DM Course pt 2

Writing your own season of episodes is something you may want to think about after you've given what has been provided here a chance. If you're good to go, good luck and have fun. On the other hand, you may need help outlining your first season. And your first episode, for that matter. Below is a basic method of how to outline your first episode.

First, plan out how many episodes you and the players will want to play for an entire season. Not everyone can play every week. Those who do play every week may experience fatigue. You need to plan for these contingencies and any unforeseen circumstances. 

One method of planning is to schedule 6, 8, or 10 episodes of adventures. Some groups can play for longer, depending on their lifestyles. But in general, going any longer than 10 weeks of gameplay wears thin. Even when having fun. 

Schedule episodes to be played biweekly. The benefits to this are that it gives everyone time for other interests and life in general. And so, a 6 episode season spread out over 12 weeks is ideal. Three months is a long time for one game. And if it has been a lot of fun the players will hardly remember that they only played 6 games in total. What they will remember are the adventures. 

Take a break in-between seasons. Go on hiatus. This gives the players ample time to spend time with their families, engage other hobbies, and give more attention to paying bills. This also gives you enough time to write the next season (assuming you want to continue as DM and they agree), while tantalizing them for what they can expect. Did the season end on a cliffhanger? They'll be eager to get back to the game soon enough. 

EPISODE ONE: THE PHAEGUS

Start in Port City

PCs learn the farmlands just outside the city are being terrorized, thus threatening crops and food supplies

Investigating the farmlands they encounter NPCs, many of whom are sick, who tell them their children have been abducted by a band of monsters and taken to the ruins of an old keep just to the north. 

When they explore the keep they find it empty. Further investigation reveals a tunnel leading down to a large door. 

The door will not open. There is an inscription that requires translation. It reads: "speak not a greeting". Only when a PC says, "goodbye" will the door open. 

Moving through the door they discover a tomb. Unknown to them there are 5 chambers. In three of the chambers there are Blemmyae (see Part Seven for stats). Throughout all the chambers there are signs of carnage, as if the Blemmyae have been eating flesh. 

A fourth chamber holds several large chests. Most should be empty or contain items of little value, one should be a trap, and the last may hold minimal treasure. 

The last chamber is smaller. They find one Blemmyae who appears too weak to fight. It is sick and emaciated. It vomits black puss and with it writes on the wall: "Der Koshka Phaegus". When it dies they watch its skin rapidly decay.

When translated from Hellspawn the black puss inscription on the wall reads: "Eaters of the living". 

The corpse behind them twitches. Its shape contorts and twists before rising and attacking as a new resurrected Phaegus Zombie (see Part Seven for stats). 

Having killed the Phaegus Zombie, every Blemmyae they previously killed has now been resurrected as a Phaegus Zombie. They must fight their way out. 

The PCs never did find the missing children. If they return to the farmlands they find the NPCs have died and resurrected as Phaegus Zombies.  

This is a good place to end your first episode. It sets up an entire season of adventures. Will the Phaegus spread through Treph and possibly all of Agondar – or will your PCs put an end to it? 

You may be asking, where did this Phaegus come from? Certainly your PCs are going to want that revealed in-game. There are any number of possibilities you could work with. Here are a few suggestions: 

The Phaegus is a weapon created by Baal'Amon in an attempt to raise an army of dead to invade Hell where he intends to overthrow Samael and Lilitu. Baal'Amon needs the numbers of Phaegus Zombies to swell to an extreme to be any challenge for Samael's forces, which is why the Phaegus spreads so fast. Once the Phaegus has grown beyond any nation's ability to defend against, Baal'Amon will open a portal into Hell. 

An alternative revelation may be that the Phaegus is a plague brought to Zo'ras unintentionally by the Pleiadians. NPCs of your creation have been trying to engineer a cure but need help with acquiring a key ingredient. Perhaps a rare flora that only grows in an isolated location. To get it themselves they would attract the attention of the Office of the Supreme Dragon Lord and possibly ruin the flora in the process. 

A third option reveals that a small sect of Androids created the Phaegus to kill off biological organic life to supplant others as the dominant species. 

Done right, all of these make for a good season of gameplay and will keep the players captivated through each episode. Of course, how this all plays out is up to you and the choices of your PCs. And now that you know how to write an outline, it's time to get started on episode two. 

Four Points & Story Formula

As you start to write your episode be mindful of the four things every adventure must be clear on: Objective, Location, Time Limit, and Villain.

Your PCs will wander about aimlessly if you let them. Respect their choices in how the game plays out, yes. But as Dragon Master you need to make it clear to them what they need to do, where they need to go, and why. 

Objective: Spell it out for them if you have to. Save the farmlands. 

Location: The Farmlands, obviously. But put some urgency on it. The crops are in danger. 

Time Limit: The entire city will starve if they don't do something about it within a week.

Villain: In this case, because of our twist, the PCs thought they were trying to save children from flesh-eating monsters and instead uncovered a flesh-eating virus. 

Don't forget your story formula for each episode: Introduction, Development, Build a Better Battle, Villain, Twist, Conclusion. 

