Advanced Rulebook

SPECIAL QUESTS

A Special Quest (SQ) is a Quest that is moderated by the GM.

There are numerous different Special Quests. Here are some examples:

  • Being a courier.
  • Killing monster groups.
  • Conducting/Helping with a sermon to increase the popularity of a God.
  • Participation in a ritual to enhance a settlement's defenses.

All Special Quests have a code; this code has to be included in all relevant correspondence with the GM. The date the SQ is given is part of the code. If the code is a repeat of a previous code or has an obviously incorrect date then please let the GM know.

For all the sections when a response to an action is required the information will be on the party's next turn.
Contacting the Quest Liaison with information about a SQ they issued to the party is on is a FA.

It is important to remember that information is not automatically passed on.

There are two types of Special Quests, an Independent Quest and an Alliance Quest.

Independent Quests may be classified as non-Alliance parties, if this happens then only a party that is not in an Alliance can apply for the SQ.

The following is an explanation of how Special Quests work, starting with aspects that apply to both Independent SQ and then conditions that only apply to Alliance Quests:

WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE START OF A SPECIAL QUEST

Every SQ has a Quest Liaison; this is the person that the party will normally deal with for the duration of the SQ, although if anything changes the party will be informed. For example if a liaison is killed then another will take over.
For Independent Quests, the party always has to contact the GM OOC to apply for the SQ.

The Quest Liaison provides the party with the necessary information to carry out the SQ. The Quest Liaison may expand upon the advertised information; it is even possible that the information is different from the advertised information. The SQ information is kept short and clear, with many details being ignored for the reasons mentioned in the 'Moderation Information' section explained later.

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The SQ is a chance for the party to improve its renown.
A SQ reward is likely offered, for example gold, valuable items or a favour. If no reward is offered then none will be given, other than renown.
If the party is allowed to issue a specific action as a Free Action they will be informed OOC by the GM at the same time as the SQ information is given.
Just one party is needed to complete any type of Special Quest. Some Special Quests, however, may be very difficult/dangerous unless several parties are sent, but the liaison will advise the party when the quest is issued if more than one party is needed.
If the party needs to collect something from the Quest Liaison then the party needs to be in the location of the Quest Liaison to collect things, which is often but not always a settlement.

If the party are told to go to a location and speak with someone to get more information about what is required then the party needs to go to the specified location and as a FA ask for more information. However if the party are told to go to a location and meet with some people to carry out something like a sermon, ritual etc then it is not a FA to ask for details as IC the characters will know what to do. To keep things clear if a FA is available to collect more information then the SQ will mention this.
Unless stated in the Special Quest, the GM does not need to be informed that a party is going to do the Quest, so please do not do so unless the Quest specifically requires it. The party should just do the designated Quest, and contact the GM when appropriate to carry out actions relating to the SQ.

HOW TO PROCEED WITH A SPECIAL QUEST

The way a Special Quest is completed very much depends on what the SQ is.The party should not contact the Quest Liaison unless there is important information to pass on to the Quest Liaison; as noted above contacting the Quest Liaison with information about the SQ the party is on is a FA.If information is passed on to the Quest Liaison a response will be given to the party, which will be on the party or Alliance's next turn as appropriate.

HOW TO COMPLETE A SPECIAL QUEST

To complete a SQ the party needs to contact the Quest Liaison with the appropriate details.Special Quests may be open-ended, so the party decides when the SQ is completed. This gives the party the choice of when they think they have completed the appointed Quest, or whether they want to spend more time trying to accomplish more. You need to be specific with the liaison and tell them if the SQ is being classed as completed or whether the information being given to them is just an update.The SQ reward may be altered by the results that are given to the Quest Liaison; a half-completed SQ could result in a reduced reward and a completed SQ where the party has accomplished more could result in extra rewards.
Completing a SQ very quickly will normally not give any extra bonuses, unless the Quest Liaison states that there will be a bonus.

WHAT HAPPENS IF A SPECIAL QUEST IS FAILED?

If a SQ is failed then the party should contact the Quest Liaison to inform them of the situation, which as noted above is a FA as this is still information pertinent to the SQ.

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WHAT IS THE AFTERMATH OF A SPECIAL QUEST?

The aftermath of a SQ can vary by so much that countless examples would be required; in short it is possible that a SQ can result in a follow-up SQ, even if the SQ was failed.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT ALLIANCE SPECIAL QUESTS?

Just about everything mentioned above applies to the Alliance Special Quests, the differences are:
The Alliance deals with their Organisation Liaison instead of just a Quest Liaison.The Alliance is given two Special Quests each cycle at Rank 1 and Rank 2. The two Special Quests could be from one of the Organisations it works with, or if the Alliance has three goals then it could be from any combination of Organisations it works with. At Rank 3 the Alliance is given several topics and the Alliance chooses the topics that it wants to carry out as SQ. The Alliance can only have up to 2 SQ per moderation cycle, so for example if an Alliance is Rank 3 with 2 Organisations then only 2 SQ could be chosen, be it 2 from 1 Organisation, or 1 from 2 Organisations.
In addition to the rewards mentioned above an Alliance's status, and thus rank, is affected by the success or failure of its Alliance Special Quests. Failing Special Quests will result in the Alliance losing status with the appropriate Organisation, whilst succeeding will result in an increase in the Alliance's status with the appropriate Organisation.

