THE ONE PAGE

ONE SHOT

TOOLKIT
Robert Peake
 THE ONE PAGE
ONE SHOT
TOOLKIT

for Spontaneous Dungeon Masters

by ROBERT PEAKE

Visit <http://j.mp/spontaneousDM> for tips on using this resource

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Table of Contents
Table of Contents ___________________________________________________________ 3
In Praise of the One-Shot _____________________________________________________ 4
In Praise of Spontaneity ______________________________________________________ 5
Noun-Based Preparation _____________________________________________________ 6
7.1. Questions to Build a Three Act Structure_______________________________________________ 12
7.2. Countdown Timer Elements _________________________________________________________ 13
A Word About Maps ________________________________________________________ 14
A Word About Timing _______________________________________________________ 15
A Word About Flashbacks ___________________________________________________ 16
Noun-Based One-Page One-Shot Rollable Tables _________________________________ 17
Noun-Based Adventure Focus Types ___________________________________________ 18
Setting Features: Wilderness/Outdoor _______________________________________________ 20
Setting Features: City/Town________________________________________________________ 21
Setting Features: Outdoor Location __________________________________________________ 22
Setting Features: Dungeon _________________________________________________________ 22
Setting Features: Moods __________________________________________________________ 22
Acknowledgments _________________________________________________________ 23

APPENDIX: TEMPLATE AND EXAMPLES

Noun-Based One-Page One Shot Template 24
Example of Preparation 25
One-Shot: Justice Comes to Amphail 26

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In Praise of the One-Shot
I love one shots. They provide both unique challenges for the DM and offer great flexibility
to the group. By keeping adventures self-contained, you can mix-and-match parties from
session to session a la “West Marches” and other similar modes of play that permit busy
people to play regularly without everyone having to show up at the table every time.

One-shots are also a great way to introduce new players, as the commitment level is low
(one evening). They can also spice up a campaign with a quick side-quest. They offer
endless variety in a compact form. They challenge the DM to strike an optimal balance
between structure and spontaneity, and focus our concerns on the single game at hand
rather than the large (sometime daunting) scope of a whole campaign.

Most importantly, creativity comes from constraint. By forcing the adventure to have some
kind of beginning, middle, and end within a set timeframe, the session can be kept tight,
focused, and full of juicy detail that might otherwise be diluted by longer stretches of
game play. Don’t get me wrong—there are many styles of play, and all of them valid. As a
poet, I am personally attracted to concise, punchy language. Likewise, I most enjoy
adventures that sketch out just the right amount of detail to allow the rest to surprise us
all as it unfolds.

The gold standard for one-shot adventures is, of course, the Adventurers’ League (AL).
They have found ways to bring together total strangers at conventions and friendly local
game shops to send them on satisfying self-contained adventures that end before closing
time. Why not simply pick up these played-and-tested one-shot adventures for your group
instead? You certainly can.

However, there are a few reasons why you might prefer the one-page one shot approach
instead.

Firstly, AL content is designed for consistency. The idea is that dozens of DMs running the
same adventure at a convention should end up with similar results. Because of this, they
can be fairly prescriptive, and come with some clear railings put there for everyone’s
safety. In the balance between structure and spontaneity, they focus on structure—
including a fair bit of structure that, if you’re not actually running an official AL event, can
be unnecessary.

Partly as a result of needing to spell things out for DMs, they typically run thirty pages long
or more. They require close reading and careful preparation. You can therefore actually
create and prepare a ready-to-run one-page one shot in a small fraction of the time it takes
you to read and prepare a pre-made AL adventure.

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Finally, making your own adventures can be fun—especially if it only takes a small
investment of time, and you know that the time you spend preparing will have a direct
impact on the game. There is nothing worse than spending hours on home-brew world-
building only to have it never get discovered. With the one-page one-shot method detailed
here, you can be ready to roll into a 2-4 hour game night, knowing that most of the good
stuff you’ve come up with will somehow factor into the game. And you can do so in about
thirty minutes. I have yet to encounter a higher ratio of game-impact to prep-time, except
of course for the no-prep game.

The aim here is to give you just enough structure to feel confident winging the rest. That
is, to help you prepare to be spontaneous.

In Praise of Spontaneity

Adventures should be adventurous. I think one of the greatest sources of burnout for the
forever DM is having to be the surprise, rather than experience the surprise. Even more
discouraging is to prepare a great many interesting surprises to only have a handful get
discovered in the game.

This is why I prepared for myself and later released to the world a tool called The
Spontaneous Dungeon Master’s Companion. Armed with these tables, games started to
feel less like me-surprising-them, and more like us-being-surprised. And in totally free
zero-prep. sessions, the experience became akin to solo role-playing, but with the
camaraderie of friends.

Developing on the excellent work of Sly Flourish in his Lazy Dungeon Master series, I
sought to maximise the effectiveness of my pre-game prep. with the specific goal of
preparing just what I needed to feel as comfortable as possible with winging the rest.
Turning this same focus to the one-shot adventure has resulted in this toolkit.

I encourage you to approach using this toolkit in a similar spirit—to lay out the “bones” of
a good adventure—not just the “bare bones” as in skimping— but the solid, structural
elements that will withstand all kinds of manipulation and impact over time—so that the
flesh and blood of the adventure can be laid on during the game.

