Quests and Goals

Location-Based Adventures

Dungeon Goals

1. Stop the dungeon's monstrous inhabitants from raiding the surface world.
2. Foil a villain's evil scheme.
3. Destroy a magical threat inside the dungeon.
4. Acquire treasure.
5. Find a particular item for a specific purpose.
6. Retrieve a stolen item hidden in the dungeon.
7. Find information needed for a special purpose.
8. Rescue a captive.
9. Discover the fate of a previous adventuring party.
10. Find an NPC who disappeared in the area.
11. Slay a dragon or some other challenging monster.
12. Discover the nature and origin of a strange location or phenomenon.
13. Pursue fleeing foes taking refuge in the dungeon.
14. Escape from captivity in the dungeon.
15. Clear a ruin so it can be rebuilt and reoccupied.
16. Discover why a villain is interested in the dungeon.
17. Win a bet or complete a rite of passage by surviving in the dungeon for a certain amount of time.
18. Parley with a villain in the dungeon.
19. Hide from a threat outside the dungeon.
20. Roll twice, ignoring results of 20

Wilderness Goals

1. Locate a dungeon or other site of interest (roll on the Dungeon Goals table to find out why).
2. Assess the scope of a natural or unnatural disaster.
3. Escort an NPC to a destination.
4. Arrive at a destination without being seen by the villain's forces.
5. Stop monsters from raiding caravans and farms.
6. Establish trade with a distant town.
7. Protect a caravan traveling to a distant town.
8. Map a new land.
9. Find a place to establish a colony.
10. Find a natural resource.
11. Hunt a specific monster.
12. Return home from a distant place.
13. Obtain information from a reclusive hermit.
14. Find an object that was lost in the wilds.
15. Discover the fate of a missing group of explorers.
16. Pursue fleeing foes.
17. Assess the size of an approaching army.
18. Escape the reign of a tyrant.
19. Protect a wilderness site from attackers.
20. Roll twice, ignoring results of 20.

Other Goals

1. Seize control of a fortified location such as a fortress, town, or ship.
2. Defend a location from attackers.
3. Retrieve an object from inside a secure location in a settlement.
4. Retrieve an object from a caravan.
5. Salvage an object or goods from a lost vessel or caravan.
6. Break a prisoner out of a jail or prison camp.
7. Escape from a jail or prison camp.
8. Successfully travel through an obstacle course to gain recognition or reward.
9. Infiltrate a fortified location.
10. Find the source of strange occurrences in a haunted house or other location.
11. Interfere with the operation of a business.
12. Rescue a character, monster, or object from a natural or unnatural disaster.

Adventure Villains

1. Beast or monstrosity with no particular agenda
2. Aberration bent on corruption or domination
3. Fiend bent on corruption or destruction
4. Dragon bent on domination and plunder
5. Giant bent on plunder
6-7. Undead with any agenda
8. Fey with a mysterious goal
9-10. Humanoid cultist
11-12. Humanoid conqueror
13. Humanoid seeking revenge
14-15. Humanoid schemer seeking to rule
16. Humanoid criminal mastermind
17-18. Humanoid raider or ravager
19. Humanoid under a curse
20. Misguided humanoid zealot

Adventure Allies

1. Skilled adventurer
2. Inexperienced adventurer
3. Enthusiastic commoner
4. Soldier
5. Priest
6. Sage
7. Revenge seeker
8. Raving lunatic adventurer
9. Celestial ally
10. Fey ally
11. Disguised monster
12. Villain posing as an ally

Adventure Patrons

1-2. Retired adventurer
3-4. Local ruler
5-6. Military officer
7-8. Temple official
9-10. Sage
11-12. Respected elder
13. Deity or celestial
14. Mysterious fey
15. Old friend
16. Former teacher
17. Parent or other family member
18. Desperate Commoner
19. Embattled merchant
20. Villain posing as a patron

