When Completing a Quest isn't worth the Cost

[oxinabox]

Give some example of when completing the Quest isn't worth the cost.

I don't have time to post what happened in the game i played to night, but lets just say:
I go back to the monarch (my Monarch) of the Autumn Court, slap the dreamfile on tyhe table (taking no care wether i smash it or not) and say "Here's your god damn dreamfile, it's wasn't worth the cost I paid for it! Not by a far, not by a longshot... Gods all damn me, I deserive it for I am damned."

[Kurald Galain]

Why wasn't it worth the cost?

[TelemontTanthul]

I made a side-quest, and it didn't really prove to be worth the trouble for the party.

There were two lumberjacks staring at a big tree, and a Dryad (Evil) who was pretending to be accosted by the two men.

The idea here was that the party was supposed to find out what was really going on.

The lumberjacks (not the brightest guys) had heard that the tree they were staring at was full of gold, and if they chopped it down, they would get all the shiny gold.

The dryad wanted them (The lumberjacks) to die, but thought it would be much more interesting if she persuaded the party to do it.

So, when the scout of the party saw two lumberjacks staring at the tree, and the dryad "helplessly" trying to stop the lumberjacks. The scout ran in with the party wizard in tow and killed the lumberjacks without so much as a word.

Please note that the lumberjacks had not done anything, and had just been staring at the tree with awe and wonder the entire time.

Of course, the lumberjacks didn't go down without a fight, and nearly killed both the wizard and the scout, and all they got was a "Thank you" from the dryad.

Later on they find out that the tree really DID have gold in it, when that same Dryad took a bunch of shiny objects from the scout in return for a short teleport across a once-crossable bridge.

So in short, the quest cost them items, and they are wanted for murder. (No doubt the dryad will get much enjoyment about reporting the deaths of the lumberjacks to the local towns)

Such an evil creature.

[Glass Mouse]

My party knew a kind smith who lived in a land ruled by an iron-fist baron but plagued by a rebellion led by an anarchistic knight. When we found out that the smith's family had been killed by the knight and his uprising, we sided with the baron, then learned that these two sides were no better than each other and basically a question of personal ethics (that the characters didn't agree on, causing a lot of IC conflict). In the end, the kind smith returned and fought both the knight and the baron, and things were really epic and confusing.

Then, our (already mentally unstable) sorcerer snapped and sent a Fireball right at the rest of the party (who were fighting the knight), leading to even more conflict. In the end, one character left the party in anger, the sorcerer became even more unstable, and the rest of the party are still quite uneasy with each other.

Yeah... It was pretty awesome

[Acrux]

There were two lumberjacks staring at a big tree, and a Dryad (Evil) who was pretending to be accosted by the two men.

Oh, so you stole your quest from Baldur's Gate, huh?

[Jack Zander]

It seems to me that any premade adventure is never worth it, as my group spends more money on expendable items than we get back in the end (mostly cure light wounds wands and a few scrolls or potions). I don't know why but published adventures always seem to be a little stingy on the treasure.

[Jarawara]

I don't know why but published adventures always seem to be a little stingy on the treasure.

I find that quote so funny, so ironic, because historically the published adventures literally threw magic at you compared to any regular D&D campaign.

I don't know if the modules have changed any (I don't see them being very different, but I haven't done a statistical analysis of magic item availability). I think instead that the DM's campaigns and the player's expectation has changed, so that magic is now so much more available, while the modules are still providing 1980 levels of magic in them.

People used to complain about how there was so many magic items in modules; now they complain there aren't enough. Ironic.

[Paulus]

I find that quote so funny, so ironic, because historically the published adventures literally threw magic at you compared to any regular D&D campaign.

I don't know if the modules have changed any (I don't see them being very different, but I haven't done a statistical analysis of magic item availability). I think instead that the DM's campaigns and the player's expectation has changed, so that magic is now so much more available, while the modules are still providing 1980 levels of magic in them.

People used to complain about how there was so many magic items in modules; now they complain there aren't enough. Ironic.