In some ways, running a shorter single adventure requires more careful planning than an
open-ended one. The key here is not more planning—but planning done more carefully.
Part of that care is aiming not to over-structure, but to instead give yourself just enough so
that you can let the magic appear where it only ever does—in the moment.

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Noun-Based Preparation

At the heart of this method of adventure preparation is the noun, and specifically some-
kind-of noun, which can often be created by pairing an adjective with a noun: a deranged
king, a lost civilisation, a greasy spoon. The thing that exists is the starting point for
building our adventure. We declare it to be with such confidence that our players will take
on trust that it is, within the context of the game-world, “real”.

We then give the players an opportunity, through their characters, to interact with this
noun.

We could stop there, just by declaring something interesting to exist and drawing up a few
details about it. But to feel more confident running a one-shot adventure, the rest of our
preparation revolves around adding detail to the events and circumstances that are likely
to occur in relation to this noun.

It is also helpful, particularly for a one-shot, to give the players a clear mission in relation to
this noun. How they then go about fulfilling the mission in relation to the noun becomes
the adventure.

I have found a particular structure helpful in detailing this out, which is represented in the
Noun-Based One-Page One Shot Template. You may also want to take a look at the Noun-
Based Adventure Focus Types table, which gives you examples of common pairings of
noun and adventure types, as well as the typical “missions” that these engender.

For now, let’s look at the seven sections of the template, and how you might want to think
about filling them out.

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1. Noun / Name

This is a some-kind-of something. A fish is a something. A talking fish is some-kind-of

something. The pairing of the two makes it interesting and unique. Have a look at the
rollable tables, roll some up, pick some out, or pluck your own out of thin air (the five of
each type mentioned are by no means the only options). Then give it a name and, if you
like, re-state it using words like with / that / who / which – like so:

Braxius is a dwarven soldier with a grudge [angry dwarf]

Eliandra is a city in the clouds [cloud city]
The Gorax is a giant who loves to dance [dancing giant]

These examples took seconds to generate, and in each case my mind is now spinning with
possibilities about how the PCs might interact with them. Dare to be outlandish. Everyone
knows the typical fantasy tropes: evil wizards, damsels in distress, Orcs who need to be
taught a lesson. Giving the damsels heroic powers, the wizards problems they can’t solve
with magic, and letting the Orcs teach the party (without violence) is more creative and
therefore satisfying. More interesting adventure opportunities arise from more interesting
nouns.

Here is a little more detail on the five types of adjectives and nouns you will find in the
rollable table:

Dangerous – this means it has the potential to imperil the PCs or something/someone
they care about. It needn’t be overtly violent, but the potential is there, either directly or
indirectly, to cause harm.

Powerful – power can come from structures of government, sources of magic, or pure
might. These nouns have untapped potential that can be wielded (by them or others) for
good or for ill.

Valuable – represent major monetary worth or practical use to the PCs and/or others.

Meaningful – as opposed to valuable, these nouns are of personal significance to the PCs.

Mysterious – these nouns are legendary, mystical, or shrouded in secrecy. Not all that is
presently known about them may be true. This uncertainty in itself is enticing.

Person – a sentient humanoid entity not unlike the PCs themselves.

Artefact – an out-of-the-ordinary object.

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Location – a place, scene, or setting. This can include other dimensions.

Creature – a being whose interest lies partly in its exoticism. They can have many of the
traits of a person (or not), but the fact that they are monstrous or fantastical is what sets
them apart from being a person.

Plot – an important or wide-reaching plan of some kind that is usually not widely known or
understood.

2. Setting / Flavour

Where does this happen? What is it like? Again, you can roll up or pick out a type of
setting from the tables provided. You might then give it an evocative name. From an
interesting name alone, you may start to get a sense of the place.

A common approach to designing dungeons is to decide who or what created or inhabited

the dungeon, and who or what is in there now. This overlay of two different civilisations or
species, one ancient and one current, creates atmosphere.

Picking specific elements from some of the tables provided can also spark ideas. Just a few
concrete elements can start to build a picture.

Also consider the mood you might want to evoke. Moods don’t just happen. Specific
features derived from that mood will set the tone. Gloomy places have gloomy lighting.
Awe-inspiring places are big, or old, or glowing with magical light. Pair the place with
something interesting about it, and you have a solid “backdrop” or setting. You have a
stage on which to play.

Here is some more detail on the types of settings laid out in the tables:

The wilderness – an expanse of outdoor terrain.

An outdoor location – a specific location that is above ground (as opposed to a wider
expanse).

A city or town – a settlement, large or small, usually inhabited by persons and creatures.

Ruins/Mines/Sewers/etc. – dungeons that have been made or designed.

Lair/Cavern/Cave/etc. – dungeons that have been largely shaped by natural forces.

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3. Mission

What kind of thrust do you want to give the players for their characters to pursue, at least
as an initial impulse? How will they know they have succeeded (or failed)? Based on the
noun and setting involved, some mission types are more likely than others, as described in
the table of examples, but just about anything is possible. Make two things clear to your
players: where they start, and where they want to end up, and let the magic unfold between
those two points. Time is scarce. Start with a clear mission.

Here is some more detail on the types of missions included in the rollabe tables:

Discover – the purpose is to physically find or uncover the whereabouts of the noun.

