I'd really like if it some people could brainstorm some good low level content ideas.

- Low level quests (non-combat and otherwise) - Maybe some scripted idea that has low level Pcs having to go out and interact with other Pcs around the town to get rewarded - Anything else you can think of that would grab the kind of player we're looking for once they log on, especially at times when no DMs may be around or most people are off questing

Well a couple of thoughts for non-combat

1. Have Norma option up a couple of deliviries to peopel around town or in lower - get people to explore arounda little more. I suggest Norma as she is getting on in years and needs young legs to help her out.

2. Perhaps have Sugriam, one of the Spell Guard or another NPC that is a sage and interested in various animals and plants of the Underdark - have him send peopel on trips to collect particular types of fungai or small animals and the requests can increase in difficultis for higher levels. To faciliatate this have new areas being set up to provide the small animals etc.

3. In the same way that you have Bilby gives quests for rogues - perhaps similiar quests for other classes that draw on their unique abilities - This could be done with a room that has a transtiiton depending on class to different @ area.

How about a low level quest where the party is captured by drow? Make escaping and finishing the quest proportional to the fact they are low levels... you could be sent outside the city to get the Magic Jockstrap of Destiny the man in the inn wants....

The party gets to the cave and goes in, the door slams shut behind them. A magical image a drow appears and informs the party they are now the propery of the great Drow, X.

The low level party need not even fight the drow, there are alot of scenarios where they could escape.... have other drow, or beholders or illithid attack, they get out in the chaos, etc. Make this quest very easy to find. This is the sort of atmosphere which may keep a first time visitor to the server coming back for more.

Edit: I think class specific solo quests, short ones for low levels show just how detailed this server is. That sort of thing can really impress new players.

Herb gathering, for some herbalist, once herbalism is added. :)

I definately like the idea of gathering quests to get people out and into the underdark. Also a delivery to someone stationed outside Sanctuary, and that person then has higher level quests that lead to other locations and things to do, allowing people to get more familiar with what is out there and ultimately tying quests together to create a bigger picture.

I still really don't know my way around the underdark, partly because i'm scared half out of my wits to go out there alone. Maybe have more locations to be able go alone, just to get people out and about and to see more of the server.

If you want to foster interactions, make an NPC that buys non-sellable loot that is often found by higher level characters. Even better if he needs the loot for some specific reason that can better foster even more interactions...

IE:

Mark the Mage needs Fungus Mungus Toadstools. These are commonly found on a number of level 5+ quests.

He only buys them cheaply from people who he says "Hey! You look new in town!" cause he's also a bit of a scam artist.

He'll buy the 'shrooms from the PC for a good price then say "Hey, you know I also need some xyz for my *thingy* do you think you can recover it from Melissa the Priestess?"

You go through some effort to get the xyz from Melissa that Mark needs. Later you learn from Mark or maybe even a friendly PC that Melissa is his ex-wife and the xyz you got from her for his *thingy* was actually hers rightfully as part of a settlement of estates and divorce. Essentially, Mark scammed you--but you got to do a quest, got to interact with higher level PCs, and maybe even they warned you off.

Something, or things like that perhaps.

I'd love to be able to send low level PCs on a persistant-style quest as a councilor. For example, sending them out to collect taxes from various shops and merchants. Perhaps the last merchant isn't too keen on paying, leading to some interesting RP for both the players and the councilor trying to get them to do it. I'd assume the quest would have to be started by speaking with someone in the treasury room, so a Councilor would -have- to take the crew (or probably just the leader of the team) into it.

I've got some ideas I wrote down in my notes last February. I'll give them a gander, I think I had some ideas in there.

Yes, persistant quests only unlockable by faction members is a good idea.

Speak to a Seeker to get a special low level Seeker quest, etc etc.

I plan that for my own project..should it get going.

Garem -taxes snip-

While neat, this specific idea isn't very practical for completely IC reasons. ;)

The Watch collects taxes, not the Council. And in the future there'll be an IC tax season designated for just this thing.

As a Watch quest though, maybe. :)

As soon as a character arrives into Sanctuary, usually the first place they go is the Rock Bottom Inn. (Or the Hall of the Seekers, if they have taken the 'prelude' quest from Nurtle the Exile).

