Would you like to mix more role-playing dynamics into your combat encounters?

Do you have a cool map, but want to give your inhabitants better motivations for being there?

Would you like to break out of your creative ruts?

Do you own an adventure, which is mostly good, but want to enliven some of the 'dead' spots?

If so, I highly recommend Mythmere's Adventure Design Deskbook, Vol. 1 by Matt Finch and published by Black Blade Publishing. You can read the blurb here:
https://black-blade-publishing.com/S...ol-1-pdf-.aspx

Even though I bought this book awhile back, I finally used it this week to create a couple of adventures for one of my online campaigns. The results were fantastic. In both cases I have really great maps, but I don't have any events or inhabitants to go with them (or very good ones, anyway).

For the first lair, all I had was a map. I used the table to come up with a name: The Unfinished Labyrinth of the Worm-Whisperer. Incredible. Then I needed to decide who the worm-whisper was, why the PCs might enter this place and who would send them and why. A few more rolls later and I've come up with an adventure that I really like.

To flesh it out, I used random tables collected from other sources and had it all ready in about 2 days. Thank you, Matt!

The second adventure is a bit more challenging. The map is excellent, the main villain compelling, but the rest of the adventure is unvaried hack-n'-slash. Role-playing limited to the 'Do you submit?', 'Where's your leader?' 'Die, dog!' variety.

I used the tables to come up with a compelling name for the location: The Living Grotto of the Unholy Congregation. This fits the theme of the adventure.

Next, I wanted to know what the power dynamics would be between 3 competing groups. The tables gave me who the leader of each faction was, what their goal was, who their minions were and what they might offer PCs for their assistance. Lots of Faustian bargains.

Now I'll use other resources to determine who the groups are and get everything ready for the next time we meet.

Mythmere's Adventure Design Deskbook, Vol. 1 will probably become my primary resource whenever I need to develop group dynamics for a lair adventure, a level of a mega-dungeon or a district in a city.

Stop wasting your time! Spend the $5.00, get your creative juices going and add some intrigue to your adventures.