Destroy – the purpose is to render the noun incapable of operation.

Defend – the purpose is to keep the noun safe from some specific, impending harm.

Investigate – the purpose is to learn more about and uncover the noun’s origins,
motivations, past/present/future activities, etc.

Rescue – the noun has been impeded, imperilled, or imprisoned; the mission is to set it
free or permit it to continue its course of operation.

4. Rewards and Perils

Are they likely to be doing this for love? Fame? Treasure? Altruism? Look into the PCs
backgrounds if possible and pull out something likely to entice the whole group. Then put
those rewards into the adventure for them to earn.

Likewise, there must be danger. What is between them and success that could harm them,
even kill them – or at the very least set them back? Monsters, imprisonment, traps, loss of
reputation, loss of money, loss of a loved one. What could go bad?

5. Secrets and Twists

In the end, something will go against the PCs’ expectations, and that will complicate
matters in some way. That’s a twist.

Twists need to be both plausible and unexpected. The table of twists can be a good
starting point for coming up with some kind of twist to make the adventure interesting.

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Furthermore, there should be more than meets the eye going on in this situation, and what
is going on should be discoverable. Secrets – about the twist, the nature of the noun,
what’s really going on in the setting—should be able to be uncovered. The key is that they
can be discovered by a wide variety of means.

Again, these disparities between what’s true and what’s apparent already exist. So, they
could be perceived, investigated, or even told outright by an NPC. Give yourself the option
to deploy clues about the secrets in a wide variety of ways, and you will have an important
tool at your disposal to move the adventure along, creating excitement for the players as
they discover these secrets.

6. Game Elements

Variety is the spice of adventuring. What aspects of the game would you like to show up?
Broadly, they will involve combat, exploration, or social interaction—but we can break this
down further into chase scenes, crime scenes, and persuasive conversations. Don’t worry
too much about how these elements will manifest at this point. Pick some stuff you want
to be possible for your players to encounter or experience here. Choose a few options
from the menu and let these be the “crunchy bits” you will seek to incorporate through
the structure.

Here are some ways to think about the game elements specified in the table:

Chase scenes – involving one or more pursuer and pursued, with the possibility of the
pursued being overtaken. This can be resolved in turn order, but can also work as a series
of skill checks and/or making use of a “chase complications” table.

Combat – aggressive interaction or contests resolved in turn order.

Exploration – the opportunity to make discoveries within a specific geographic space—

about its nature, origins, layout, etc.—and to uncover specific elements within that space,
such as treasure, artefacts, creatures, etc.

Investigation – the opportunity to discover what happened, what is happening, or what is

about to happen.

Magic items – artefacts that behave magically.

Monsters – encounters with creatures whose appeal lies at least partially in their fantastical
or exotic nature (as opposed to persons).

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Social skills – the opportunity to advance some desired course of action through social
interaction, usually played out as a mix of role playing and skill checks

Puzzles – something which must be solved, other than a course of events (see:
investigation) to advance the party’s cause, including riddles, games, artefacts to be
manipulated, etc. Can be resolved by testing the players’ knowledge and problem-solving
abilities and/or through skill checks.

Traps – the opportunity to detect, avoid, evade, or be harmed by artefacts and situations
usually placed there intentionally to deter or harm those who encounter it. Traps usually
have a trigger, a means to disarm the trigger, and a harmful impact.

Wild magic – and other forms of random events, triggered by a specific occurrence and
then resolved using a random table of outcomes.

7. Structure

There are a variety of structures that can be helpful to consider when setting out the likely
phases of the adventure. One is geography: the “rooms” of a “dungeon”, one is scenes:
the “acts” of a play, and one is the passage of time: a “countdown” of warning signs
leading to some undesirable event. They can also be combined.

5-room dungeon: This popular approach to small dungeon design, formalised and detailed
by Johnn Four < https://www.roleplayingtips.com/5-room-dungeons/> , creates a
manageable scope and scale for a one-shot. Room one is the starting point, and
somewhere toward the end (room three, four, or five) the adventure will culminate in the
mission being resolved. The PCs may have a few choices along the way by way of
branching connections between rooms, but in the end the possibilities are manageable
within the allotted game time.

I don’t adhere to the formal recommendations typically set out for each of the five rooms,
but I have found some basic guidelines that have helped when deciding what to put where.
First, it is a good idea that the entrance represents a threshold, and ideally one that not just
anybody can cross. A tavern with its doors flung open to any passers-by is not a dungeon.
(Unless perhaps it is in the Shadowfell.) Having the entrance hidden, or guarded, or
otherwise repellent to all-comers makes the moment the PCs enter it feel special.

Then, along the way to the room they are typically seeking, I am looking to place setbacks
in their way. The intention is twofold: to challenge them, and to drain their resources (HP,
spell slots, etc.). I generally like a mix of traps, puzzles, and of course good old creature
encounters here, bearing in mind that each takes time. In a five room dungeon, if any one

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room takes more than an hour to get through, you are probably off pace to complete in a
single session.

One of the beauties of the five-room-dungeon is that it can be truncated if necessary. If

you are going to cut out a middle room, however, do it sooner than you think you will need
to, bearing in mind that the final room will typically take the most time. If you are two
rooms in and halfway through (assuming the dungeon is linear), it may be time to take a
wrecking ball to at least one if not both of those intervening rooms.

