TEXT: The Modern Dispatch
  Superheroic Adventure Generator
  Page 1
  Content Manager: 
  Charles Rice, Chris Davis
  Layout: 
  Chris Davis
  Requires the use of the d20 Modern Roleplaying 
  Game, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  d20 Modern and Wizards of the Coast are 
  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 
  Coast, Inc. and are used according to the terms 
  of the d20 System License version 6.0.  A copy 
  of this License can be found at www.wizards.
  com/d20.
  #66
  Introduction
  This issue of Modern Dispatch follows the same 
  theme we provided with the Modern Adventure 
  Generator ( issue #29), and the Pulp Adventure 
  Generator ( issue #42), detailing a system for 
  Modern d20 Game Masters to generate adventure 
  ideas on the ﬂy, giving enough of a core seed idea to 
  proceed.  
  This generator is speciﬁcally for Superheroic 
  campaigns.  There are a number of D20-based super 
  hero games out there, and this system is useable 
  with any of them.  Speciﬁcally, this Adventure 
  Generator is a preview of Adamant Entertainment’s 
  new line of superheroic support products, which will 
  be coming in 2006.
  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 your speciﬁc campaign style.  For 
  example, a four-color Silver Age style campaign 
  will have very speciﬁc needs, and differ greatly from 
  a campaign which is run with a more “grim-and-
  gritty” street-level vigilante style.   
  Superheroic Adventure Generator
  By Gareth-Michael Skarka 
  About the Author
  Gareth-Michael Skarka has been working in the adventure games industry since 1988.  He is the designer of 
  several role-playing games, including Hong Kong Action Theatre!, UnderWorld and Skull & Bones.  He is the 
  owner and director of  Adamant Entertainment, one of the top PDF publishers in the business, which produces 
  support for Skull & Bones, Northern Crown, the pulp d20 line Thrilling Tales, and more.
  
  The Modern Dispatch
  Superheroic Adventure Generator
  Page 2
  Learning from Screenwriting
  The basic format for the random adventure seed is the 
  dramatic core taken from screenwriting:  all plots can 
  be boiled down the following sentence:
  “The main characters must [DO SOMETHING], 
  but have to contend with [COMPLICATIONS] while 
  being confronted by [OPPOSITION].”
  This is the basic structure of any story, whether it 
  is ﬁlmed, written, presented in a comic book,  or 
  roleplayed.  The variables change, providing a wide 
  array of possibilities.   For the Superheroic Adventure 
  Generator, however, we’ll expand that basic structure 
  even further, allowing for a wider variation.  So, 
  the basic dramatic structure of our Modern d20 
  adventures will read more like this:
  “The main characters must [DO] [SOMETHING], 
  at [LOCATION], but have to contend with 
  [COMPLICATIONS] while being confronted by 
  [OPPOSITION].”
  The main difference between the standard format and 
  the one presented above is that the location of the 
  adventure has been added as a variable, and, more 
  importantly, [DO SOMETHING] has been split into 
  [DO] [SOMETHING].  
  Let’s explain that a little bit further.
  The “do something” is the focus of the adventure 
  -- it’s what drives the action.  Making it a single 
  category under this system will only result in 64 
  possibilities (by cross referencing two d8 rolls).  
  However, after splitting the “do” (the verb) and 
  the “something” (the subject) into two categories, 
  that means that each have 64 possibilities, and can 
  combine for a total of 4096 different results.
  For example, take these:  “Rescue the Scientist”, 
  “Find the Murderer,” and “Defeat the Monster.”  
  Under this new system, these three focii can be split, 
  giving you those same results, but also additional 
  ones such as “Find the Scientist,” “Rescue the 
  Monster,” etc.
  This can, admittedly, lead to some odd results, such 
  as “Rescue the Murderer”....but comic books are 
  ﬁlled with strange stories and bizarre plots.  As a 
  GM, that phrase, which on its surface seems odd, 
  begins to generate all sorts of ideas for me.  Why 
  would heroes have to rescue a murderer?  Could it be 
  that the murderer is another hero, or perhaps simply 
  a criminal who possesses some vital clue that could 
  save hundreds of other people?
  How to Use the Generator
  This type of system provides the Game Master with a 
  framework...a springboard for the development of the 
  Game Master’s own ideas.   The adventure concepts 
  generated by this system will still need to be fully 
  ﬂeshed out, populated with statted NPCs, etc...but 
  this system will give you a starting point from which 
  to work.
  To use the Superheroic Adventure Generator, the 
  Game Master rolls two eight-sided dice, and cross-
  referencing the results on each of 5 category tables: 
  Do, Something, Location, Complications and 
  Opposition.
  As stated before, Do provides you with the verb, 
  Something provides you with the subject.  Together, 
  they form the focus of the adventure.  Location gives 
  you where the adventure takes place, Complications 
  are those things that arise during the adventure 
  to hinder the player-character’s progress, and 
  Opposition is the force or individual that is actively 
  going against the PC’s efforts.
  Each category has 64 possibilities, so this system 
  allows for 1,073,741,824 different combinations...
  more than enough to give any superhero campaign 
  ideas to last for its entire run.
  
