Adventure Catalysts are designed to be the skeletal outline of an adventure that you can flesh out with your

imagination using your favorite RPG system. Each adventure has a main plot that is flavored in the fantasy
realm, but you can reflavor the adventure in any genre or even within the genre. It’s just a basic adventure
plot. Each of the next items can be generated on the following page by hitting the corresponding button.
At the beginning of the adventure, you can randomly generate a Complication to the plot. These
complications are plot twists that are unique to the adventure itself.
Next are randomly generated Encounters that are the meat and potatoes of the adventure. These are
scenes that happen along the way to resolving the major conflict of the overarching adventure. Each
encounter is meant to be modular so that you can play it in any order. Within each encounter, your characters
should somehow gain a little information that will take them closer to resolving the adventure. You can either
play through all the encounters, or a set number of encounters, before ending the adventure.
Also included are random Tension Builders that are generic plot twists included in all Catalyst Adventures.
To flesh out further details of the plot, you can use a random idea generator or GM replacement system such
as the Encounter Building Card: Decisions, the Mythic system, or anything else.
If, throughout your adventuring, you aren’t able to generate details that point you towards a conclusion, you
can use the randomized Climax . However, I’ve found that most of the time when I play solo, my GM engine
provides enough details for me to piece together what the climax is or should be.
Because these adventures are really just seeds, you can use them as a GM to reduce your prep time by having
a basic plot and outline to flesh out on your own, as one of a group of players who prefer to run games
without GM (the random generation allows this), or as a solo player completely on your own without a GM.
While the possibilities are only limited by your imagination, you might find Encounter Building Decks
useful in playing through an Adventure Catalyst especially if you decide to go without a GM:
 Decisions– These cards act as the stand-in GM by giving answers to yes/no questions, random die
rolls, random events, details about an event, and even a simple quest generator. This deck is the
barebones necessity if you want to try playing without a GM.
 Locations – These cards describe a location within four different types of environments. They also
give information about the number of exits (doors) within each room location, whether those doors
are locked or not, and if there are secret doors to find. While this doesn’t give you an exact map of
each location, it does give you enough description and randomness to truly explore a dungeon or
castle never knowing what the next room will bring.
 Traps – These cards contain 120 possibilities for traps such pitfalls, crushing walls, magical auras to
defeat, and more.
 Combat – Come to a room filled with bad guys? Who are they? How do they fight? These cards
detail combat encounters you may have. They give you the general type of enemy, how they attack,
what their intentions are, difficulty level, special equipment or tactics, and more.
For more information, check out the free download of the rulebook for the Encounter Building Decks.
Those pesky fey are up to no good again. They are encroaching upon “the real world” with mischievous intent
and perhaps even malice. Children in and around the small village of Kathlas are being kidnapped by fey
creatures. However, not all fey are bad. Can you investigate and navigate the complexities of the fey court
to ascertain the true motives for these incursions, put them to an end, and save the children?
Click the buttons below to generate a complication, encounter, climax, and/or tension builder.

Generate Complication

Generate Encounter

Generate Tension

Generate Climax
Those pesky fey are up to no good again. They are encroaching upon “the real world” with mischievous intent
and perhaps even malice. Children in and around the small village of Kathlas are being kidnapped by fey
creatures. However, not all fey are bad. Can you investigate and navigate the complexities of the fey court
to ascertain the true motives for these incursions, put them to an end, and save the children?

1. The fey are only kidnapping children who have committed crimes.
2. The fey usually target infants who are returned two weeks later having aged ten years.
3. A local religious sect of strong political influence worships and serves the fey. While they have
outwardly denounced the acts of kidnapping, they still are allies to the fey.
4. The fey abduct teenagers only to return them two weeks later. Upon their return, the teenagers are
wise and knowledgeable beyond their years but very cold and dispassionate.
5. Each abducted child is ransomed for a seemingly random and meaningless item. Is there a connection
between the items?
6. One parent is always a willing accomplice in the fey abduction of his or her child but cannot or will not
say why.

