Featured art for making a three-act one-shot in D&D is from Wizards of the Coast’s D&D 5e book Ghosts of Saltmarsh.
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Writing a satisfying D&D one-shot adventure can be hard.
If you’ve got too many good ideas, you might find that your “one-shots” inevitably become “two-shots.” If you’ve got creative players, you might struggle to prepare enough material to keep the session on a well-prepped path. If you’re just starting out, you might be unsure what a one-shot adventure should even look like in the first place—compared to a proper dungeon or campaign arc, where, exactly, should you start?
The Five-Room Dungeon is a popular framework for one-shot adventures, but its abstract naming structure (e.g., “Entrance with Guardian” or “Trick/Setback”) can make it difficult for DMs to fill in the blanks with playable content—or make it easy to create too much content for a single session.
Enter: the Three-Act Structure.
How It Works
Traditionally a storytelling tool in popular fiction and screenwriting, the Three-Act Structure marries dramatic questions (read more about them here) with dramatic consequences, creating the space for your players to tell a natural and dynamic tale—while keeping your prep to a minimum.
As the name suggests, the Three-Act Structure breaks down one-shots into three “acts”—a beginning, a middle, and an end. These acts can, in turn, be broken down roughly into an alternating pattern of dramatic questions—”Can the PCs use X to do Y before Z happens?”—and dramatic consequences or developments that change the story’s stakes and environment.
Notably, by relying on dramatic questions, the Three-Act Structure forces DMs to put the player characters first: their goals, capabilities, and motivations. Its linear framework makes it easy to prepare, but its player-driven narrative leaves the steering wheel in your players’ capable hands.
The Stages of the Three Act Structure
The Three-Act Structure generally comprises an alternating series of dramatic questions and dramatic consequences, with the PCs’ decisions building toward an inevitable dramatic climax.
For our purposes, we can break down a D&D-style Three-Act Structure as follows:
- ACT I (The Beginning)
- Dramatic Question #1 (The Fuel)
- Inciting Incident (The Spark)
- Dramatic Question #2 (The Takeoff)
- Break Into Second (The Threshold)
- ACT II (The Middle)
- Dramatic Question #3 (The Fun)
- Dramatic Question #4 (The Games)
- Disaster & Crisis (The Stakes)
- Break Into Third (The Decision)
- ACT III (The End)
- Dramatic Question #5 (The Finale)
- Reversal (The Twist)
- Dramatic Question #6 (The Climax)
- Resolution (The Ending)
Let’s take a closer look at each of these acts, and how all of these disparate pieces fit together. As we do so, we’ll use three session concepts as templates: a mystery one-shot; an action-adventure one-shot; and a horror one-shot.
Act I
Act I provides the backdrop for your adventure, setting the stage for the trials to come.
In general, Act I should move the PCs as quickly as possible toward Act II—the real “meat” of the adventure—while still taking time to establish the setting, stakes, and character motivations.
Overall, Act I should take no more than 20 percent of your total one-shot playtime—around 45 minutes of a 4-hour session, including 5-10 minutes for character introductions.
Dramatic Question #1 (The Fuel)
The adventure’s first dramatic question will fuel the PCs’ motivations throughout the course of the session. Unlike other dramatic questions, it’s more about providing context than demanding an immediate answer.
Consider the following examples:
- Mystery. Can the PCs find work in the city of Waterdeep before their private detective agency goes bankrupt?
- Action-Adventure. Can the PCs earn the coin they need to fund their lifestyle as traveling sellswords before their purses wind up empty?
- Horror. Can the PCs, a group of Survivors (see Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft), get home safe before nightfall?
Inciting Incident (The Spark)
The inciting incident is the spark that lights the fuel, propelling the PCs forward into the story. Most often, this takes the form of an external event caused by an antagonist or hostile force that complicates—or enhances—the PCs’ ability to answer the first dramatic question.
Consider the following examples:
- Mystery. A woman collapses outside the PCs’ door while clutching an expensive gemstone and a piece of paper depicting a sketch of a hidden smugglers’ den; before dying, she whispers the name of a particular inn.
- Action-Adventure. A man runs into the tavern where the PCs are currently staying, shouting that goblins have stolen his child.
- Horror. A heavy fog descends over the street, and the PCs find a corpse nailed to a post—and a monstrous shadow slowly approaching through the mist.
Dramatic Question #2 (The Takeoff)
When a DM applies the opportunities or complications of the inciting incident to the adventure’s first dramatic question and adds in clear stakes, they inevitably create a second dramatic question: the Takeoff. Here, the PCs must decide how they will respond to the inciting incident—and how they might avoid the consequences of failure.
Consider the following examples:
- Mystery. Can the PCs investigate the corpse and locate the whispered inn before the City Guard takes the corpse into custody and assumes control of the case?
