If you've played adventures for as long as I have, there are monsters that begin to get stale. There's nothing worse than turning to the first page of a brand new adventure and seeing the same old goons serving the same old villains. Another vampire with zombie henchmen; another guard with a guard dog; another swarm of rats in another basement. While some people find comfort in the tropes, there are just as many who want to freshen up the menagerie.

For this reason, the very first sidebar in every PossumPunks adventure is all about MONSTER CUSTOMIZATION. In this sidebar we break down the primary groups of antagonists featured in the adventure, then set about deconstructing them to their fundamental natures and motivations. What this provides, for the gamemaster, is a way to switch out the monster types for the story while remaining true to core concepts (and not causing any plotholes).

Does there have to be a vampire in the castle? Could it be a shapeshifting fiend? A disguised dragon? A sophisticated goblin? Each alternative could be just as suave as our familiar fanged friend. And do there have to be wolves in the woods? What purpose do they serve, and can that purpose be be fulfilled by a single troll or a swarm of pterodactyls?

These are the first questions I ask myself when writing an adventure, since I know the monsters I delight in might not necessarily spark joy for other gamesmasters.