Adventure Introduction

1. While traveling in the wilderness, the characters fall into a sinkhole that opens beneath their feet, dropping them into the adventure location.
2. While traveling in the wilderness, the characters notice the entrance to the adventure location.
3. While traveling on a road, the characters are attacked by monsters that flee into the nearby adventure location.
4. The adventurers find a map on a dead body. In addition to the map setting up the adventure, the adventure's villain wants the map.
5. A mysterious magic item or a cruel villain teleports the characters to the adventure location.
6. A stranger approaches the characters in a tavern and urges them toward the adventure location.
7. A town or village needs volunteers to go to the adventure location.
8. An NPC the characters care about needs them to go to the adventure location.
9. An NPC the characters must obey orders them to go to the adventure location.
10. An NPC the characters respect asks them to go to the adventure location.
11. One night, the characters all dream about entering the adventure location.
12. A ghost appears and terrorizes a village. Research reveals that it can be put to rest only by entering the adventure location.

Adventure Climax

1. The adventurers confront the main villain and a group of minions in a bloody battle to the finish.
2. The adventurers chase the villain while dodging obstacles designed to thwart them, leading to a final confrontation in or outside the villain's refuge.
3. The actions of the adventurers or the villain result in a cataclysmic event that the adventurers must escape.
4. The adventurers race to the site where the villain is bringing a master plan to its conclusion, arriving just as that plan is about to be completed.
5. The villain and two or three lieutenants perform separate rites in a large room. The adventurers must disrupt all the rites at the same time.
6. An ally betrays the adventurers as they're about to achieve their goal. (Use this climax carefully, and don't overuse it.)
7. A portal opens to another plane of existence. Creatures on the other side spill out, forcing the adventurers to close the portal and deal with the villain at the same time.
8. Traps, hazards, or animated objects turn against the adventurers while the main villain attacks.
9. The dungeon begins to collapse while the adventurers face the main villain, who attempts to escape in the chaos.
10. A threat more powerful than the adventurers appears, destroys the main villain, and then turns its attention on the characters.
11. The adventurers must choose whether to pursue the fleeing main villain or save an NPC they care about or a group of innocents.
12. The adventurers must discover the main villain's secret weakness before they can hope to defeat that villain.

Event-Based Adventures

Event-Based Villain Actions

1. Big event
2. Crime spree
3. Growing corruption
4. One and done
5. Serial crimes
6. Step by step

Big Event. The villain's plans come to fruition during a festival, an astrological event, a holy (or unholy) rite, a royal wedding, the birth of a child, or some similar fixed time. The villain's activities up to that point are geared toward preparation for this event.
Crime Spree. The villain commits acts that become bolder and more heinous over time. A killer might start out by targeting the destitute in the city slums before moving up to a massacre in the marketplace, increasing the horror and the body count each time.
Growing Corruption. As time passes, the villain's power and influence grow, affecting more victims across a larger area. This might take the form of armies conquering new territory, an evil cult recruiting new members, or a spreading plague. A pretender to the throne might attempt to secure the support of the kingdom's nobility in the days or weeks leading up to a coup, or a guild leader could corrupt the members of a town council or bribe officers of the watch.
One and Done. The villain commits a single crime and then tries to avoid the consequences. Instead of an ongoing plan to commit more crimes, the villain's goal is to lie low or flee the scene.
Serial Crimes. The villain commits crimes one after the other, but these acts are repetitive in nature, rather than escalating to greater heights of depravity. The trick to catching such a villain lies in determining the pattern underlying the crimes. Though serial killers are a common example of this type of villain, your villain could be a serial arsonist favoring a certain type of building, a magical sickness that affects spellcasters who cast a specific spell, a thief that targets a certain kind of merchant, or a doppelganger kidnapping and impersonating one noble after another.
Step by Step. In pursuit of its goal, the villain carries out a specific set of actions in a particular sequence. A wizard might steal the items needed to create a phylactery and become a lich, or a cultist might kidnap the priests of seven good-aligned gods as a sacrifice. Alternatively, the villain could be following a trail to find the object of its revenge, killing one victim after another while moving ever closer to the real target.