For those who feel uneasy about this in light of the quantum ogre theory of player agency,
I would argue that removing stuff from play to streamline the game is very different than
adding stuff in no matter what your players decide to do just so that you can make sure
they encounter what you want them to encounter. In the end, do what you feel is right.

Three acts: This organising principle seems to be as old as storytelling itself: set up,
develop, resolve. The point of greatest tension arrives about two-thirds of the way through
the adventure. Here are some questions you can ask yourself in developing these three
phases:

7.1. Questions to Build a Three Act Structure

Act I: Setup and conflict

• What are three secrets/problems/curiosities going on here?
• What should the players know by the end of this act?
• What needs to have happened by the end of this act?

Act II: Exposition and development

• What are possible/likely developments?
• What should the players know by the end of this act?
• What needs to have happened by the end of this act?
• What are some unexpected events that can add action or heighten tension?
• What are some secrets and clues that can be delivered by multiple means?

Act III: Resolutions and outcomes

• What are possible/likely/desirable resolutions or outcomes?
• What are some plausible deus ex machina outs if needed?
• How can the players have succeeded by the end?
• What are the rewards? What are the setbacks?

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One act, three rooms: Here we bring in the idea of developing a scene before descending
into a three-room dungeon. Usually, this involves some setup and then a delve.

Three rooms, one act: This functions as above, but the final scene is designed to play out
after the players have emerged from below. Usually this is a denoument, the wrapping-up
of the adventure, but could also (given enough time) involve a complication (such as an
ambush to steal the MacGuffin the PCs just rescued).

Countdown timer: This is the newest organising principle I have been playing with,
basically a set of timed signals that can be picked up from nearly anywhere the PCs find
themselves, indicating that things are getting worse.

7.2. Countdown Timer Elements

The stages of the countdown timer are:

Warn – Here the PCs must be alerted to the urgency and severity of the threat.

Weaken – At this stage, the aim is to deplete PC resources – spell slots, hit points, limited-
use abilities, so that they understand they themselves are under threat, and to reduce their
confidence going into the final phase. From this point onward, the PCs should be able to
diffuse the situation somehow, though it may not be obvious.

Worsen – Things go from bad to worse, as something unexpectedly undesirable happens

at this stage. From here, whether time runs out or the PCs reach the source of the trouble,
the next phase is almost inevitable.

Woe – Here one of the worst-case scenarios ends up playing out. What they were
supposed to defend could be destroyed, or they themselves could be under imminent
threat of certain doom. This is typically the climax, either played out by time running down
or because the PCs have confronted the problem.

Way Out – There should be a way for the PCs to save their skins, and/or reverse the terrible
effects of the Worsen and Woe stages. Some glimmer of hope reveals itself.

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A Word About Maps

Maps. Who needs them? You do! And you don’t.

As a kid I used to pore over D&D maps, imagining what could be there. I loved the
evocative names of cities and terrain, and the twisting passages and secret chambers of
dungeons. A map alone could inspire a whole campaign.

With the advent of virtual and digital tabletops, we have the ability to visualise spatial
relationships, and take in physical features, in a shared way from anywhere in the world.
However, there is one major limitation to such “tactical” maps—and that is that they must
be prepared in advance.

I also prefer theatre-of-mind narration from the character vantage point, rather than top-
down views which I believe encourage a more “board game” mindset. All that said,
whether or not you are sharing a map with your players, or even creating a detailed map for
yourself, you must have an understanding of the relative spatial layout of the terrain you
have given your players to operate within.

The simplest approach is a flow-chart-like graph—think boxes connected with lines—that

tells you “what connects to what”. This, combined with some creative answers to
common questions like, “how big is the room?” can serve surprisingly well for five-room
dungeons.

You may prefer the security of something more defined, and this is understandable, but
before you reach for your graph paper and pencil, consider that these days there are
innumerable maps freely available for personal use online. You are just a Google Image
search away from many wonderful maps. My personal favourites are the simple but stylish
variety produced by Dyson Logos.

Most maps will be way too big. Fear not. Once printed, the only tool you need is marker (or
correction fluid) to rub out the bits you won’t need, bringing the dungeon down to five
rooms or fewer. You could also do this digitally with MS Paint or the freely available Gimp
image editing software.

In the end, less is more, but nothing at all is not an option. And, if you want to go further
with maps, knock yourself out. From an artistic standpoint alone, it can be a wonderful part
of the game. But for quick, impactful one-shot prep., you can keep your map super simple,
focus on in-game narration, and still have a great time.

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A Word About Timing

Time is of the essence in one-shots, especially if you want to avoid resorting to a deus ex
machina ending to tie things up. It may seem counter-intuitive to detail approximate
timings for each phase of a one-shot adventure when you are also trying to allow for
spontaneity.

However, understanding how the adventure is proceeding in relation to these rough

timing guidelines can be invaluable when it allows you to stay in the moment and
maximise the impact of the current phase, knowing you can simplify, curtail, or even
jettison downstream phases as needed to complete the adventure on time.

