I enjoy having problems arise in the setting that the PCs can deal with in the short term, yet those issues will arise again in the future. I started thinking about this phenomena recently when brainstorming a new adventure, so I’m trying to work out a variety of ways providing a recurring challenge has cropped up in play over the years.
The adventure at hand involves some ancient magical wards failing and a BBEG waking, rousing its minions, and those minions going forth and behaving badly. If the PCs decide to help the locals with this problem, they have to figure out where the minions are coming from, then infiltrate the site and see if they can figure out how to stop it from happening again. They’ll figure out that minions they’ve cut down are respawning and then have to figure out how to stop that from continuing. The BBEG can also be cut down and then will respawn, adding to the mess. The party will have to figure out that the way to prevent recurrence is to restore the wards that failed.
The thing is, I don’t want the plague of minions to be constant, so there has to be a reason for the BBEG to wake and rouse them for a bit and then go absent again for awhile. That took me down the rabbit hole of identifying many ways I’ve handled that, and others GMs have handled it when I played at their tables, and a bit of extrapolation based on that experience to identify other ways.
I’m expecting this adventure to be linked to astronomical events. Thus, I’ve been building a list of events that can certainly be reasonably tied to magical/supernatural events. What I’m offering here isn’t exhaustive, I expect, though every entry is something I’ve brainstormed multiple uses for to decide if it warrants inclusion (as the formal list will be part of a GM’s text).
The Moon
An obvious cycle to tie weird events to is one provided by the moon. Postulating that your setting has a moon generally similar to our own Luna, with noticeable cycles in the viewing, there are many ways to parse it out.
• A full moon for the triggering event. One can use a single day measure or a three-day measure of the full moon for short windows of activity. A longer window ranges from full moon to new moon.
• A new moon works just as well.
• A gibbous moon phase — the time between full moon and half moon — provides a shorter measure of time than full-to-new. A crescent moon phase — half moon to new — does the same.
• One can require that the solution to stopping the recurrence be tied to a moon phase, too. The full moon triggers the event and the measures needed to stop it (semi-)permanently need to happen during the following new moon, for example.
• If your setting includes multiple moons, then things can get wilder. Two moons have to be full or some such. Or all three moons have to align just so. Lots of possibilities here.
The Sun
The next obvious cycles to consider are those tied to the sun. Again, first considering settings that involve a single star similar to Sol. We have historical accounts of numerous cultures observing solar events for matters of importance, with calendar systems being largely tied to solar cycles.
• Soltices are major events and long used to regulate calendar years.
• Equinoxes have also been tied to calendars and religious/cultural celebrations.
• The so-called cross-quarters, halfway between solstice and equinox, have also been tied to celebrations and observances. All Hallows’ Eve — Halloween — is a prime example of this.
Seasons
The travels of the sun in relation to the horizon are tied to the seasons, given an Earth-like world setting. The seasonal changes can drive magical activity, where they don’t perfectly align with the solar cycle. Perhaps winter is measured from the first hard frost instead of the sun’s progress. Spring arrives with the blossoming of specific flowers instead of simply aligning with the sun.
The Stars
Another obvious historical connection is that of events matching up with the stars in the heavens, or stellar constellations as seen from Earth. One can create an entire astrological lineup for seasons, matching up with solar positioning at sunrise, or matching moonrise, or using some other type of recognition of the astrological cycle.
Mix & Match
Now, these are all perfectly good when used by themselves. There’s absolutely nothing stopping a GM from mixing these together, to make sorting out the requirements for a magical sealing ritual a bit more involved. One can posit that a BBEG will awaken during the first new moon after the winter solstice and can only be put to rest on the nights of a full moon thereafter, for example. Or will regenerate after being killed and rise again on the first new moon in each season.
Tying events in adventures to natural cycles in the setting helps deepen the sense of immersion for those who treasure that, and makes things a bit more predictable for even those who don’t worry about deep immersion. The setting comes to life a bit more, as the elements get tied together.
