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In Quest of Adventure
Missions that serve higher goals and greater powers
by Greg Minter
Mata peered INTO THE VOID. His heart was
pounding, his legs were weary, and his
breath came in short, laborious gulps. For
three days, he had chased Falurka the
ogre through the snow-covered peaks.
Now he found himself in unfamiliar territory.
He was sure he had crossed the
northern border into the Death Realm, a
land into which wise men did not travel.
Still, he could have sworn the image of the
smiling goddess on his shield had darkened
the one time he had contemplated
turning back.
Yesterday he had managed to land an
arrow in the beast, and from the spotty
trail of blood across the snow, it appeared
to have been a good shot. Now he shivered
as he stepped into the cave. The ogre had
scaled the steep hill as if it were a wellmade
stairway; Mata had struggled for
every handhold. A faint roar of cascading
water echoed from some distant source.
Suddenly, Mata heard footsteps. The
young warrior hefted his. axe.
But the shape that stepped forth was no
ogre. Its canine face and swept-back horns
were clearly visible. A deep chill ran
through Mata. A servant of the dark god!
The grip on his axe loosened as the form
lifted a wickedly clawed hand and pointed
toward his shield.
"You serve the smiling one?" it hissed.
Mata felt a sudden flash of cold as the
monster's eyes flared with a
blue light. He
hesitated--and shook his head.
"How, then, came you by this shield?" it
whispered once more.
"I. . . I found it,? Mata stammered, ?in
one of the caves below.? For a moment, the
infernal beast stood its ground. Then, with
a sudden blow, it knocked the axe from
Mata's hand.
?Leave here, manchild!? it screamed.
Mata did not hesitate. He scrambled out
of the cave, sliding down the cliffs
until he
reached the valley floor below. When his
nerves calmed, he offered a short prayer
of thanks to the smiling goddess. But when
he looked at his shield, he gasped in horror.
The image of the goddess was gone.
In a situation like this, most DMs can see
that Mata has committed a grievous sin
by
denying his faith in the smiling goddess.
What options are open to a DM for correcting
such behavior? What prohibits
Mata from simply shrugging off his momentary
lapse and returning to his village
as if nothing had happened?
One option useful for correcting these
situations is to set up a special adventure
for that character: a quest. In historical
references and as defined by Webster?s
Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary,
a quest is
?a chivalrous enterprise in medieval romance
usually involving an adventurous
journey.? In the AD&D®
game, quests are
more strictly defined for game purposes
as
the result of a quest spell. As described
on
page 224 of the AD&D 2nd Edition
Player’s
Handbook, this spell ?enables the
priest to require the affected creature
to
perform a service and return to the priest
with proof that the deed was accomplished.?
Quests are religious in nature; they
allow the DM to form bonds between
player characters and their deities based
on real experience rather than on abstract
principles. They are solitary adventures
as
well, and promote resourcefulness and
ingenuity even more than a group adventure.
When run skillfully, quests make
players more aware of the deities? presences
in the game world and breathe life
into the PCs? chosen religions.
Quests allow DMs to avoid the "all play,
no pay" syndrome. If a character does
something that radically deviates from
his
alignment, it is the DM's duty to steer
the
character onto the right track. A quest
is
just the tool to help the DM do that.
In practical terms, quests have 2
advantages. First, to run .a quest requires
only one player and the DM, which means
that a quest can take place almost anytime,
anywhere. Second, these one-on-one adventures
allow the DM to really get to
know a player and his character. Other
players may be involved in one person?s
quest by taking the roles of major NPCs
and monsters that the PC must cooperate
with or overcome.
The medieval Romance
Where did the concept of the quest
come from? Most people first think of
King Arthur
and his knights? quest for the
Holy Grail. The tales of Arthur, however,
are really the crowning glory to an entire
body of tales, called romances, that developed
and flourished in medieval Europe.