The quests given by Cooky, and Clerk Myrta Cleidt already embody some of my idea, but I'd like to see it expanded. How? Like so:

You receive the quest from Cooky, and deliver the pie to Jafar. In the end of his dialog, he tells you that Myrta has a delivery she would like made. This prompts the character to take that other quest, right away.

After you deliver Myrta's paperwork to the Spellguard, we could have Kyros do the very same -- Offer you a new Fedex quest to go on. This time, you have to deliver something to the Watch House. From there, maybe to the Mausoleum, or the Society Headquarters.

Perhaps making rewards for each 'step' of this quest smaller, so that in the end they are equal to what we have today is a good idea, to keep the server balanced and not over-reward quests that essentially need no RP from old players (who'd already know the location of all these places, and hence wouldn't need to ask).

In short: Putting this in the module would give new players and characters a chance to take a small tour through Sanctuary and get to know all the major locations.

I really like the idea of unlockable quests faction members could give lower levels the chance to do. Perhaps, even, some sort of tool the faction member could have to give the quest to newbie_X right on the spot, making that particular PC the person newbie_X has to come back to when the quest is finished.

A small expereince reward could be added to the event, and then possibly have it up to the PC faction member to reward with gold. I expect it wouldn't be abused by our current faction members, and would encourage PC interaction, rather than routing it to NPCs.

For example, members of the Spellguard would have a 'reporting sheet' given to them that has the ability to target a PC to initiate a quest. This particular one would be for finding a troublesome citizen who cast been casting magic. When the 'reporting sheet' is activated, the person gets a journal ping and 'commoner' is spawned somewhere (sorta like the bounties), who every once in awhile casts a cantrip. If the new player finds the PC, dialog can be initiated with the persuade/bluff/intimidate options, all trying to get the person to come with him to the tower. If they succeed, the casting NPC goes off and disapears (handled ICly as if the NPC went to the tower for the punishment), and the PC Agent would get a message saying the PC was successful. On failure, the Agent would be informed still, knowing that this troublesome NPC hasn't turned himself in. Once the PC returns to the PC Agent, the agent can activate the other ability of the reporting sheet to end the quest and give a bit of xp, and gold.

1.) Street Urchin Quest - similar to Murpors Book buying , but instead the urchin/beggar asks for some food. Buying rations from a merchant will complete this quest.

2.) Scavenger Hunt - An NPC gives you 4 locations (in form of clues) to go to and retrieve proof that you visited that location. Each location (and the subsequent 'proof' item) tells a piece of the history of Sanctuary and/or the surrounding underdark community. All locales should be inside the city or a relatively safe area (mines). Also each location should give a clue to the next location. So you have to get to location 1 before getting the clue to where location 2 is at and so on. The quest should also allow XP to be earned even if it is only partially completed. So if 4 locations are to be found @ 50xp/location, but you only find 3, you still get 150xp. I'd like the quest to be somewhat randomized. Maybe the 4 locations are pulled from a pool of 8 so that even if you have a new character, it's not the same quest twice in a sense.

3.) Mining Quest - add a tiny section of the mines where there is exposed ore. The Foreman of the Mine asks you to go mine for him. Bring him a piece of ore back to claim your reward.

I'll think of more later.

Not really a quest but something that might captivate new players :

Have a non fake portal like man, who offers a short visit to various more hidden locations. The new PC can pay the NPC to see area X, and he is teleported to a certain part of it, for a limited time (like 60 seconds) and can visit totally safely a small part (Like in the personal preludes, he would be a "ghost") . No exploration XP would be awarded, but the player can catch a glimpse of what is out there if he tries hard enough to reach it later on. The areas that are likely to suscitate interest are those furthest away, and less known about.

It might even please some older players who have played a long time, but who never gone far out. The furthest I've gone is fort mur, and only once.

DIE KOTENKU!

But yea, you're right. Woops! Thanks for fixing my error.

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Strife: Is there a benefit to having an item held by a PC start this quest that you won't get anyways with having it started by a faction-area NPC?