One of the most variable but predictable aspects of an adventure in relation to time is
combat. The assumption I make is that most combat lasts an average of about four rounds,
and most creatures in the turn order take about two minutes to resolve their turn. As a
result, eight minutes per turn order entity (PC, creature, or group acting on the same turn
count) is a good rough guideline to estimate how long combat might take.

Other elements—such as how long it will take the party to solve a puzzle, disarm a trap, or
get what they want out of a social interaction—are highly unpredictable. All the more
reason therefore to nail down whatever you can, to allow maximum flexibility with the rest.
Find a way to jump to the end if you need to, but not at the last minute. Bail out earlier
than you think you need to. And remember—some activities will take much longer than
you expected. Stay in the moment and stay with the fun.

You may also want to agree with the party beforehand that if they have to complete by a
certain time then a set amount of time before that point, the group will roll up a deus ex
machina ending and be satisfied by narrating that ending as a group. It can be a fun way to
acknowledge that we didn’t get to where we expected to but are willing to wrap things up
out of respect for the agreed ending time.

Of course, if the same group can meet again, there is nothing wrong with breaking a one-
shot into a two-shot. This is quite common. However, I encourage you to hone your one-
shot DMing skills into single-session play as much as possible. It certainly has taught me a
lot about how to keep up the pace, keep things simple, and stay present during the game.
There is little room for slack in a tightly-run one-shot, yet at the same time there is
tremendous scope for improvisation and unexpected turns. It may sound like an oxymoron
until you try it.

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Consider as many optimisations as you can to keep things flowing—such as rolling
damage dice alongside attack dice, noting down everyone’s AC and spell save DC for quick
reference, and encouraging players to dish out mechanics and narration side-by-side in a
succinct manner. Snappy play is fun.

Finally, a word about party size. The bigger the party, the longer everything takes. The eight
minutes per entity guideline for combat illustrates this. But all other game aspects scale
(to some extent) with party size as well. The same goes for younger players—they need
more support with decision making and game mechanics and may get frustrated if rushed.

Good time keeping is nearly as essential to a DM’s success in running a one-shot as their
understanding of the rules. Like the rules themselves, timekeeping facilitates, but should
not dominate, game play.

Finally, time is about respect. Everyone has chosen to spend their time playing the one-
shot as opposed to doing something else. Starting on time, and ending at an agreed-upon
time (or approximate time range) acknowledges, and does not exploit, the gift of our time
that each of us has brought to the table.

A Word About Flashbacks

One of my favourite tricks to kick off an adventure is to begin with an opening scene in
media res and then, rather than resolving the tension, cut to a flashback. Set the scene
with one or two sentences, make it evocative or poised to explode into action, and then
jump back to a scene that sets up how they got there.

Have the mission-giver speak, or otherwise sketch the exposition, then go around the
table having the players explain what about the mission attracted their character to sign up
for it. Note these down—these are potential additional rewards you can include, or at least
dangle out, as the story unfolds.

The key is that it is a forgone conclusion that the PCs have arrived at this point where the
action is about to begin. They have some say as to why and how they got here, but now
here we all are and the story can begin. It saves an awful lot of faffing about in taverns,
avoiding mysterious figures in the dimly-lit corners waiting for the party to approach so
they can trot through their monologue and hope they agree.

Start with the action, cut back briefly to the exposition, get buy in from the players, and off
you go.

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Noun-Based One-Page One-Shot Rollable Tables

Focus Adjective Focus Noun

1 Dangerous 1 Person
2 Powerful 2 Artefact
3 Valuable 3 Location
4 Meaningful 4 Creature
5 Mysterious 5 Plot
6 Roll twice, ignoring 6s 6 Roll twice, ignoring 6s

Setting Game Elements (usually 3-5)

1 The wilderness 1 Chase scenes
2 An outdoor location 2 Combat
3 A city or town 3 Exploration
4 Ruins/mines/sewers/etc. 4 Investigation
5 Lair/cavern/cave/etc. 5 Magic items
6 Roll twice, ignoring 6s 6 Monsters
7 Social skills
Mission 8 Puzzles
9 Traps
1 Discover 10 Wild magic
2 Destroy
3 Defend
4 Investigate
5 Rescue
6 Escape

Twists
1 The good guy is really a bad guy or vice-versa
2 One of the most compelling clues is a red herring
3 It was all a test or game
4 One of the narrators was unreliable
5 "Its a trap!"
6 The quest-giver has ulterior motives
7 There is something bigger behind the BBEG
8 Someone who is thought dead is really alive or vice-versa
9 An object involved is cursed
10 Someone important to the plot has gone mad
11 Something implausible is actually true
12 A case of mistaken identity is involved
13 Something appears in an unexpected place
14 A place that should be inhabited is not or vice-versa
15 One of the PCs gets accused of what they are investigating
16 A secret room contains what is really sought
17 What is sought is a counterfeit/fake
18 The monster is actually a human in disguise
19 A baddie receives poetic justice
20 A character thought alive is actually dead or vice-versa

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Noun-Based Adventure Focus Types

Person

Focus Typical Missions Examples

Dangerous Destroy, defend, an assassin with a grudge, an evil wizard from a far off land, a fugitive
Person investigate archmage in disguise, an insane lich

Powerful Discover, a corrupt captain of the guard, an esteemed noble, a rogue archdruid, a
Person destroy, king under the influence of evil
investigate