- Action-Adventure. Can the PCs follow the tracks and navigate to the goblins’ lair before the goblins sacrifice their captive in a ritual to Maglubiyet?
- Horror. Can the PCs complete a skill challenge to evade a pack of ravenous undead hounds and crack the cryptic lock to a fortified cellar—before the killer catches up with them?
Always remember, however, the cardinal rule of all dramatic questions: The players must always know the specific goal they are expected to accomplish, have a clear and unambiguous reason to accomplish that goal, and know the clear stakes for failure. Whether through NPC dialogue, hints and clues, or simple environmental storytelling, it is always your duty as the DM to ensure that this knowledge is conveyed.
Break Into Second (“The Threshold”)
The final beat of Act I—the Break Into Second—is the moment when your players officially pass through the threshold from their status-quo existence (i.e., where they were at the beginning of the adventure) into their new adventure existence (i.e., the realities they will have to face for the duration of the one-shot).
Usually, this is represented by the players entering into an unfamiliar and antagonistic environment, such as a dungeon. The players don’t know it yet, but this environment is generally populated by a host of hostile enemies and hazards—the subjects of Act II.
Consider the following examples when delineating Act I from Act II:
- Mystery. The PCs enter “The Dragon’s Smoke,” a seedy, run-down tavern full of gamblers and outlaws.
- Action-Adventure. The PCs find the goblins’ lair and observe a pair of goblin guards patrolling the outside.
- Horror. The PCs find themselves in the basement of an abandoned slaughterhouse—and from the sound of distant footsteps, they’re not alone.
Act II (The Middle)
Act II is the meat-and-potatoes of an adventure—the place where the central story of the session unfolds. If one-shots were movies, Act II would be full of trailer-quality action shots and one-liners. This is where your session fulfills its promises and meets your players’ expectations for gameplay and narrative.
Act II is divided into two parallel dramatic questions—”The Fun” (the A-plot) and “The Games” (the B-plot). Together, these two narrative threads combine to create a memorable, flexible experience that forces your players to prioritize competing challenges to reach their ultimate goal.
Overall, Act II should take approximately 55 percent of your total one-shot playtime—around two-and-a-quarter hours of a 4-hour session.
Dramatic Question #3 (The Fun)
The logistical realities of the “Break Into Second” transforms Dramatic Question #2 (The Takeoff) into Dramatic Question #3 (The Fun). Here, the players attempt to answer the core question of the session. Who is the secret werewolf? What is the dragon guarding? How can we infiltrate the lord’s manor?
Here, the relatively linear experience of Act I opens up into a much more flexible sandbox. How they answer this dramatic question is up to them—but no matter how they answer it, all roads lead to the Disaster & Crisis, and, ultimately, the Break Into Third.
Consider the following examples:
- Mystery. Can the PCs infiltrate the secret smugglers’ den beneath the Dragon’s Smoke Tavern before they’re exposed and attacked as spies?
- Action-Adventure. Can the PCs storm the goblins’ hideout without allowing the sentries to raise the alarm?
- Horror. Can the PCs sneak past the undead dogs roaming the slaughterhouse and escape through the exit before the monstrous Butcher hunts them down?
Dramatic Question #4 (The Games)
The fourth dramatic question—which runs concurrently with the third—introduces a new obstacle that complicates the PCs’ efforts to answer Dramatic Question #3. Notably, this is an independent obstacle—a random hazard, a third-party intervention, or some other complicating factor that forces the players to multitask, prioritize, and adapt.
Consider the following examples:
- Mystery. As the PCs investigate the tavern, they’re attacked by a masked figure who claims to be able to sense the strange gemstone that they’re carrying. Can they defend themselves from the figure’s assault and avoid alerting the tavern-goers to their true purpose?
- Action-Adventure. As the PCs fight their way through the goblins’ hideout, they come across a trio of goblins fighting a grick—a monstrosity aroused by the goblins’ efforts to delve into the depths below. Can the PCs defend themselves from the grick and its hidden mate?
- Horror. As the PCs make their way through the slaughterhouse, they come across a wounded elf hiding amidst the carcasses. Will they trust the elf’s pleas for aid—and can they conceal his wounds from the hounds’ sharp sense of smell?
Disaster & Crisis (The Stakes)
As the PCs approach the end of Act II, the Disaster & Crisis creates a make-it-or-break-it opportunity, highlighting the true stakes of their ultimate encounter.
Consider the following examples:
- Mystery. When the PCs descend to the tavern’s basement, they find that the “smugglers” are secretly a cult—and that their “goods” are cages full of prisoners, ready for sacrifice!
- Action-Adventure. As the PCs approach the end of the dungeon corridors, they hear a child’s screams for help and the sound of distant chanting—the ritual is almost complete!