Also, I'd like to point out that as an extra incentive for the faction PCs, they should probably get something out of the process, aside from the chance to meet more PCs. This is even more important because a lot of faction PCs, especially Spellguard and Watchmen, are very unapproachable as characters, even though we all know DruQks is as soft as a teddy bear. Perhaps the faction PC takes a half-share of the loot, or something like that tailored to the quest, since the quest itself may very well be for retrieving an object FOR the PC to use, such as a small crate of Bull's Strength potions for the Watch or reagents for the Spellguard.

I think the tool being carried by the PC's will promote and ensure PC to PC interaction. If it's through an NPC, it's still a lot like doing a scripted quest. They could complete it without ever seeing the PC again, and that would be it.

Man, as a side note, I -really- like my idea.

If you want to set up low level player interactions, how about having some random NPC councilor having a task that requires a character to go and give a dozen or so different players flyers for their campaign?

Wow, how the heck did I not think of that? Thanks Mith!

DMs: Should I send an email or catch in IRC/IG?

ExileStrife I think the tool being carried by the PC's will promote and ensure PC to PC interaction. If it's through an NPC, it's still a lot like doing a scripted quest. They could complete it without ever seeing the PC again, and that would be it.

Man, as a side note, I -really- like my idea.

The only problem I see is that the availability of the quests becomes unstable due to the PC Quest givers availability. So if I set off on a quest for the PC Questgiver and they log....well I'm outta luck then.

I mean, I suppose that could currently happen if a NPC set a group off on a quest, then somehow got killed between then and when the group completed the quest.

And lets face it not all factions have lots of members. The Watch, Spell Guard and Council are the ones with the most interaction typically. The seekers and Society have considerably fewer members and even fewer who are on regularly.

I like the idea, but I think the reality is that people will still prefer the stable, regular, easier to find quests then trying to hunt down a player whom you've never met, don't know that they even have a quest, and are in general new to the server.

Well, if the questgiving PC had any foreseeable issue, he or she would probably not give the quest. If something DID come up, I know I for one would be extremely apologetic and would most certainly be sending as many tells ahead of time to try and let them know, in case they might be able to hurry and get it finished.

Also, this really is more realistic if you think about it- NPCs stand there, never sleep, never get cold or hungry, and lack the capacity to love. PCs are huggable and fun!

PC granted quests open up a whole plethora of interesting and additional complications, but the drawbacks are fine!

About the rarity of certain organizations having active PCs- that's more of a recruitment problem. The Seekers, for instance, have never attempted any kind of recruitment that I know of, yet still have had at least one active member at all times, up to 3 or 4. Even the Watch went for about 2 weeks once without any really active players, and they've run at least one recruitment drive (in addition to the CDL).

Last note- the questers would not LOOK for the questgiving PC. The questgiver would LOOK for the other PCs, which is also a LOT more realistic than asking every out of place merchant, nervous looking mother, or portly dwarf that smiles all the time.

Some organizations are more subtle about recruiting than others. Don't confuse subtlety with inaction! :)

Anyhow, back on topic -- I have some ideas for scripting these sort of things, if we choose to go this route.

Garem

Last note- the questers would not LOOK for the questgiving PC. The questgiver would LOOK for the other PCs, which is also a LOT more realistic than asking every out of place merchant, nervous looking mother, or portly dwarf that smiles all the time.

I like the idea in some ways, but what happens when word gets out and the faction PC is swarmed every time they log in by powerquesters who've already run through every other available quest and want to do the PC given one? Interaction with other PCs is good, but I forsee a swarm of tells asking, "dude can i do yr quest plz, k thxs"

You wouldn't give it to players like that. At least I wouldn't.

I like the idea in some ways, but what happens when word gets out and the faction PC is swarmed every time they log in by powerquesters who've already run through every other available quest and want to do the PC given one? Interaction with other PCs is good, but I forsee a swarm of tells asking, "dude can i do yr quest plz, k thxs"

We certainly have plenty of people on EfU who enjoy questing, but if someone sends tells like that please contact a DM so we can set them straight or ask them to leave the server.

I don't know, maybe I'm out of touch, but I don't think we have many players like that playing. Sometimes we have new players who need to learn about what the server is about, but even they seem to either learn or move on.

