How to use the quest generator
- Pick a kind of quest, or leave it on Any quest: a rescue, a lost item, an escort, a hunt, a mystery, a delivery, a siege or an expedition.
- Pick the party's level. It sets the reward: a level 2 party is paid in hundreds of gold, a level 18 party in tens of thousands, often with a magic item.
- Pick the length. A side quest has three steps and fits one session. A main quest has five, with an obstacle and a surprise in the middle.
- Lock, reroll and share. Press 🔓 to keep a part, ↻ to change one, then copy, print, save or share it. Or put four notices on the quest board and let your players choose.
The parts of a good quest
Every quest here answers the questions players ask first:
- Who's asking, and why can't they do it? The quest giver is a full NPC with a name, a voice and a reason, from our NPC Generator.
- What's the job? What to do, where, and against whom. Lock the job to keep it while the place and the villain change.
- How do we get there? Steps from the first clue to the final showdown and the trip home.
- How long do we have? A deadline adds pressure, or a cold trail if there's none.
- What's in it for us? Gold to match the level, and something extra: land, a title, a favour or a magic item.
The twist is folded away for the DM: the giver might be the real villain, or the "monster" might have a good reason.
Eight kinds of quest
| Kind | Example goal |
|---|---|
| Rescue | Rescue the duke’s champion horse. They’re held by a jealous wizard at an island in the misty lake. |
| Recover an item | Get back the last seeds of a magic tree. It was taken by a young dragon to the frozen lighthouse. |
| Escort | Escort two lost children on a dangerous road. The road leads to the ruined abbey on the hill, and an ogre who wants to be a king is on your trail. |
| Hunt | Stop whoever has been stealing sheep from the hill farms. It’s a rival adventuring party, hiding at the bandit fort at Crow’s Pass. |
| Mystery | Find out who keeps painting strange symbols on doors. The trail leads to the bandit fort at Crow’s Pass, and to a jealous wizard. |
| Delivery | Deliver a stolen holy relic. Carry it to a wizard’s tower that appears only at night, and don’t let a cult that worships the drowned moon take it. |
| Defend | Protect a map to a lost city until help arrives. It’s kept at the Duke’s summer palace, and a pack of hungry wolves wants it. |
| Explore | Find a map to a lost city, lost somewhere in the unknown. Map the Whispering Woods, and watch out for a cult that worships the drowned moon. |
Side quests and main quests
A side quest is a short job for one session: find a lead, face the problem, come home. A main quest adds an obstacle on the way and a moment in the middle that changes things, such as a diary that rewrites the story or an unexpected ally. Here is a main quest from the generator:
Into the Sky Castle: Find a crown made of glass, lost somewhere in the unknown. Map a giant’s castle in the clouds, and watch out for a rival adventuring party.
- Follow tracks out of town into the hills.
- Climb a cliff in a storm.
- Find proof that someone lied to you.
- Find the heart of a giant’s castle in the clouds, and what guards it.
- Decide what to tell Robric about what you learned.
Quest rewards by level
Rewards are our own guide. Half of all quests also offer a magic item that suits the level; the rest offer something money can't buy.
| Party level | Gold reward |
|---|---|
| Levels 1–4 | 50–250 gp |
| Levels 5–10 | 300–1,500 gp |
| Levels 11–16 | 2,000–8,000 gp |
| Levels 17–20 | 10,500–40,000 gp |
Want to pay in treasure instead? Our Loot Generator makes a full hoard for any level.
Twists that keep players guessing
There are 12 twists, and each one fits the kind of quest it's paired with. A few of them:
- The quest giver is the real villain.
- The “foe” is protecting something, and has a good reason.
- The person to rescue doesn’t want to be rescued.
- A rival party has taken the same job.
- The item is a fake, and the real one is somewhere else.
Use a twist only when it makes the story better. Sometimes the simple job really is simple, and players love that too.
Tips for running quests
- Let players choose. Pin three or four notices on the board. A quest they chose is a quest they care about.
- Tie it to a backstory. If a hero's old mentor is the one who's missing, the quest writes itself.
- Make the deadline real. If time runs out, something changes in the world. Players will remember.
- Pay what you promised. A quest giver who cheats the party becomes a great villain for next time.
Frequently asked questions
Is this quest generator for D&D?
Yes. It's made for D&D 5e, with rewards in gold pieces and magic items from the free rules, but the quests work in any fantasy game.
Can it make side quests?
Yes. Side quest is the default: three steps, one session. Choose Main quest for a longer adventure with five steps.
Can I keep the villain and change the rest?
Yes. Press 🔓 on Who stands in the way, then New quest. The same villain gets a new job, place and giver.
Can I make several quests for players to choose from?
Yes. The quest board pins four different quests at once. Press Take this quest to open one.
Can I save or share a quest?
Yes. Save keeps it in this browser, and Share copies a link that opens exactly the same quest.
Is it free, and does it use AI?
It's free with no login, and it doesn't use AI. Every quest is put together in your browser from tables written for this site.
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