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Lazy Dungeon Master Adventure Prep Template

by Mike on 1 July 2019

One of the nice things about the eight steps for preparing a session of D&D from Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master is that it works with just about any tool you already like to use. If you're a pen-and-paper DM, you can just write it down. If use Microsoft OneNote, as many DMs do, you can build templates in OneNote for each session using the eight steps.

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I've recently been writing my session notes in text files as part of my Lazy DM Prep videos. I write them in Markdown so I can render them nicely on my phone. I actually wrote Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master using Markdown. It's a wonderful system-agnostic format that allows for a lot of rich markup without leaving behind the simplicity and cross-compatible nature of plain text.

Below you can find a text-based Markdown template for the eight step process from Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master. For a more specific description of each of these steps, see the free sample from Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master, watch the Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master videos, or [buy the book] and learn all about it.

To use this template, select it and copy it into a new blank text file. Save it as "adventure_template.txt" in the directory where you keep your adventure notes for a particular campaign. Each time you get ready to write up new adventure notes, make a new copy of this template with a new filename. You can also update the template with regularly appearing notes such as reoccuring NPCs and your character notes which tend to be the same from session to session. Resist the urge to copy over previous secrets and other information. That stuff is better thrown away and rewritten between sessions.

## Characters

**Name.** Description.

**Name.** Description.

**Name.** Description.

**Name.** Description.

## Strong Start

Description of your strong start.

## Scenes

* Small scene description.
*
*
*
*

## Secrets and Clues

* Secret description
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

## Fantastic Locations

**Location**: aspect, aspect, aspect

**Location**: aspect, aspect, aspect

**Location**: aspect, aspect, aspect

**Location**: aspect, aspect, aspect

## Important NPCs

**Name.** Description

**Name.** Description

**Name.** Description

**Name.** Description

## Potential Monsters

* Name
*
*
*
## Potential Treasure

* Description
*
*
*

Here's an example of the template in action, this time formatted into HTML from the original Markdown version. These notes were for my first Shadow of the Demon Lord adventure but it can work just as well for D&D of course.

Characters

Leaky. (Bryan) Goblin magician Witch. Medicine. Proprieter of Leaky's Potion Shop. Between the sections of town. Likes spoons. Connection to the Fey. Leakys potion shop.

Smile Steel. (Sharon) Clockwork Priest Oracle. Teamster. Doctor. Follower of Astrid and the Church of the New God.

Pthank the Pleasant. (Mike) Orc Magician Spellbinder. Torturer and Wilderness Guide.

Myab Shalin. (Michelle) Changling Rogue. Burgler. Engineer. Summer Court Fey connection.

Bobwise. (Gregg) Orc warrior fighter. Working in the guard. Politics and Arms Trader. Merchant polition.

Doogan. (Jorge). Dwarf Rogue. Charlatin and common teamster. Forger.

Strong Start

As the characters all cross by the well in the center of Grievings, the lowest district in Crossings, they come across a torn woman eating a man's body.

Scenes

The characters witness the devouring of Bront Muddy Knees, a down-and-out soldier.
They meet Sergeant Alyse
They see a hired killer (Asys Brightfang) watching the Moore house.
They go into the well or into the Moore house
They find Father Gregory in the Black Vault

Secrets and Clues

Father Gregory has gone missing. Word was sent to the church of the New God to let them know. They are sending someone.
Members of the Rude Boys have been watching the Moore House.
A week or so past, cloaked and hooded figures emerged from the Moore House.
The well in the center of Grievings used to produce fresh water but the water has gotten tained since the coming of the red star.
Shady characters have been lurking about in the ruined buildings.
Rumors say that the Black Hand of Azul, also called the City of Death, have come to Crossings.
The inquisition of the New God have begun to arrive from Seven Spires, their holy city. Some think they will purge villainy from Crossings. Other think they will raize it to the ground.
The mages from the Occlusion are always quiet but always watching. They have agents everywhere.
Caden Fen, a seller of oddities, has spoken about wanting to join the mages of the Occlusion. He believes they have learend how to live forever.
Someone saw four cloaked and hooded figures sock Father Gregory in the face and drag him into the Moore house about a week ago.

Fantastic Locations

The Moore House: collapsed roof, obscene and troubling graffiti, litter of drug abuse

The Well: deep shaft in the ground, few trust the water within, bodies of the dead

The Tunnels: Natural endless caverns deep under the city, deep shafts leading down into nothingness, elven carvings and statues crying black blood

The Black Vault: Buried deep in the earth, maybe a thousand years old, covered with signs of the coming apocalypse, sacrificial altar upon which Father Gregory is being dissected while still alive

The Occlusion: Twisted tower of impossible angles, blots out the sun, surrounded by terrain of wreckage

The Faerie Spires: slender towers of white stone, impervious to damage, hum with secret calling to the fey

Important NPCs

Salas Wisewatcher. Spy of the Black Hand. Keeping an eye on things in the Crossings and in Grievings.

Father Gregory. Follower of the new god. Worried about the portents and has sent word to the City of God.

Caden Fen. Young and eager seller of oddities. Has a spellbook he got from a murdered hedge mage and wants to be a member of the Black Sun

Sergeant Alyce Ironhand. Member of the Brown Cloaks who has been investigating disappearances. She grew up in Grievings and wants to help people there. She's beginning to realize the council doesn't give a shit.

Monsters

Corpse Flower
Zombie
Cultist
Hired Killer
Rats
Organ filch

Treasure

Glimmer, an ancient elven dagger. You can use a triggered action when a creature gets a failure on an attack roll with a melee weapon to teleport to an open space within 1 yard of the triggering creature. You step through the Fey to reach your target.

100 copper pieces

I don't expect many people will directly use this template but hopefully it gives you a practical look what the eight steps from Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master actually look like in use. Like all of the advice on this site, customize it and use it as it best helps you in your own game.