How to Plot ACT 2 of Your D&D Campaign | Game Master Tips and Tricks

How do you plot the MEAT of your story? Act 2 is important for pacing, tension and worldbuilding so today I'm talking all about how to plot out the bones of the second act of your story.
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[@laybunzz]

It can't be easy to look at the world and think "You know what I should do? Become another D&D KZbinr!" But gosh, you're genuinely adding a unique, valuable voice with great content. Keep going!

[@TheFantasyForge]

Dang you have no idea how much I needed to hear that. Thank you. Sincerely

[@helixxharpell]

​@@TheFantasyForge i agree with him!

[@juliusjokela5025]

I gotta say, this is by far the best series I've ever seen about campaign crafting in my nearly two decades of ttrpg's both as player and a game master. Amazing service to the entire hobby. Thank you. ❤

[@harikari9115]

This series was everything I needed when I started DMing years ago. All advice is helpful, but how to structurally craft a story always seemed to be missing from all the "how to dm" videos. Fantastic job, can't wait for the next part.

[@TheFantasyForge]

aw shucks glad it helped! :D

[@20hermanator10]

Awesome job man, can’t wait for your video on describing Act 3. Maybe after it’s all done I’d like to see a full three act explanation video.

[@TheFantasyForge]

that one's coming up next! I'll see what I can do for a full 3 act one too!

[@unlockingkarma5682]

This is actually something that I’ve been struggling with for a while when it comes to my personal campaign. I’ve done great on world building, but never knew how to properly string together a story, get my players engaged, or even make it seem natural and not forced. This video has helped a ton, keep up the great work!

[@TheFantasyForge]

aw yay :D Thank you for the love and happy to help. Let me know if there are any other questions that come to mind, would love to make more videos for you

[@gorgit]

This is exactly what I was searching for since over a year of watching different ttrpg youtubers! Im a new dm thats currently planning a 4 player "dragon of icespirepeak" campaign, but at the same time Im creating an entire world where I hope to run multiple campaigns. I have so many ideas, but since Im relatively new I still need advice and guidance. This series is the most helpful, insightful and interesting that I have ever seen on writing a campaign. I sincerely want to thank you for what your doing. It must not be easy to try becomming a dnd youtuber with all the other youtube titans that have made 400+ videos already, but Im so glad you did. Hope theres more to come! Subscribed

[@TheFantasyForge]

aw shucks thank you for the kind words. Glad it helped :D

[@wholesome_toad4541]

Thank you so much for making this series, it has seriously helped me be able to plot the campaign for the world I’ve been building for the past like 9 months lol. As someone who normally really struggles with creating a coherent story line/story progression this has helped me so much! Please continue this series I am begging you!

[@TheFantasyForge]

Will do! Thanks for the love :D

[@tsc6912]

Dang I literally just finished act 1! I can’t l wait to use these for my players and for act 3!

[@TheFantasyForge]

Woo! Would love to hear how that went

[@Zaboomafu]

Heya! I found your channel the other day and really dig your videos. I bought your book the other day, and it comes in tomorrow, super excited! Keep making great videos!

[@TheFantasyForge]

Awww that made my night! Thank you for that, send me an email if you see any areas for improvement! I'd love to create a "second edition" haha.

[@noahrice3362]

15:57 Okay, wow, I actually am kinda invested in this story just hearing the clip notes. I suppose that's how you know you're hitting gold though. I can't help but think back to an old concept with the goddess of illusion that I came up with, having the entire adventure being a dream or simulation, and seeing what the players do with their duality or the fact that nothing is real and they're being used as test subjects or something like that. Loving the more lively animation by the way, really makes you look ten times cooler.

[@TheFantasyForge]

Oooo did they know they were in a second life? Like the Matrix? Love that

[@Ardorstorm]

That sounds awesome!

[@jerseyboyce1]

i just started act 2 with huge revelations and clues to who the bbeg is (they have no clue) i am a student of campbells's so i think were going to end up having a very similar structure to our acts/games. that said i do try to rid e thr line where i have an outline but im also trying to let my players have agency in the storytelling. all the way down to the bbeg too, which will be either one group or a specific entity depending on their choices.

[@TheFantasyForge]

Campbell's stuff is really dense lol, I barely scratched the surface so I'm sure you'll do a lot better. I agree tho, player agency over everything. The story is for us as DM's haha

[@juliankalugin2073]

Love these kind of videos, just talking and helping my mind race with ideas

[@TheFantasyForge]

Glad it helped!

[@spinesauce2687]

15:57 Hi Tobias! Also I love the new animated flame head! keep up the incredible work!