Alliances have a storeroom that can be used to hold Message Scrolls (473) and Power Scrolls (476), so for Alliance Special Quests instead of needing to nominate a party to collect any items from the Organisation Liaison the Alliance will have been told that any Message Scrolls or Power Scrolls for a SQ will be in their storeroom waiting to collected.
An Alliance is made up of at least five parties and possibly more than one player, thus the party involved in a SQ should consult with the other Alliance members to prevent problems occurring such as a shortage of SA.
Normally only one SA is required to be used on one of the two SQ issued each cycle. There may be occasions when an Alliance will be issued with their 2 SQs and that both quests require SAs. There are other times when both the SQs will require no SAs to be used to complete; these SQs are normally worth just as much status as the ones that do require a SA.
If an Alliance feels it cannot cope with their current amount of Special Quests then the Alliance members can request that the Alliance only be issued next with some basic Special Quests as a FA. These SQs will likely not provide sizeable rewards, nor will they provide a lot of status.

CONVERTING ALLIANCE SQ TO SA

An Alliance can convert one or both of its Special Quests in to Special Actions, in short 1 SQ = 1 SA. If the Alliance wants to do this then they should contact the GM before the moderation cycle ends and the new cycle starts.
Alliances that are Rank 3 and want to convert 1 SQ will be offered slightly less information. If the Alliance wants to convert both the SQ a very limited Rank 3 turn will still be received.This provides an Alliance with a chance to dedicate more time to its existing SQ or some other important matter.
Converting one cycle's SQ to SA will not result in a loss of status, but also converting the following cycles SQ to SA likely will. The Alliance needs to keep up its work to keep its status.

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ALLIANCE PARTIES CARRYING OUT INDEPENDENT SPECIAL QUESTS

An Alliance party can carry out an Independent Special Quest. The party does not receive any SA so the party has to use the Alliance SA. The Alliance does not gain status for the Independent Special Quest with the Organisation it is carrying the SQ out for; it is possible that the Alliance will have its status modified by the Organisations it works for as its goals.

ASKING FOR SPECIAL QUESTS

Do not ask for a Special Quest. Even asking IC whether someone has any need or help with something will not generate a Special Quest of more than the two Alliance Special Quests per cycle, or if independent a further Quest.

EXAMPLES OF SPECIAL QUESTS

Below are some examples of a lot of the types of Special Quests that may be offered. These examples are not detailed and are designed only to give a basic outline of the types available. Special Actions, Powers and skills are explained in more detail in other sections.

Special Quest Example Procedure
'Kill target XXXX'. With this sort of SQ the party needs to find the target by using the four-digit code and kill it by issuing engage orders on their turn. If the party has access to SA, PS or some other moderation method of scouting out the target, weakening the target or similar then the player could if they want to use these other methods.
'Kill NPC' As the target has no four-digit code it is likely that the target is a moderated NPC, in which case a SA is required to kill the NPC. An Independent party will be given a FA to kill the NPC.
'Go to settlement XX to receive further instructions about Y, from Z.' The party should go to the appropriate settlement and contact the GM as a FA with the appropriate details and then they will receive more information about the quest from someone or the party could be given a message.
'Investigate sector XX. The subsequent I 0 will reveal more information.' Go to the area designated and issue Investigate 0 orders on your turn, "I 0". The results of the order will be shown on your turn.
'Deliver a message to the Officials in settlement XX.' A party should collect the message by going to the place where the Quest Liaison is to collect the message. Once the message is collected they need to go to the location or settlement designated and deliver the message, which is done by contacting the GM as a FA.The party needs to end the turn in the designated place and wait for any reply messages. In the case of a message scroll being delivered it is likely the reply message is the same item number; in effect the reply is added on to the message scroll or overwrites the previous message.If there is a reply then the party should deliver it, which would require the party to go to the location of the Quest Liaison and contact the GM as a FA. If no reply is needed, or if the party decides to lie and not deliver a reply just report back to the liaison by contacting the GM as a FA; as noted in the Liaison section for ease of game play a party does not need to be in the same location as a Quest Liaison to contact them.

