Monday, February 11, 2013

A Free Random Adventure Generator


You know how I consistently complain if an RPG lacks a random adventure generator? Well, someone named OFTHEHILLPEOPLE was looking out for me, even if they didn't realize it, by making this 8 page random adventure generator that is completely free and adaptable to a good number of RPGs.

First, it's free. So you have no reason not to download it (unless you hate random adventure generators). But just for fun, I'm going to roll up some random adventures for a few of my favorite settings.

Let's start with Dragon Age, since it's fresh on my mind. All you do is roll a d12 on a series of tables and combine the elements.

Quest Contact: 1 - A Spirit, Ghost or Demon
The Adventure: 10 - Steal (or Destroy) Something
The Location: 7 - An Overgrown Forest
The Macguffin: 4 - Magical Experiments
The Antagonists: 1 - Bounty Hunter
Twists and Complications: 8 - Old Enemy
Dramatic Conflict: 2 - Economic Harm

So the PCs are contacted by the spirit of a Mage whose magical experimentation has killed him, but has left him bound to this plane and unable to move on. He needs the PCs to venture into the Brecilian Forest, which has become overgrown and wild, and free his essence from this reality. Unfortunately, the PCs are being tracked by an old enemy who knows them all too well, and is stalking them through the woods even as are having to fend off the forest's denizens. The magical essence being infused into the surrounding area is bolstering the craftswork of the local townsfolk, who aren't aware of the reason WHY the materials function so well, and destroying the essence of the Mage will reverse the effects of the enhancement and cripple the trade for this poor village.

How about Marvel SAGA?

Quest Contact: 12 - Roll Twice, getting Happenstance and Local Temple, where they bump into a Scavenger/Pauper.
The Adventure: 3 - Harm or Kill Someone
The Location: 9 - Mountains/Caves
The Antagonists: 10 - Magical Beast(s)
Twists and Complications: 5 - Dodgy Ally
Dramatic Conflict: 3 - Environmental Damage

One of the PCs, particularly a religious one, is at a local church when a frightened street urchin rushes in, seeking shelter from "monsters". It seems an enclave of Dire Wraiths have been hiding in the nearby mountains and have begun preying on the local homeless. The PCs set out to stop them, but have to track them to their layer, which is problematic because the Dire Wraiths are shapeshifters. They contact an uneasy ally who can track them (due to powers or technological, whichever), but the ally acts strange. The tracker leads them to the caves...and reveals that he is, in fact, a Dire Wraith! The PCs are stuck in a pitched battle with the Dire Wraith on a mountainside, and as they use their powers, they begin causing instability and landslides that threaten to crush the community below!

Deadlands?

Quest Contact: 11 - Mercenary Group
The Adventure (rolling twice): 4 - Kidnap or Capture Someone and 11 - Transport Someone or Something and take them to (8) an Urban Location
The Location: 4 - Island
The Innocents: 3 - Family or Friend
The Antagonists: 8 - Mercenary Group
Twists and Complications: 11 - Time Limit
Dramatic Conflict: 10 - Reputation

Let's see...the posse finds out that the leader of a cut-throat gang in Denver needs a member of a pirate group in The Maze brought to justice ASAP, and brought back to Denver in time for the circuit judge to make his rounds, for the accused rape of his daughter. The PCs, upon reading the details of the notice, realize that the accused in question is a cousin, brother or other associate and decide that it behooves them to try to make sure they get to the accused before someone who is likely to inflict more harm does. The problem gets more complicated when they get to The Maze and discover that the pirate gang is serving a "Robin Hood"-like function in The Maze, and their associate is a stabilizing presence for said pirates...if they take him captive, it'll paint them in a bad light to the poor, downtrodden folk of The Maze, and maybe turn the rest of the pirates vicious without him there...but the alternative is that if they don't, then some other force may rain Hell down on their friend/relative.

Okay, not perfect, and like any random rolls, you gotta massage it a little bit...but still very, very cool.

4 comments:

  1. A bit of a shameless plug here, but we put a couple of random situation generators up on Exploring Infinity based in part off of the Cortex Plus generator tables in Leverage (and Smallville supplements).

    http://exploring-infinity.com/tag/situation-generator/

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    1. Fantastic!

      You can shamelessly plug stuff like that any day.

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  2. That OFTHEHILLPEOPLE is me and I'm glad you guys enjoyed it. You're right, it's not perfect and it's mostly geared toward fantasy gaming. I adapted it from the adventure generator from Interface Zero from Gun Metal Game which has a more modern/future adventure generator. Check that out and give them love.

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    1. Ah-ha! I should have seen the DNA in the generator! I'm a big fan of Interface Zero and I've shown them a ton of love around here, including naming the Savage Worlds version as one of my Top Six of 2010!

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