These tales spread throughout Europe
first in oral form, through bards and storytellers
who traveled from court to court
entertaining for room and board. Events
were often twisted to ensure that the
night?s audience was well pleased?details
such as the winner of a battle or the victor
at a tourney, which could be altered on
a
whim to guarantee a good meal.
The romance contained a series of set
elements. In many of them, a determined
young man ventures forth into the world,
usually to prove his worth. He engages
in
a series of violent, often brutal and bloody
clashes with both human and supernatural
foes. He encounters a beautiful woman
who is often in distress. After defeating
all
opponents and rescuing the woman, he
returns to his sovereign with his honor
fully restored.
These stories reached their height of
popularity in France in the 12th and 13th
century. That period produced many great
works, including the famous Song
of Roland.
Eventually, these tales made their
way into English literature through translations
such as Malory's Morte d’Arthur
and Layamon's Brut. Often,
these romances
were mistakenly taken as historical
accounts of events that had actually
occurred. In fact, much of Geoffrey of
Monmouth's then-definitive history of
England was based on these tales.
These romances were popular for a
number of reasons, but perhaps most of
all because their tales of service to God
and country, and the sense of ?honor? to
which each adventurer was sworn, reaffirmed
the beliefs of the medieval court.
Quests in AD&D® games
Quests in AD&D® games
In the AD&D game, the duty of
assigning
a quest has been given to the priest in
the form of a fifth-level spell. Since
a spell
of such high level may only be granted
directly by the cleric?s deity, a quest
is not
to be taken lightly by either the cleric
assigning it or the character receiving
it.
Although quest can be used as an attack.
form (forcing a foe to retrieve an object
from a distant land), a cleric may also
assign a quest to a member of his own
church or alignment. The PHB tells
us that
a character who agrees to a quest
is automatically
bound to its terms, even if such
an agreement was gained ?by force or
trickery.? A character of the same religion
as the cleric cannot avoid a ?just and
deserved
? quest (he gets no saving throw),
and characters of different religions but
having the same alignment save at -4 if
they try to resist. This is perhaps the
only
spell for which a PC?s own saving throw
may be worse than the enemy?s.
This article presents ideas on how to
design such ?just and deserved? quests
for
your own game world, primarily for good
or neutral characters. Although quests
require some additional preparation on
the part of the DM, the advantages of such
well-run, one-on-one adventures outweigh
the extra effort spent in preparation.
Quests allow players to steer characters
into directions that large parties might
find inappropriate or even trivial, thus
filling their characters? off time in unique
and interesting ways. These excursions
for
individual characters can help flesh out
a
campaign, filling it with NPCs who can
return to haunt the entire party. (And,
as
noted earlier, other players may help out
by taking unique roles.)
Perhaps most importantly, quests allow
the DM to spend some quality time with
individual players. Individual characters
can easily get lost in large campaigns.
Nothing discourages a player more than
the feeling that his character?s wishes
are
being ignored. In a quest, the character
is
the party!
Preparing
for quests
To effectively incorporate quests into
a
campaign, the most important thing by far
is to make it clear to the players what
their characters? deities expect from them.
If you haven?t aleady done so, write a
brief synopsis of what each deity in your
game world?s pantheon expects of his
followers?a record to which both you and
your players can refer. You may wish to
use one of the more detailed descriptions
in the DEITIES
& DEMIGODS volume when compiling
these synopses. The detailed accounts
for the various deities will give you
a good idea of what should go into codes
you develop on your own. A sample code
might look something like this:
Ramat Gan, "Light Bringer" (lawful
good): The followers of Ramat Gan must
act under these basic guidelines:
1. Selfishness and greed
are the greatest
sins and should be avoided at all costs.
2. Never hide allegiance to Ramat Gan.
3. Show fearlessness in-battle; to die in
such a manner ensures reincarnation in
a
higher form.
4. Distribute excess wealth directly to
the needy or to the church to spread the
teachings of Ramat Gan.
If there are particular offenses or types
of behavior that the deity finds offensive,
write them down in their order of importance.
