Quests & Rewards

Discussion in 'Archives' started by Guy, Mar 15, 2011.

  1. Guy

    Guy Admin admin

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    The following post explains the Quest system used on Hyrule Castle, which includes to great extent the subject of rupees.


    On Quests in General
    Every worthwhile adventure, especially in the land of Hyrule, involves at least one individual striving towards a goal. Perhaps they are seeking to master a newfound magical spell, possibly looking to take a mildly perilous trek from Hyrule Castle to Lon Lon Ranch, or even hold a political debate for their rival for office. The stakes needn't even be high; it's quite possible such a venture could end up being just to have a good time at a local pub. In any case, all of these adventures can each individually be defined as a quest.

    In terms of this system, a quest is roughly determined by setting a goal and meeting that goal. Virtually anything can be a completed quest, so long as (a) a conclusion is reached, regardless of whether you succeed or fail, and (b) it takes at least a few pages of role-playing. These quests are the main method a character on Hyrule Castle earns rupees, spells, and magic-tier equipment. They are in effect also the main way rupees are spent.


    On Proposing or Accepting Quests
    Once you have an idea for a quest, you may make a thread in the Quest Bureau forum. The title of the thread will be the proposed quest's name.

    Quests have either a completely predetermined cast list or some level of walk-in registrations. If there are any open slots, an [Open] tag will be included in the thread's title. If, however, the cast has already been determined by the time of the thread's creation, a [Closed] tag will be included in its title.

    Details in the thread will include its participants, what the quest entails, the ultimate rewards, and whether it is an open or closed quest.

    For participants, each individual player-character should be listed, as well as which player controls each individual character.

    What the quest entails should can be a brief or detailed description of what the questing party intends to do. For instance, a party may for one reason or another be venturing into a cave on the outskirts of the Eastern Sea in the attempt to deal with a Zora infected with a vampiric disease caused by one of Ganon's minions. However, how that quest ultimately ends need not be determined. In the example above, the party may simply slay the Zora, find a way to somehow cure him of this horrific disease, or perhaps even fail and become infected themselves.

    The rewards generally include rupees, spells or skills, physical objects, or advancement in profession. However, they can be something a bit more dynamic, such as a disease or mutation that alters their being in some way (such as being inflicted with a vampiric disease). However, the costs for completing a quest must always come in the form of rupees. Determining what exactly are acceptable rewards for a quest are described in more detail in the "On Rupees and Other Rewards" section of this post.

    On that note, it is important to note that a quest may be submitted or changed at any time. For instance, a group may have already heard about the Zora Vampire, even found their way into his lair, or potentially even have slain the Zora before the Quest Bureau thread is submitted. Additionally, a submitted thread may be altered at any time before the quest is completed.

    Normally users make and use their own quests, but at times staff members may post open plot-based quests in the bureau for other players to take up. These will often have higher-than-usual rewards, and possibly have a significant affect on the backstory of Hyrule.


    On Completing Quests
    After a quest has been posted in the bureau, a staff member should jump in and quickly verify that the quest is feasible. It doesn't break canon, has reasonable rewards, and has some intended goal. After checking it, they should make a brief post noting that it passes.

    Once the quest has been completed in the role-play, whoever has completed it should jump back to the thread and announce they have done so, and provide a link to the completed quest. A staff member should then take the time to verify that the quest has indeed been completed in some fashion, that the listed rewards have been attained (and none beyond those listed), that all characters were significantly involved, and that the role-play was written decently enough. Above anything, it should be clear that the role-players put some effort into it and the thread was not a headlong rush towards the rewards.

    Once the staffer has verified that the quest is completed, they will post in the thread declaring such, and may perhaps provide feedback in some fashion of they so choose or if it is specifically requested. If the quest falls short in some way, that would need to be noted as well--and specifically why it has fallen short, along with if it can be fixed by elongating or editing the role-play thread.


    On Rupees and Other Rewards
    The rewards of a quest are determined using a scale of rupees. By default, every quest has the same reward: 40 rupees for every player involved, and 10 rupees for every character involved. A single player's rupee reward caps at 80, and a group of any size has a cap of 200 rupees attainable. However, by adding other rewards and subtracting from that rupee amount, the reward changes. Every spell, skill, or magic-tier item has an individual rupee cost attributed to it, as defined in the Library of Treasures. You can even add your own treasures in the midst of making a new quest.

