"Dungeon Master Option: High-Level Campaigns" (1995) by Skip Williams. Cover illustration by Jeff Easley.
Williams has stated that he used the storyline from M2 "Vengeance of Alphaks" for adventure design examples in "High-Level Campaigns".
The relevant sections are reproduced, below:
Chapter 2: Adventures
Plots
Even simple adventures can benefit from flexible, decision-oriented plots. For example, let’s suppose the player characters become involved in a dispute between two NPCs over a magical item.The adventure might begin when one of the antagonists (the one who currently owns the item) settles down in the PCs’ area without their knowledge. Perhaps one of the PCs is the area’s ruler.The first incident occurs when the villain sends a raiding party to steal the item. The other NPC goes into hiding, leaving the PCs to deal with the raiders.After dealing with the raiders, the player characters track them back to their lair and ultimately confront the villain, who either is killed or forced to flee.The adventure has reasonable potential. The party is faced with a variety of difficulties, including dealing with the raiders quickly and with minimal damage to the countryside. They also must deduce where the raiders are coming from, and they face a difficult fight against an entrenched foe. The plot, however, fails to consider actions that thoughtful players might choose to take. A flexible plot that offers the players more choices might go something like this:The player characters are going about their normal business one day when a newcomer arrives in the area and stops to pay his respects. He is very pleased to meet such famous heroes, and he presents each character with a small, but fairly valuable, gift. Perhaps the stranger shares an esoteric hobby with one of the player characters. In general, the newcomer proves to be a very agreeable person.The newcomer discovers a team of spies or burglars snooping around his home. A spectacular battle ensues, creating damage that the player characters must clean up.The newcomer confesses that he has something the villain wants. The player characters now have several choices to make. They can drive the newcomer away, take the disputed item, offer protection from future attacks, tell the newcomer to deal with the problem himself, or confront the villain.The adventure continues in one form or another no matter what the player characters do. If the item stays in the PCs’ area (because they took it away or allowed the newcomer to stay), the raids continue and begin to grow in strength. If the characters seized the item (or offered to guard it), they become the subject of the villain’s attention.If the PCs told the newcomer to scoot, they’re still in for trouble. Perhaps the newcomer pretends to leave—but goes into hiding instead—or escapes to another plane, leaving behind a replica of the item to distract the villain. In either case the raids continue.One way or another, the PCs must locate the villain’s lair and confront him. If they don’t wish to fight, they can surrender the item—and perhaps the newcomer—to the villain. This approach isn’t very heroic, but it’s an option.If the newcomer has fled, the PCs might convince the villain to leave them alone, but the villain might demand a humiliating service or payment in return for the favor.If the PCs favor a more active approach, they can attack, killing or driving away the villain. In either case, they acquire some new enemies but also gain some treasure, enhance their reputation as heroes, and maybe gain a valuable ally or henchman in the form of the grateful newcomer.
This example is based on Lambert Bohn (C30), who has the Girdle of De'Rah, and Coiger de Mory (C34) in M2 "Vengeance of Alphaks".
Williams has stated that "In the original proposal, Coiger was quite the schemer and was constantly leaving false clues and backtracking." (on Facebook, December 4, 2016)
Types of Encounters
Puzzle: This is a noncombat encounter that tests the players’ mental skills in some fashion. Most puzzles involve logic, memory, or creativity. The riddle game included in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel, The Hobbit , represents one kind of puzzle encounter.Puzzles are an excellent way to make players rely on themselves rather than on their characters’ abilities. The best puzzles fit your game’s atmosphere; word plays on pop music lyrics or Disney movie titles aren’t a good approach to puzzle making unless you are playing the adventure for laughs.You can add some tension to a puzzle encounter by combining it with a trap—the characters suffer damage or a magical effect if they give an incorrect response—or guardian—which attacks if the correct answer is not provided.
Here is one of the riddles used in M2:
Bill turns to you and says "And you thought you were sharp! One of these four gentlemen here...” (four humanoids in leather armor fade into visibility next to Bill), .is of the thieving persuasion and has purloined an item from one of you. This item in fact."Bill holds up one magical item owned by a PC and selected by the DM. The item has been stolen, and no precautions, magical or otherwise, will prevent the theft.“These gentlemen are the ore, the kobold, the goblin and the ogre. Each will now make a statement. The culprit will lie, and the other three will tell the truth.”"The goblin pilfered it, that wimp” laughs the ore. “It certainly wasn't me” whines the kobold. “The ore's lying through his filthy teeth” mumbles the goblin. “Nah, the kobold and the goblin didn’t do it” rumbles the ogre.“Now then,” announces Bill, "tell me which one took it and I’ll give it back, and shut off this here machine.”
"Vengeance of Alphaks" pg. 14
Williams later used a variation of this riddle in "Moonlight Madness" (1998):
I lifted a fractured version of the riddle for Moonlight Madness and that version could not be solved (an androsphinx is just no good at riddles).
Skip Williams on Facebook (December 4, 2016)
