Table of Contents
Run For It!
Level 1 Exploration Scenario
The PCs rush through the streets of a mountain village, an angry mob giving chase close behind. Perhaps the PCs tried and failed to deal with the villagers through other means, or maybe this was their best option at avoiding violence. Regardless, the chase is on!
This scenario is part of The Icon Curse quick adventure and has a number of narrative elements specific to that storyline. However, you can fairly easily modify these to adapt this scenario to a wide range of similar applications.
Map
| Setting | Civilization |
|---|---|
| Type | Chase |
| Lighting | Lit |
(start)
A D
\ / \
B – C – E (goal)
Each Region has a Round Limit; when each PC reaches a new region, add that region's Round Limit to any remaining (forward ONLY, and once per branch; i.e. no crossing the bridge, then jumping in the river for 2 more rounds). Any PC that runs out of rounds is defeated, suffering 1 Injury from the mob before eventually escaping. Similarly, a PC that runs out of EP stumbles and falls, is caught, suffers the Injury, and escapes (not needing to play any further turns).
Regions
| (Region A) Village Center | ||
|---|---|---|
| The mob has sight of you, and they're giving chase with their pitchforks and scythes. It's a bit of a long and winding downhill road to reach the edge of the village; you could take a shortcut by going straight down the cliffs, but one missed step could result in a painful fall. | ||
| Round Limit | 2 | |
| Exit | To | Obstacle |
| Southeast | B | Long Path |
| Down | B | Steep Incline (Height 2) |
| Hazards | ||
| None | ||
| (Region B) Outskirts | ||
|---|---|---|
| You hear low whispers in the back of your mind as you reach the edge of the village. You're positive that no voices are reaching your ears; it seems the statue is agitated, perhaps with your continued success at taking it away from its new home. To the east is the bridge crossing the river leading out of Whisperwind toward your destination; however, it's securely guarded, so you'll be risking villager blades as you dash across. You could brave the river itself, but the cold, rushing mountain waters will be difficult to traverse. | ||
| Round Limit | 1 | |
| Exit | To | Obstacle |
| Northwest | A | Long Path |
| Up | A | Steep Incline (Height 2) |
| East | C | - |
| Northeast | D | - |
| Hazards | ||
| Whispers of Madness | +1 Inflict level vs. PC with cursed statue | |
| Secrets | ||
| Fortune | Hidden: 1d6 | |
| (Region C) The Bridge | ||
|---|---|---|
| The bridge is of wooden construction, but it's sturdy and well-made. It's wide enough for a single cart to cross, so getting past the guards safely will require some agility. | ||
| Round Limit | 1 | |
| Exit | To | Obstacle |
| West | B | - |
| East | E | - |
| Hazards | ||
| Slicing Blade | Not Hidden | |
| (Region D) The River | ||
|---|---|---|
| The icy river chills you instantly, and the quickly-moving waters make it difficult to cross to the other side. Still, it's the only feasible way to avoid the guards at the bridge, and you can briefly vanish from the villagers' sight, buying some more time. | ||
| Round Limit | 2 | |
| Note | ||
| This region requires swimming. PCs may treat this region as wilderness at will. | ||
| Exit | To | Obstacle |
| Southwest | B | - |
| Southeast | E | Murky Pool |
| Hazards | ||
| None | ||
| (Region E) Wooded Mountain Trail | ||
|---|---|---|
| You've nearly lost them. Once you venture farther down this wooded mountain trail, it'll be easy to evade further pursuit from these villagers. However, the going is a bit rough. | ||
| Round Limit | 1 | |
| Exit | To | Obstacle |
| West | C | - |
| Northwest | D | - |
| East | Goal | Rough Trail |
| Hazards | ||
| Vermin Swarm | ||
Two - Three Players
- Remove Whispers of Madness in E
- Remove Vermin Swarm in E
Five Players
- Swap Steep Incline in A-B for a Rocky Wall
- Add Unsettling Ambiance to B
Six Players
- As Five Players
- Add Roving Pickpocket to A with Respawn: 1 and Pursue; it ignores Obstacles
Tweaks
This adventure includes some narrative constraints that may not be present in your adventure. For instance, if the PCs aren't being hounded by a cursed statue, region B makes little sense. Cut off the first half of the description and eliminate the hazards. At fewer than 3 PCs, you don't have to do anything else; with more players, you may need to include something else in its place. Consider some inclement weather, like a Thunderstorm, Sweltering Humidity, Chilled Winds, Blizzard, or a Scorching Sun as appropriate.
It's also assumed that the PCs must exit the village in one particular direction. In this case, it's because Whisperwind is a mountain village, and only one path leads toward the PCs' destination. If that doesn't work for you, add other paths away from the village center with a similar set of Challenges ready to thwart PCs that attempt that route. You could reuse the same Challenge set with some altered descriptions if you want to save yourself some work, or you could detail various routes and explain them to the PCs (at least to the degree of what their characters know) to let them choose which they prefer. Save whatever paths they don't take to reuse in future scenarios.