That's because high powered games soon became the norm. Nowadays it's a shock to play "core only" because it's so hard to make thinks "effective" and by that, "optimized".

I learned only a short while ago that you can play any class, and as along as everyone else isn't optimizing, you'll do just fine. If everyone is optimizing though, of course you will look weaker and be less effective against those things you face. Kinda of a strange double standard really...

[Korivan]

As a general rule of thumb, as far as PC's are concerned. If the job doesn't pay enough to cover cost with at least enough left over to buy a round for all at the local pub, then its not worth it.

But ya, there was this one time with some vampires (2nd edition). By time we cleared the area most of us took 2-5 drained levels. In a world with no Gods (early experiement by the DM to test Dragonlance I think), we had no way to get our hands on Resteration...so ya, it sucked.

[Volkov]

"Steal a cub from a Giant Short Faced DIRE Bear and I'll pay you 10,000 gold." At level 7, this resulted in a very severe mauling for the party, with the wizard left on the verge of death and beaten on the head into mental retardation, the cleric, which was me beaten into a coma, the fighter traumatized and terrified of bears, and the rogue lost an arm. Granted the DM had house rules that allowed these effects, but still, I learned that fighting a huge bear with a base CR of 13 at level 7 is not fun at all. Especially since it had max hit dice, bumping up it's CR by a good deal. But it was fun.

[Sinfire Titan]

"Steal a cub from a Giant Short Faced DIRE Bear and I'll pay you 10,000 gold." At level 7, this resulted in a very severe mauling for the party, with the wizard left on the verge of death and beaten on the head into mental retardation, the cleric, which was me beaten into a coma, the fighter traumatized and terrified of bears, and the rogue lost an arm. Granted the DM had house rules that allowed these effects, but still, I learned that fighting a huge bear with a base CR of 13 at level 7 is not fun at all. Especially since it had max hit dice, bumping up it's CR by a good deal. But it was fun.

Why didn't the Wizard prepare Grease? If he knew he was going up against an animal that has no Flight, he should have prepared it immediately.

[Volkov]

Why didn't the Wizard prepare Grease? If he knew he was going up against an animal that has no Flight, he should have prepared it immediately.

He thought invisibility would be enough to protect from scent.

[Silentlee]

He thought invisibility would be enough to protect from scent.

silly wizzy

[Jergmo]

-snip

Hehe, I did the same thing, sort of, except that it was an NPC party of adventurers, whom had lost a friend to the Dryad and they were hunting it down. Although there was no becoming wanted for murder. How did anyone know they did it?

[Sinfire Titan]

He thought invisibility would be enough to protect from scent.

And he didn't prepare Ray of Stupidity?

[Foryn Gilnith]

So in short, the quest cost them items, and they are wanted for murder. (No doubt the dryad will get much enjoyment about reporting the deaths of the lumberjacks to the local towns)

This.

But hell, deny, deny, deny. The word of a (perhaps verifiably) evil dryad fey creature-thing versus a bunch of fellow humans. Don't underestimate their possible diplomancy.

[Volkov]

And he didn't prepare Ray of Stupidity?

He didn't understand the scent rules very well so he thought some summon monsters spells would have been enough to ward the bear off as he believed he would not be spotted. The bear, well, won initiative and got the wizard first. After that it was all downhill.

[Sinfire Titan]

He didn't understand the scent rules very well so he thought some summon monsters spells would have been enough to ward the bear off as he believed he would not be spotted. The bear, well, won initiative and got the wizard first. After that it was all downhill.

He lost init? Please, at the very least, tell me he had Nerveskitter and it was just a bad roll...


Otherwise, he really kinda deserved it.

[Foryn Gilnith]

For not having Nerveskitter? Something like Ray of Stupidity jumps out as nice, but Nerveskitter has to be recast too often to make it a necessarily obvious choice.

[Sinfire Titan]

For not having Nerveskitter? Something like Ray of Stupidity jumps out as nice, but Nerveskitter has to be recast too often to make it a necessarily obvious choice.