Valuable Discover, a pompous merchant, the daughter of a power-mad general, a

Person defend, noblewoman with a secret, the only one who can reverse the plague
investigate,
rescue

Meaningful Discover, the foolish nephew of a PC, the faction leader of one or more PCs, a
Person defend, rescue PC's grandparent long thought dead, a diplomat who can prevent a
terrible war

Mysterious Discover, a traveling alchemist charlatan, a mind flayer posing as a ghost pirate, a
Person investigate, mayor who has never shown their face, a vampire posing as a vampire
rescue hunter

Artefact
Dangerous Discover, a deadly poison tree, a demon sword, a sceptre of shrinking, a dracolich
Artefact destroy, phylactery
investigate,
rescue

Powerful Discover, a sun blade of elven make, a spring that cures madness, a wand of
Artefact destroy, wonder, an elven mythal
investigate

Valuable Discover, rescue a magic ring belonging to a clumsy mage, a pair of knucklebones that
Artefact tell the future, a mine that supposedly produces never-ending treasure,
the fabled horde of an ancient red dragon

Meaningful Discover, a pendant that belonged to a PC's great-grandmother, a portal used by a

Artefact defend, rescue faction to which one or more PCs belong, a coveted crown, a revered
statue

Mysterious Discover, a plant that repels orks that only appears at night, the ring of a diplomat
Artefact investigate that influences people, the sentient clockwork dragon of a powerful
criminal, a staff rumoured to be capable of controlling the seasons

18
Location
Dangerous Destroy, defend, a supposedly inactive volcano, a network of caves, a dragon-infested
Location investigate, swamp, the castle of a demon
escape

Powerful Discover, a floating city held aloft by a magic crystal, an abandoned alchemist's
Location destroy, lab, a temple in the Shadowfell, a mighty oracle
investigate

Valuable Discover, home to famous magic hammers, a rich silver mine, a strategic port
Location defend, rescue town, a tree that resurrects the dead

Meaningful Discover, one or more PCs' home town, the outpost of a faction to which one or
Location defend, rescue more PCs belongs, circus fun for the whole party, the temple of a
revered master idolised by a PC

Mysterious Discover, a magically-appearing tower without a door, a pass people often never
Location investigate come out of, a lost city, a portal of time travel

Creature
Dangerous Discover, a rampaging Ettin, a gang of trolls, a beholder, a white dragon frozen in
Creature destroy, defend ice

Powerful Discover, a hobgoblin general, a foolish young copper dragon, a purple worm, a
Creature destroy, dragon turtle
investigate

Valuable Discover, a pegasus who can transport the party just in time, a djinn who grants
Creature defend, rescue wishes, a vampire who could serve as an important ally, an empyrean
who can restore the balance

Meaningful Discover, a patron's faerie dragon, a prize griffon of the city's esteemed cavalry, a
Creature defend, rescue friend cursed with lycanthropy, the ghost of a PC's relative unable to be
at rest

Mysterious Discover, an awakened tree, a spirit naga, a pair of medusa twins, an army of ice
Creature investigate devils waiting to be freed

Plot
Dangerous Discover, an agency that creates zombies, a shapeshifter planted amongst an inner
Plot destroy, escape, circle of nobles, a group of cultists' plan for revenge, a ploy to raise a
investigate dracolich

Powerful Discover, an influential bootleg operation, a nobleman's party with sinister

Plot destroy, intentions, a kidnapped prince, a war between two powerful city-states
investigate

Valuable Discover, an extortion ring, a high bounty on a fugitive, an elaborate heist, an

Plot defend, rescue entire fleet of ships being ransomed

Meaningful Discover, a plan to rebuild a PC's home town, a blackmailing of one or more PCs,
Plot defend, rescue to escort a PC's faction ambassador, a coup against the king

Mysterious Discover, a string of raids by masked people, the return of a demi-god every 1,000
Plot investigate years, a plan to bring down a floating city, an uprising of illithids

19
Setting Features: Wilderness/Outdoor
Example Names Traits

Skullfort Color(s)
Moongleam Pass Crimson
Giant’s Gate Scarlet
Valley of Laughter Gold
Crimson Gorge Silver
Dead Man’s Pass Emerald
Spire of the Damned Azure
Valley of Whispers Indigo
Blackhall Black
Marsh of Sorrow White
Daggergate
Smell
Tusk Pass
Corpses Incense
The White Keep Greenery Bread
Dragon Bridge Ocean/Salt Smoke
Azure Spire Foul gasses Vinegar
Starlight Gate
Dark Gorge of Weeping Huge
Silverbridge Narrow
Grandfather Tree Steep
Giant’s Fingers Towering above
Mirrorvale Dropping deep down
Immovable Stones
The Staircase Ancient
Hills of No Return From another plane
Windsong
Laughing Skull Cursed
Hellfort Blessed
Darkstone Tower
The Endless Wind Craggy
Thundergate Smooth
The Last Stand
Labyrinthine
Fields of the Dead
Circular
Hanging Gulley
Ghosttower Surrounded by water
Rain of Tears Flooded
Deephollow Extremely dry
Stream of Wishes Constant rain
Gold Glenn
Dark Run Dark
The Endless Frost Pounding Sun
The Darkfell Mist/Fog
Fey’s Keep
The Crumble

