Creating Multiple Threats
A threat is anything that can damage the player characters or keep them from
reaching their goals. It is what provides tension, and hence excitement, in an
adventure. If there is only one source of threat, such as a single villain, the
adventure coasts to a halt if the heroes overcome the threat. Even if the PCs
merely hold their own, the adventure usually lacks variety. A single source of
threat usually generates only one type of challenge.
Adventures with multiple threats tend to be more flexible and resistant to
player character successes. They also offer more variety. For example, consider an
adventure where the player characters are pursuing a kidnapper. If the
kidnapper is the only element actively opposing the heroes, the adventure becomes a
mere chase with the villain trying various tricks to slow the player characters
or to throw them off the scent. No matter what the villain’s resources, there is
a limit to the number of tricks and ploys the kidnapper can throw into the
PCs’ way. The heroes might end the adventure prematurely through the use of items
such as crystal balls in conjunction with spells such as teleport without error.
Suppose, however, that a rival party also is pursuing the villain and hoping
to beat the player characters to the prize. Let’s also place the adventure in a
dark jungle filled with deadly creatures, including a tanar’ri who remained
here after an unsuccessful summoning by a long-dead wizard. Now, the heroes have
numerous problems to deal with simultaneously.
They still must track and overtake the villain, but they also must deal with
their rivals’ attempts to foil their efforts. The party must deal with tropical
heat that makes heavy armor impractical, dampness that is baneful to spellbooks
and scrolls, swarms of biting insects, and the tanar’ri and his minions. Even
if the player characters catch and defeat the villain, they still must get out
of the jungle with their rescued kidnap victim. After they escape, the party
must be on the alert for reprisals from their rivals.
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