Event-Based Goals

1. Bring the villain to justice.
2. Clear the name of an innocent NPC.
3. Protect or hide an NPC.
4. Protect an object.
5. Discover the nature and origin of a strange phenomenon that might be the villain's doing.
6. Find a wanted fugitive.
7. Overthrow a tyrant.
8. Uncover a conspiracy to overthrow a ruler.
9. Negotiate peace between enemy nations or feuding families.
10. Secure aid from a ruler or council.
11. Help a villain find redemption.
12. Parley with a villain.
13. Smuggle weapons to rebel forces.
14. Stop a band of smugglers.
15. Gather intelligence on an enemy force.
16. Win a tournament.
17. Determine the villain's identity.
18. Locate a stolen item.
19. Make sure a wedding goes off without a hitch.
20. Roll twice, ignoring results of 20.

Framing Events

01-02. Anniversary of a monarch's reign
03-04. Anniversary of an important event
05-06. Arena event
07-08. Arrival of a caravan or ship
09-10. Arrival of a circus
11-12. Arrival of an important NPC
13-14. Arrival of marching modrons
15-16. Artistic performance
17-18. Athletic event
19-20. Birth of a child
21-22. Birthday of an important NPC
23-24. Civic festival
25-26. Comet appearance
27-28. Commemoration of a past tragedy
29-30. Consecration of a new temple
31-32. Coronation
33-34. Council meeting
35-36. Equinox or solstice
37-38. Execution
39-40. Fertility festival
41-42. Full moon
43-44. Funeral
45-46. Graduation of cadets or wizards
47-48. Harvest festival
49-50. Holy day
51-52 .Investiture of a knight or other noble
53-54 .Lunar eclipse
55-58. Midsummer festival
59-60. Midwinter festival
61-62. Migration of monsters
63-64. Monarch's ball
65-66. New moon
67-68. New year
69-70. Pardoning of a prisoner
71-72. Planar conjunction
73-74. Planetary alignment
75-76. Priestly investiture
77-78. Procession of ghosts
79-80. Remembrance for soldiers lost in war
81-82. Royal address or proclamation
83-84. Royal audience day
85-86. Signing of a treaty
87-88. Solar eclipse
89-91. Tournament
92-94. Trial
95-96. Violent uprising
97-98. Wedding or wedding anniversary
99-100. Concurrence of two events. (roll twice, ignoring results of 99 or 100.)

Complications

Moral Quandaries

1-3. Ally quandary
4-6. Friend quandary
7-12. Honor quandary
13-16. Rescue quandary
17-20. Respect quandary
Ally Quandary. The adventurers have a better chance of achieving their goal with the help of two individuals whose expertise is all but essential. However, these two NPCs hate each other and refuse to work together even if the fate of the world hangs in the balance. The adventurers must choose the NPC that is most likely to help them accomplish their goal.
Friend Quandary. An NPC that one or more of the characters cares about makes an impossible demand on the characters. A love interest might demand that a character turn away from a dangerous quest. A dear friend might plead with the characters to spare the villain's life, to prove that they are better than the villain. A weak NPC might beg for a chance to win favor from the characters by undertaking a dangerous but essential mission.
Honor Quandary. A character is forced to choose between victory and a personal oath or code of honor. A paladin who has sworn the Oath of Virtue might realize that the clearest path to success lies in deceit and subterfuge. A loyal cleric might be tempted to disobey the orders of his or her faith. If you present this quandary, be sure to provide an opportunity for a character to atone for violating his or her oath.
Rescue Quandary. The adventurers must choose between catching or hurting the villain and saving innocent lives. For example, the adventurers might learn that the villain is camped nearby, but they also learn that another part of the villain's forces is about to march into a village and burn it to the ground. The characters must choose between taking out the villain or protecting innocent villagers, some of whom might be friends or family members.
Respect Quandary. Two important allies give conflicting directions or advice to the adventurers. Perhaps the high priest counsels the characters to negotiate peace with militaristic elves in the nearby forest, while a veteran warrior urges them to prove their strength with a decisive first strike. The adventurers can't follow both courses, and whichever ally they choose, the other loses respect for them and might no longer aid them.