This will help later when you must
decide on the level of difficulty of the
quest. Make sure each player understands
the code of behavior for the deity he has
chosen to follow. The code must be clear
enough for both the player and the DM to
agree on when a character has done something
that merits his being sent on a quest.
Initially, you may wish to limit the use
of
the quest
spell to NPC clerics, which will
allow you to control both the design and
rewards for quests in your game world.
Making a particular NPC both a religious
figure and political sovereign dominant
in
the lives of the PCs usually works well;
the
combination of church and state is too
persuasive for most PCs to ignore.
Once your players have participated in
several quests, you can let the players
of
priests? design quests for other characters
in the party. As DM, you are acting the
part of the deity and must reserve the
right to approve any quest the players
design. This prevents the assignment of
unfair quests and regulates the level of
reward granted.
Try to customize each quest to challenge
the character?s abilities. If the character
is
a fighter, it is a better adventure for
him
to meet an unknown warrior who defends
a misty bridge than to battle an evil high
priest?s mummy in an ancient pyramid.
For a questing cleric, the opposite might
be true. Try to make the character use
his
abilities in creative and resourceful ways.
Most importantly, reward such behavior.
Keep close track of a character?s equipment.
In a large party, it?s reasonable to
assume that someone has a grappling
hook. In a solitary adventure, the chance
of the character having this (or any obscure
item) can no longer be relied upon.
If the quest is being carried out concurrently
with an ongoing campaign, keep
close track of how long the PC is gone.
He
may come back in several days, or he may
come back in several years! The character
could return to a countryside that has
been ravaged or to a village whose inhabitants
no longer recognize him.
If both the player and the DM are well
prepared, it should be possible to complete
a quest in a single evening. Give the player
some background of the nature of the
quest a few days in advance. In this case,
give the character the same information
he would normally receive from a cleric
when the spell is cast upon him. This
allows the player to develop some idea
of
how his character will deal with the problems
he is about to face and allow him to
prepare accordingly. There?s no point in
haggling over the price of supplies at
the
local outfitter.
Designing
quests
Generally, there are three major types
of
quests: quests of atonement, sanctioned
quests, and voluntary quests. Each type
of
quest is further subdivided into three
levels of difficulty: minor, major, and
great.
The type of quest is determined primarily
by the level of motivation or free will
demonstrated by the character. (This idea
is explained in more detail under the section
describing each type of quest.) The
level of difficulty is determined by the
seriousness of the offense being rectified
or by the reward being sought.
Suppose, for example, that Edmar, a
paladin
PC, has committed an offense
against his deity?s beliefs. You have decided
that a quest is in order. Haying given
Edmar
several opportunities to atone for his
offense, you send a powerful priest to
bind him to atonement with a quest spell.
Suppose you also know that the lich
Feinjav is gathering an army of goblins
on
the northern border of the PCs? principality,
but that the PC party?s attention is
focused on a family of fire giants terrorizing
the southern border. Depending on the
seriousness of his offense, Edmar might
be
assigned one of the following quests of
atonement:
If Edmar?s offense were minor (he has
neglected one of his religious duties),
send
him to spy on the goblin army, gather as
much information about them as he can,
and report back to the king.
If Edmar?s offense were major (he has
accidentally desecrated a holy object),
send him to Feinjav?s headquarters to steal
the plans for the goblin attack.
If Edmar has committed a great offense
(he has blasphemed in despair while captive
in the fire giants? dungeon), send him
to slay Feinjav and destroy the goblins.
Note that as the level of difficulty for
a
quest increases, so does the level of danger
to the PC. Remember, however, that
only one character is attempting this task.
Usually, a deity will not send one of his
followers on a mission for which there
is
no chance of success. To do so would
lessen the number of followers the deity
has and thereby diminish his strength on
the Prime Material plane.
Quests of atonement
A quest of atonement is given as punishment
to a character who has, in the eyes
of a cleric, offended his deity and has
failed to make a satisfactory act of repentance.
