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Other Discussion Boards => The Lounge => Topic started by: Lorddave on March 25, 2013, 02:33:03 PM

Title: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Lorddave on March 25, 2013, 02:33:03 PM
So I run a D&D RPG 3.5 game and have done so for the last 6 months or so.
We just finished a campaign and will be starting another one very soon.  I want to put in several very annoying side quests just for fun. 

So I reach out to you, FES, for ideas.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Pongo on March 25, 2013, 02:40:26 PM
I'm glad you're running 3.5 and not 4th. I'll PM you some ideas when I get off work. Why PM? Maybe high school tought me to keep D&D on the d/l.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: PizzaPlanet on March 25, 2013, 02:42:07 PM
You meet a random guy who asks you to find his hamm0r. The twist is that the hamm0r doesn't actually exist, but you have no way of finding out.

Best quest ever.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Saddam Hussein on March 25, 2013, 02:42:40 PM
Lol, D&D.

inb4nerds
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Particle Person on March 25, 2013, 02:47:18 PM
inb4nerds

Not quite.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Saddam Hussein on March 25, 2013, 03:49:01 PM
Sooner than I thought.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: iwanttobelieve on March 25, 2013, 05:44:44 PM
try throwing "thermal pod". this will melt the wizard and you will complete your quest.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Nomad on March 25, 2013, 09:31:51 PM
Any cursed weapon that welds itself to a character's hands is always fun.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: markjo on March 25, 2013, 09:55:31 PM
How about a quest where you have to go through a long trade sequence with a bunch of different NPCs to finally get the one that you really need?
http://kol.coldfront.net/thekolwiki/index.php/Going_Postal (http://kol.coldfront.net/thekolwiki/index.php/Going_Postal)
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Beorn on March 26, 2013, 01:24:53 AM
Bring 5 wolf hides to quest giver. Then bring another 5 wolf hides to quest giver. Then bring 5 bear hides to quest giver. Then give 10 wolf hides to quest giver. Now go to next quest giver. Give  5 boar hides to new quest giver. Repeat.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Nomad on March 26, 2013, 06:29:37 AM
"Sorry adventurers, the princess is in another castle!"
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: markjo on March 26, 2013, 06:38:21 AM
Find me a shrubbery.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: squevil on March 26, 2013, 09:17:26 AM
i used to play 1st edition about 11 years ago. one mission we got suck on was like this;

we entered a square tower like this;
(http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z479/squevil/ddtower_zpsab945f32.png)
so in that room is a chest with light on it. we took the treasure of course. nothing happens. then the players exit, however there is no door. we were stuck here for ages after that. you can add traps and layers too if you like.

the idea was that in order to escape we just had to walk the long way round. by setting off the trap this activated it.

not a good mission by itself but it can frustrate players in a section of a mission. you can make it so they have to walk round clockwise twice in order to exit.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Blanko on March 26, 2013, 09:29:45 AM
Underwater timed escort mission
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Saddam Hussein on March 26, 2013, 09:29:58 AM
Funny how this site attracts such a high volume of harry potter, magic the gathering, dungeons and dragons, lord of the rings, PRG game, and fantasy loving people.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: PizzaPlanet on March 26, 2013, 09:36:27 AM
PRG game
sadaam pls
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Genius on March 26, 2013, 10:03:26 AM
Funny how this site attracts such a high volume of harry potter, magic the gathering, dungeons and dragons, lord of the rings, PRG game, and fantasy loving people.

Most of the people I know like at least one of those.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Pongo on March 26, 2013, 10:39:57 AM
Underwater timed escort mission

You know, in D&D this is simply accomplished by saying, "I swim and quickly escort the NPC. Oh, thanks for the <underwater breathing> buff."
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: markjo on March 26, 2013, 10:47:01 AM
Underwater timed escort mission

You know, in D&D this is simply accomplished by saying, "I swim and quickly escort the NPC. Oh, thanks for the <underwater breathing> buff."

And hope that you make your saving throw against drowning when the buff unexpectedly wears off.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Pongo on March 26, 2013, 10:50:21 AM
Underwater timed escort mission

You know, in D&D this is simply accomplished by saying, "I swim and quickly escort the NPC. Oh, thanks for the <underwater breathing> buff."

And hope that you make your saving throw against drowning when the buff unexpectedly wears off.