[@TheFantasyForge]

Aw shucks thank you! It's been a thing we've been working on, glad you said something cuz I wasn't sure if I liked it or not haha

[@elilabat-angstadt3882]

Hello little Tobias! 15:58.

[@blackandwhite9793]

15:57 Whos just the cutest displacer beast, you are, you are!

[@Jonahfishfighter]

This series has been great, extremely helpful for me as I work on some planning for my upcoming campaign!

[@TheFantasyForge]

Glad it's helped!

[@PotatoForce42]

You are fantastic. I've been waiting for videos about this style of DMing

[@TheFantasyForge]

aw appreciate the love :D

[@coomtheslayer]

This is the kind of structure i needed to organize my messy campaigns. I always had great ideas but hooking my players and naturally progressing to the point i want make things messy so this is incredible!

[@TheFantasyForge]

Just remember to be willing to adapt as the players make decisions!

[@coomtheslayer]

@@TheFantasyForge of course! My story only railroads so far as the bad guys plans, they can use whatever solution and consequences therein they want

[@mindaugasparciauskas9573]

This is so valuable I'm even taking notes as I watch. Great video

[@TheFantasyForge]

Haha thanks for the love! Glad it helps :D

[@cteal2018]

I like this. I can make a nice sandbox to play in, but sometimes i feel like my storytelling skills needs work. You are offering a blueprint I can use for big and small quest.

[@TheFantasyForge]

Hope it helps! At the very least its good for organizing basic plot points :D

[@mikrogamerhd]

It's really interesting to listen to these videos. I have just started taking story telling classes and it's nice to recognize things like the model from Campbell

[@TheFantasyForge]

It's all stuff I took from my classes too :D Super interesting and fun to bring into my DND world

[@sillybilly100XD]

15:57 what's that little kitty doing the corner of the screen!!!

[@Detrivance]

15:58 I don't remember there being a displacer kitten in the Atlantis movie!

[@TheFantasyForge]

are you SURE? 🤨

[@TheNpatry]

Man I gotta say you are my new favorite creator. This has completely changed how I plot out a whole campaign. From your last video I can already see my players way more engaged and actually roleplaying now!

[@TheFantasyForge]

aw shucks I'm sure that has more to do with your own confidence in having a direction than anything I plotted out, but I appreciate the love :D

[@TheNpatry]

@@TheFantasyForge 😂 maybe but the simple direction and the way you break down where things go is so simple it definitely makes an overarching story much more manageable instead of every session being like a 1 shot. Keep it up! loving the content!

[@TheFantasyForge]

​@@TheNpatry glad I could help 🥺

[@p0kevet13]

Ngl, this series is a godsend for my scatter brain! Now to figure out how many sections per act a long campaign will need.

[@TheFantasyForge]

From one scatterbrain to another, I get it haha. Glad it helped!

[@Ardorstorm]

I'd say just wing it based on the narrative. You want to think in scenes or plot points, emotional beats and key exposition moments, that will populate your acts naturally with beats that could last anywhere from one session to several! Then, from there, you can cut or extend sessions/sections as needed based on how your players are feeling about it

[@20hermanator10]

Tobias is such a little cutie 15:57 I wonder what he's looking for in Atlantis?

[@TheFantasyForge]

He's Milo's emotional support animal!

[@harveyspectre3512]

This series is blowing my mind. Maybe I should have paid attention in English class after all

[@TheFantasyForge]

LOL thanks for the love haha

[@brooksharris5594]

Great stuff, can't wait for the next one!

[@Lao7583]

16:00. Cute cat… Thanks for this. It helps a lot. Hope you do high level explanations. They are hard to do unless you do waves or evil guy can take down 1 character on their turn

[@TheFantasyForge]

Yeah I can give it a shot! High levels suck, been there.

[@soappp8092]

Thank you so much the act one video you made has seriously made the writing thanks

[@desertdweller9003]

This is such great timing for me, I'm only a couple sessions away from my party reaching act 2. This is helping me so much!

[@TheFantasyForge]

Super glad I could help :D

[@MrMasquime]

LETS GO

[@ArticleNoun]

Great series. Thank you

[@TheFantasyForge]

Thanks for the love :D

[@paranormallettuce7227]

THIS is the kind of concrete advice I needed to create a campaign with a story that isn’t a rambley mess

[@TheFantasyForge]

Lol been there, having a direction helps a lot but trust me, even with all the planning, the players will always do random shit

[@eyeof3ndr364]

15:57 found the little bugger! i know displacer beasts are wild animals, but finding one in Baldur's Gate 3 made me stop and admire its beauty. My dumb white girl self really said "KITTY!" These videos have been super helpful, I'm trying to write a campaign and these are super great for giving me an idea of how the main plot should go. And hey, I'd even play the campaign you're using as an example, I wanna know what this artifact was supposed to be holding back! :D

[@TheFantasyForge]

I freaked out when I saw the Displacer Beast too! Lol. I also think you can get it as a pet or something but I failed at that

[@MadAdamStudio]

Another smash hit! Looking forward to Act 3.