This type of quest is simply meted
out when the offending character has
failed to use his free will to make amends
with his deity. The character?s motivation
for carrying out such a quest is to prevent
the continued loss of his attributes, such
as the saving-throw loss given for the
quest spell.
Although a quest of atonement is usually
assigned by a cleric in the offending character
?s party, it is not unthinkable that an
NPC cleric completely unknown to the
character might assign the quest. As the
DM, you can justify such a random act by
having the NPC cleric claim divine inspiration:
?I was told to watch for a paladin
bearing an orange sun on his shield; the
goddess instructed me to send him to the
distant land of Olek, where he would meet
a man of great power. . . .?
Imposing a quest in the middle of an
adventure can be very disruptive, particularly
if the character is important to the
party. As always, assign the quest only
if
the character has clearly broken the code
of behavior established for followers of
the deity. Make it clear that it is in
the best
interest of everyone for the character
to
follow, the code established by his deity
and to seek help in atoning for his sins
as
soon as possible. Table 1 is an example
of
what you might want to construct for a
deity in your own game world.
Sanctioned
quests
A sanctioned quest is undertaken by a
character who belongs to a well-defined
order |or| group that is somehow closely
associated with a deity but is not part
of
the actual hierarchy of the church. An
order of paladins
or a monastery fits into
this category.
Sanctioned quests are requested when a
character of such an order has witnessed
an act that violates not only the code
of
behavior for his deity but the code for
his
organization as well. Referring to such
quests as “sanctioned” merely indicates
that the character is voluntarily undertaking
a quest that is in accordance with what
both his deity and his order expect. The
questing PC is essentially consulting with
the hierarchy of his deity’s church to
ensure that his plans are in accordance
with the church’s views.
The degree of difficulty assigned to a
sanctioned quest is determined by three
major factors:
1. The object of the
attack;
2. The perpetrator of
the attack; and
3. The seriousness of
the attack.
With sanctioned quests, the actions
required are often clear to both the DM
and the player. If an evil Knight
is wandering
the countryside killing innocent villagers,
only the death of the knight might
be deemed sufficient punishment for such
cowardly acts. For less-serious offenses,
more lenient punishments are in order.
Table 2 lists reasons
for sanctioned quests.
Note that special consideration is made
when the subject of an attack is an important
member of the church or the organization
to which the character belongs.
Since it is generally in the deity’s interest
to promote the activities of groups loyal
to
him, attacks on members of these groups
are looked upon with great interest.
Based on Table 2, if Edmar
the paladin
happened upon slavers abducting a
woman and child, he would be assigned a
major quest when he approached a cleric
with a report of the crime. The abduction
of the woman and child is considered an
attack upon innocents. On a broader scale,
the existence of a slaver ring could be
considered an attack upon the character’s
order because the goals of the two organizations
are directly opposed.
Voluntary
quests
A voluntary quest may be granted to a
character who approaches a cleric seeking
to further the cause of his deity through
personal sacrifice. A voluntary quest may
also be granted if the PC has witnessed
an
injustice he wishes to rectify but is not
associated with an organization of the
type
indicated in the section on sanctioned
quests listed earlier.
Many Arthurian tales not directly tied to
the search for the Holy Grail may be classified
as voluntary quests. In these instances,
heroes left Camelot to seek out
giants, dragons, or black knights (“for
God
and country”) simply to drive evil forces
from the young kingdom.
In any event, the major consideration
for voluntary quests is purity of motive.
With such quests, the character usually
has some idea of what he wants to accomplish.
Table 3 provides examples
of reasons
for voluntary quests.
In the sections that follow, you will see
that the rewards for quests increase as
does the purity of the motives that promoted
the character to undertake the
quests.
Just
rewards
Edmar (the paladin used earlier) tracks
down the leaders of the slavery ring, slays
them in righteous indignation, and returns
20 abducted orphans to a nunnery. What
happens then: bright lights and heavenly
trumpets? Although heroes in medieval
romances often refused fantastic treasures
for their brave deeds, most AD&D
game
characters have at least some need for
worldly wealth. [See "Glory,
Danger and
Wounds,"
in DRAGON® issue #125, for
role-playing notes on this topic.]
