Ripples in a Pond: Every adventure changes the world in some fashion, even if the only change is a temporary reduction in the orc population. Sometimes, however, even a simple adventure can have far-reaching effects. Chapter One explored this concept in some detail.

This method uses the consequences that arise logically from one adventure as a springboard for further adventures. Often, the linked adventures occur in a specified order, but it is possible to create a set of adventures that can be played in any order. The latter task can be difficult, and it usually requires the DM to make alterations in the plot to account for what the party already has accomplished. The three adventures from the previous example might be linked in the following ripple sequence:

· · The player characters discover a clue to the sword’s whereabouts. With help from an NPC wizard, they enter the labyrinth and recover the sword.

· · As part of the price for his help, the PCs have agreed to allow the wizard a chance to examine the blade. On the way to his home, however, they are ambushed and nearly lose the weapon. When they arrive at the wizard’s home, they discover it has been burglarized.

· · The burglars are a group of dopplegangers hired by the vampire whose downfall the sword’s reappearance is supposed to herald. False clues implicate the family opposing the vampire, and the PCs must determine the truth before the villains can be defeated.

A more complex ripple sequence might begin with any of the three adventures. For example, if the PCs recover the sword first, they draw quite a bit of attention to themselves. The wizard approaches them and offers to pay handsomely for a chance to examine the weapon.

Meanwhile, the two families are anxious to get their hands on the sword. One family would like to buy it or to convince the PCs to attack their rival with it. The other family wants to make sure the blade is not used against them under any circumstances. They might try to buy it, steal it, or exile the PCs to a distant world or another plane.

The wizard is impatient to examine the sword, but he waits until the party is finished with their other business. Nevertheless, the vampire’s family is anxious to learn all it can about the sword and helps arrange the burglary at the wizard’s home. If the PCs visit the wizard first, both families harass the wizard and the PCs while they try to unravel the mystery of the burglary.

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