So, how do you create the most compelling adventure hooks and plotlines for your campaign?
Here’s how to make great adventure hooks.
What Is An Adventure Hook?
Here’s a breakdown ofhow to create an adventure hook.
Goal
What is the primary objective of the party:how do they complete this mission successfully?
Rewards
What rewards can the party earnif they are successful?
Consider using treasure, renown, or othermarks of prestige.
Subversion is an important part of any adventure hookand can help make your adventure sound more fun.
You need tohook the party quickly and efficiently.
Here’show to craft an introduction.
Next, you shoulddetermine and explain to your party what NPCs or key characters are involvedin this quest.
Do they have familiar NPCs involved?
Tiamat by Chris Rallis
Or, are the members of the quest unknown?
Here are some examplesof ways to thread NPCs into an adventure hook.
Adventure Hook
NPC Thread
A merchant has been captured by bandits.
Exploration By William O’Connor
The merchant is the owner of a local magic shop that the party frequents.
A child has gone missing on the streets of the city.
A Beholder is terrorizing a small town.
Adult Black Dragon by Martin Mottet
The small town is home to not only a party member but the party member’s entire family.
By threading in a familiar NPC to the adventure hook, you canfurther incentivize party members to help.
it’s possible for you to, of course, also introduce new NPCs in adventure hooks.
Cloud Giant by Taras Susak
If the objective sounds fun,you’ll have a fun adventure hook.
Here are some examplesof captivating goals for an adventure hook.
This also feeds into the stakes of the adventure.
A Hag’s Bargain by Linda Lithen
Let’s use the same goals we just listed above and add conflictsto them to make them more compelling.
Let’s againuse the above examples and ascribe stakes to these missions.
Here are some examples of meaningful rewardsto provide players as part of any adventure hook.
The Weathermay-Foxgrove Twins by Zoltan Boros
Need to heal your party, but don’t have any spells left?
Here’s how to maximize your healing output without magic in Dungeons & Dragons.
Assassin by Viko Menezes
Blob of Annihilation by Mathias Kollros
Blackrazor by Conceptopolis
