Quest objectives that can be failed

[cynthialee]

You can just script that. No Necessity to roll dices.

Further: Yes you could kill them but if you do so it does not please the emperor.
And even further: After they have searched half the rooms for treasure, they could send somebody pleading for help as they are in difficulties. Because one of them is the fat son of high nobility, this is from now on your new quest objective. Surprise surprise.

That is brilliant.


I would allow for them to attack the other heroes but I would also have "Mentor" contact the Wizard via a 'message spell' and with a desperate voice demand to know why they are killing the Emperors nephew and his cohorts. Warn them that if they do this deed they will be hunted by the Praetorians to the ends of the earth. Of course if there was a payoff at the end of the dungeon there is a battle waiting for them instead of their money.

The Praetorians of course should be all in full gear and with similar to the Barbarians stats...

As for rooms and the other heroes...like I said already, just consider those rooms cleared.

[Anderas]

There is another quest objective that could be failed. Ok, it is not really Hero Quest Style:

Sneak around without being seen.

Well, you'd need 1, 2, 3 house rules to make this working, but if you do, it could be a nice diversion from the normal quests.

[Anderas]

Aaaand, yes, i've found another one.

Some quest could make the Heros racing against each other. Say; there would be no group winning but a single hero winning; the other three losing.

As this would quite surely lead to a group split up - everybody wants to have an advantage over the other Heros; so they take different ways - the dungeon gets harder at the same time.

The reward could be a gift of the emperor: One artifact, fitting to the winner. Enough to make the Heroes racing against each other, but not enough to make them killing each other.

[Gold Bearer]

Aaaand, yes, i've found another one.

Some quest could make the Heros racing against each other. Say; there would be no group winning but a single hero winning; the other three losing.

As this would quite surely lead to a group split up - everybody wants to have an advantage over the other Heros; so they take different ways - the dungeon gets harder at the same time.

The reward could be a gift of the emperor: One artifact, fitting to the winner. Enough to make the Heroes racing against each other, but not enough to make them killing each other.

No fing way! I've done exactly this for an AC quest. I said to myself I wasn't going to give anything away about future quests but that's spooky. I don't know whether I should change it now.

[pumonca333]

A chase, heroes need to prevent a monster from getting to an escape point or objective, or are themselves chased by an invincible capturing force that sets up a next quest (perhaps with a time constraint) where some or all heroes start captured and disarmed from last quest. If too many fail the first part, then the second is more difficult

A survival-style protection job, heroes must secure an objective (Imperial gold mining drill) for x turns from an onslaught , then escape with their lives. Perhaps falling block tiles could help funnel/detain the invaders, or maybe, each door could have so many hit points, and a hero could stand and defend it, the door taking damage not him, (say he's fighting them off through cracks in the splintering door). When the door is "killed" a two space wide hole opens causing the hero to retreat or be flanked.

A heist, where goblin lookouts escaping or botched traps alert guardians and weighs the odds against the heroes, perhaps heroes go lightly armed and armored for stealth.

A trophy hunt, hero against hero, variation of the race idea. Heroes automatically escape to end when BP reaches 0. Prize for bagging the biggest Baddy, or the most quick little guys, combo of both? little guys worth 1 point, big guy worth 5, swift wind might finally get used.

[cynthialee]

A failed quest can be the spawning point of a lengthy campaign.
An enemy that initially kills off a couple of heroes and proves to be too powerful for the heroes requiring a hasty retreat in shame would be a great way to introduce a vengeance based game.
Send them after clues to find their nemesis's hideout. Their quest could be a simple mater of finding the artifacts and mercenaries they will need to confront the enemy. When they get to the final moment of vengeance the players will be jazzed and terrified. The excitement of potential and final justice tempered with the very real chance they could blow it all on a string of bad dice rolls...aw yeah, that is the stuff right there.

[Daedalus]

The Adventure Design Kit lists some basic Quest types found within the Quest Book. I've included some failure brainstorms and observations:

• The Quest to defeat a certain monster, as used in Lair of the Orc Warlord;
  The Parchment Text tells that the Boss is raising an army and must be eliminated before he can strike. The Quest Notes stipulate that if the Boss isn't defeated he escapes to threaten the Empire in some fasion. As a result of failure, Mercenaries and equipment are more costly as the Empire buys up most rescources. This penalty remains until a later Quest is completed which deals with the menace. Perhaps intermediate Quests are necessary to compensate for the lack of resources so that the original threat can then be defeated.
• The Quest to rescue someone or something, as used in The Rescue of Sir Ragnar;
  This type of Quest has already provided a failure option--no reward. To expand on this, make the someone an Alchemist or the something a Poison Antidote ingredient. A Hero or Heroes could be poisoned earlier in the Quest or even from a previous Quest. Their BP totals are permanently reduced by 2 until cured after the Quest is successfully completed. If the objective is failed, the penalty remains. If the fragile artifact idea is used or the Alchemist is killed, a seperate Quest must be completed to get the cure.
• The Quest to find a specific item or place, as used in Prince Magnus' Gold;
  The Parchment Text describes a magical disturbance, possibly as the result of a previous Quest objective success or failure. Spellcasting requires some kind of roll or the spell fails. Completing the Quest objective restores spellcasting to normal, but as a consequence of failure this Quest may not be immediately reattempted due to a temporal condition. Another Quest must be completed first, either generic or specifically designed to restore access to the item or place of the failed Quest.
• The Quest to find a way through or out of a dungeon, as used in Legacy of the Orc Warlord.
  Failing an escape Quest should probably lead to a party wipe. Legacy of the Orc Warlord Parchment Text requires the original party and is basically a one-off. Failing to locate lost equipment while escaping is another kind of failure. Finding a way through a Quest is a different matter. A falling block trap can insure no backtracking and make failure more deadly, including the resulting loss of equipment.

[Big Bene]

Some quest could make the Heros racing against each other ... Enough to make the Heroes racing against each other, but not enough to make them killing each other.

Remember that in the NA rules heroes can't attack each other, while in the EU rules they can. If set against each other, I can totally see some players attacking - probably at first not with the intention to kill, but after the first blow is dealt a real fight could easily break out.
Perhaps I'm too pessimistic...

[Anderas]

Could be fun in it's on way. Not too often, however.

[Bareheaded Warrior]

Great topic and some thoughts from me (some already suggested no doubt), such as assasinate a character who can and will escape, or character escapes with the artefact they are after, rescue a prisoner, kidnap/take a hostage (alive) and get him out intact, in pursuit of a messenger and need to silence him before he exits from the other end and escapes to deliver his message, to interrupt a summoning or similar ritual before completion.

Plus all those related to time limits, the door to the main room filled with treasure, artefacts etc only remains open for x turns once closed it is sealed for another month/year, dungeon located near a volcano or less destruction one liable to flood or possibly even located in a tidal area or a dungeon that moves itself around (rooms/doors) on a prearranged time scale (like the recent Dr Who episode)...that may be off-topic but I was on a roll!