PDA

View Full Version : I could use a sidequest



Gnaritas
2010-09-27, 04:46 AM
So, i am in need of a sidequest.

The party has went into (my version of) "The Underdark".
They have entered because they have indications that there are evil elves (the drow) here that are the cause of certain problems on the surface. They have come to investigate.

The Underdark is filled with dangerous creatures and they have met some of them. They have just freed a trapped Kua-Toa Priest. The Kua-Toa are a neutral race in my campaign. I am looking for a sidequest, a problem the Kua-Toa need help with, preferably unrelated to the drow directly. But i cannot seem to think of something.

If you can give me any hook to build on it would be most appreciated.

<edit> one thing i have thought off is they seem to be in hunger. Their fish supply has diminished. But i cannot really think of a reason why or how they would go about fixing it.

Benly
2010-09-27, 04:53 AM
A local tribe of myconids lost access to the primary water source they were using for fungal gardening and have changed to using an underground stream that feeds into the kuo-toan waters. Unfortunately, the presence of myconid spores in the headwaters means that they cannot be used for spawning. Unless the myconids stop farming there, the kuo-toa face a severe population drop, but the myconids presently have no other option for the farming they need to survive. From the perspective of the kuo-toa, the problem they need help with is eliminating the myconids.

Both parties are morally neutral. In each case, the allocation of a limited resource is a matter of survival for that group. Diplomacy will help prevent destructive warfare between the myconids and the kuo-toa, but a solution will need to be found that permits the continued survival of both parties.

Edit: Seeing your edit about their hunger, it may be that the spores are interfering with the local fish population instead.

Gnaritas
2010-09-27, 09:42 AM
They already have encountered the Myconids. So though this would be a good possibility, i am not really sure what to do as a solution.
I guess i could go with the "their previous watersource is currently being used by <insert evil monster here>".

My initial option was some kind of creature (Knell Beetles?) are building some sort of dam, like beavers do. But in the end i could not make the story fit. Why would they need to build a dam?

Dr.Epic
2010-09-27, 09:43 AM
There's a dragon killing a bunch of people.

Notreallyhere77
2010-09-27, 10:30 AM
What edition is this? If you have the Cave Fisher stats availible, you could say that the tunnel to a major fishing pool is blocked by hungry cave fishers, so that not only are the best fishing grounds unavailible, but some of the best fishermen have been captured and eaten.

Alternatively, Benly's idea is pretty good, if you're okay with there being no "right" or "wrong" answer. Let the players decide what the best solution is, and since it's just a sidequest, what they do won't affect the general plot anyway. Just be ready to wing it a little.

Another idea is that a kuo-toa leviathan is living in the water, eating all of the fish. They don't want to kill it (leviathans are supposed to be sacred), so they need to find a way to a) bring more fish or b) supplement their food supply with something else that they can eat. What do they eat besides fish?

If you don't have kuo-toa leviathans in your world, some kind of pollution could be leaking into the water, like an oil deposit or some kind of magic seepage that kills, mutates, and/or makes the fish poisonous.

Seracain
2010-09-27, 11:04 AM
A group of kuo-toa pilgrims/miners/hunters were in a religious/mining/hunting area, but a recent earthquake caused the entrance to cave in. The only other way into the area is through a network of tunnels full of dangerous creatures. The priest needs the players to find the way in, and to safely bring the pilgrims/miners/hunters back through this dangerous area.

For extra interest, the earthquake’s source could be linked to a later quest/plot.

CapnVan
2010-09-27, 02:15 PM
What edition is this? If you have the Cave Fisher stats availible, you could say that the tunnel to a major fishing pool is blocked by hungry cave fishers, so that not only are the best fishing grounds unavailible, but some of the best fishermen have been captured and eaten.


There was a classic Dungeon SideTrek that was updated to 3E in Dungeon, which featured, as I recall, a midlevel mage using gargoyles to control a bridge in the Underdark, with cavefishers being the biggest problem for those trying to go around.

My quick google search didn't show anything on the first page, but it's in my files someplace.

aquaticrna
2010-09-27, 03:00 PM
something big and dangerous has been attacking the village and stealing people to eat, the tribe needs help defending the village and then tracking down the creature and killing it at its layer possibly rescuing captured people who would otherwise be eaten.

Notreallyhere77
2010-09-27, 05:58 PM
My quick google search didn't show anything on the first page, but it's in my files someplace.

I got the stats from Dragon 355, but I know there was at least one published adventure that had them as well. I don't remember the name either, but if I run across it any time soon, I'll edit one of my posts.

CapnVan
2010-09-28, 07:54 AM
I got the stats from Dragon 355, but I know there was at least one published adventure that had them as well. I don't remember the name either, but if I run across it any time soon, I'll edit one of my posts.

It's the Chasm Bridge, in Dungeon #101. Written for four 7th level characters.

If you can't get your hands on it, and want to roll your own, the gist is that an abandoned, wounded wizard sets up an uneasy alliance with a band of gargoyles — he operates a toll bridge or travelers can take their chances with the gargoyles. It's the only safe passage over a deep and long chasm.

In the OP's case, maybe the kuo-toa require regular passage to or across the chasm, and the wizard's toll is taking, well, its toll on their resources.

Hope it helps!

Noodles2375
2010-09-28, 11:48 AM
Depending on how your world works, the Kuo-Toa could have been driven from the oceans into the underdark water ways by other ocean dwellers (the sahuagin are a popular choice). Perhaps Sahuagin scouts have been encroaching on the underdark waterways to investigate new and unexplored trade routes? Dealing with these scouts swiftly and mercilessly could help secure the much more modest Kuo-Toa borders against their oceanic oppressors.

Jastermereel
2010-09-28, 01:12 PM
Depending on the tone of your campaign, you could incorporate a dreadful internet meme from a few years back with that Myconid encounter. Perhaps a pair of powerful Myconids are working-for/worshiping an enormous snake/Naga to create an army of dire badgers to tunnel through...some sort of plot device. The details aren't important so long as your players get the joke (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIyixC9NsLI).