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'Take a power to the designated place and use it on XX.' A party should collect the Power, usually in the form of Power Scroll (PS) by going to the settlement. Once the power is collected they should then proceed to the designated place.Upon arriving at the designated place the power should be used.
'Send a party to the designated place and meet with NPCs there about XX.' The party should proceed to the designated place and then issue a SA to interact with the NPC, normally using the Code of Conduct skill about the specified subject. The player does not need to write a speech, but a quick OOC guide of things to discuss should at least be included.
'Investigate NPC XX, who is at location YY, information about where the NPC is in the settlement is given and then report back the information.' A party should go to the location.Once at the location the player contacts the GM to issue an Investigation SA to investigate whatever it is that is required about the NPC.
'Find NPC XX, who is in settlement YY, and then report back the information.' A party should go to the settlement and then issue an Investigation SA to find where the NPC is, stating whether the characters will be checking specifically at the pubs, with the Officials or another method like wandering the streets looking for the NPC.
'Go to designated place and perform Moderation Skill XX.' A party should go to the designated place and perform the designated Moderation Skill. Moderation Skills nearly all require a SA to use. Skills are explained in the 'Moderation Skill' section.
'Take item XX and go to designated place and deliver to it NPC YY, they will give you an item to bring back.' A party should go to the settlement to pick up the first item. Once collected the party should proceed to the designated place and deliver the item as a FA, then waiting for the item to return to be given to them. Once the return item is collected the party should proceed to the designated place to deliver this item.
'Collect NPC XX from settlement XX, take them to settlement YY and once there attend a meeting.' A party should go to the settlement to pick up the NPC as a FA. Once collected the party should proceed to the designated place and attend the meeting, which requires a SA. If you want to ask the NPC any questions, or change the plan for the meeting, it will cost a SA as normal.Once the meeting is completed the NPC should be taken to the designated place, which is likely their home settlement.Delivering the NPC is a FA.
'Escort a merchant caravan from settlement XX to settlement YY.' A party should go to the settlement and meet the merchant caravan as a FA. Depending on what has been told to the party depends on what is required, however it is likely that the quest requires a party moving from one settlement to another without any sort of teleporting such as the journey service, teleport spell, transportation, PS: Portal.Using mounts like horses or powers like Valkyrie's Wings is allowed, but if the party does not follow a path that the caravan could take then there is a chance that the party will not be able to get to the caravan in time in the case of a bad event.After each turn the party have moved the GM needs to be informed as a FA, so that the turn results can be checked. Once the caravan reaches its destination a FA is still required so that the last turn can be checked. For this reason do not send in another turn until the GM has had a chance to check the previous turn, if you are a postal player put a note on the turncard with a message like "Give to GM."; a letter is also required to explain what the action is as normal as well.

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RELIGIOUS QUESTS - TEMPLES

The Special Quests offered by the Temple depend on which God it is, but below is a list that will give you an idea of what types the Temples are likely to offer. It is also worth remembering that any of the Temples may offer any type of SQ, as the Priests are likely to justify the reasons. It is possible that an Alliance working for Fleyshur will be sent on a diplomatic Quest, whilst an Alliance working for Phyloqure will be sent to kill someone, although these are unlikely to be common events.

Baldor Healing, Community Spirit, Providing Aid, Impartiality
Garthrana Vengeance, Liberation, Cleansing Undead, Anti-Evil
Sundonak Destruction, Terrorising, Personal-Power
Fleyshur Destruction, Terrorising, Personal-Power
Ythcal Curse, Death, Manipulative/Corruption, Decay
Molwanh Nature, Madness/Undermining Civilisation, Survival of the Fittest
Novala Luck, Trickery, Social Subterfuge/Seduction, Personal-Wealth, Recreational
Phyloqure Knowledge (Scholarly), Magic, Community Spirit, Diplomacy

RELIGIOUS QUESTS - PHILOSOPHY

If a SQ is issued relating to a Philosophy then it could relate to any of the three Gods aligned to that Philosophy.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SPECIAL QUESTS

In a SQ it is possible to meet with any monsters/NPCs that cannot be engaged in the normal way, they could be hidden and once the area they are hiding in has been investigated, could be automatically killed, or they may be impossible to kill. This allows for special events that only certain parties and Alliances can get involved in, or limits the chance of 'third parties' getting involved. It is possible that the target could be a monster/NPC group that are invisible, making the task of finding them difficult (the Scout profession will help with this problem). The monsters/NPCs may be like any other monster groups, and thus parties can encounter and kill them as normal. To help prevent player confusion and possible stress the SQ will normally specify whether the monster/NPC is not on the map in the normal way, if it is then a monster/NPC group number will be given.

LYING TO THE QUEST LIAISON ABOUT A SPECIAL QUEST

It is possible to lie to a Quest Liaison about a SQ. If a party wants to lie then the player needs to make it clear in the message to the GM, and also include what the truth is.If a SQ has not been completed properly and the parties involved have told the liaison that it has, the consequences may cause problems. Sometimes the Quest Liaison may be able to confirm whether a SQ has indeed been completed, but this should not be relied upon. A SQ may be completed but another may be issued to follow up on the results. If one SQ was issued to achieve something like killing a monster, and the monster is killed by someone else, then it is still complete, and the reward can be claimed. However, if the monsters were carrying lots of gold, special items or they had important information, the party will have missed out on them.

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REJECTING A SPECIAL QUEST

A party can decline a SQ, as a FA, if they want, but they will not be given a new SQ.

Rejecting a SQ can be done at any time.

Rejecting a SQ will more than likely annoy the Organisation that issued it, as even a small amount of time would have been wasted just telling the party; so renown and status will likely be lost.

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