You don't need to recast it. It's an Immediate action spell that can be cast even while Flat-Footed. Just prepare 4, or have a wand of it readied. It's one of those spells every Wizard should have at least 2 of as soon as they have enough spell slots open.

[TelemontTanthul]

Oh, so you stole your quest from Baldur's Gate, huh?

weeeeellllll.... i DID switch it around to make it interesting.

But yes. I figured that traveling through a forest would have been boring if I hadn't planned a side-quest.

[TelemontTanthul]

This.

But hell, deny, deny, deny. The word of a (perhaps verifiably) evil dryad fey creature-thing versus a bunch of fellow humans. Don't underestimate their possible diplomancy.

Well, the party will not be around to deny the Dryad's claims. AND the dryad has the two lumberjack bodies. In my campaign, dryads are generally good creatures, ya know, the kind that "turn the other cheek" when their homes are being chopped down.

I decided that this particular Dryad was fed up with that stereotype.

Thus, the towns will be none the wiser when the Dryad drags the lumberjack bodies into town and accuses the party of murder.

Besides, it's an interesting plot twist, because it allows someone to try and hire mercenaries to hunt down the party.

[Volkov]

He lost init? Please, at the very least, tell me he had Nerveskitter and it was just a bad roll...


Otherwise, he really kinda deserved it.

We didn't have the book with that spell.

[Sinfire Titan]

We didn't have the book with that spell.

Ok, that's excusable. I'm surprised it isn't in CArc. Makes me wonder where the Spell Compendium got it from.

[Volkov]

The CR 20+ bear then went home with it's cub. And it cost us a pretty penny to get a high enough level cleric to fix us, as pretty much the only functional member of the party was the rogue, who managed to get a wooden prosthetic arm.

[taltamir]

Well, the party will not be around to deny the Dryad's claims. AND the dryad has the two lumberjack bodies. In my campaign, dryads are generally good creatures, ya know, the kind that "turn the other cheek" when their homes are being chopped down.

I decided that this particular Dryad was fed up with that stereotype.

Thus, the towns will be none the wiser when the Dryad drags the lumberjack bodies into town and accuses the party of murder.

Besides, it's an interesting plot twist, because it allows someone to try and hire mercenaries to hunt down the party.

Does she have some way to personally identify them? does she know their social security number or something? If an evil fay, even one considered "good" by most drags CORPSES into town and says" so and so did it", some suspicions should still be aroused... also i don't think a dryad can travel all that far from her tree anyways.

Really this just seems forced.

[lsfreak]

Ok, that's excusable. I'm surprised it isn't in CArc. Makes me wonder where the Spell Compendium got it from.

Magic of Faerun, if I'm not mistaken.

[taltamir]

Magic of Faerun, if I'm not mistaken.

it is... it is called kauper's skittish nerves. Not nerve skitter. And it gives a +5 to initiative for 1 minute / level. to a touched target.. it has a verbal and somatic component, and it has a casting time of "1 action". which, contextually and looking at other spells in the book, seems to mean 1 standard action.

Quite frankly, this spell confuses me. Wasting a round in combat to increase your initiative does not seem wise, and a 1 minute / level is far too short a time period. I guess if you know you are going to do combat in the next minute it has some use...

[TelemontTanthul]

Well, firstly, the part knows none of this.

Secondly, they did identify themselves.

Something along the lines of:

Dryad: Oh you big strong heroes! What is your name? I MUST know the name of my rescuers.

Party: We are (Insert names here)

Finally, Dryads, while unable to SURVIVE long by being away from their tree, are physically capable of it.

And if it seems forced, it's probably because it is.

There is a ridiculous plan being set into motion. The members of the party expressed interest in becoming an evil adventuring party, and I told them that I would present them with choices, and those choices would decide if they are evil.

So now they are given another choice.

a. make ammends for the deaths of the lumberjacks
b. make no ammends
c. OTHER (We have some very unpredictable people in the party, so I have to keep my responses pretty flexible to their actions)

[Claudius Maximus]

"Kauper's Skittish Nerves" or something like that is the basis for Nerveskitter.

Anyway, my party's catchphrase is "No more charity", said with a thousand yard stare.