  The Modern Dispatch
  Superheroic Adventure Generator
  Page 3
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  8
  1
  Ruler
  Murderer
  Treasure
  Scientist
  Mutant
  Creature
  Assassins
  Gods
  2
  Worker
  Royalty
  Citizens
  Freak
  Energy
  Alien
  Police
  Country
  3
  Terrorist
  Organization
  Supervillain
  Stranger
  Artifact
  Magician
  Invention
  Disaster
  4
  Friend
  Gang
  Secret
  Woman
  Celebrity
  Artifact
  Vehicle
  Criminal
  5
  Company
  Enemy
  Criminal
  Item
  Man
  Child
  Insect
  Building
  6
  Aircraft
  City
  Recurring Villain
  Spirit
  Technician
  Government
  Outcast
  Soldiers
  7
  Love Interest
  Monster
  Thief
  Object
  Bystanders
  Spy
  Team
  Building
  8
  Superhero
  Victims
  Accident
  Animal
  Book
  Technology
  Nature
  People
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  8
  1
  Fight
  Meet
  Find
  Retrieve
  Race
  Seize
  Trade with
  Battle
  2
  Combat
  Talk with
  Protect
  Attack
  Serve
  Defend
  Take
  Negotiate with
  3
  Guide
  Avenge
  Deliver
  Combat
  Guard
  Join
  Watch
  Create
  4
  Chase
  Confuse
  Escort
  Rescue
  Ally
  Resist
  Repel
  Safeguard
  5
  Entreat
  Travel with
  Rally against
  Defeat
  Investigate
  Support
  Destroy
  Change
  6
  Move
  Track
  Aid
  Assist
  Dispel
  Fight
  Protect
  Comfort
  7
  Conceal
  Obliterate
  Trap
  Oppose
  Testify against
  Observe
  Shut down
  Locate
  8
  Strike
  Reveal
  Beset
  Shield
  Contend with
  Invade
  Kill
  Save
  Do
  Something
  
  The Modern Dispatch
  Superheroic Adventure Generator
  Page 4
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  8
  1
  Docks
  Ghetto
  River 
  Subway
  Another 
  Dimension
  Military Base
  Deep Space
  Underground
  2
  TV Station
  Skyscraper
  Villainʼs base
  Foreign
  Country
  Airport
  Prison
  Business 
  District
  Island
  3
  In Orbit
  Lake
  Research
  Facility
  Artic
  Mansion
  War Zone
  Hideout
  Government
  Installation
  4
  Landmark
  Residence
  Hidden 
  Location
  Secret
  Location
  Plains
  Distant 
  Land
  Nightclub
  Jungle
  5
  Corporate 
  Headquarters
  Bank
  Entertainment
  District
  Farm
  Shopping 
  Center
  The Moon
  Bar
  Highway
  6
  Garage
  Fortress
  Library
  Slums
  Market
  Border
  Church
  The Future
  7
  Sporting 
  Event
  Lab
  On a Starship
  Restaurant
  Warehouse
  Museum
  Heroʼs Base
  The Past
  8
  University
  Another Planet
   Boat
  Under the Sea
  Haunted House
  Apartment
  Ruin
  Arena
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  8
  1
  None
  Betrayal
  Rivalry
  Trap
  Government 
  inﬂuence
  Monster
  Trickery
  Unexplained
  2
  Travel
  Squabbling
  Distractions
  Abduction
  Barriers
  Weather
  Diplomacy
  Ambush
  3
  Strange 
  occurance
  Riots
  Physical feat
  Politics
  Theft
  Mystery
  Vendetta
  Fear
  4
  Mistaken 
  Identity
  Power Struggle
  Enemy
  Transport 
  problem
  Gangs
  Mental feat
  Drugs
  Security
  5
  Getting Lost
  War
  Allies
  Side-tracked
  Misdirection
  Bureaucracy
  Insanity
  Enemies
  6
  Interference
  Attention
  Bizarre 
  circumstance
  Equipment 
  failure
  Military 
  inﬂuence
  Crime
  Invasion
  Money
  7
  Psychological
  Dimensional Rift
  Red Herring
  Disaster
  The Unknown
  Distraction
  Recurring NPC
  Differing PC 
  motivations
  8
  Media Attention
  Legal Trouble
  Lack of trust
  Desperation
  Love Interest
  Incompetence
  Random attack
  Bystanders
  Location
  Complications
  