- Horror. As the PCs step free from the slaughterhouse, they find that freedom lies on the other side of a room full of strange machinery, with a monstrous beating heart hovering at its center.
Break Into Third (The Decision)
At the conclusion of Act II, the PCs have an opportunity to choose how they enter the final set piece of the adventure.
Consider the following examples:
- Mystery. The PCs question the prisoners and attempt to free them.
- Action-Adventure. The PCs draw their weapons and rush ahead, shouting a call to arms!
- Horror. Most of the PCs make a break for the door—while one pauses to investigate the floating heart.
Act III (The End)
Act III brings the disparate pieces of the adventure together, providing an engaging dramatic set piece, an opportunity for the PCs to shine, and a satisfying conclusion to the session.
Overall, Act III should take approximately 25 percent of your total one-shot playtime—around 60 minutes of a 4-hour session.
Dramatic Question #5 (The Finale)
The PCs’ decision in the Break Into Third, combined with the context presented by the Disaster & Crisis, naturally establish a presumptive final dramatic question. We know the location. We know the obstacles. We know the stakes. The only issue remaining: Can the players pull it off?
Consider the following examples:
- Mystery. When a cultist patrol approaches to retrieve their sacrificial victims, can the PCs rescue or defend the prisoners before the cult takes its pound of flesh?
- Action-Adventure. When the PCs find the goblins preparing a fell ritual, can they stop the goblin shaman and her brutish bugbear enforcer from slaying their helpless prisoner before the desecration spell is complete?
- Horror. When the monstrous heart reveals its writhing tentacles, and mounds of pulsating flesh block the exit, can the PCs survive and defeat it before it’s too late?
Reversal (The Twist)
The PCs think they know what they’re up against—but in the last moment, just as the PCs appear poised to successfully answer the fifth dramatic question, the tables turn, escalating the situation and placing the party on the back foot. The Reversal—or Twist—is a new development: a foreshadowed revelation that raises or changes the stakes.
Consider the following examples:
- Mystery. One of the rescued prisoners reveals himself to be a demon in disguise—and magically seizes the enchanted gemstone in the PCs’ possession.
- Action-Adventure. As the desecration ritual falters and either the shaman or bugbear is defeated, the other goblin seizes the child as a hostage and demands safe passage to escape.
- Horror. As the heart peels open to reveal its maw, its vulnerable interior is revealed—a cacophonous gallery of the flayed heads and torsos of the victims who became the slaughterhouse’s “meat” when alive.
Dramatic Question #6 (The Climax)
As the final dramatic question arises, all of the cards—both the players’ and the DM’s—are on the table. The pieces are all in position. Can the PCs stick the landing?
Consider the following examples:
- Mystery. Can the PCs defeat the demon before he uses the gemstone to drain the prisoners’ life force?
- Action-Adventure. Can the PCs safely free the child from the goblinoid’s clutches and return her to her family?
- Horror. Can the PCs slay or pacify the monstrous heart before the wails of the damned souls overwhelm them?
Resolution (The Ending)
With the final threat conquered or the final obstacle overcome, we arrive at the ending—the place where loose ends are tied up and the tension finally falls. Importantly, the Resolution should answer the session’s first dramatic question, bringing everything full circle. Don’t feel a need to spend too much time here, but do linger just long enough to congratulate your players on their accomplishments and provide a sense of satisfaction.
Consider the following examples:
- Mystery. The PCs free the prisoners and exit the tavern just as the authorities arrive to arrest the surviving cultists and award the party a bounty for finding the missing persons.
- Action-Adventure. The PCs reunite the child with her parents, safe and sound, and are showered by the townsfolk with gold, drink, and praise.
- Horror. The PCs watch as the slaughterhouse burns into ashes, the mists slowly receding until an empty lot is all that remains.
In Conclusion
Outlining a D&D adventure can be challenging, and planning a one-shot can be even more so. However, by following and tweaking this three-act structure, you can easily create a satisfying, memorable adventure for all of your players to enjoy. Just remember:
- Never create a dramatic question without also providing your players with a clear place, reason, and means to answer it.
- Always make sure that you use each “dramatic consequence” to clearly and vividly introduce any new narrative elements that you’ll need in order to pose your next dramatic question.
- Never make assumptions about how your players will act or react; instead, do your best to get inside your players’ heads, and use powerful incentives and natural “breadcrumb trails” to gently guide them along a critical path.
Happy gaming!
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About the Author: DragnaCarta is a guest writer for FlutesLoot.com and a veteran DM with 12+ years of experience. He is the author of the popular “Curse of Strahd: Reloaded” campaign guide and the Dungeon Master and director for the Curse of Strahd livestream “Twice Bitten.” You can get his personal RPG mentoring plus early access to projects by joining his Patreon.
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