[@likewhoaism]

I actually do the step at the end of Act 2 by the end of the First Act to get the players really gunning for the conclusion. I spend most of Act 2 fleshing out the world and impact of events to keep the party in the headspace of how this is affecting the story at large. I believe that it works better for my group only because my players usually don’t flesh out there characters immediately at the beginning but by Act 2 they encounter allies and such that help expand their characters in ways that are impactful and can more easily Segway into the maritime by doing flashback segments during traveling from the disaster. Love the videos btw! I’m glad I’m not the only one who does 3 Act structures across my games 😂

[@timetrnr7380]

I've recently been considering getting back into DMing. It's been nearly a year since I last DMed a game, which fell apart when the players all had to move for various reasons. I still look back on it fondly, but I also realize a lot of mistakes that I made in telling that story, and have been making for my seven years as a DM. Recently, I started watching a number of D&D KZbinrs, such as Archlich, PointyHat, and now yourself. I always prefer to make my own worlds (considering that I'm working on my second novel world draft, I should be) but always feel like I need to put so much into it before I start looking for players. Now, my mindset is more along the lines of "make a small town, a big city, and a natural landmark, one big historical event that has to do with politics, one having to do with magic, and a couple of themed BBEG-level threats (undead, psions, vampires, etc.,) and then let your players and the backstories they want to make influence the rest of your worldbuilding from there. I'm looking forward to implementing your tips in my DMing! Can't wait for Part 3!

[@TheFantasyForge]

I felt this. I remember my first campaign and all the things I didn't know yet lol. If the worldbuilding is important to you, all that matters is that you try to get a little bit better. I'm still learning too so I'm right there with ya

[@lettandrhink]

This is such a wonderful series

[@TheFantasyForge]

aw shucks :D Thanks for the love

[@EksaStelmere]

Gonna be real, I'm not at all afraid of unloading a high-level threat way out of the party's league, but I generally run a four- or five-part structure to my campaigns. Act II for me is very much for me to either destroy all hope or else remind the party I don't necessarily plan on creating a linear set of enemies. If I dump a Balhannoth in their path and force them to take a new route? That's pretty much how Act II should go. If they somehow take out the Balhannoth or else get what they need without dying? That works too, because it gives me an excuse to let them ride high until I drop another "lol nope" near the end of Act III. Can't say much more than that though since we're hero's journey here and not whatever convoluted Syd Field rework I use.

[@TheFantasyForge]

Yes! Same. I tell my players, this is like a MMORPG, you CAN walk into areas you aren't ready for. Sometimes running is the way lol.

[@EksaStelmere]

@@TheFantasyForge Some players really are madlads. The audacity of calling my (not really) bluff and risking a TPK.

[@TheFantasyForge]

​@@EksaStelmere LOL yeah. The best part is when you tell them "I dunno, I'm nervous about today's session" and then they absolutely steamroll the bad guys.

[@williamperry1433]

Any chance at all we can get a link, or document, or anything else to likenpront off the bullet points of each act? This is amazing information. I can't wait for act 3

[@CyberMartian890]

This is so gooood? J seen a bit of your channel but its fantastic love these act videos

[@TheFantasyForge]

Aw thank you! Appreciate the love :D

[@barneyatkinson-saul9881]

I’ll smash out a campaign based on your guides. Thanks.

[@TheFantasyForge]

Just make sure it stays true to YOUR story, not just my breakdown :D Glad it helped!

[@Ardorstorm]

This video was sooooo super helpful for me! I'm not running a DnD campaign, but rather a sci-fi rp, but since it's still meant to be a thriller plotline, the advice translated perfectly and helped me outline all the way to the end of act 2 for my rp campaign! I'm super excited to see it through as long as nothing goes completely awry, tysm! Even if it does go south, the show must go on!

[@TheFantasyForge]

Happy to help! Would love to hear about your world. The show must go on!

[@Ardorstorm]

@TheFantasyForge I could ramble all night about it, but my replies keep disappearing! Do you have a discord or something?

