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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gruns" data-source="post: 4487595" data-attributes="member: 10312">As another huge fan of EQ, I've tried to incorporate EQ type quests into my DMing. Ultimately I've found that they simply don't translate very well. "Go kill wooly mammoths until a tainted one spawns, then kill it and bring me the tusk" just doesn't work. The best I've come up with is using the names and backstory(there are a LOT of backstories in the game that most people don't really know about) and creating campaigns/adventures from there. I ran a very fun and successful campaign based on the PCs living in Qeynos, and having to deal with the gnolls, while the Kane Bayle/Bloodsabers corruption thing was going on within the city. Here's a quick, basic outline: 1) PCs are hired to deliver/retrieve something from Surefall Glade, a few days away through increasingly dangerous hills. A few gnolls attack on the way there.2) On the return trip, some rabid wolves attack. Holly Windstalker appears near the end of the fight (but doesn't one-shot the PCs as she would in the game <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":P" title="Stick out tongue    :P"  data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":P" /> ) and expresses concern about the erratic behavior of the wildlife recently. She asks the PCs to take the infected wolf corpses to the Temple of Life in Qeynos for further study.3) Lashun Novashine takes an interest in the party, and asks them to clear out some undead.4) The gnolls send their ambassador, Fippy Darkpaw, to 'negotiate with' Qeynos. By this he threatens the humans and gives them the ultimatum that they must leave the area, or be wiped out. This is of course laughed at by the Qeynos guard and they tell Fippy and the gnolls to do their worst, as they take pot shots at the fleeing, dejected gnoll with their crossbows. Fippy shouts insults as he runs back to Blackburrow.5) Temple of Life finds that the wolves have been diseased.6) A scouting party from Surefall Glade has turned up missing. PCs search the area and find clues that lead to Blackburrow/gnoll involvement.7) PCs enter Blackburrow, looking for clues. Dungeon crawl a bit before finding bodies of Surefall rangers.8) Return with bad news. Surefall asks Qeynos to join them in declaring war against Blackburrow. Qeynos refuses, don't see gnolls as a viable threat.9) Meanwhile, Kane Bayle has been corroborating with the gnolls the entire time. He gives one of them, a higher level wizard, the key to his father's (the king, Antonius Bayle) chambers so he can be assassinated, and Kane will obtain the throne.10) PCs pick up on some clues that the Qeynos water supply is being poisoned, as many people succomb to disease.10) Antonius is assassinated, the gnoll is chased (and intentionally caught) by the PCs or the guards.11) Kane Bayle leads the public execution of the gnoll. PCs may notice a wink when Kane is telling the gnoll how evil and worthless he is. The gnoll is surprised to see that Kane is actually going through with the execution, and at the last minute, shows his true power. He escapes in dramatic fashion. (Or attempts to.)12) Rumors start that Kane was involved. Most people don't believe them, or simply refuse to talk about the idea. Joffrey Clay(or anyone you want) IS convinced, though, and the PCs help him convince the paladins that something is amiss.12) The gnolls vow revenge for the betrayal (they were promised some claim to the land once Kane took over) and the attacks increase before a full out assault on the city.I ran this as a full scale 100 Qeynos citizen vs 100 gnolls battle. The PCs fought an appropriate number of gnolls as normal, and on Qeynos' turn I rolled a d12. This is how many gnolls they killed that round. The gnolls rolled a d10. (Because the good guys are supposed to win.) Adjust as you like. And don't forget the PCs are likely killing gnolls as well.13) Eventually the PCs find out the Kane Bayle was in fact involved, and they confront him and some Bloodsabers in an epic Big Bad Evil Guy fight.I've left out a ton of details, and side quests, but you can fill them in to your tastes.Later!Gruns</blockquote>

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