1. Another kidnapping by the fey is happening right now. Can you stop the kidnapping?
2. The fey have decided to divert the waters of the local river into their realm. The lack of water is an
immediate danger to both health and commerce but probably a cover for further abductions. Can you
get the river flowing again?
3. The locals speak of “thin places” where the boundary between our world and others blurs. Can you
discover a way into the fey lands?
4. Meet the Queen of the Court of Untarnished Light, Alu’thurea. She proclaims to seek to stop the
other fey courts from interfering with the world of mortals. She asks your help in completing some
tasks for her before she can help you in your quest. Can you determine her role in these incursions
and secure her help?
5. Meet the Queen of the Court of Ataxia, Gi’nawtha. If you entertain her by passing her Tests of
Worthiness, she may help. If you fail, she’ll find her entertainment elsewhere. She is just as happy
with the resulting chaos either way. Having her as an ally may or may not actually help the cause.
Can you determine her role in these incursions and secure her help?
6. Meet the Queen of the Perpetual Eclipse, La’mihya. She is deep into a cold war with the Court of
Untarnished Light and the most obvious culprit of the child-stealing. She espouses innocence but
would like to see you indebted to her. Can you determine her role in these incursions and secure her
help?
7. Meet the King of Fey, Ka’rul’thei. An outcast in all courts, he is nonetheless vital to all fey as the
progenitor and sustainer of their being. Might he be willing to help, or does his apathy drown out all
else?
8. You find a lead on the location of the prison where the children are being kept by the fey. Can you
break them out and escort them safely back to the land of mortals? While this won’t stop the
abductions, you will have saved some children and gained more information.
 9. An older child wanders back into town after being abducted. How did he escape and what can he tell
you?
10. Some of the local villagers have been losing their minds. It appears to be a physical ailment of some
kind and giggling fey have been spotted making sport of the victims. What can cure this?
11. A small band of fey spoke about their sorrow over the fate of the children with a local farmer. To
show their remorse, they blessed the farmer’s crops which are now growing into attacking plants.
Was this intentional? Can the “blessing” be reversed?
12. Legend tells of a great fey prison that keeps the most evil of all fey locked beneath a volcano. Is
there really a prison? Is it occupied? Could this evil being be behind the abductions? Is this whole
encounter just a red herring?
13. There is a rare herb that fey are averse to being around. If you could find enough of it, a local
seamstress believes she can weave it into the clothing of the children most in danger. Can you track
down the herb?
14. Anyone who fell asleep after midnight does not wake up the next morning. Anyone who falls asleep
during the day cannot be woken. They remain in a state of perpetual sleep. A band of fey dancing
around the village seem to be the cause, but everyone who has approached too closely has fallen
asleep. Can you stop them before everyone is put to sleep and the fey have their way?
15. An encounter is underway between two different fey factions. Spells fly and weapons clash in and
around the village. Can you keep the village safe and perhaps learn more about the fey in the
process?
16. You need the help of an expert. Jolaff the Hermit is said to be authority on fey, but no one knows
how exactly to contact him. They only know that he makes his home in a forest populated with
dryads, nymphs, and other fantastical creatures. Can you find Jolaff and will he help?
17. The brave actions of parents have prevented several abductions over the past few weeks. One day,
all of the children who escaped being kidnapped all go slightly out of their right mind and run away to
find their own way to the lands of fey. Can you prevent these kids from making it to the fey lands?

If throughout the adventure you have not uncovered the group behind the kidnappings, you can randomly
generate who you need to confront for the climax scene.
1. You receive information that firmly points toward the Court of Untarnished Light as the culprit of the
abductions. Confront the Queen and stop her from any future abductions.
2. You receive information that firmly points towards the Court of Ataxia as the culprit of the
abductions. Confront the Queen and stop her from any future abductions.
3. You receive information that firmly points towards the Court of the Perpetual Eclipse as the culprit of
the abductions. Confront the Queen and stop her from any future abductions.
4. You receive information that firmly points towards the King of Fey as the culprit of the abductions.
Confront and stop him from any future abductions.
5. You receive information that firmly points towards a small band of unaligned fey as the culprits of the
abductions. Confront and stop them from any future abductions.
From time to time, you may want something random and exciting to happen in your adventure. These tension
builders are generic enough to be used with any plot.
1. Whether a whispered message in the wind, a frantic messenger, or ill-fated letter, bad news arrives
from afar.
2. Two people who should be friends suddenly have a wedge thrust between them. Their personal
feelings may impair their judgment.
3. Someone who is normally decisive becomes skittish. What has them on edge?
4. The wrong person shows up at the wrong time.
5. A grave misfortune is foreshadowed. Will it come to pass?
6. An important item has gone missing.
7. An unintended consequence of a past actions comes back to haunt you.
8. An ally leaves the party suddenly.
9. The antagonist knows one of your weaknesses and attempts to exploit it.
10. An ability you have always relied upon is suddenly becoming unreliable.
11. You are offered a bribe to give up your quest. Who is paying for the bribe?
12. An ally betrays the cause.
13. An odd symbol begins to show up in many places. This can't be a coincidence.
14. An ally has been captured.
15. The weather turns nasty.
16. An authority figure that was once trusted is revealed to be corrupt.
17. An ally is cursed.
18. A dark secret makes its way to light.
19. You are faced with a choice between the lesser of two evils.
20. The antagonist receives intel on your next move. How did he receive the information?
21. An old foe who you thought was defeated returns to harass you.
22. You have found someone who probably has important information for your quest. The catch: the
language he speaks is completely unknown.
23. You and your allies have been implicated in a crime related to the quest.
24. An unexpected guardian is at your next objective, impeding your progress.
25. Someone has been impersonating you and giving you a bad reputation.
26. Innocent lives are now in danger because of your actions.
27. You find out that the next place you need to go is considered off limits by local custom. Going there
could cause friction.
28. A new ally appears, but they think they know best and want to take charge of your actions.
29. It's a trap, and the only way to escape is to work with your adversary!
30. You lose significant support for your cause.
31. Someone or something is late.
32. An ally suddenly becomes uncooperative.
33. Misinformation leads you to an unexpected outcome.
© 2017 Eric Bright. All rights reserved.