Example Input - Concluding an Adventure

bryce0lynch

i fucking hate writing ...
Staff member
And on a related note, it was a staple of some older adventures to put bandit gangs outside of well known adventuring sites. They would hit the party as they exited the dungeon, under the belief that the party would be at their weakest then, robbing rather than killing them, so they could rob them again one day. One Dungeon magazine adventure went so far as to have an earthquake in the goblin lair, after the boss was killed, making the exit from the dungeon as memorable as the entry was, if not more so.


Conclusions 1
The party has delved in to the cultists lair. It was a hard fight, but they got the sacred chalice back. Along the way they freed some cavemen from the cultists. The adventures gives us three things in the conclusions section: If any of the cult escaped then they are mad and, eventually, will hunt the party down. A little generic, but ok. If the party takes the chalice back to the Good Clerics in town they cleanse it but … what was it used for and who created it and what will the priests do with it now? Meh, very open ended and not very colorful at all. Then, if the party helped the cavemen escape then they spread the story to others and, one day, when the party is most in need, a caveman warrior steps in and helps them out. Wow! That’s a great one! It’s specific. It’s a real reward for the party being good guys. Not just a pat on the back or the feeling of doing good, but a real boon for the party, via a callback, when they are in need. That plays on many, many cultural stories and myths, where the people you’ve helped come to your aid when you’re in need. That’s a good conclusion!

Conclusions 2
You did it! You’ve cleaned out Yet Another Cultist Lair! The adventure gives us three outcomes for the DM to sprinkle in. Having broken the back of the cult, the nearby town tracks down and kills any cultists they find. Not a bad thing! The party gets to see the tangible results of their actions … both positively and negatively. One imagines the party seeing the local gallows in full swing, and even perhaps some false accusations? There’s a lot to mine there for future window dressing and even adventure. Then, the party gets to seal the temple and the local townspeople pay them AND are available to help, being a grateful lot. The adventure gives the DM a few ideas and encourages them to let the party have fun with it. Finally, the towns mayor is a bit of a jerk and looks for excuses to punish the party for things like assaulting town guards … even if they were cultists. But … the local Count steps in and pardons the party, declaring them heroes! But if this happens the town and mayor will be less than happy with the party, feeling their local authority usurped. Again, these are real things that impact the party, they can see the effects of their actions and are not just punished for them, or rewarded, but a much richer tapestry unfolds.
 

The Heretic

Should be playing D&D instead
Idiosyncratic is always better than the mundane, but I think the conclusion of the adventure is icing on the cake. If there is too much idiosyncrasy then the adventure becomes too hard to run (a la Goblin Punch, great website with a wonderful setting, but implementing all that stuff would be a headache).
 
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