  The Modern Dispatch
  Superheroic Adventure Generator
  Page 5
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  8
  1
  Government 
  ofﬁcial
  Terrorists
  Gang 
  Villain Group
  Spy
  Tycoon
  Country
  Company
  2
  Recurring Villain
  Enemy
  Supervillain
  Criminals
  Extra-
  Dimensional
  Creature
  Assassin
  Technology 
  gone Amok
  3
  Ruler
  Shadowy 
  Figure
  Mobster
  Rebel
  Organization
  Mastermind
  Unknown
  Demon(s)
  4
  Former Ally
  Stranger
  Police
  Military
  Veteran
  None
  Corporation
  Outlaw
  5
  Robot
  Cartel
  Thief
  Disaster
  Team
  Roll Twice
  Lawyer
  Traitor
  6
  Agency
  War
  Driver
  Technician
  Alien(s)
  Threat to World
  Hired Killer(s)
  The Mob
  7
  Femme 
  Fatale
  Conspiracy
  Nature
  Mad Doctor
  Celebrity
  Enemy
  PC drawbacks
  Time
  8
  Friend
  Madman
  Occultist
  God(s)
  Cult
  Other Heroes
  New Villain
  Themselves
  Opposition
  Examples
  I break out my d8s, and give a few rolls on the tables 
  above.  I will give an example of how it might be 
  used to generate adventures for a standard Modern-
  age superhero campaign, featuring a group of heroes 
  in a large American city
  My ﬁrst roll is: 8-5. 8-2, 1-4, 7-1, 3-6.  This yields a 
  result of :
  “The main characters must [Contend With] 
  [Victims], at [the Subway], but have to contend 
  with [Psychological complications] while being 
  confronted by [a Mastermind].”
  A little bit of thought put into this result gives me 
  an idea of an adventure where the heroes must 
  rescue people from a Subway car that is being held 
  hostage by the meglomaniacal Doctor Sin, whose 
  sole purpose in seizing the Subway was to draw the 
  heroes in, so that he could enact a trap that will play 
  upon the psychological quirks or one or more of the 
  group.
  My next roll is: 4-4. 3-6, 7-5, 1-6, 6-6.  This yields a 
  result of :
  “The main characters must [Rescue] [a Magician], 
  at [a Warehouse], but have to contend with [A 
  Monster] while being confronted by [A Threat to the 
  World].”
  This one almost writes itself!   An occultist, dabbling 
  in things Man Was Not Meant To Know (as usual), 
  accidentally opens a rift to Hell in the Warehouse he 
  was using for his ritual space.  Now, the PCs have to 
  rescue the occultist from the clutches of a particularly 
  nasty Hellbeast, to help them ﬁgure out some way 
  to seal the rift before Hell spills out and engulfs the 
  Earth.
  My last roll is: 1-8, 6-3, 2-2, 8-1, 2-8 .  This yields a 
  result of :
  “The main characters must [Battle] [a Recurring 
  Villain], at [a Skyscraper], but have to contend 
  with [Media Attention] while being confronted by 
  [Technology Gone Amok].”
  Pretty straightforward...you can probably ﬁgure out 
  how that one would work out.
  So, grab your dice and get rolling!
  
  The Modern Dispatch
  Superheroic Adventure Generator
  Page 6
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  Skarka
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