Rewards for the successful completion
of a quest may vary from deity to deity.
In
every case, however, the DM should determine
what boon is to be granted before
assigning the quest. By planning while
you
have time to think things through, you
can
avoid granting too much or too little when
the time comes to mete out rewards.
Although regaining the good graces of a
deity might be reward enough for a character
performing a quest of atonement,
the DM must also consider recompense
for sanctioned and voluntary quests as
well as the exceptional execution of quests
of atonement. It is, after all, in the
deity’s
interest to grant some sort of reward to
a
character who has served him well; the
character becomes an example by which
others may be persuaded to that deity’s
faith.
Determining the type of reward to be
granted in a two-step process. First, based
on the type and level of difficulty for
the
quest, you must first determine the reward
level; second, based on the reward
level calculated, you must determine how
great a reward of the type sought should
be granted.
Reward level: The reward level can
be
calculated quickly and easily if you know
both the type and level of difficulty assigned
to the quest. In this case, consult
Table 4. First, read
across until you reach
the column for the type of quest completed.
Second, read down until you find
the level of difficulty. The intersection
of
the row and column indicate the suggested
reward level for that type of quest.
Thus, for a minor quest of atonement, a
reward level of zero is granted. For a
voluntary major quest, however, the reward
level is three.
Note that the reward levels increase
from atonement to sanctioned to voluntary,
and from minor to major to great.
This structure is designed to reward
quests undertaken with the purest motives
first and the greatest danger second. The
reward level for a voluntary minor quest
is identical to that for a great quest
of
atonement—primarily because a deity has
more reason to give favor to the character
who undertakes a quest of his own volition
rather than to the one who takes on a
quest as punishment for an offense.
Suggested rewards: Once you have
determined the reward level granted for
the successful completion of the quest,
refer to Table 5 to determine
the suggested
limitations for each type of reward.
Each of the reward categories listed in
the
table are described hereafter.
Treasure or magical items: One medieval
romance tells of the quest of Huon, one
of
the Twelve Peers of France. After killing
a
relative of the king who had provoked him
into a duel, Huon is banished from the
kingdom until he returns with a lock of
the beard and the four back teeth of a
nearby Saracen emperor. Along the way,
Huon gathers a number of magical items
which help him complete his quest: armor
that helps him defeat a giant, a ring that
gains him entry into a city, a goblet that
fills for the pure of heart, and a horn
that
summons aid from the land of faerie.
Granting such magical items is the most
appropriate reward for the character who
does not have a specific return in mind
but who deserves some sort of boon nonetheless.
Use Table
II.A, II.B, and II.C
(page
120) in the AD&D 1st Edition
Dungeon
Masters Guide to help determine
the type
of treasure or magical items granted for
successful completion of a quest. (As indicated
earlier in the article, you should
probably do this before beginning the
quest so that you have the option of giving
the items rolled to the character as he
performs the quest.)
Gaining a special ability: Sir
Gawain, one
of Arthur’s
nephews and second among
his knights only to Sir
Lancelot, had a
strange enchantment placed upon him.
Whenever in battle, his strength increased
as the sun rose to its zenith until, as
the
noon hour approached, he became almost
invincible. As the sun set, however, his
strength waned and he became a “normal”
man again.
Gawain’s special ability is often the characteristic
by which he is identified. Simulating
such a special gift is difficult in the
AD&D game world, but it can
be done by
granting the power of a wizard’s or
priest’s spell as an innate ability to
the
character who has successfully completed
the quest. A special ability such as this
marks the character as favored by his
deity, making him unique among his peers.
The reward level determines the maximum
level of the spell to be granted as an
ability, according to Table 5. Thus, if
a
reward level of 3 is calculated, a first-,
second-, or third-level spell could be
granted as an ability.