[@Ardorstorm]

@@TheFantasyForge If you want a sneak peek, my act 2 is all about performance and charades! I have a duality between "the carrot and the stick" with one group of npcs guiding the player characters and one group trying to deter them from chasing a lead about the act's antagonist. In reality, both groups are actually working for the same antagonist, co-operating with each other right under the PCs' noses to misdirect them and wear them down!

[@minip1geon]

15:57 theres the little goober also, idk if this is a coincidence but the plot youve been describing in these two videos are almost the exact same as the campaign im running rn lol

[@TheFantasyForge]

...I'm always watching...

[@jeohranalfhir8366]

Commenting for the algorithm!

[@TheFantasyForge]

You get inspiration for this. I hope it comes in handy

[@adamkotucha6805]

Well, this whole „heroes stuff” - „we must act” „OMG our artifact is there, we need to take it back and finish the story” - in my experience that almost never happens. 90% of players, even in specifically heroic trpgs, would ask then: „what we will have from this?” That’s the main problem, the Frodo’a destiny assumption normally doesn’t work. We could engage PCs personally using again their backstories (as you described in Act I) but I would rather advice to not downtime then. Don’t pass artefact to the Weaver, just immediately make a boss attack on the library.

[@TheFantasyForge]

I think it depends on the group. If you as a DM have talked to them and said "hey you guys are the heroes in this" then there's no reason for them to go along with it. Every group I've ever DMd has been on the same page and it made for some epic stories. Obviously there will be times where they deviate, or they get selfish, but that's all part of the prep. You can still get them from point A to point B if you have a plan. If you can't get them to their destiny, you bring the destiny to THEM ;) Thanks for the comment!

[@an_impatientGM]

A comment to appease the algorithm

[@TheFantasyForge]

You get inspiration! If you have a bad moment tomorrow at any point in your day, just reroll.

[@an_impatientGM]

@@TheFantasyForge you've got a great channel, we all want to help you succeed. As someone who is building an online business, I know the algorithm is a bitch. Best of luck to you, easily one of the top five TTRPG channels on KZbin.

[@TheFantasyForge]

​@@an_impatientGM omg 🥺thank you

[@darius_cummins-thorne1997]

15:57

[@haydenmarshall44]

How many sessions do you think Act 2 should take? And what levels do you think the party would progress to on their act 2 journey? Love these videos, getting me back into DMing!

[@TheFantasyForge]

I mean I just finished a campaign that went into about 120-130 sessions, so for Act 2, at least 60+ but some go on for decades. Totally up to you! For levels, I would probably be in like levels 5-10 but that's just my table :D Glad they help!

[@navarrjenkins7648]

I’m sure you’ve mentioned this in one of the videos, but what level would you recommend acts 1, 2, and 3 occur in, within the average campaign?

[@TheFantasyForge]

Ooo that's a good question! I think it really depends on how high you want to go. For example, I prefer lower level campaigns. If you are doing a 1-20 campaign tho, I would do Act 1 being 1-5, Act 2 6-10, and Act 3 the last 5-10 levels Personally, I think 15-20 should be for campaigns where your players are the worlds strongest. Like DBZ level events. If they are a Harry Potter type character, I would put them at levels 5-10 for the final events. Not all games fit the Level 20, world-warping and time-bending players type of game. Hope that helps!

[@navarrjenkins7648]

@@TheFantasyForgefor sure for sure. I’m thinking about running a campaign in a homebrew arctic setting where an oligarchy of more intelligent figures seek to control the world from the shadows. My players are starting their characters at level 7 and I would like the characters to reach at most level 14. That being said I’m thinking about dropping them in at the end of act 1 and having them transition into act two right out of the gate; like an in medias res type feel. Lmk what you think about this. Also wanted to say I appreciate the work you do; it’s definitely helped me focus my creativity more precisely.🤘🏻

[@TheFantasyForge]

@@navarrjenkins7648 Thanks for the kind words! I think as long as the players feel like they have a good exposition, I don't see why that wouldn't work! Just make sure you do a session zero to help answer questions about the world, or a good intro section at the beginning of the first session. Some roleplaying would help there At level 7, they'll definitely be pretty dang strong compared to the average person, so just be prepared for that. By level 5 they have access to some pretty strong feats and spells and stuff.

[@ChazzKaskes]

Absolutely yum

[@ChazzKaskes]

I'm in a constant journey of how to create engaging games (I know... novel, eh?). This is such a great breakdown of monomyth (seems a little more Chris Vogler rather than classic Campbell). I'm always looking to balance sandboxing my players and railroading. There's a careful ebb and flow of "storytelling", "story tending", and "player agency". This is super helpful. I also like your mentioning Pali's creepy fetal body.

