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View Full Version : DM Help Need idea for quests for elven noobs



Pinjata
2018-12-07, 03:45 AM
Hey guys,

I know I've been spamming this board with elf-related questions, but, on one hand:
- this will all be over when campaign starts
in the other:
- you guys often really contribute soo much to my campaign it's amazing. Cardboard cutout campaigns turn into a vivid worlds that enchant my players. It's really amazing.

So, I'd like to ask for some more help.

I have this elven forest setting:

Nomad Elves live in a Gaint Forest (a few hundred miles across) and have several regular campsites they use. There is a great circle of stone or wooden pillars near the site of every semi-permanent base, which acts as a gateway between the spirit realm and the earth, but only on the Equinox.

They travel in tribes of 300 - 700 and are able to rapidly make treehouses out of ropes and skins in treetops. The forest has also been planted deliberately with fruits and nuts plentiful for the taking right from the tree. During the fall many of these nuts and fruits are harvested and dried out for the coming winter and spring. Their pack animals are deer, while they also befriended forest dogs as hunters, trackers and protectors. They also harvest deer milk and turn it into a sour cream and cheese. Fishing is also an important industry for the elves, with the large river and numerous streams providing a bounty for the clans. Hunting is important, but only to supplement the rest of their resources.

A rare stationary point in elven settlements is Iron tree, a place where blacksmiths create weapons and tools out of metal. This place is guarded by metallic golems as well as treeants and other forest creatures that make sure no one hurts the blacksmiths. Elven tribes visit Iron tree yearly.

These elves engage enemies often. The Giant Forest is also inhabited by wild beasts, centaurs, aarakocra, pegasi, gnomes, treants, unicorns (keep to themselves unless provoked), pixies, korred, satyrs (mostly extremely nosy and prankster-ish, but never evil), humans (full of vice even if often with good intent), gnolls, orcs (mostly extremely nasty) and dark elves, dragons (mostly extremely nasty and deadly).

In order to deflect these threats, all elves are encouraged to learn at least some combat skill, most common being Ranger. Elves are also skilled Warriors, Bards, Clerics (of Nature-related dieties) and Rogues. Relatively a lot of elves commit their lives to being druids, but these individuals prefer to live most of their life in solitude and with natural companions. In time of dire need, they approach the elven tribes to help them or to get help from them themselves.

Elves have ample acess to simpler magic items. Bags of holding are common among them.

... aaand I have a group of very young, somewhat skilled elves in it as my PCs. These are individuals, that will NOT be asked to go and seek the One Salve That Can Revive Tribe Elder's daughter. They will not be sent upon an asssassination mission to strike at the heart of Orc horde, invading the forest. They will not be asked by Elder Shaman to go and kill Bog King in order to stop him from devouring the forest.

Then again, there is no poo-showeling to be done in such a setup. Can you guys come up with any simple quests for my lvl 1, pretty sheltered and protected party of elves in an elven tribe? I mean, they may always just go their own way, but if they do not, I'd like to have some small challenges for them.

thanks :)

hymer
2018-12-07, 06:37 AM
Another tribe is neaby, and we would like to trade our X for their Y. Journey to them, it should be within your capabilities, and make a trade fair to both sides.

The tribe's alchemist needs the water of a particular spring, because there was an accident and his supply is running out. Please go get it, and beware of the predators that sometimes lie in wait there.

We cleared out the cave to the north of here of [minor monster] last year. Could you go by and check to see if any have returned? If you see any, only engage to ensure you won't be reported on.

Pinjata
2018-12-07, 09:12 AM
Splendid ideas. I can fluff these really good.

Kid Jake
2018-12-07, 10:46 AM
Hunt the mythical Snipe, whose feathers are said to increase the potency of spells ten fold and heal any injury.

There is no Snipe, it's just a group of old hunters that like to troll newbies with fake bounties.

Marywn
2018-12-07, 11:19 AM
What type of subraces are the PCs?

redwizard007
2018-12-07, 12:55 PM
Little Susie lost her blink dog puppy while traveling to the new camp. Go find it and bring it home. - Includes tracking, animal handling, and potentially combat.

