The Modern Dispatch

Modern Adventure Generator

By Gareth-Michael Skarka

Introduction
Here’s a little scenario for you: it’s a little bit before

#
dinnertime, and you get a call from your playing

29 group. They’re all coming over, ready to play...

tonight. Problem is, you’ve got nothing prepared
-- the last time you played, your group completed
their latest adventure, and for whatever reason, you
haven’t had the time to come up with anything else.
Content Manager:
Charles Rice, Chris Davis What are you going to do?
Layout:
Chris Davis The following system is provided for Modern d20
Gamemasters to generate adventure ideas on the fly,
giving enough of a core seed idea to proceed. Pepper
the idea that you get with some GM characters (easily
and quickly generated using RPGObjects’ Modern
Character Generator), and you’re ready to go.

The tables provided in this issue of Modern Dispatch

will give a Modern d20 GM the bare outline of an
adventure. That outline will have to be tailored for
Requires the use of the d20 Modern Roleplaying your specific campaign. For example, a modern
Game, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. military campaign will have very specific needs, and
differ greatly from a modern campaign where the
d20 Modern and Wizards of the Coast are player characters are police detectives.
trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the
United States and other countries and are used
with permission. ‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20
System’ logo are trademarks of Wizards of the About the Author
Coast, Inc. and are used according to the terms Gareth-Michael Skarka has been working in the adventure games industry since 1988. He is the designer
of the d20 System License version 6.0. A copy of several role-playing games, including Hong Kong Action Theatre!, UnderWorld and Skull & Bones.
of this License can be found at www.wizards. His design imprint, Adamant Entertainment, ventured into ePublishing in 2003, and produces support for
com/d20. Skull & Bones, the pulp d20 line Thrilling Tales, and more.

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This variance will be especially noticebale when possibilities. For the Modern Adventure Generator, This can, admittedly, lead to some odd results, such
it comes to FX elements. There are some results however, we’ll expand that basic structure even as “Defeat the Treasure”....but, as a GM, that phrase,
on the tables which seemingly point to a fantasy, further, allowing for a wider variation. So, the basic which on its surface seems bizarre, begins to generate
horror or science-fictional elements of an adventure. dramatic structure of our Modern d20 adventures will all sorts of ideas for me. What is the treasure? Why
However, you should open your mind and let the read more like this: must it be defeated? How do you defeat a treasure,
results here lead you where it may---who’s to say, for anyway? Before you know it, you’ve come up with
example, that the result of “Monster” might mean in a “The main characters must [DO] [SOMETHING], an adventure detailing the character’s struggle to
Vietnam-era campaign with no supernatural elements at [LOCATION], but have to contend with overcome a malevolent magical ring with a life of its
at all? Perhaps it refers to a character like Colonel [COMPLICATIONS] while being confronted by own.
Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, whose madness has led [OPPOSITION].”
him to become very much a monster. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it....
The main difference between the standard format and
the one presented above is that the location of the

Learning from Screenwriting How to Use the Generator

adventure has been added as a variable, and, more
importantly, [DO SOMETHING] has been split into
[DO] [SOMETHING].
The basic format for the random adventure seed is the This type of system is not intended to replace
dramatic core taken from screenwriting: all plots can Let’s explain that a little bit further. planning on the part of a Modern D20 Gamemaster,
be boiled down the following sentence: but rather as a springboard for the development of
The “do something” is the focus of the adventure the Gamemaster’s own ideas. Give it a try -- I think
“The main characters must [DO SOMETHING], -- it’s what drives the action. Making it a you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the results.
but have to contend with [COMPLICATIONS] while single category under this To use the Modern Adventure Generator, the
being confronted by [OPPOSITION].” system will only result in Gamemaster rolls two eight-sided dice, and cross-
64 possibilities (by cross referencing the results on each of 5 category tables:
This is the basic structure of any story, whether it is referencing two d8 rolls). Do, Something, Location, Complications and
filmed, written or roleplayed. The variables However, after splitting Opposition.
change, providing a wide array of the “do” (the verb) and the
“something” (the subject) As stated before, Do provides you with the verb,
into two categories, that means Something provides you with the subject. Together,
that each have 64 possibilities, and they form the focus of the adventure. Location gives
can combine for a total of 4096 different you where the adventure takes place, Complications
results. are those things that arise during the adventure
to hinder the player-character’s progress, and
For example, take these: “Rescue the Opposition is the force or individual that is actively
Scientist”, “Find the Treasure,” and “Defeat going against the PC’s efforts.
the Monster.” Under this new system,
these three focii can be split, giving you Each category has 64 possibilities, so this system
those same results, but also additional ones allows for 1,073,741,824 different combinations...
such as “Find the Scientist,” “Rescue the more than enough to give any Modern d20
Monster,” etc. Gamemaster something to work with.