You may wish to limit the frequency
with which this ability may be used by
the
character (e.g., three times a day) to
prevent
its abuse, or allow the character to
call upon the ability only when in grave
distress.
Gaining attribute points: If a character
has lost attribute points due to some event
in his past (e.g., he found a cursed item
that drained his strength away), you may
wish to allow the character to recover
those points through the performance of
a
quest. If one of a character’s attributes
is
particularly low or unfit for the character’s
chosen class (e.g., a wizard with a
mediocre intelligence score), you may
allow the character to raise that attribute
as well.
Note that, according to Table
5, points
may be recovered more easily than they
may be gained. This seeming discrepancy
reflects the idea that the deity may more
easily restore lost attribute points than
augment a character’s natural attributes.
Restoration merely gives back something
the character once had. If the restoration
of the number of attribute points listed
under the reward would raise a character’s
attributes beyond their original levels,
the DM should decide if the character’s
execution of the quest merits this bonus.
Regaining life levels: Suppose Belfin,
a
Ranger Knight,
has traveled deep into a
vast wasteland with his companions to
recover a relic that once belonged to his
deity. Upon entering a seemingly abandoned
temple, his party is attacked by a
group of wraiths. Belfin loses two life
levels in a desperate battle, but the others,
including the party’s cleric, are killed.
Belfin finds himself in a desolate area
with
no possible chance of regaining his levels.
What motivates him to undertake such
tasks for his deity in the future?
Regaining life levels has always been a
favorite reason for characters to seek
out
quests in campaigns. Note that levels may
only be regained—not gained—through the
performance of a quest, and that the reward
level for the quest must be at least a
two (see Table 5) for
any recovery. A maximum
of three lost life levels may be regained,
and only for the completion of a
voluntary great quest.
When life levels are regained, experience
points are restored to the lowest
experience-point value of the level to
which the character is restored, regardless
of his experience-point total at the time
he
originally lost the level.
Take the case of Belfin once again. Suppose
at the time of the attack he had
375,000 xp. Also suppose he lost two
levels, which dropped him to 75,000 xp.
He undertakes a voluntary major quest,
which allows him to recover those levels
but only to the bottom of the 9th level
for
the ranger class (300,000 xp).
Restrictions
If quest is used as an offensive spell,
any
type of character can be compelled to
perform a quest. A cleric could, for instance,
send a chaotic-evil thief on a quest
to visit his deity’s distant temple in
an
attempt to convert such a character.
Only characters who serve a deity, however,
should be allowed to assume a sanctioned
or voluntary quest, as these quests
are undertaken in the spirit of service
to
that deity. This restriction prevents a
character who proclaims no specific faith
from seeking a quest merely to reap the
rewards.
Certain classes (such as priests
&& paladins)
are likely to end up on quests more
often than others. These characters’ intimate
knowledge of their chosen faiths
should help them recognize any actions
that are inappropriate for followers of
their deity.
Allowing quests for other classes (such
as thieves or fighters) is a decision the
DM
must make. A deity of thieves could demand
that his followers execute his assignments
well and demand recompense for a
bungled caper in the form of a quest. Such
cases are often interesting to play, they
are
usually highly workable, and they are
challenging to design. However, rewards
should be measured only in terms of treasure
&& status, not godlike gifts of
personal
power.
Optional restrictions:
Since a character
is expected to prove his worth by
undertaking a quest, you may wish to
restrict him in a unique way that really
tests his mettle. Some of the following
restrictions can be more trouble for a
character than you might imagine:
1. Limit or prohibit his use of magic on
a
quest.
2. Limit or prohibit his use of magical
weapons, or give him some other classrelated
handicap.
3. Prohibit the character from revealing
his name, origin, or alignment.
4. Prohibit the character from speaking.
5. Prohibit the character from performing
some common task, such as washing
(to mortify the character’s flesh).
6. Place a time frame on the quest (e.g.,
return within one week).