Recast.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: squevil on March 26, 2013, 11:26:13 AM
I always wondered why mages don't use boil liquids on the enemy. Heat up bodily fluids a treat.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Blanko on March 26, 2013, 11:43:12 AM
Underwater timed escort mission

You know, in D&D this is simply accomplished by saying, "I swim and quickly escort the NPC. Oh, thanks for the <underwater breathing> buff."

Now, why would you spoonfeed your players like that?
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Username on March 26, 2013, 12:24:12 PM
So I run a D&D RPG 3.5 game and have done so for the last 6 months or so.
We just finished a campaign and will be starting another one very soon.  I want to put in several very annoying side quests just for fun

So I reach out to you, FES, for ideas.

Make the side quests fun, not annoying.   Its a game, not work.  Heres a few seeds:
You are stuck in a room that is filling with water;  find a way out
There is a chasm between you and a door
You are faced with 3 buttons on a wall;  two are out, the last is not;  push them in the correct sequence to continue

You need such and such artifact from so and so;    obtain it
Infiltrate the temple and retrieve a holy object in the reliquary
You need to start a war between two groups of dwarves to achieve some end
You must take the place of a local magistrate and fool visitors to gain some end
Escort quest
Save the "princess"
Gather the legendary artifacts of various notable people, and perhaps those people themselves, to fight in a battle that decides the fate of the world
Defend a small village against attack by monsters
Follow a set of clues for the location of a monument
Your crew gets thrown in jail;  break out.
Your crews gear and clothes get stolen;  get them back.
Your team is stuck in a day that continually repeats
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: markjo on March 26, 2013, 01:23:52 PM
Underwater timed escort mission

You know, in D&D this is simply accomplished by saying, "I swim and quickly escort the NPC. Oh, thanks for the <underwater breathing> buff."

And hope that you make your saving throw against drowning when the buff unexpectedly wears off.

Recast.

That might be tough if you can't breathe.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Lorddave on March 26, 2013, 01:34:12 PM
So I run a D&D RPG 3.5 game and have done so for the last 6 months or so.
We just finished a campaign and will be starting another one very soon.  I want to put in several very annoying side quests just for fun

So I reach out to you, FES, for ideas.

Make the side quests fun, not annoying.   Its a game, not work.  Heres a few seeds:
You are stuck in a room that is filling with water;  find a way out
There is a chasm between you and a door
You are faced with 3 buttons on a wall;  two are out, the last is not;  push them in the correct sequence to continue

You need such and such artifact from so and so;    obtain it
Infiltrate the temple and retrieve a holy object in the reliquary
You need to start a war between two groups of dwarves to achieve some end
You must take the place of a local magistrate and fool visitors to gain some end
Escort quest
Save the "princess"
Gather the legendary artifacts of various notable people, and perhaps those people themselves, to fight in a battle that decides the fate of the world
Defend a small village against attack by monsters
Follow a set of clues for the location of a monument
Your crew gets thrown in jail;  break out.
Your crews gear and clothes get stolen;  get them back.
Your team is stuck in a day that continually repeats

The annoying side quests are to build up frustration for red herrings or weird outcomes. I fully intend to have good main quest stuff.  Just trying to grab ideas that my players will not breeze through in 5 minutes.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: squevil on March 26, 2013, 02:35:13 PM
Give them wishes as a reward for a quest. They can have fun outcomes.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: FlatOrange on March 26, 2013, 08:17:23 PM
Quest: Get 5 girl's numbers.

That should annoy all D&D players.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Saddam Hussein on March 26, 2013, 08:22:01 PM
Quest: Get 5 girl's numbers.

That should annoy all D&D players.

BURN!
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: squevil on March 26, 2013, 08:25:44 PM
well thats easy. just ask the female half elf you are playing as and get her digits.

"hi can i get your number?"

"sure hun, i got 12 str, 15 dex, 10 charisma."

Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Saddam Hussein on March 26, 2013, 08:27:48 PM
Real girls, though.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Nomad on March 26, 2013, 08:29:29 PM
All my D&D friends are gay, so they'd neither care to have 5 girls' numbers and probably wouldn't have any trouble getting them anyway.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: squevil on March 26, 2013, 08:31:08 PM
Real girls, though.

oh oh.. errm. call our mothers?
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Saddam Hussein on March 26, 2013, 08:41:48 PM
All my D&D friends are gay, so they'd neither care to have 5 girls' numbers and probably wouldn't have any trouble getting them anyway.

I could make a joke here.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Lorddave on March 27, 2013, 03:27:18 AM
Quest: Get 5 girl's numbers.

