The heroic fantasy adventures of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign typically follow a predictable pattern, but DMs can make a game memorable by subverting expectations with exciting plot twists, though they must take care to avoid damaging player agency and investment. Veteran DMs know that handling twists in a tabletop RPG can be a complex matter. When they work as intended, a twist can become a campaign moment the group re for years. A poorly thought-out twist could derail the campaign, causing the players to become frustrated and uninterested. The collaborative storytelling of DnD can have the same thrills as an unpredictable novel, but it requires a unique approach.
Inexperienced DMs may imagine a big reveal taking place at a specific point in the story, only to have players discover it much earlier than anticipated. Many of the most unusual Dungeons & Dragons adventure modules already allow for strange subject matter, and DMs who create custom campaigns can look to these for inspiration. Players seeking out the answers early should be seen as a good thing, as it shows investment in the game and an interest in the story. If the heroes learn the information organically through resources like a Scrying spell or other means, the reveal can feel earned, and more meaningful.
A DM Can Sow Paranoia & Cause D&D Characters To Question Their Personal Identities
Twists that change the nature of player characters can be truly memorable, but the DM needs to remain respectful of the players themselves. A fairly familiar premise is that one or more PCs might be a Doppelgänger, which can be entertaining for a player to portray, but off-putting if it eliminates a character they were fond of. The DM can discuss with the player at what point the Doppelgänger replaced the original. Some DMs use a rival DnD party to motivate players, but those rivals can come from within if heroes have been replaced by copycats. The player should decide what events, if any, the original was present for.
This puts the player in charge of how they want to role-play the character going forward, after the Doppelgänger has been revealed. Other twists could have the entire party being ersatz heroes. The group could be Simulacra created based on an actual adventuring party, and through magic gone awry the copies became autonomous, capable of growth, learning, and Hit Point and Spell Slot recovery, unlike typical Simulacra. Meeting their originals could be a shock, and the DM can portray them as antagonists, trying to usurp the player characters’ free will, or mentors, helping them reach their full potential as heroes.
Larger scale twists that redefine the nature of the game world should also be approached with caution. Surprising the players with a world-shaking DnD zombie apocalypse campaign can be exciting. If Session Zero hinted at traditional adventuring with established cities and towns, it could backfire, however, particularly for players who planned socially oriented characters with ties to the setting’s organizations. Any twist that would be unsatisfying in a book or film is likely to fall just as flat in a tabletop RPG, making tropes like “it was all a dream” a poor approach. Leveraging canon DnD spells, however, could make a surreal sequence memorable.
Dream Sequences & Simulations Can Be Used In DnD, But Avoid Tropes
If an entire campaign is simply a dream, it loses all stakes and player investment. A DM could instead make a single bizarre session the result of a Dream spell cast by a high-level Bard, thereby introducing a new antagonist to the game. The Modify Memory spell could also create paranoia, as the players become unreliable narrators for their own history. A Matrix-style simulation premise is also possible in DnD, though it is not usually a tabletop RPG that carries the Matrix vibe. Instead of a computer-generated world, the players could be immersed in a psychic illusion created by an Illithid Elder Brain.
Starting a campaign with an insurmountable threat that causes a total party wipe, only to reveal the experience was a simulation created by an Elder Brain, could provide an engaging first session. The scenario could have been created to prepare heroes for a real threat that is approaching the campaign world, one which causes even sinister entities such as Mind Flayers to band together for survival. Big reveals that call the nature of personal identity, or the world, into question, can be impactful, but twists regarding specific NPCs are more commonly seen in DnD, so DMs may want to steer clear of those.
The premise of a seemingly above-board patron secretly disguising some evil intent is predictable fantasy genre fodder. Stranger twists that evoke authors like Phillip K. Dick in DnD are more likely to genuinely surprise players. A DM can still leverage NPCs for unpredictable storytelling, but they should avoid rote betrayals that simply compel players to roll Insight checks in every interaction. Having a powerful, altruistic priest who is secretly an evil Cleric of a Death God will surprise few players. If that priest has been wearing a cursed Helmet of Opposite alignment for many years, and their former lackeys seek to remove it, that provides a more quality twist.
Tips For Improving DnD Campaigns With Plot Twists
Session Zero remains vital, even for campaigns with surprises in store. If the status quo is going to be shattered early in the campaign, the DM should properly focus character generation on what matters. An apocalyptic game where civilization is going to be destroyed may still require character backstories and NPC relationships. The DM should have the players think about how their character would respond to losing familiar places and people, not creating an extensive list of organizational ties and family that will cease to exist a few sessions in. This may foreshadow the nature of the twist, but it also prepares players to roleplay appropriately.
With DnD in particular, the heroic fantasy adventure theme must always be considered, even in a highly unconventional game. Unlike Call of Cthulhu, and other dark horror games, DnD heroes ultimately overcome evil, and a campaign ending in tragedy via a TPK is not a desirable outcome. Whether a twist involves the player characters’ identities changing, or the truth of the world around them being revealed, the players should have a way to confront the source of corruption and defeat it, in the end. A Dungeons & Dragons campaign can have many unexpected twists and turns, but the story should always include challenges heroes can overcome, instead of bleak nihilism.
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