Twists

1. The adventurers are racing against other creatures with the same or opposite goal.
2. The adventurers become responsible for the safety of a noncombatant NPC.
3. The adventurers are prohibited from killing the villain, but the villain has no compunctions about killing them.
4. The adventurers have a time limit.
5. The adventurers have received false or extraneous information.
6. Completing an adventure goal fulfills a prophecy or prevents the fulfillment of a prophecy.
7. The adventurers have two different goals, but they can complete only one.
8. Completing the goal secretly helps the villain.
9. The adventurers must cooperate with a known enemy to achieve the goal.
10. The adventurers are under magical compulsion (such as a geas spell) to complete their goal.

Encounters

Characters Objectives

Make Peace. The characters must convince two opposing groups (or their leaders) to end the conflict that embroils them. As a complication, the characters might have enemies on one or both of the opposing sides, or some other group or individual might be instigating the conflict to further its own ends.
Protect an NPC or Object. The characters must act as bodyguards or protect some object in their custody. As a complication, the NPC under the party's protection might be cursed, diseased, prone to panic attacks, too young or too old to fight, or apt to risk the lives of the adventurers through dubious decisions. The object the adventurers have sworn to protect might be sentient, cursed, or difficult to transport.
Retrieve an Object. The adventurers must gain possession of a specific object in the area of the encounter, preferably before combat finishes. As a complication, enemies might desire the object as much as the adventurers do, forcing both parties to fight for it.
Run a Gauntlet. The adventurers must pass through a dangerous area. This objective is similar to retrieving an object insofar as reaching the exit is a higher priority than killing opponents in the area. A time limit adds a complication, as does a decision point that might lead characters astray. Other complications include traps, hazards, and monsters.
Sneak In. The adventurers need to move through the encounter area without making their enemies aware of their presence. Complications might ensue if they are detected.
Stop a Ritual. The plots of evil cult leaders, malevolent warlocks, and powerful fiends often involve rituals that must be foiled. Characters engaged in stopping a ritual must typically fight their way through evil minions before attempting to disrupt the ritual's powerful magic. As a complication, the ritual might be close to completion when the characters arrive, imposing a time limit. Depending on the ritual, its completion might have immediate consequences as well.
Take Out a Single Target. The villain is surrounded by minions powerful enough to kill the adventurers. The characters can flee and hope to confront the villain another day, or they can try to fight their way through the minions to take out their target. As a complication, the minions might be innocent creatures under the villain's control. Killing the villain means breaking that control, but the adventurers must endure the minions' attacks until they do.

Quests

Dungeon Master's Guide

1. Find a specific item rumored to be in the area.
2. Retrieve a stolen item in the villain's possession.
3. Receive information from an NPC in the area.
4. Rescue a captive.
5. Discover the fate of a missing NPC.
6. Slay a specific monster.
7. Discover the nature and origin of a strange phenomenon in the area.
8. Secure the aid of a character or creature in the area.

Tomb of Annihilation Side Quests

1. Collect a debt
2. Create a Distraction
3. Escort a Priest
4. Soothsayer with Dreadful Visions
5. Find a Missing Father
6. Help a Dyeing Man
7. Chart an Accurate Wilderness Map
8. Hunt Pirates
9. Save an Innocent Man
10. Possessed Messenger with no memory after delivery