I think MD's idea is awesome. An NPC who gives a quest to hand out things/messages to random PCs.

For example, stage a Councilor clerk, or maybe Toboerski's assistant (both NPCs) who send a PC (as a quest) to hand out a small number (5-10) campaign fliers/messages to other PCs. When the last note is handed to a PC (not sure if this can be scripted), the quest is registered as complete.

All the while, inter-PC conversation and interaction is fostered, as it will be necessary to end the quest. This introduces the new player to Sanctuary itself (wandering around, looking for PCs), its citizens (the PCs) and the political atmosphere. Discussions and debates on the particular Councilor and his policies are sure to ensue.

The only problem, beside possible technical ones, is the possibilty of a PC just ICly throwing the fliers/messages into the trash then waltzing back to claim the reward. To counter this, most quests don't require evidence to actually complete anyway, so...

Lots of great stuff so far. Please keep them coming. Some of these ideas are already being worked on, so this really does make a difference for us. We want to make the experience as good as possible for new players.

I would really like a TIMED QUEST where if you don't act fast enough, you lose the quest.

There was a section of the premium module Pirates of the Sword Coast, where you had to fight an invading party while trying to patch the holes in your boat. If the boat filled up with water you died and the boat sank.

1.) Now since this is non-combat quests, how about something like the basement of the Crone being flooded. You have to patch the holes before it fills up!

2.) Or you could have a fire fighter quest! I know we had a couple of those events lately, but maybe there is a fire in a warehouse! You have to get water from a waterpump inside the warehouse and you have to put it out before the merchandise is damaged. If you take too long, the goods are destroyed.

3.) Delivery - a member of the Council wants a song composed. You have to deliver the instructions for whats to be in the song to a local bard who lives upper near the Toberski Estate.

Whadya think?

How about a repeatable low level bounty quest to introduce newbies to the surrounding areas of the underdark. You could have a private waiting at sanctuary gate putting bountys on creatures that have caused trouble recently. for example: the watch have put a bounty out for adventurers to go out and kill goblins due to increased attacks on travellers from them, your job would be to go out and search for goblins and kill an X amount depending on your level and party size.

The trick is theres no gurantee that goblins spawn at the exact same place every time so newbies would be forced to search the underdark. This is would introduce team work and give new players a more general idea which way to head and which way to avoid if they are on the brink of death.

To prove you have killed the creature you've been assigned to i think we would need some kind of trophy off them like their ears or head that would only appear if you have the quest.

Just to get to grips with team work and the such i think a party size of at least 3 would be apporpriate

How about adding in more multi ending guests like the pie guest this would give the charecters more opportunites to do things Ic and also make the delivery quests slightly less repetative. An example would be to deliver a minor powerd necromatic artifact to the spellguard or if you feel like it take said artifact and sell it to a crazed necromancer that hides out in sewer town

I agree with kales suggestion of multi-ending options. gives IC options.

Another idea ive had is why not have quests with items that can acualy be used like having to deliver a potion of lesser restoration to some sick person this would then give a charetcer the Ic option of doing the quest for the xp and money or deciding just to keep the items.

Posting this here too:

nestek

I would not liek (sic) to see the trash barrels go as I regularly destroy necromantic items so they can;t be used by the general population etc

There's an idea for a low level newbie quest.

I do have a serious annoyance issue with people 'destroying' stuff this easily. If its so vile and so evil it merits automatic destruction when its found, destroying it shouldn't be that simple.

It'd be a lot cooler for the entire server if there was a scripted quest that destroyed certain 'necromantic' items: "wands of negative energy", "bone mail" etc etc. It'd be a low level quest with "x" reasoning "only a relatively unknown warrior can sneak past the devils that watch over the Purifier that destroys these things" or "the white wizard though dedicated to destroying necromantic items has had many assassins try to destroy him, and so he refuses to speak to well known or powerful adventurers, trusting only recently escaped slaves and unproven adventurers".

Plus this gives the chance for these items to be stolen, swiped, scammed back into the server rather than automatically removing them by using a simple trash can five feet from the adventure you got them on.