That should annoy all D&D players.
We're all dating someone or married.

However, that does give me an idea.
"You are in a busy tavern where all sorts of adventurers come and go.  Your contact is here, somewhere. All you know for certain is that it's a woman.  The nature of her work also means you can't openly ask her if she is your contact. You must successfully charm women to get them to reveal their profession. Only then can you find her. "
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Beorn on March 27, 2013, 03:33:55 AM
Roleplaying seducing women with a group of guys sounds like massive fun.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Lorddave on March 27, 2013, 05:22:22 AM
Roleplaying seducing women with a group of guys sounds like massive fun.
3 guys and 1 girl.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: markjo on March 27, 2013, 06:22:54 AM
Roleplaying seducing women with a group of guys sounds like massive fun.
Especially since the women being seduced are NPCs played by the DM.  Are you sure that you thought this through, Lorddave?
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Nomad on March 27, 2013, 06:36:35 AM
Maybe Dave just wants to feel like he's pretty.  There's nothing wrong with that.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Username on March 27, 2013, 06:36:48 AM
One of your characters has a "weirdness magnet" spell cast on them.   Until they deal with it, "weirdness" is attracted to said person.

Travel is often overlooked as an intemediate quest, just have to play it out, day by day, distance traveled etc.  Each night with watches etc.

Roleplaying seducing women with a group of guys sounds like massive fun.
Especially since the women being seduced are NPCs played by the DM.  Are you sure that you thought this through, Lorddave?
The point is to suspend disbelief.  Once you learn transcendental emersion, rpgs can be ridiculously awesome.  If they don't suspend disbelief, it will be appropriately awkward and hard for them.  They might even grow a bit ha.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Lorddave on March 27, 2013, 06:58:03 AM
Roleplaying seducing women with a group of guys sounds like massive fun.
Especially since the women being seduced are NPCs played by the DM.  Are you sure that you thought this through, Lorddave?

One can use dice rolls for success or failure ...
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: PizzaPlanet on March 27, 2013, 07:09:55 AM
One can use dice rolls for success or failure ...
But then you might successfully pick up a girl by saying "You know it's funny Saddam, that picture is from when my hair wasn't falling out.  Why would I get mad at it being posted?"
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Lorddave on March 27, 2013, 07:45:31 AM
One can use dice rolls for success or failure ...
But then you might successfully pick up a girl by saying "You know it's funny Saddam, that picture is from when my hair wasn't falling out.  Why would I get mad at it being posted?"
Then they'd take 1d12 charisma damage.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Chris Spaghetti on March 27, 2013, 08:10:58 AM
You find a contact who can help you on your quest. On the downside, he's an outcast from the town and won't agree to tell you anything until you get him reaccepted into the village.
The village is bitterly divided between two clans. If you convince someone from Clan A to accept him, someone will reject him from clan B out of spite. |However, everyone has up to three friends in the opposite clan, if their friend accepts him then the friend won’t reject him out of spite.

Your players are forced to map out the social web of the town and convince the right people in the right order to accept your outcast.
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Username on March 27, 2013, 08:20:36 AM
You find a contact who can help you on your quest. On the downside, he's an outcast from the town and won't agree to tell you anything until you get him reaccepted into the village.
The village is bitterly divided between two clans. If you convince someone from Clan A to accept him, someone will reject him from clan B out of spite. |However, everyone has up to three friends in the opposite clan, if their friend accepts him then the friend won’t reject him out of spite.

Your players are forced to map out the social web of the town and convince the right people in the right order to accept your outcast.
Or if its an evil campaign, kill off a clan, or let them - war!
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Beorn on March 27, 2013, 01:01:34 PM
You find a contact who can help you on your quest. On the downside, he's an outcast from the town and won't agree to tell you anything until you get him reaccepted into the village.
The village is bitterly divided between two clans. If you convince someone from Clan A to accept him, someone will reject him from clan B out of spite. |However, everyone has up to three friends in the opposite clan, if their friend accepts him then the friend won’t reject him out of spite.

Your players are forced to map out the social web of the town and convince the right people in the right order to accept your outcast.

dumb dome
Title: Re: Extremely annoying quests
Post by: Genius on March 27, 2013, 01:12:04 PM
Have all the players trapped in a small cell, say they were locked up without good reason. Mention that there doesn't appear to be any obvious route of escape. There are 10 bricks of pitch black around the room, in the walls. They have to be pressed in the right order with proper intervals between each to open a secret passage. This can get annoying.