Port Nyanzaru Encounters

1. Parrot: A parrot poops on a random character's head.
2. Ankylosaurus: Near the harbor, an ankylosaurus that tows boats through the warehouse canals goes on a rampage and must be calmed, restrained, or killed.
3. Merchant: A merchant shouts, "Stop! Thief!" as a furtive youngster (commoner) rushes past the characters. If the thief is caught, the grateful merchant can introduce characters to a merchant prince or provide them one other favor.
4. Sailor: A drunk foreign sailor (unarmored veteran) is loudly trying to pick a fight with three local commoners, who are clearly no match for the lout. If the characters intervene, the grateful locals become a reliable source of information about Port Nyanzaru, but the sailor and his shipmates ambush the characters elsewhere in the city later on.
5. Beggar: A beggar (commoner) grabs a character by the arm and shouts, "The ancient one beneath the Forbidden City gives birth to a terrible new god! The snake-men know! They know!" Then he stumbles away into the crowd. Passersby tell the adventurers to ignore the beggar, and that his predictions are wrong most of the time.
6. Alarm: Alarm horns declare that undead are attacking Malar's Throat. Mercenaries keep the monsters out of the city proper, but people are trapped in the temple of Tymora and besieged by 2d6 zombies and 2d6 skeletons led by a ghoul. If the characters defeat the undead, the temple rewards them with 5 gallons of tej and a potion of healing.
7. Look Out: Shouts of "Look out!" give a character a brief warning as a water barrel, building stone, or other heavy weight crashes down. The character must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or be struck, taking 14 (4d6) bludgeoning damage. Any character who succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check spots a disguised yuan-ti pureblood slinking away from the scene.
8. Minstrel: A tabaxi minstrel asks one of the characters for a gold piece to stake her for gambling, promising to pay it back. If the character agrees, the tabaxi makes good on her promise the next day, returning a pouch containing 10 gp.
9. Thief: A thief (spy) tries to pick the pocket of one of the characters.
10. Volo: The characters run into Volothamp Geddarm, who is delivering a copy of his new book to one of the city's merchant princes. There is a 50 percent chance that Volo is drunk.
11-20. Side Quest: The characters meet an NPC with a side quest.

Lost Mines of Phandelver

1. Narth, an old farmer: "Sister Garaele, who oversees the Shrine of Luck, recently left town for a few days, then returned wounded and exhausted."
2. Elsa, a gossipy barmaid: "Doran Edermath, the orchard keeper, is a former adventurer."
3. Lanar, a miner: "Orc raiders have been seen on the east end of Triboar Trail. The townmaster is looking for someone to run them off."
4. Trilena, the innkeeper's wife: "Thel Dendrar, a local woodcarver, stood up to the Redbrands a tenday ago when they came by his shop and leered at his wife. The ruffians murdered him. Several townsfolk saw it happen. The Redbrands grabbed his body, and now his wife, daughter, and son have gone missing too."
5. Pip, Toblen's young son: "Qelline Alderlears son Carp said he found a secret tunnel in the woods, but Redbrands almost caught him."
6. Freda, a weaver: "The Redbrands hassle every business in town, except for the Phandalin Miner's Exchange. They don't want trouble with Halia Thornton, who runs it."

Ghosts of Saltmarsh

1. The crown dispatched a caravan with enough gold to commission six new warships. It went missing near the Hool Marshes.
2. Drow traders posing as surface elves have been doing business in town.
3. Someone's sabotaging fishing boats. It's those dwarves—they want to take over!
4. The king's agents have infiltrated town. It's only a matter of time before they remove the council and replace them with foppish nobles.
5. That tiefling who's looking to buy crocodile skulls can't be up to anything good.
6. A couple of fishing boats have gone missing. If the sea devils aren't behind it, I'm a merman.
7. A big critter's been going through everyone's trash at night. Something from the swamp, I'd reckon—maybe a troll.
8. Sometimes on a moonless night, you can meet the ghost of a drowned sailor trying to get home. Lead one to their home, and you'll get a wish. Fail, and they'll strangle you.
9. If you see someone at the docks wearing a red cloak after dark, slip them a copper piece and they'll connect you with smugglers from beyond this world who can sell you anything you've dreamed of.
10. It's only a matter of time before the dwarves dig too deep and unleash something horrible.

Mythic Odysseys of Theros

Nautical Adventures

1. Slay a monster or pirates terrorizing ships at sea.
2. Follow an omen that leads out to sea.
3. Seek an artifact hidden underwater or on an island.
4. Find your way home after getting lost.
5. Find a lost temple of a god.
6. Relocate settlers trying to colonize an inhabited isle.
7. Discover a safe route through deadly waters.
8. Retrace the path of a hero lost at sea.
9. Find a whirlpool that is a passage to the Underworld.
10. Sail from the edge of the world into Nyx.