[@TheFantasyForge]

LOL I'm starting to think you're just eating while watching these videos

[@ChazzKaskes]

@@TheFantasyForge 👀

[@TheFantasyForge]

omg youtube didn't show me this one, it just showed me "yum" twice xD that's why I made that comment. Just now seeing the first comment haha. 100%, the structure is there as a starting point and the story evolves AROUND that. And the outline will probably change and you'll have to rush to change this or that, but it's always good to have a direction. I love the term "story tending", 100 brownie points for that

[@ChazzKaskes]

@TheFantasyForge yeah, I can't remember is story tending is a Brendan Lee Mulligan quote or a Questing Beast quote. But as I've been working as an improviser for the last two decades and a DM for 15 years, I've nestled more and more into wanting the players to be their own authors. And I love how much you stand on the shoulders of Campbell with the idea that our structure is mutable and malleable. Your work is so succinct, I really appreciate it. So keep your eyes peeled for more yums in the future!

[@bingbongyah4908]

Damn can't believe you spoiled star wars like that 😉 great vid!

[@gamercore5216]

For the record Vox Machina sought out the vestiges for defeating Thordak and the chroma conclave not vecna

[@TheFantasyForge]

Oh you're right! Been a while since I watching Campaign 1. Arguably still needed them to defeat Vecna tho lol

[@gamercore5216]

@@TheFantasyForge yeah but they did seek out blessing from other gods to fight vecna on top of this

[@TheFantasyForge]

@@gamercore5216 True! Good memory

[@AakuTakuTV]

accidently dropping a HUGE spoiler for vox machina in revealing that appearently the story's bbeg is vecna???? not all of us watched the liveplay man 😂. They havent even mentioned vecna in the show yet. Im not mad cause ik it was an accident but it does kinda hurt cause that really ruins what would have been a huge surprise.

[@TheFantasyForge]

Oof you're right, I'm normally so good at the spoilers alert too. That's my b

[@xXBlueMenaceXx]

Well Critical Role’s Vecna is his own beast. He’s definitely more than just the Vecna you know. So you still have PLENTY to look forward to!

[@blakecripps9756]

The problem with your idea is that the plot is too grandiose. If its just the ultimate plot, then its just a regular plot. Doesnt seem special. If you say as the DM that the world is going to end becasue of so and so, it seems like a no brainer excuse. Or obvious danger, so we must go there. These require no thought. Just go here and there. No twists of drama and complications and blindside.

[@TheFantasyForge]

Totally agree! I was inspired by a game I'm playing in right now where the DM didn't want to do a long term game. They picked up when my campaign wrapped and they said "I'm looking to DM for 6 months, not 3 years like you did" so I did this for them. But I mentioned it in the Act 1 video that this is the big picture plot. There is 100% room for subplots, and dozens and dozens of sessions that pull you away from the main story that you have plotted. This is not the whole campaign and should be fleshed out with side missions, downtime, other enemies, Plot C and D campaigns...etc. Plenty of room to make it your own while still moving in a forward direction

[@helixxharpell]

@TheFantasyForge "I'm looking to DM for 6 months not 3 years." Not knowing what that person's schedule is, I'll say this. What happened to the days when campaigns went on well past 20th level? Are we that kind of society where our attn span is "tik tockish" now? Or have we become this video game community where everyone has to cram all the role-playing into the 1st 10 levels and be done? What's happened to this generation?

[@TheFantasyForge]

@@helixxharpell Not sure it's really an attention span thing. Personally, I just don't like high level game play. But (as you'll come to find if you follow me) it's only because I created a world where magic is rare and anything after level 10 just becomes something that belongs in a bigger and more fantastical world. In my old world I ran a game that went to level 20, and it was awesome, they went to the hells, they went to space...it was great! But it was just exhausting to run and I like how much more realistic it is to take an arrow to the chest and it actually gets you close to death. I just prefer the grittiness and realism to low level play. I think it's kind of hard to have a low attention span when playing D&D lol, I mean you're sitting at a table for at LEAST 3-4 hours listening to a bunch of people play imagination.

[@helixxharpell]

@@TheFantasyForge That's a good point! 😉 I believe it also has a lot to do with how 5e becomes a slog at high levels of play. But there are marketing studies done on how gamers who've grown up during the video game age have a hard time with all the record keeping That's involved at high levels of play. And WOTC knows this. Video gameplay keeps track of all that record keeping for the player. And the downside to that is lessening of immersion into the game. Lessening of immersion leads to waning interest. There's so many moving parts to this mechanism that's its hard to pinpoint the cause. Ultimately successful high level play falls to the DM & how challenging they can make for the players.