D&D 5e Adventure Builder

Follow the Dungeon Master's Guide principles to build adventures as situations, not fixed plots. Players are co-authors.

⚠️ Critical Principle: Adventures are situations, not fixed plots. Players are co-authors. Avoid single-outcome design.

DMG Adventure-Building Guidelines

An adventure is a situation, not a plot. The situation includes:

  • Situation: What's happening in the world
  • Conflict: The problem that needs heroes
  • What's Unique and Fun: What makes this adventure special
  • Stakes: What happens if ignored or if heroes fail/succeed
  • Time Pressure: Any urgency that drives the adventure forward

The DMG identifies three hook types:

  • Patron: Someone with authority or resources asks the party to act
  • Supernatural: Mysterious events, omens, or magical phenomena draw attention
  • Happenstance: The party stumbles upon the situation by chance

Consider why this party specifically cares, per-character motivations, and what happens if they refuse.

DMG recommends 2-3 investigatable options at once so choices matter. Each thread should:

  • Be something players can investigate
  • Point to a location, encounter, or NPC
  • Have a cost if ignored (consequence for not pursuing)

Every encounter requires:

  • Objective: What players want to accomplish (required)
  • Obstacle: What stands in their way (required)
  • What It Accomplishes: What this encounter achieves in the story
  • Information Revealed: What clue/info is revealed (chains to next lead/thread)

Mix Exploration, Social, and Combat scene types. Always include fail-forward consequences that move the story forward.

Plan multiple outcomes:

  • Expected ending (what you think will happen)
  • Alternative endings (2+) based on player choices
  • What if the villain dies early? (contingency plan)

Rewards should be level-appropriate (treasure, magic items, XP/milestone).

1. Premise (Situation)

2. Draw In the Players (Hook)

3. Leads and Threads

DMG recommends 2-3 things to pursue at once so choices matter.

4. Plan Encounters

Aim for 3-5 encounters, mixing exploration, social, and combat.

5. NPCs

6. Locations

7. Bring It to an End

Decide on the title after you've developed your adventure based on all the details above.

Generate Template

💡 To run this adventure with AI: Select "Run Prompt" above, click "Generate Template", then "Copy to Clipboard" OR use "Export DM Prompt" to save as a file. Paste the generated prompt directly into ChatGPT/Claude - it will start DMing immediately. Do NOT paste raw JSON files - use the generated Run Prompt instead.