Small touches such as these give a quest
that extra dimension that makes it special.
If you do limit the character while he
is on
a quest, make sure that the punishment
fits the crime. Mata, who lied about his
faith to the demon in the opening segment,
might be compelled to claim affiliation
with a deity offensive to him while
performing his quest. This odious duty
would point out to Mata the true nature
of
his denial in a way that a speech from
a
cleric never could.
In the end, the real purpose of the quest
is to bring the character into closer spiritual
alignment with his deity. Although
quest has no doubt been used by many a
character as a powerful offensive spell,
remember that literature and history
shows us many individuals who sought
quests of their own volition. Once you
have exposed your characters to the joys
of questing, who knows what might happen?
They, too, may join the ranks of
Lancelot,
Huon, and the rest.
Table 1
Reasons For Quests of Atonement
| Minor quests |
| * Lack of fervor in faith. |
| * Poor performance of a duty required by the deity. |
| * Neglect of a religious duty |
| - |
| Major quests |
| * Violation of a deity’s code due to special circumstances. |
| * Accidental desecration of a holy object or holy site. |
| * Continued neglect of one or more religious duties. |
| * Neglect of duty resulting in harm to others. |
| * Blasphemy in the heat of battle |
| - |
| Great quests |
| * Intended desecration of a holy object or holy site. |
| * Knowing violation of a deity’s code with no extenuating circumstances. |
| * Blasphemy in despair. |
| * Denial of faith. |
| * Blasphemy in pride. |
| Minor quests |
| * An attack upon one’s own person by a member of an opposing sanctioned order. |
| - |
| Major quests |
| * Attack upon a member of the deity’s church hierarchy. |
| * Attack upon a person unable to defend himself. |
| * Intentional desecration of an object or site holy to the deity. |
| * Attack upon the order itself by another
organized force. (The mere act of organizing
an order whose goals directly conflict with the goals of the PC’s order could be considered an attack.) |
| * Attack upon the order’s sovereign. |
| * Attack upon the order’s leader. |
| - |
| Great quests |
| * Attack resulting in the death of the order’s leader. |
| * Attack resulting in the death of the order’s sovereign |
| * Attack on the deity with which the group is aligned. |
Table 3
Reasons For Voluntary Quests
| Minor quests |
| * Any quest whose main objective is to prove oneself worthy of serving the deity. |
| - |
| Major quests |
| * Prompted by the desire for righteous
vengeance; the PC is morally outraged by an act
that is offensive to his deity and wishes to avenge it. |
| - |
| Great quests |
| * The purest form of quest; a difficult
service undertaken by a PC in the spirit of service
to his deity. |
Table 4
Reward Level For Quests
| Quest | Atonement | Sanctioned | Voluntary |
| Minor | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Major | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Great | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Table 5
Suggested Rewards for Quests
| Reward level | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Treasure/magical
items |
- | Table II.A* | Table II.B* | Table II.C* | Table II.CC*
( + 10 to roll) |
| Special ability gained | - | 1st-level spell | 2nd-level spell | 3rd-level spell | 4th-level spell |
| Attribute points
regained |
- | 1 | Table II.C* | 3 | 4 |
| Attribute points
gained |
- | - | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Life levels regained** | - | - | 1 | 2 | 3 |
DECEMBER 1989
Word from Israel...
Dear Dragon,
In issue #152, you presented a god named
"Ramat Gan" [in "In Quest of Adventure," page
54]. Well, it sounds nice, but it is the name
of a
city in Israel. By the way, the name means "a
plateau of gardens." Doesn't ring like "Light
Bringer," does it?
Shay Ceasry
Rehovot, Israel
(Dragon #166)
I can't speak for the author of "In Quest of
Adventure" (Greg Minter), so I'll simply guess
that
the choice of the deity's name in the article's
example had nothing to do with the Israeli
city of
the same name. The deity's nickname of "Light
Bringer" is still appropriate, given the god's
particular ethics as described in the article.
<Light Bringer = Lucifer>