Role of this page:
When players seek work (a notice board, guild clerk, innkeeper, temple, harbor office, caravan yard, town hall) or when they question locals for help, generate quests that fit the current settlement/region, feel fresh, and create consequences.
QUEST TITLE:
QUEST TYPE: Board Notice / NPC Request / Authority Contract / Rumor-Verified
SCOPE: Quick (1 scene) / Standard (1–3 scenes) / Arc Hook (recurring)
HOOK (what the players see/hear): 1–3 sentences in-character.
CLIENT: who asks + what they fear/want (1 line).
OBJECTIVE: clear success condition (1 line).
LOCATION: where it happens + why there (1 line).
OPPOSITION: who/what resists + how they operate (1–2 lines).
COMPLICATION: one twist that changes choices (1–2 lines).
CLUES & LEADS: 2–4 concrete leads (names/places/items).
TIME PRESSURE: what worsens if delayed (1 line).
PAYMENT: coin + non-coin reward.
MORAL EDGE (optional): a choice with tradeoffs (1 line).
OUTCOMES: Success / Partial / Failure consequences (1–2 lines each).
Anchor to place: pick 2 local anchors (economy + danger).
Economy examples: farming, mining, fishing, trade, magic craft, pilgrimage, warfront, ruins tourism.
Danger examples: bandits, beasts, spirits, corruption, politics, plague, weather, monsters, cults, feuds.
Two truths, one uncertainty: include 2 confirmed facts and 1 unknown that investigation reveals.
No repeats: avoid reusing the same objective verb (recover/escort/hunt/investigate…) more than once in the same settlement unless the stakes shift dramatically.
Every quest changes something: even small jobs alter relationships, availability, prices, safety, or rumors.
Reward is never only money: add access, information, shelter, contacts, permits, a minor charm, a favor, or status.
Recover a specific item
Deliver a sealed message/package
Escort a person/creature/cargo
Guard a site during a window of time
Investigate disappearances/strange events
Clear a route / reopen travel
Negotiate a dispute or truce
Capture someone alive
Map/verify a location
Perform a ritual / obtain rare components
Sabotage a plan / disrupt supply
Rescue someone from danger
Desperate locals (not evil, just cornered)
Organized criminals / raiders
Predatory beast / swarm / apex hunter
Undead / haunting / cursed dead
Corrupt official / rival guild
Cult / forbidden order
Mercenaries with a contract
Fey/spirits enforcing strange rules
Monster with territory logic
Ancient defense system / trap-laden ruin
Environmental hazard (flood, storm, blight, frost, wildfire)
A faction that also wants the same thing
The client lies about motive (not about the problem)
The target is innocent/sentient
Two factions claim legal ownership
The “villain” is paying for protection or medicine
The job is a test for membership/favor
A third party frames the obvious suspect
The problem moves locations (caravan, migrating beast, drifting curse)
The item is dangerous to carry/use
The deadline is fake—or shorter than stated
The opposition offers a better deal
Success creates a new, bigger threat
The “fix” requires breaking a local taboo
A named witness who saw something specific
A rival who knows the weak point
A ledger/map with a marked anomaly
A local healer/priest who treated injuries
A child/elder who remembers old rules
A hunter/guide with routes and warnings
A hidden message in a public place
A captured minor enemy willing to trade info
A strange residue/object that points to a method
A recent traveler with the missing link
Coin tiers: poor / modest / rich / patron-level (match settlement wealth)
Non-coin rewards:
Safehouse access
Permit/authority letter
Discounted gear/services
A minor enchanted trinket or charm
Introduction to a powerful contact
Map/secret route
Training or special technique
Public reputation/standing
Forgiven debt/crime
A future favor (call-in once)
Board quests should look like posted requests. Keep them short, practical, and slightly biased.
Always include: where to report, what proof is needed, what is forbidden, when payment is given.
Proof examples: insignia, witness statement, specific token, signed receipt, the rescued person, a map sketch, a sealed item returned intact.
NPC quests appear when players:
ask “what’s wrong here?” / “need help?”
show competence (healing, diplomacy, monster slaying, magic)
gain trust (buy rounds, solve a small issue, defend someone)
NPC quests must include personal stakes: fear, shame, love, duty, hunger, debt, oath.
Add one recurring thread:
a symbol seen again
a named antagonist who never appears directly
a faction that reacts to success
a mystery that only partially resolves
a debt/favor that will be called in later
Arc rule: each return raises either scale (more people affected) or depth (truer cause revealed), not both at once.
Can the players choose at least two approaches (fight/sneak/talk/magic/trick)?
Are there 2–4 specific leads (names/places/items), not vague hints?
Is the complication a choice, not just a punishment?
Do outcomes change the world (even subtly)?
Does the quest fit the location’s economy + danger?
QUEST TITLE:
QUEST TYPE: Board Notice
SCOPE: Standard
HOOK:
REPORT TO:
OBJECTIVE:
LOCATION:
PROOF REQUIRED:
FORBIDDEN:
OPPOSITION:
COMPLICATION:
CLUES & LEADS:
TIME PRESSURE:
PAYMENT:
OUTCOMES: Success / Partial / Failure
QUEST TITLE:
QUEST TYPE: NPC Request
SCOPE: Quick
HOOK (NPC voice):
CLIENT:
OBJECTIVE:
LOCATION:
OBSTACLE:
ONE LEAD:
PAYMENT (small but meaningful):
OUTCOMES: Success / Failure
QUEST TITLE:
QUEST TYPE:
SCOPE: Arc Hook
HOOK:
OBJECTIVE:
LOCATION:
OPPOSITION:
COMPLICATION:
THREAD (recurring):
LEADS:
TIME PRESSURE:
PAYMENT:
OUTCOMES: Success / Partial / Failure