The tribe will be moving soon. PCs must check the next camp site to ensure its readiness. - could involve combat, repairs, stealth skills.

Rats (dire?) have infested the store room. Someone must eliminate the pests, but higher level types find the work beneath them. - probably straight combat.

At the top of an ancient oak lives a Roc. It is far beyond the PCs ability to fight, but has just been seen leaving the nest. If the PCs are quick, they can climb up and search for loot from past kills. - skill challenge! Climb up and back down fast enough to escape notice. Running battles with small flying or climbing creatures would be a neat complication, (stirges seem perfect.) Loot could be spell components, a magic dagger or small baubble. Or eggs...

The seasonal festival includes a team race through the forest for the young adults from several tribes. The route is not set, but there are challenges at specific waypoints that must be passed for competitors to continue on. Contestants that have failed might become obstacles out of spite, while others could provide advice or other aid, depending on previous interaction with the PCs. Waypoint challenges could be traversing a broken bridge while being harried by hawks, scaling a cliff infested with stinging ants, crossing a river by jumping on crocodiles (or stones,) evading a territorial monster while planting a flag in it's den, capturing a specific type of bird, etc. - skill challenge was too boring? Have a race between combat style encounters.

Elvensilver
2018-12-07, 01:50 PM
My ideas:
-there is a kind of musical tournament in the near future. One participant asks them to search for some unicorn hair in the woods for his guitar/lute/harp/elven music-thingy to get an edge above the other participants. (survival, diplomacy, maybe combat)
- while hunting or gathering, they encounter a small, wounded group of human hunters that beg for their help, because they got attacked by a scary wolf during the night. Turns out, one of them is the werwolf and was somehow hesistant to actually tell...(mystery, diplomacy, combat)
- one of the druids searches a mate for his/her animal companion. Being rather whimsical s/he asks the PCs to help catch and then test animals for their worthiness. (things like combat, tests of animal intelligence, helpfullness or smartness)
- the pcs overhear some children (preferably some of them are their younger siblings) talking about seeing giant spiders in the woods. They are freaking out about it, but they don't want to tell the adults because they saw them when they were sneaking out at night on a dare. Can the PCs help them and vanquish the big, scary spiders? (probably not that big)

hymer
2018-12-07, 02:19 PM
-there is a kind of musical tournament in the near future.
This made me think of something. A recurring competition is coming up, and the young elves are eligible to enter for the first time. They're not going to win, but they want to make a good impression anyway. So they need to prepare, and maybe find a sponsor, there could be a mean elf trying to prevent them from entering (whose child is going to be entering for the first time too, perhaps), and so on. It could be an obstacle course, or archery, or music, poetry, find-the-spotted-owl, etc.

Pauly
2018-12-09, 11:46 PM
A new group of humans has entered the forest. They are from a group of humans unknown to the elves. The party is tasked to follow them without being detected and gain information on the humans.
Are the humans friends or foes?
Are the humans being pursued by an enemy?
Are the humans looking for a sacred elven secret?
What happens if the humans detect the elves? Will they fight or negotiate?
What happens if the humans disturb a nest of monsters?
Where are the humans from?
Where are they going?
Can the humans be trusted?

Pinjata
2018-12-10, 08:23 AM
All quests were used. Thanks a lot :)

PastorofMuppets
2018-12-10, 11:03 AM
Given the nomadic civilization I would suggest a pilgrimage mission. To appreciate the life they have now and the sacrifices of those that helped establish their way of life these (relatively) young elves are tasked with creating some kind of personal totem. They must create the item to represent whatever is most meaningful to them and have the items blessed by the tribal elders. With the blessed totems to guide them they have to survive the various dangers of the forest on their journey to the abandoned first settlement their ancestors used when they chose to remain in the forest. The final part of the test is to stay in that settlement until they feel a connection telling them where exactly to leave their individual totems within the ruins. From this point onward they are permanently connected to the forest and to their people’s history.

This journey could also give them a sense of a True North but in relation to the first settlement. The return trip and all subsequent wanderings made a bit safer by always having a relative sense of where in the forest they are, but losing this connection if they leave the confines of the woods.