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Do
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Fight Defeat Rescue Protect Retrieve Hunt Look for Battle

2 Aid Talk with Find Attack Assist Defend Take Join

3 Arm Sell Buy Combat Guard Save Watch Create

4 Escort Chase Oppose Meet Ally Resist Kill Revive

5 Entreat Journey with Rally against Check Investigate Support Destroy Change

6 Move Track Amuse Enchant Dispel Injure Drop Comfort

7 Conceal Look at Reveal Race Quarrel with Observe Trade with Tag
8 Strike Snatch Beset Shield Contend with Confuse Manipulate Harass

Something
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Ruler Princess Treasure Worker Monster Creature Country Soldiers
2 Scientist People Citizens Freak Energy Train Police Assassins
3 Outcast Organization Enemy Object Relic Package Invention City
4 Animal Gang Secret Item Leader Artifact Vehicle Criminal
5 Company Wanderer Researcher Woman Man Child Insect Alien
6 Stranger Terrorist Driver Technician Rebel Government Fighter Military
7 Love Interest Thug Thief Politician Celebrity Spy Team Building
Contraband
8 Prophet Aircraft Friend Wealth Book Technology Nature

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Location
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 City Rural Setting Small town Frontier Jungle At Sea In Orbit Under Water
Foreign
2 Ghetto Skyscraper Docks
Country
Resort Desert Mountains Forest
Enemy Government
3 River Lake Tundra
Stronghold
Subway Airport Port
Installation
Entertainment Hidden Secret Distant Business Corporate
4 Military Base
District Location Location
Plains
Land District Headquarters
Remote Research
5 Hideout Casino Landmark Farm Residence
Location Facility
Island

6 Beach Studio Underground Slums Market Nightclub Mansion Highway

Religious Sporting
7 Library Shopping Center Garage
Location Event
Bar Restaurant Warehouse
Criminal Prison
8 North/South Pole Swamp Canyon Border War Zone Lab
Location

Complications
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Mistaken Government
1 Identity
Disaster Crime Legal Trouble Misdirection Lack of Info
influence
Unexplained

2 Travel Squabbling Lost equipment Abduction Barriers Weather Monster Trickery

Strange
3 Animals Riots Duplicity Fear Theft Mystery Survival
occurance
Transport
4 Police Power Struggle Politics
problem
Physical feat Mental feat Drugs Security

5 Gangs Getting Lost Insanity Side-tracked Trap Vendetta Ambush Enemies

Bizarre Equipment Military
6 Interference Attention
circumstance failure influence
War Diplomacy Money
Differing PC
7 Love Interest Random attack Red Herring None The Unknown Distraction Recurring NPC
motivations
Allies Bystanders
8 Bureaucracy Rivalry Lack of trust Desperation Betrayal Incompetence

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Opposition
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Scientist Soldier Gang Member Priest Pilot Businessman Country Ruler

2 Monster Enemy Former Ally Criminals Company Terrorists Assassin Madman

Government
3 Friend
official
Mobster Rebel Organization Creature Unknown War

4 Disaster Stranger Police Military Veteran None Corporation Outlaw

5 Spy Recurring Villain Cult Woman Man Roll Twice Lawyer Diplomat

6 Killer Agency Driver Technician Tycoon Traitor Conspiracy Occultist

Shadowy
7 Femme Fatale Thief Team Doctor Celebrity
Figure
Mystery Themselves
Prisoner
8 Disease Cartel Friend Mastermind Smuggler Technology Nature

Example
in a shack in the mountains of Afghanistan. The unit secure the power for himself.
I break out my trusty d8s, and give a few rolls on the has to revive him and get the information, but they’re
tables above. I will give an example of how it might being fed incorrect intelligence by an allied country Police Campaign: The detectives are investigating
be used in three different campaigns: A military who have their own motives. a conspiracy, possibly involving crooked cops.
campaign featuring anti-terrorist commandos, An One witness, a common thief, is shot by a cop and
arcana campaign featuring modern-day sorcerers in a Arcana Campaign: The PCs have discovered that is wounded. The characters are placed with the
world-wide secret society, and a campaign where the centuries ago, a thief stole a magical artifact from thief in a safe-house (a ski cabin in the mountains),
PCs are police detectives in a large American city. the Vatican, and fled to the Italian Alps. While waiting for him to revive and reveal what he knows.
investigating the artifact, the thief triggered a Unfortunately, the crooked cops are former friends of
My result: (4-8, 7-3, 2-7, 1-5, 3-1) curse that placed him (and the artifact) in a state the PCs, and have set up the entire situation to frame
“The main characters must revive a thief, in the of suspended animation, trapped within a wall of the characters and get themselves off the hook.
mountains, while having to contend with misdirection crystal. The sorcerers must journey to the Alps, find
and being opposed by a friend.” the thief and release him from the curse, so that they You see? With a little bit of thought, the same result
can claim the artifact for themselves. Along the can be applicable for a wide variety of campaign
Military Campaign: a common thief has information way, however, they discover that they have not been styles.
regarding the whereabouts of an infamous terrorist told the truth about the true purpose of the artifact...
leader. The problem is that he’s very ill...near death because a fellow member of their order wants to So -- grab your dice and start rolling!

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The Modern Dispatch
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material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
conveyed by this License.
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Modern System Reference Document Copyright 2002, Wizards of the Coast,
Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved. 6.Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE Inc.; Authors Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Charles Ryan, based
portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker,
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Modern Adventure Generator Page 6