p. 14, Uncovered Secrets, Volume 1
| d10 | Quest | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kill the boss | In this simple quest design the characters are conscripted to hunt down a particular monster or villain in a location and put them to the sword. The boss may be protected by lieutenants or other minions |
| 2 | Find the item | The characters are conscripted to find an item. They may have to steal it or hunt for it in a dungeon. It may be protected by a boss. The item can have many different purposes such as opening another location, removing a curse, being returned to its rightful heir, and so on. In a variant of this quest the characters return an object to a location instead of taking one. |
| 3 | Rescue someone | In this common quest the characters are sent to a location in order to rescue someone. They could be a captured spy, a wayward prince, or a missing child. In a variant of this quest, the characters must defend or escort the person being rescued. |
| 4 | Kill the lieutenants | A variant of the “kill the boss” quest, the characters hunt down multiple sub-bosses or lieutenants, killing, capturing, or converting them as the story designates. Each of these bosses may reside in different parts of a single dungeon or multiple dungeons across the land. Killing four lieutenants may lead to a final “kill the boss” quest. |
| 5 | Destroy the object | A variant of the “find the item” quest, the characters enter a hostile location to destroy a particular object. It could be an ancient evil obelisk, the catalyst of a dark ritual, or a weapon of great power. |
| 6 | Steal something | The characters have to steal something or someone from a location. Unlike typical dungeon crawls, these can take place in a keep or manor. The players plan their approach and then engage in the heist. Stealth and subterfuge are often required, and the GM must be prepared to “fail forward” so a single bad ability check doesn’t ruin the entire plan. Likewise, the location should have multiple paths such as sewers and rooftops in addition to the front gate. |
| 7 | Clear the dangers | In this simple quest template, the characters enter a hostile location and clear out any dangers within. Dwarven miners may need their mine cleared of dungeon denizens for example. This quest requires that the characters explore an entire location to ensure the danger is over. |
| 8 | Collect the keys | This quest template works for both small adventures and large campaigns. The characters hunt for a number of keys before another group can get them first. This quest works best if it requires a majority of keys instead of all keys. This way no one side can thwart the other by possessing only one key. Three of five keys, four of seven keys, or five of nine keys work well. These keys may be hidden in a single dungeon for a small adventure or spread across the entire multiverse for a huge campaign. |
| 9 | Defend a location | The characters must defend a location from oncoming enemies. Like the “steal something” quest, the players have time to prepare their defenses and perhaps position NPC groups to handle parts of the defenses they cannot. Though it’s tempting to run large scale combat, such combat is best handled off-screen while you focus the spotlight on the characters and their individual roles in the defense. |
| 10 | End the ritual | In this quest template, the characters must end an ongoing ritual. The ritual usually requires the disruption of multiple components such as destroying four glyphed pillars. The ritual may include opening or closing a gate, summoning a demon, or resurrecting a dead god. In a variant of this quest template, the characters must defend a ritual. |
| ^quests |