20
Setting Features: City/Town
1-20: Town Features
1. No children 11. Labyrinth / hedge maze
2. Ghost town / abandoned 12. Ruined manor / tower
3. Plagued / plague pit 13. Stocks and gallows
4. Guildhall / trade town 14. Temple of Bahamut
5. Alchemist / magical 15. Fine clothing store
6. Glassblower / artisans 16. Built into a cliff / caves
7. Generous nobles 17. Heavily fortified
8. Bonfire pit / communal 18. Mines
9. Docks / Stables 19. Exotic perfumery
10. Lighthouse / Watchtower 20. Amphitheatre / performances
21-40: Town Events
1. Feast of Tyr the Lame 11. Flower-picking festival, honouring elders
2. Funeral for Sir Sylvestus 12. Parade fist of Torm through town
3. Apple picking festival of Selune 13. Cleansing day (house sweeping)
4. Full moon circle dance 14. Temple of Tymora rededication
5. Celebration of the maidens 15. Grape trampling day (wine)
6. Well dressing and lottery 16. Banishment of Trolls Day
7. Harvest supper and fayre 17. Memorial of the Fallen
8. Day of the Dead 18. Celebration of the Children
9. Mayor’s birthday party 19. Nobleman’s visit, games & contests
10. Lysander’s Day (shiny) 20. Tax and tithes day
41-60: Taverns/Inns
1. The Red-Eyed Owl: spicy chowder 11. Felbar’s Folly: bankrupt, desperate
2. Singing Sword: sword serenades patrons 12. The Gentle Giant: copper baths
3. Sleepy Satyr: bootleg operation 13. The Serpent’s Knot: full of toys
4. Pilgrims’ Rest: near temple 14. The Bull’s Ring: creepy taxidermy
5. Wandering Mimic: above stables 15. Spouting Fish: fountain of wine
6. The Misty Beard: run by a centaur 16. Red Boot: drunkard haven, sleep syrup
7. Maiden’s Tears: enchanted sign 17. The Hanged Man: full of smoke, rude
8. Grinning Griffon: full of knights & trophies 18. Sleeping Wraith: lute music
9. Galloping Minotaur: maze inside 19. Friendly Flounder: smells of fried fish
10. The Black Dog: full of depressed people 20. Laughing Goat: vegetarian
61-80: Unique Elements
1. Mad mage’s tower 11. Airship hovering overhead
2. Steep waterfall or geyser 12. Huge house with giant inhabitants
3. Ornate fountain 13. Underground city
4. Microclimate 14. Feuding farmsteads
5. Magical barrier 15. Huge statue of serpent-woman
6. Ghost Ship or caravan recurs 16. Oracle
7. Huge fortress prison 17. Monster-infested sewers
8. Talking plants 18. All inhabitants strangely prosperous
9. Undead in cemetery 19. Houses built on stilts
10. Part of city hovers above 20. Deeply racist
81-100: People and Politics
1. Controlled by Zhentarim 11. Extreme wealth disparity (beggars/nobles)
2. Foolish bankrupt baron 12. University town, academy rules
3. Constant arson 13. Ruled by decree of ancestors
4. At war with rival town 14. Secretly controlled by vampires
5. Artists’ commune 15. Rival thieves’ guilds run the town
6. Ruled with an iron fist / martial law 16. Constant Orc raids, military
7. Ruled by priest of Ilmater (suffering) 17. Destitute, money talks
8. Extremely bureaucratic 18. Corrupt but courting Lords’ Alliance
9. Atheistic, all religion is banned 19. Run by the guilds
10. Gambling and thievery rule 20. Run by decree of sylvan deities

21
Setting Features: Outdoor Location
1. Taste of lightning in the air 11. Smell of burning incense
2. Zone of silence 12. Animal companions uneasy
3. Zone of wild magic 13. Air of unusual calm
4. Eclipse 14. Hairs raise up on back of neck
5. Rain without clouds 15. Suddenly feel very cold or hot
6. Rippling rifts in the weave 16. Sound of ghostly battle, cursed
7. Swarm of metallic insects 17. Vision of feywild overlay on terrain
8. Glowing rocks 18. Continually-burning object
9. Distant multi-coloured lights in sky 19. Zone of anti-magic
10. Ground begins to swirl 20. Zone of low or reversed gravity

Setting Features: Dungeon

1. Howls like the wind 11. Walls very smooth/polished

2. Covered in ice 12. Rust on the floor
3. Covered in spiderwebs 13. Dried blood on the floor
4. Covered in fine dust 14. Electric tang in the air
5. Smells putrid 15. Hard to breathe / stuffy / airless
6. Smells of incense 16. Glowing lights hover
7. Smells of salt water 17. Light mist
8. Sound of running water 18. Loose scree under foot
9. Sound of creaking 19. Strange markings and runes
10. Walls cracked and rough 20. Eerily silent

Setting Features: Moods

1. action-packed 11. mysterious

2. apocalyptic 12. scholarly
3. awe-inspiring 13. silly
4. courtly 14. suspenseful
5. debauched 15. swashbuckling
6. fantastical 16. terrifying
7. foreboding 17. tongue-in-cheek
8. frenetic 18. tragic
9. gloomy 19. vengeful
10. grim 20. wistful

22
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to my playtest crew: Robbie, Mario, Randi, Val, Betsy, Katie, Arne, and Cam.
You guys put this method through its paces time and again.