Mythical Islands

Island Environments

1. Frozen. The island is magically frozen or is a floating iceberg. Perhaps something lies locked within.
2. Sargassum. The island is a dense layer of seaweed that has developed its own ecosystem of strange beasts and trapped sailors.
3. Living. The island is actually a gigantic slumbering creature—potentially unbeknown to its residents.
4. Mirage. Magical phenomena surround a mundane island with tempting or treacherous illusions.
5. Nyx Shard. The island is a manifestation of Nyx, a recreation of a land from the distant past or completely from fiction.
6. Idyllic. The island has beautiful weather and abundant fruit—so much so that some might consider never leaving.
7. Lost Ruin. The island is all that survived a calamity that destroyed a legendary city.
8. Gateway. The island is inherently magical, perhaps being an intrusion from a bizarre demiplane or the dream of a sleeping demigod.
9. Promised Land. The island is a gift from a god to a favored individual or population, specially tailored to suit their whims.
10. Divine Refuge. A god created this island to be a personal getaway, making it a reflection of the world as it would appear if they were in complete control.

Island Inhabitants

1. The Last. Creatures that think they're the last of their kind—perhaps Returned, leonin, or humans—make their home on the island.
2. First Contact. A prosperous civilization, unconnected to the great poleis, thrives on the island.
3. Strangers. A species not usually connected to Theros dwells here—such as thri-kreen, yuan-ti, or another creature from the Monster Manual.
4. Rivals. Two settlements have turned the island into a war zone.
5. Prisoner. A powerful monster or dangerous figure from legend is imprisoned on this island.
6. Tyrant. A powerful individual built a fortress on the island, and all other residents revere them.
7. Fanatics. The island's residents know only one god and don't appreciate visits from heretics.
8. The Dead. A settlement of the Returned is located near an obscure passage to the Underworld.
9. Memories. Everyone on the island is Nyxborn, being the reincarnation of a lost people.
10. Oracle. An oracle with a reputation for accurate knowledge and prediction lives on the island.

Island Magical Properties

Beyond unusual physical compositions and strange inhabitants, mystical islands might have magical properties. Effects include persistent weather, a unique law of physics, a curse that affects visitors, or something stranger. When determining what magical properties affect a mystical island, consider using any of the magical effects here, either as presented or as inspiration for magical properties of your own design.
Bliss Island. Those who visit the island risk being enchanted so they never want to leave. At the end of each long rest it takes on this island, a visitor must succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or be unwilling to leave the island before finishing another long rest. After failing this saving throw three times, the creature never willingly leaves the island and, if forcibly removed, does everything in its power to return. A dispel evil and good spell removes this effect from the creature.
Swine Island. Visitors to this island risk being afflicted by the Curse of the Swine. At the end of each long rest it takes on this island, a visitor must succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or be affected by the polymorph spell and transformed into a pig (use the boar stat block). The curse lasts until the visitor leaves the isle or until it is broken by a spell like remove curse.
Timeless Island. When characters leave the island after spending at least 1 day there, they might find that time has passed differently for the outside world. Use the Feywild Time Warp table in chapter 2 of the Dungeon Master's Guide to determine how much time has passed.
Wild Magic Island. Whenever a spell is cast on the island, the caster must roll on the Wild Magic Surge table from chapter 3 of the Player's Handbook.