The Story Formula and the Four Points together in concert will not steer you wrong. This site provides you with enough material to write more than a single season of episodes. Once you have written a few outlines and played a few sessions the Story Formula and the Four Points will come easily to you. 

Here's one more sample of an outline that brings it all together. It works as a one-shot (meaning a single episode), or as an episode upon which others can be built. Maybe as an introduction to an entire season. 

THE BLACK KING OF PORT CITY 

Objective: identifying the "Black King"

Location: Port City, warehouse, Mallory's Castle

Time Limit: before children are eaten

Villain: Lord Mallory

Start in Port City at Fergus's Tavern; meet several of the NPCs; Jock Jean Claude informs the PCs that he has recently been hired in secret by Inspector General Raynerus to uncover the identity of the so-called "Black King" and help bring an end to the black market in Port City. Jock Jean Claude admits he could use a little help and would be willing to pay 500 GP. 

Jock Jean Claude sends him to Lady Drusilla, his contact in Lord Mallory's office (as city treasurer), who he suspects is somehow benefitting from the black market. PCs discover that Lord Mallory is trading in mage skins. 

Investigation leads to a seemingly empty warehouse, guarded by two mercenaries on the outside. 

Once inside the large open space seems to be empty until PCs bump into an invisible force. 

There are stairs leading up to a catwalk, from which can be seen a large magic circle engraved on the warehouse floor. If it is broken the spell is broken and reveals that the warehouse is filled with crates. The crates are filled with illegal contraband: mage skins, pre-Xanthis art, many many books, fine clothing, and a few magic  artifacts.

While investigating the crates the PCs hear the noise of weeping children coming from beneath the warehouse. After trying to find the source of the weeping, the PCs uncover a hatch by moving one of the crates out of the way. The hatch opens on a toughness roll. 

The hatch opens to a passage leading down. It's obvious the children are somewhere nearby. Climbing down the PCs hear grunting. The children are in a large cell with one Blemmyae standing outside. Nearby is a table upon which are the severed remains of a small bloody corpse. The Blemmyae is eating a leg it just removed from the corpse. There are three corridors leading away from the cell. 

Once the battle starts PCs hear a second Blemmyae stomping toward the fight. 

After the battle have the PCs roll under intuition and suggest the authorities be brought here. 

Inspector General Raynerus shows up with Magister Dolion and demands Lord Mallory be arrested. Undoubtedly Mallory is the "Black King" himself and this is  his cache. Jock Jean Claude can suggest they go along just in case there's trouble.

When raiding Mallory's Castle the authorities take on his guards. The PCs and Jock Jean Claude are met by Lady Druscila who removes an energy gun from under her dress. Her bracelet suddenly becomes a small energy shield and she says, "I've been waiting for this day". Then she leads them to Mallory's library. 

At the library there is an unnatural darkness and somewhere in that darkness is heavy breathing. 

CUT SCENE

At this time of day sunlight should be pouring into the library, filling the expanse with brilliance. But just beyond the threshold of the entrance it's as if there is a wall of darkness through which no light can enter. Inside that darkness you hear the breath of hatred. Lord Mallory's voice is heavy. "You have betrayed me, Druscila. I am disappointed." 

Drucilla is unaffected by this intimidation. "You've had this coming since the day you skinned my daughter alive, you son of a bitch." 

Behind that black wall you hear shifting. Bones are reworking themselves into new positions. The voice of Mallory is changing, laughing. "And this was your plan all along, my undoing for the sake of revenge? Come then, and see what you have wrought."

A powerful form lunges out of the darkness. You see the head of an eagle with the winged body of a lion, and it's leaping for Drusilla. What do you do? 

With the defeat of the Black King, black market operations shut down in Port City. Inspector General Raynerus is keen to send the PCs to other cities. But that is another story. 

Encounters

*Mercenaries

Attack +2

Injury 1

CP 5

*If the party is bigger than 3 players you will need to add more opponents here and use the "Build a Better Battle" method.

Blemmyae

Attack +1

Injury: club +3 bludgeoning, +1 knife

CP 5 

Lord Mallory (Imdugud)

Attack +2

Injury: wing +2, claws, +4, bite +6, fire +10 60 ft. 

CP 7

Special

Wind Storm: using its wings the imdugud causes a windstorm that causes +4 injury and a roll against their Immunity. Fail results in unconsciousness. 

Groin Attack: with its extraordinary speed the imdugud launches at its opponent who must roll against their own speed with a -3. A fail causes severe groin injury +4 to their CP. If the PC survives the attack they must then roll against their Immunity with a -3. A fail result is unconsciousness.  

Fire Breath: +10 on affected area (60 ft)

Transform: the monster has the ability to take human form for a period of three days. In human form they can go undetected, although if someone is suspicious they can roll against their Discernment. If the roll is successful they will notice a strange animal smell. If they want to continue to investigate they must then make a role against their Intuition. A successful roll will then reveal the true form of the monster. 

XP approximately 3,100

Don't forget to award IP.

Including all information you need for the opponents the PCs will face is good to have at the ready.