Sly Flourish is the DM who first got me really thinking about efficient, game-focused
preparation, and I highly recommend his Lazy Dungeon Master series. Paul Bimler’s The
Solo Adventurer’s Toolbox opened my eyes to how DMs can benefit from the spontaneous
nature of solo role-playing. John Fourr’s work on five-room-dungeons helped me find the
right scope for my delves. Finally, Remy Bertrand of Imprology London gave me countless
practical nuggets of wisdom about the art of improvising.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, the
dragon ampersand, and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective
logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries.

This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors.
Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for
Dungeon Masters Guild.

All other original material in this work is copyright [2019] by Robert Peake and published
under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

ART: Lords of Madness cover image provided as a DMs Guild Creator Resource

23
 Noun-Based One-Page One Shot Template
1. NOUN / NAME

2. SETTING / FLAVOUR 3. MISSION

6. GAME ELEMENTS

▢ chase scenes
4. REWARDS / PERILS ▢ combat
▢ exploration
▢ investigation
▢ magic items
▢ monsters
▢ social skills
5. SECRETS / TWISTS ▢ puzzles
▢ traps

7. STRUCTURE

▢ 5-room dungeon ▢ 3 acts ▢ countdown timer ▢ 1 act, 3 rooms ▢ 3 rooms, 1 act

HOOK:

© 2019 Robert Peake, Permission Granted for Personal Use

 Noun-Based One-Page One Shot Template
1. NOUN / NAME

2. SETTING / FLAVOUR 3. MISSION

6. GAME ELEMENTS

▢ chase scenes
4. REWARDS / PERILS ▢ combat
▢ exploration
▢ investigation
▢ magic items
▢ monsters
▢ social skills
5. SECRETS / TWISTS ▢ puzzles
▢ traps

7. STRUCTURE

▢ 5-room dungeon ▢ 3 acts ▢ countdown timer ▢ 1 act, 3 rooms ▢ 1 room, 3 acts

HOOK:

© 2019 Robert Peake, Permission Granted for Personal Use

 FOCUS SETTING MISSION DIFFICULTY

DANGEROUS SETTLEMENT DEFEND TIER 1

PERSON (TOWN) PATRON

Ravenna is an assassin with a grudge

The party's patron, Sir Godfrey (LN Noble), has received a
death threat specifying that wherever he is, he will be
murdered on the night of the new moon. He has fled
Waterdeep to Amphail to lie low, and hired the party to
protect him. Little does he know the assassin is in Amphail
among them, and her motives are personal.
Hook: Hired by Sir Godfrey. Rewards: Expense-paid
trip, reward money, Sir Godfrey's thanks, solving
the mystery. Perils: Ravenna the assassin, The Spirit
of Amphail (ghost), angry villagers.

Twist: The good guy is a bad guy and vice versa.

Ravenna (CN Assassin with 36 hp while possessed;
Commoner with 8 hp when exorcised) is the sister of Gilda,
whom Godfrey caroused with and then left destitute with
child this time last year. He has a reputation in Amphail for
such behaviour, though the party may not know this at first.
Raavenna is under the influence of The Spirit of Amphail
(Ghost), who seeks justice and retribution. Ravenna, whom
Godfrey has never met, is posing as a jolly barmaid in The
Gilded Stallion, Godfrey's favourite tavern, where he plans to
lodge for the fateful night.
The Gilded Stallion and surroundings is inhabited
by terse farmers suspicious of outsiders. They all
believe in the Spirit of Amphail. Godfrey is
sweaty and nervous. The nights are eerily quiet.
People have clearly fallen on hard times.
Maps: town and tavern

START
The floor of the dimly-lit tavern is covered in straw, and through the lamplight the craggy faces of local farmers stare
at you from their regular booths. More than anything, they grimace at the foppishly-dressed nobleman beside you,
delicately sipping the froth from his ale and visibly sweating.

(30m)

Investigations in The Gilded Stallion and around town. Social interactions should be high DC, but may reveal more about
the legend of The Spirit of Amphail, Godfrey's reputation, that Ravenna's jolly demeanour is just an act, or that Godfrey
knows her sister. Godfrey encourages PCs to take watch outside tavern, at the main entrance, and outside his room.
Ravenna plans to hide in his room just after closing time and stick him with a poisonous dart.

(45m)

Ravenna attempts to kill Godfrey, then flee out the window. PCs may discover her, leading to a chase scene, or discover
the deed and some clues the next morning or when they check on Godfrey. The poison will have paralysed but not
killed him, such that he can be revived in Waterdeep (for a price, which his father will pay).

(1h 15m)

The hunt for Ravenna is on, leading to a chase scene, investigation, and/or combat. If reduced to half hp, captured or on
initiative count 10, Ravenna will revert to being a Commoner with 8hp (regardless of hp when reverting), but in doing
so The Spirit of Amphail will appear and may attack the party. It will choose to flee rather than kill them once they have
been sufficiently punished for interfering with the course of justice. The PCs may wish to remonstrate with Godfrey or
visit Gilda upon hearing Ravenna's side of the story.

Keywords: revenge, undead, mystery, assassin

Tie-In: Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

44