it. 
   The human farmers wouldn't know a dragon from an oversized water 
snake, so they naturally panicked.  No farmer in his right mind would go 
dragon hunting in a swamp, nohow.  And the story grew a little more 
fantastic with each telling.... 
   Once, the lizard men followed one of the lizards toward the human 
farms.  It was near dusk, and visibility was poor, so it was an easy 
mistake to say that the "dragon" had changed into a "dragon-man".  But 
overall, the lizard men have avoided the humans for fear of prejudice and 
misunderstanding.  If approached peacefully, and the situation is 
explained, the humanoids will be willing to pay restitution for the 
animals.  They are also willing to open a trade avenue with the humans, 
if such an idea is acceptable, but that is up to the farmers. 

Other goings-on:
----------------
   Elsewhere, *deeper* in the swamp, lairs an old black dragon.  He 
sleeps, unaware of the turmoil occurring in the nearby village.  In fact, 
the last time his sleep was disturbed was a couple of weeks back, when 
two lanky humans intruded rudely upon his nap.  Fortunately for the 
dragon, he happened to be mildly hungry at the time. 
========================================================================= 
   A noble requests the party to investigate a spook house he rents in a 
town.  They are to locate, identify, and banish the source of the odd 
sounds, sights, smells, or whatever.  For this, they will be paid 
handsomely, since the noble likes the apartment's location as a perfect 
"incognito" kind of place. 
   The house with the apartment lies in a middle-class part of the town, 
the buildings are not very crowded, but old.  The building is registered 
in the name of one Raushof Gollenbacher, but any attempt to find out who 
this person is, will fail; nobody knows. The proprietor is an old gnome 
called Muschfyths, who don't like people. 
   Muschfyths -is- Raushof.  Raushof was a name he used when he bought 
the house years ago.  He got fake ID papers from a human forger he knew 
at the time - the forger later died in a traffic "accident" (these things 
happen, you know...). 
   If the party checks for the names of previous renters of the building, 
the list will mysteriously have been destroyed in a recent fire, and 
Muschfyths will have a bad memory.  If the investigators insist on 
sleeping in the apartment at night, nothing will happen - the "ghost" 
will only be present on nights the investigators are off the premises.
   If the rental contract is checked, any lawyer type person will see, 
under close scrutiny, that it contains a clause denying the renter any 
rights of having his/her money back, and a demand of three months advance 
rent. 
   The house is FULL of secret doors.  These doors lead into other rooms. 
Depending on the basis of the effects: 
   1) There _is_ indeed a ghost, or spectre, that creates the sounds, and 
this ghost has been enslaved by Muschfyths, and kept on a magical jar 
when not needed. The other rooms of the house will contain chains of 
meta-steel (steel able to exist in both the ethereal and material 
planes), jars of iron sulphate (substitute Stinking Cloud, any AD&D'ers 
out there) and related "spooky"/scary things. These are applied by the 
ghost when trying to scare the occupants. The ghost can be banished if: 
      a) Muschfyths is killed. This will free the ghost/spectre from its 
obligations to him. 
      b) The jar is broken. The ghost no longer has a prison in this 
world.  If Muschfyths is still alive, the ghost is still enslaved, but 
can not be "turned off" until Muschfyths can find another suitable 
prison. 
      c) The ghost can be banished by a cleric of a God of The Dead or a 
God of Healing (in Warhammer terms, Morr or Shallya).  If Muschfyths is 
still alive, the chance of banishing is lowered. 
   2) The sounds etc. are produced by mechanical devices built by 
Muschfyths.  These devices will rely on technical knowledge far beyond 
the understanding of any non-gnome player, and even to gnomes, they 
appear strange.  Treat the machinery as "traps", and feel free to include 
steam engines, "perpetuum mobile"s etc. to your heart's content.  The 
characters will perceive the devices as magic unless they can detect they 
are not.  (You might even want to make some of the devices magic...) 
   The devices are placed in the rooms surrounding the apartment. 
Muschfyths is the only person that knows how the things work.  It's VERY 
dangerous to try and operate the devices without proper training - and if 
the party finds the devices, Muschfyths will have disappeared...perhaps. 

Data on Muschfyths:
   Race:  Gnome
   Age:  Above middle age (for gnomes, very old for humans)
   Physical:  Not very strong, somewhat agile
   Mental:  Very bright, VERY talented in either technical areas or magic 
relating to beings of a spectral nature (depending on the "source", see 
above) 
   Psyche: Greedy, selfish, paranoid coward.  Can be considered being of 
an evil alignment. 
   Abilities: Depending on the "source" (see above):
      1) Identify Ethereal Undead, Ritual: Enslave Etereal Undead, 
Ritual: Imprison Ethereal Undead. 
      2) (TL stands for Technology Level) Ritual: Make/Unmake Strange 
Device (TL +1), Operate Device (TL +1), Identify Device (TL +0). 
      Also: Weapon Use: Knives and Daggers, Hiding: Urban, Culture: 
Gnome.
========================================================================= 

Contributors
-------------
Eric Bohm (aka Gothmog)
Rob Crawford 
Russ Gilman
Lesley Grant (A little PARANOIA's good for the soul...)
Todd O. Howard (Maybe Dungeon didn't accept it, but I did!)
Matt Hucke
Andrew Hummell
Geoffrey Kimbrough
Lisa Leutheuser
"matthew" (There's always one...)
D. J. McCarthy
Douglas McCorison
John McMullen (Wow!)
Rob McNeur (Wow again!)
Marc Midura (Material from Ralph LeBlanc, Mark Naper...you can never have 
             too much!)
John S. Novak, III
Bruce W. Onder
Ami Silberman (Janitor of Lunacy)
Brett Slocum (One of the more loyal contributors... :-))
Larry Smith (I did send you my form letter, didn't I?  If not, thanks!)
Mark Thomas
Jim Vogel (No liches this time)
Dr Williams (I can ALWAYS use it...)
Jeff Williamson

   Many thanks to everyone who contributed material to make the second 
volume bigger and better than the first.  Apologies to Wayne, who sent 
mountains of stuff, but since the Net.Plots.Book is public domain I can't 
include copyrighted (or even copylefted!) material.  I don't do 
PostScript, LaTeX, or anything but ASCII.  If anyone would like to 
convert the Book and send me a copy, I'll distribute that as well.  
Enjoy, everyone!