Underworld Adventures

Beyond Death

1. In Phylias, find and bargain for information with your least favorite dead acquaintance or family member.
2. Smuggle the puppy of an Underworld cerberus into the mortal world.
3. Find and free a lost hero from the Labyrinth of Memories on Nerono.
4. Free a legendary lost ship and the souls aboard from the endless Nerono whirlpool they're trapped within.
5. Meet with your family's most legendary member in Ilysia and prove yourself worthy of their name.
6. Steal a legendary, long-shattered treasure from its resting place in Ilysia's Citadel of Destiny.
7. Seek out a long-dead foe and learn how they're keeping you from being magically resurrected.
8. Discover a secret from an infamous member of your family who became a typhon.
9. Save a god's favored worshiper from a cruel punishment in the Underworld—even though they've been dead for hundreds of years.
10. Sever one of the massive chains of Tizerus, releasing the ancient being it binds.
11. Lead an immortal anvilwrought to Erebos's palace and convince the god to let the construct die.
12. Discover why Erebos is no longer allowing certain individuals to die.
13. Coerce a night hag into granting a morbid prophecy by stealing its eye.
14. Learn a secret way to escape the Underworld from one of the titans.
15. Find the lost secret of a long-dead warlord that now rests with the villain's misera.
16. Discover from a woe strider how to escape the bonds of destiny.
17. Defeat a host of legendary villains in Agonas's Stadium of Dishonor.
18. Prevent one of your ancestors from transforming into an eater of hope.
19. Travel to Erebos's palace and recover a secret from one who failed to bargain for their release.
20. Seek out Klothys's domain and learn from her oracles how you're destined to escape the Underworld.

Complete Warrior

Mercenary Missions

1. Seize and hold a terrain feature (such as a hill, ford, or mountain pass)
2. Drive off enemies holding a terrain feature
3. Reconnoiter a terrain feature
4. Defend a terrain feature
5. Seize and hold a defensive structure (such as a wall, trench, or stronghold)
6. Destroy a defensive structure
7. Reconnoiter a defensive structure
8. Defend a defensive structure
9. Disrupt enemy supply system (such as caravans or armories)
10. Guard friendly supply system
11. Deliver supplies to friendly unit
12. Attack enemy command structure (such as HQs, officers, or communications)
13. Guard friendly command structure
14. Deliver orders to friendly unit
15. Patrol specific area
16. Attack specific enemy unit
17. Rescue friendly unit in trouble
18. Provide distraction for another mission
19. Perform noncombat duty (train, recruit, provide honor guard, and so on)
20. Redeploy to different part of the front

Complications

1. Objective has moved to new location
2. Objective is hidden, possibly with magic
3. Objective is heavily guarded
4. It's a trap! Enemy lies in wait around false objective
5. Intelligence failure (map is wrong, objective doesn't exist, and so on)
6. In mid-mission, friendly unit requests aid
7. In mid-mission, commander issues new orders
8. Tempting enemy target presents itself elsewhere
9. Weather turns foul
10. Friendly units engage in unrelated mission nearby
11. Enemy units engage in unrelated mission nearby
12. PCs caught in crossfire between friendly and enemy units
13. Objective overrun by main force of enemy army
14. Timetable of mission changed
15. PCs' support or relief never shows up
16. PCs receive conflicting or garbled orders
17. Friendly army retreats, leaving PCs exposed
18. PCs face unusual enemy unit (such as monsters or high-level NPCs)
19. Friendly unit mistakenly attacks PCs
20. Enemy forces counterattack PCs' position

Support

1. Artillery support at specific time (catapults or area-effect spells)
2. Artillery support when requested
3. Artillery support on continuous basis
4. Air insertion (with monsters or magic)
5. Air extraction
6. Air support (flying creatures or NPCs) at a specific time
7. Air support when requested
8. Air support on continuous basis
9. Shock troops at a specific time (heavy infantry, giants, and so on)
10. Shock troops when requested
11. Fast cavalry at a specific time (mounted knights, bugbears on howlers, and so on)
12. Fast cavalry when requested
13. Clerical healing
14. Bardic inspiration
15. Ranger or druid scouting
16. Magical distraction
17. Magical insertion
18. Magical extraction
19. Magical stealth
20. Magical divination/communication

Skyrim

Random Encounters/Side Quests

1. Bandit-infested abandoned fortress
2. Dragon lair
3. Monster-infested mine
4. Haunted tomb
5. Desecrated shrine
6. Monster den
7. Evil mage's magical landmark
8. Military/political mission
9. Thieves' guild
10. Coven of Hags performing sacrificial rituals and/or bloody experiments to create foul creatures i.e. Briarheart Warriors.

Goals

• Deliver...
• Fetch/recover/rescue...
• Destroy/kill...
• Create/consecrate/activate...