04/10/2025
“Good writers borrow, great writers steal.” — T.S. Eliot
Pre-written adventure modules are an incredible resource for busy Dungeon Masters. They offer structured plots, fleshed-out NPCs, and well-paced encounters, all wrapped in a tidy book or PDF. But let’s face it—no matter how good a published module is, it was written with someone else’s world in mind.
That’s where the magic of customization comes in.
Just like Eliot’s quote suggests, we’re not merely borrowing the ideas—we’re claiming them, reshaping them, and embedding them into our worlds so thoroughly that they feel like they were never anyone else’s to begin with.
Here’s how to do just that.
1. Start with the Skeleton, Not the Skin
Don’t feel bound by the module’s setting, names, or genre. Instead, identify the structure of the adventure:
- What’s the hook?
- What’s the main conflict?
- What are the big set-piece moments?
- Who are the antagonists and why do they matter?
Once you know the bones of the story, you can reskin it however you like. A haunted mansion in Ravenloft could become a cursed temple in your desert-themed homebrew. A mind flayer villain can become a rogue warlock NPC if that better fits your world’s lore.
2. Replace Proper Nouns Liberally
Swap out towns, gods, factions, and items to match your existing campaign world. If the module references a city that doesn’t exist in your world, change the name and cultural flavor to one that does. Align magic items and relics with the themes your players have already encountered.
This helps players stay immersed and makes the story feel like a natural part of your setting.
For my Shadows of the Sundered Throne Campaign, I am using the Arcane Library’s Cursed Scroll #1 as part of the world. I am in the process of going through the campaign and changing the names of the towns, citizens, groups, etc. to make it fit the ideas that I have for the campaign. I am using some names of people that I have stolen from Professor DM’s Caves of Carnage campaign.
3. Weave in Player Backstories
Published modules rarely account for your party’s unique character arcs—but you can! Identify NPCs or plot points in the module that can be rewritten to tie into a character’s past or goals.
- Maybe the missing noble is a PC’s estranged sibling.
- Perhaps the villain once worked with the party’s patron.
- A mysterious ruin might match the bard’s dreams from an earlier session.
This creates instant buy-in and gives your players personal stakes in the story.
4. Use the Encounter Templates, Not the Exact Numbers
Adventure modules often include balanced combat encounters, but that balance assumes a specific party level and composition. Feel free to tweak these to match your table.
- Replace monsters with ones your players haven’t fought yet. HINT: Never use the monster’s name in the encounter, just describe it to them. That way, the players have to guess what it is.
- Scale enemies up or down as needed. Think of using Minions and other creatures instead.
- Adjust dungeon layouts to fit your pacing and exploration preferences. If you only need five rooms from a huge dungeon, pare it down and create what you need.
Think of encounters as flexible blueprints, not unchangeable rules.
5. Change the Tone if Necessary
Not every module will naturally match your campaign’s tone. If your world leans gritty and serious, but the module has cartoonish villains and slapstick humor, adapt accordingly. Keep the plot beats but shift the tone.
Conversely, if your table loves chaos and laughs, lean into the absurd and exaggerate the elements that support that energy.
Superheroes can range from the Watchmen all the way to the Superfriends! The only difference is the tone.
6. Keep the Surprises Fresh
If your players are module-savvy or recognize the adventure, that’s not necessarily a problem—it’s an opportunity. Let’s see what we could do with a popular adventure like D&D 5E Curse of Strahd.
- Subvert expectations by changing key reveals or villain motivations. Strahd wants to find Ireena Kolyana because he needs to sacrifice her in a ritual to end his curse.
- Introduce new plot twists. Madam Eva sends the players to destroy Strahd so she can take over the realm instead.
- Alter the ending entirely. Instead of returning the players to the realms where they are from, when the mists clear, the players are dumped into a hellish plane where they need to find a way through (the next campaign?)
This lets you enjoy the efficiency of the module’s framework while keeping the mystery alive.
Final Thoughts
Published modules can serve as treasure troves of inspiration, but the best campaigns are the ones tailored to your group. Don’t be afraid to chop, twist, and rearrange as needed. Your players will never know the story was borrowed—and that’s exactly the point.
You’re not just running a module. You’re crafting an epic. Own it.
Keep on gaming!
tabletop-thoughts.com 