So, I'm in the planning stages of a Campaign, and l was hoping my fellow GM's could point me in the direction of some good sources of things that could be found along the road while traveling, or quests on a quest board in the local adventurers guild. Preferably something with things for all levels of play, but for now I'm specifically looking for things for level 1-4.
As a group gets to grips with the game and their characters I always fall back on a very simple structure. I have eight quest prompts that I use almost all the time in planning.
Find my/our/the _______
Protect me/my/our/the _______
Kill my/our/their/the _________
Investigate the __________
Explore ______________
Gather ____________
Deliver ___________
Pursue/Capture _____________
Basically, I fill in the blank with almost anything I like. Investigate the rumours of a ghost in the library; Kill the evil sorcerer; Protect my farm from the gangsters shaking us down.
All quests fit into these eight forms. All you need to do is fill in the blanks. You might dress it up differently when offering the quest hook to your players:
'As you walk along the street of the town you notice there are a group of people all gathered around a fallen figure in the middle of the road. Walking closer you hear whispers of the townsfolk proclaiming that the library ghost has claimed yet another victim'.
'You are woken by a clattering at the door of your lodgings, after a little while you hear a a strong voice 'Town Guard! Open UP!' Heading to the door you're greeted by a mob of guardspeople who give you just enough time to grab your equipment before marching you all to the Mayor's office. There he explains that he has summoned you because the wizard tower has recently been taken over by someone who is conducting terrible evil magics. Rather than risk the guards, the mayor wants your group to stop the sorcerer by any means necessary...even if that means killing them.'
'The village noticeboard has just one notice on it today, it's from a farmer asking for help with instructions to attend a meeting at their farm by 3pm. On arrival the farmer appears nervous and begins to show you around the small farmyard introducing you all to pigs and chickens that get fed daily. As you reach a quieter part of the yard the farmer's behaviour changes a little and he begins in a low and quiet voice 'I need your help. There's a mob of half orcs who have been 'taxing' me. I couldn't pay yesterday so they said they'd be back today and if I still didn't pay they'd burn my farm to the ground. Will you protect me and my farm from these thugs?'
Hopefully it gives you an idea of how quickly you can put together quests using these prompts. And once you've got the quest hook, you can then feel free to deepen the story of the motivation. Perhaps it isn't really a ghost in the library but a scooby doo type human. Maybe, it's a flying horror that has taken to roosting in the attic. Maybe a local necromancer is using the library as a cover to kill people in order to get the bodies she needs for her research.
So, genuinely I'd suggest getting used to using prompts. It'll allow you to quickly and easily put together quests and activities for players on the fly, and once you master these you can really steamroll through a campaign planning and tailor the opportunities you offer players to their playstyles.
Perhaps not exactly what you're looking for but in the long run this will help.
So, I'm in the planning stages of a Campaign, and l was hoping my fellow GM's could point me in the direction of some good sources of things that could be found along the road while traveling, or quests on a quest board in the local adventurers guild. Preferably something with things for all levels of play, but for now I'm specifically looking for things for level 1-4.
As a group gets to grips with the game and their characters I always fall back on a very simple structure. I have eight quest prompts that I use almost all the time in planning.
Basically, I fill in the blank with almost anything I like. Investigate the rumours of a ghost in the library; Kill the evil sorcerer; Protect my farm from the gangsters shaking us down.
All quests fit into these eight forms. All you need to do is fill in the blanks. You might dress it up differently when offering the quest hook to your players:
Hopefully it gives you an idea of how quickly you can put together quests using these prompts. And once you've got the quest hook, you can then feel free to deepen the story of the motivation. Perhaps it isn't really a ghost in the library but a scooby doo type human. Maybe, it's a flying horror that has taken to roosting in the attic. Maybe a local necromancer is using the library as a cover to kill people in order to get the bodies she needs for her research.
So, genuinely I'd suggest getting used to using prompts. It'll allow you to quickly and easily put together quests and activities for players on the fly, and once you master these you can really steamroll through a campaign planning and tailor the opportunities you offer players to their playstyles.
Perhaps not exactly what you're looking for but in the long run this will help.
DM session planning template - My version of maps for 'Lost Mine of Phandelver' - Send your party to The Circus - Other DM Resources - Maps, Tokens, Quests - 'Better' Player Character Injury Tables?
Actor, Writer, Director & Teacher by day - GM/DM in my off hours.