Class Quests
Everyone knows that Paladins can get a special mount at level 5, but what about all of the other classes? What can they have? This article focuses on how to spice up your campaigns by introducing class quests into your mixture. Most of these quests target 5th level or so, but if that is too many at once for your campaign then check out the other suggestions in the members section.
Paladins
For starters, I suggest that DMs always make paladins quest for their mount. As I player, I once had a DM create an entire module out of rescuing a special horse from an evil wizard. That horse bonded with the paladin in the group and became his special mount. As a DM, I used an old Dungeon Magazine module where a magical horse was trapped inside an alternate plane and was communicating with the paladin through dreams. Eventually, the paladin actually found himself in the dream world, and rescued the horse. When he awoke he found he had a small figurine of his horse and found that he could summon it using a command word.
Druids
Druids “start” with an animal companion, but even then, their very first quest could be to find it. However, I will propose another: the Wild Shape ability. Upon attaining 5th level, have the druid go on a quest to truly understand the animal worlds and bond with a type of animal. This could involve tracking a group of monkeys or gorillas and watching them eat, feed their young, brachiate, climb, etc. Or perhaps rescuing a rapid dog and curing it’s disease, capturing a big cat, or maybe even having to kill an animal with their bare hands. Once they “conquer” the animal worlds they can then Wild Shape.
Wizards
Wizards “start” with a familiar, but even then, their very first quest could be to find it. Another suggestion for wizards would be to have them quest for an item that allows them to use metamagic. I suggest that upon attaining 5th level they must journey to find a special item, such as a meteoric rock, a crystal shard, wyvern egg, and so on, and that this item would then allow them to bend and shift their magic, opening up the metamagic feats for them to take. Having this item stolen could lead to more quests…
Sorcerers
Sorcerers “start” with a familiar, but even then, their very first quest could be to find it. Another suggestion for sorcerers would be to have them quest for an item that allows them to better focus and harness their magical abilities. I suggest that upon attaining 5th (or 6th) level they could journey to find this object, maybe something like a family heirloom. I have a few suggestions about what this item might do. The first is that it could open up their possibility of casting 3rd level spells when they reach 6th level. The second is that, like wizards, it could open up metamagic feats. The third is that this item could help them cast better, perhaps granting an extra spell slot or two, or giving them +2 on casting spells.
Barbarians
This could be most fun. My suggestion here would be to require a quest before the barbarian can learn Improved Uncanny Dodge. This would happen upon attaining 5th level and could involve having to kill multiple monsters single-handedly, such as a small pack of kobolds or orcs. This training would help them to understand how not to be flanked and so on. A small adventure inside an arena could always work…
Bards
I have always found bards to be a bit weak in third edition, so my proposal here is to help strengthen them and make them more attractive to players. Upon attaining 5th level, bards could quest to find their “attuned” instrument. This would be a magical flute, an enchanted guitar, and so on. These instruments would offer small bonuses, such as +2 charisma, +2 bardic knowledge, or +2 perform checks, or perhaps an extra few spells. If your campaigns are like mine, with a bard showing up only once in a while, this item could even allow them to cast spells as if they were a level or two higher, meaning a 5th level bard could then tap into the third level spells. Whatever the item is, I recommend giving it some character by giving it a name and some cool and unusual characteristics. For example: a lute called Prance that adds +2 to perform checks, and has a 1% chance of casting Irresistible Dance on a random nearby person.
Cleric
Cleric quests might be the most interesting, since they would almost always be affiliated with their specific god. My main suggestion here would be to have clerics quest for a special holy symbol upon reaching 5th or 6th level. This holy symbol would have an effect in line with what type of god is worshipped. For a good aligned god maybe +1 on heal spells, for an evil aligned god maybe +1 on damage spells, for a god of the sun maybe +1 on certain spells during the day, for a god of fire maybe +1 on saves involving fire, etc. Caution: I find clerics to be a little over powered, so I do not recommend anything strong for them. Unless, of course, the holy symbol has some drawbacks as well, after all, why would their god give them something?
Fighters
For fighters I would have them quest for a special weapon, piece of armor or shield. Upon reaching 5th or 6th level they could set out for a legendary (locally anyway) item. For frugal DMs, this could be a double masterwork item that is +2 to hit. For the generous DMs, maybe a +2 magical axe, a +2 shield, or +2 chainmail. Whatever the item is, I recommend giving it some character by giving it a name and some cool and unusual characteristics. For example: a shield called Savior that 1/day can increase the owner’s AC by 4 for 1d4 rounds.
Monk
For monks I would suggest having them quest for Ki Strike. They could be required to go on a vision quest in order to gather enough ki energy and channel into a useful form. This ki could even take the form of a new monster…
Ranger
Rangers could quest for their animal companions, much like I have already talked about with paladins. I suggest adding some spice into the campaign by treating the animal as an NPC. Give it a name and a personality. Make it demanding or lazy and you could always add some humor into your campaigns.
Rogue
Like barbarians, rogues could quest for their Uncanny Dodge ability. However, I suggest something a little more interesting. Many rogues become affiliated with guilds, so you can make an adventure for them to become a member. These tasks can range from cat burglar-style missions, to more humorous ones, such as stealing a noble’s underwear.
Prestige Classes
These classes could all have an “entry” task to do like the rogues. Each task would be in line with the traits of the prestige class. For example, Arcane Archers could quest to learn how to enhance their arrows, Archmages could quest for each high arcana ability, Duelists for canny defense, Shadowdancers for hide in plain sight, and so
Special thanks to Charles Fischer for writing this article.