Of course, the players are worried because ghouls are a potent, intelligent foe.. Then, during the course of this conflict, the players uncover the second part of the storyline and learn
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and certainly their understanding of what is going on
will change
You can also use this to up the ante Let’s use
another example The town suffers from an outbreak
of ghouls Of course, the players are worried because
ghouls are a potent, intelligent foe There are scary
moments, desperate ambushes in dark alleyways, and
so forth
Then, during the course of this conflict, the players
uncover the second part of the storyline and learn
that the ghouls are up to something–some grandiose
plot So now the player’s focus changes from physical
danger to worrying about a larger threat–what are the
ghouls up to? Instead of just defending the township,
they now have to descend into the ghoul tunnels to
find out the secret Now the ghouls lay traps and call
unholy allies to their aid The ante has been raised for
the players, not just in terms of danger, but in terms of
what happens if they fail?
When the players finally discover what the ghouls
are plotting, you the game master have the opportunity
to transform the adventure once again, in a third
storyline, and confront them with an existential threat!
Perhaps the ghouls are replacing all the important
humans in town with their evil changelings Maybe the
ghouls have accumulated enough sacrifices to summon
and (they think) control a monstrous dhole to destroy
the entire town It’s even possible they plot to magically
teleport the entire township to the Vale of Pnath, where
they can feast at their leisure
In this way, you have three simple, separate plotlines,
each with a different type of frightening threat, and
you can keep up the horror element far longer and
more effectively than in a one-shot adventure!
Turning an Encounter Into an Adventure
It is perfectly plausible to plop down a gug guarding
a treasure chest The gug in this case would just be another monster—a bag of hit points hindering the players from gaining loot A gug has some unique powers that you can use to your advantage in planning your encounter For example, gugs are completely silent, so players are likely unaware of the creature’s presence until it chooses to show itself Since gugs have religious tendencies, perhaps it has an altar to its foul deity in its chamber Perhaps killing the gug triggers a curse which follows the party around
With a little effort, the gug can be used for more
For example, gugs are an intelligent species known for crafting organized plans Perhaps the gug was in that room for a reason? It’s not hard to extrapolate that after the party murders the gug for his loot, his fellow gugs might find the corpse, and—thirsting for vengeance—
track down the party All of a sudden, perhaps when hotly engaged in another fight, a group of gugs emerges silently from the darkness and joins in the fight against the players You’ve kept the adventure element of your game strong, but the gugs have taken on personality and perhaps even become a permanent part of your game After all, even if the players manage to drive away or kill the pursuing party of gugs, this doesn’t mean they’re done with them: they might have to deal with gug hunting bands for the foreseeable future
In the end, you have turned an almost random encounter with a lone gug guarding some treasure into
a recurring enemy that may plague the heroes’ future endeavors, potentially for an entire campaign