Help with side quests please.

[DekonX]

CRANTHIS AND VENDARIAN STAY OUT






I have a desert campaign going, sort of Arabian Nights, and there is a heavy presence of multiple guilds. My players are looking for fulfilling side missions through these guilds.

I have run out of simple side missions, and would like help to create some side missions for level 3-5 players for some extra money and experience. Go nuts!

[Morbis Meh]

CRANTHIS AND VENDARIAN STAY OUT






I have a desert campaign going, sort of Arabian Nights, and there is a heavy presence of multiple guilds. My players are looking for fulfilling side missions through these guilds.

I have run out of simple side missions, and would like help to create some side missions for level 3-5 players for some extra money and experience. Go nuts!

Well give us the type of guilds so we can match quests for flavour, I personally enjoy implementing quests from The Elder Scrolls games. I would also suggest looking through complete champion's faction bonuses, essentially they would pick and guild and everytime they complete missions they gain favour points that give small bonuses, sometimes a skill boost or a SLA etc etc.

[MrLemon]

How about a special delivery sidequest?

Assuming some of the guilds really don't like each other, or at least have other enemies. Hire the PC as part of the armed guard to deliver a sealed chest to some guy or another. Possibly a guild which likes the PCs.
Or maybe make it a quest from someone who is disguise (or actually is) a member of that same same guild!

Have it contain the head of a high-ranking member of the guild the chest is delivered to. Watch the PCs struggle to survive/not get captured and sentenced to die for treason/murder/whatnot AND simultaneously unravel a deep-run intrigue or simply go on a murder spree to get back at the guys who set them up to die when handing them the chest.

[DekonX]

There are a few guilds,
The Travelers guild- Basically a hospice
The Mercenary guild- Basic sword for higher
The Silver Arrow -Mostly elvin hunters guild
The Merchant guild- Trading stuffs
The Temple of the Sun- Its a temple

And the chest quest sounds cool, but maybe too long, i don't really want it taking too much time.

[Ravenica]

collect ten scorpion tails!

Then use Craft:Poison to make a dose of poison, use said poison to kill someone!

Assassin guild ftw \o/

[ArcturusV]

Depends on just what you mean by quick and simple on the sidequest. I prefer to use open ended ones however. Thus instead of "Go beat someone up" for the Mercenary guild have something instead like "Stop someone from...". Which functionally might be just killing them anyway. Or might just be breaking their legs. Or intimidating them. Or even just paying them off.

But a lot of it depends on party composition and what sort of things they are generally interested in.

[Gildedragon]

There are a few guilds,
The Travelers guild- Basically a hospice
The Mercenary guild- Basic sword for higher
The Silver Arrow -Mostly elvin hunters guild
The Merchant guild- Trading stuffs
The Temple of the Sun- Its a temple

And the chest quest sounds cool, but maybe too long, i don't really want it taking too much time.

Travelers' guild sounds a bit odd (got to join the guild before you're able to travel. Be an apprentice traveler?) maybe swap it to hospitallers or some such (guild of hospices, guides, and travel services). With that a "find a lost client/missing member. Or retrieve a teleportation amulet, etc...

Temple quests can be as simple as "fetch the lost amulet of such-and-such." With a kn. history or religion to know it is not one of the bejeweled ones, to a "we suspect heretics have taken root somewhere, and we can't send inquisitors because they are the ones under suspicion. Root the leaders out"

[Morbis Meh]

There are a few guilds,
The Travelers guild- Basically a hospice
The Mercenary guild- Basic sword for higher
The Silver Arrow -Mostly elvin hunters guild
The Merchant guild- Trading stuffs
The Temple of the Sun- Its a temple

And the chest quest sounds cool, but maybe too long, i don't really want it taking too much time.

Travel guild quest: Competing hospice opens up across the street and steals business. Now the heroes have to dress up in costumes and advertise to draw back clientel! The Silver Arrow is simple, have moster hunting/poaching quests like FFXII they hunt down trophies etc etc

[ArcturusV]

Actually for the Travelers Guild my go to would probably be more like ensuring the monopoly on all inns, flophouses, etc. So someone else is setting up an inn? Guild hires the adventurers to "encourage" them to consider another line of work. How they do this? Up to them. I think a good side quest should have multiple ways to solve it, from buying the guys out, to intimidating and leg breaking, to burning down their place of business, or even just warning them to move on and maybe give them a little something to start a new life, help hide them from the guild, etc, if they are more on the [Good] side of life.

The Merc Guild has all the usual things. I would generally avoid "Go there, kill that" sort of missions. Only because it's very expected and far too simple for my own tastes. I much prefer a "Go there and be sharp" sort of approach. Like say, hiring characters to be security for some event. Might be as simple as standing around and posturing. Maybe "checking" certain people. Maybe tossing out some undesirables. Also provides an easy launching point into a full blown quest arc if you feel like it, as such events are rife for all manner of mishaps to happen.

[AlanBruce]

I am running a city campaign now and have some guilds build up. Although it is not set in the desert, a little refluffing can be done and keep the missions going.

Traveler's Guild- The Merchant leader wants an assortment of rare spices sent to a far away oasis. The trek should take a couple of days. The problem: Scorpion Folk are privy to these spices and want them as well. They will ambush and kill the those who carry the spice.

Mercenary Guild- True to their title, these guys are sending you on hunt and kill missions. Their latest targets: An Efreet pasha who has taken over a well known trade route. Eliminate the monster and bring his head as proof for payment.

The Silver Arrow- These guys are sportsmen. They relish a good clean hunt. The target: a young blue dragon that has taken over some desert ruins. The catch: to get the full reward, the dragon must be brought down with arrows to receive full payment.

The Merchant Guild- their stock is being abducted in the middle of the night. So far, no one has been observed perpetrating the crime, but the Guild is running low on supplies to sell and could very well file for bankrupcy. Catch the thief during their night escapades and bring him in- alive.

Temple of the Sun- A relic from the temple has been stolen. Find a way to track the thief and retrieve it. The problem: The relic has been stolen by a faction of undead who wish to pervert the relic and lay waste to the entire area.Thwart their plans before it's too late!

Hope that helps!

[DekonX]

You guys are awesome! My group meets today, so i'm planning on testing some of these. I especially like the blue dragon hunt. Keep 'em coming if you may!

[ArcturusV]

An interesting, and significantly different, variant of the Blue Dragon Hunt is the Albino Deer Hunt sort of ideal.

It's rare. It's one of a kind. So obviously you must hunt and kill it in true 19th century gentleman of means style. The creature itself should not be a threat. Maybe have some hiding/evasive skills. But it shouldn't be able to kill a character.

Rather than having a direct combat threat against a monster. It's a race to see who can get it first. So your combat threat is instead against other hunters/teams who are looking to bag the rare critter before you can. And of course with any contest like that, they are just as likely to try and sabotage you to various levels as they are to ask to team up and share the reward for bagging it.