    By the metric described, two players with one character each would earn a base of 100 rupees on any quest they completed. However, they may be venturing on a quest that does not involve monetary gain, but are both instead trying to master a spell that can heal themselves of a vampiric curse. Say the cost of learning this spell, as listed in the Library, is 40 rupees for each of them. The reward would then change to them each learning that spell (80 rupees) plus 20 rupees. They may again substitute that 20 rupees for something else, such as a handful of common-tier items they find, simply keep the rupees, or forgo it completely and stick with just learning the spells.

    By contrast, if the two characters were each trying to learn a spell with a cost of 60 rupees, that would create a total cost of 120 rupees--beyond that of the quest limit. This can be covered either by adding additional characters or players to boost the reward, or by expending 20 rupees as a cost for undertaking and completing the quest. Spending rupees in this fashion can only be done when a single reward exceeds the quest reward limit for a single player. For example, one player with one character cannot combine two 30-rupee rewards to exceed a 50-rupee quest. They must either forgo one of the rewards to meet the 50 rupee limit, or find a single reward that exceeds the cost. In quests with multiple players, the rupee reward is divided evenly--if any one player exceeds their allotment, then the same rule is broken.

    No matter what the reward is, however, the characters involved must role-play earning the reward (and expending the costs) at some point in their quest: they will not abruptly and inexplicable each have one of those spells and 10 rupees. They must role-play learning those spells throughout the quest, and involve at some point how exactly those rupees came into their possession, or how they were lost. (Even having them stolen or spending them at an inn are feasible means of losing rupees.)

    It is worth noting that that small amounts of rupees can often be found in the oddest of places within Hyrule, particularly in wilderness, even beneath rocks or between blades of grass. Though few understand this phenomenon, it is actually the work of a tiny and benevolent race called Picori which hide the treasured gems here and there for the larger races to find and have lifted spirits. This is but one method the extra change in quests, such as those twenty rupees in the earlier example, can be found.

    The possible rewards include magic-tier items and skills, the prices of which fluctuate; common-tier items; and gaining or raising a profession. For magic-tier items and skills, check the Library of Treasures thread for exact prices. The price of all common-tier items is either zero rupees if the item cannot be used in combat, or five rupees if the item can be effectively used in combat. The cost of gaining or raising a profession varies, and is noted in the "On Professions" section of this thread. Regardless of how great the reward is, the players themselves decide how to split the reward--it does not necessarily have to be even between characters.


    On Professions
    Using the Profession system is completely optional. I would like to note in particular that any character can hold a regular job, like Genzo's old Deku Barber, without having to go through this system. However, they also wouldn't receive the benefits of this system.

    Essentially a character can hold a profession, a trade, or a skill that may or may not be used to raise some cash. Cooking, blacksmithing, and political debate are just a tiny portion of the possibilities in that field. Alternatively, they could hold a regular job that didn't center around a skill--such as Post Officer, Town Crier, or Waitress--although such jobs could also be open to the interpretation of involving a skill. Virtually any trainable trade could be used for this, although some may not earn all the normal Profession rewards.

    Earning a profession in the first place needs to be earned through a quest reward, taking a full fifty-rupee cost. Earning the profession places the user at the first level of whatever profession they've chosen--a First Level Chef, or Blacksmith, for instance--out of ten possible levels.

    Moving one's profession up a level requires a process much like earning treasures, using quest rupees to advance to new levels. Advancing to level two requires twenty rupees, level three requires thirty rupees, and so forth, until mastering the profession by advancing to level ten costs one-hundred rupees. (From earning the profession to mastering it, that's 590 rupees total.)

    There's a major distinction between gaining a treasure and gaining a profession level, however. Instead of gaining each new level as one bulk treasure, you can submit any number of rupees gained during a quest towards your next level. For example, you just reached 5th level of your profession. That puts you at 0/60 PP (profession points) for 6th level. On your next quest, you submit 50 rupees to 6th level, putting you at 50/60. On your quest after that, you can submit another 10 to reach sixth level, or even 30 to end up with another level and 20/70 for 7th level. You would still be unable to advance multiple levels of a profession in one quest, however, and cannot spend rupees (as opposed to quest rupees) to advance your profession level.

    If it is a money-earning profession, such as cooking or blacksmithing, then its level functions directly as a means of making rupees. For each quest the character completes, they earn an extra sum of rupees equivalent to 5 times their Profession level. A beginner only earns 5 rupees per quest, while a master of their trade earns an extra 50. This earning represents the average amount of labor a character does between quests, and thus does not need to be role-played specifically into each quest (although it certainly could be). The rupees earned in this way are separate from quest rupees--any rupees you gain from a profession immediately turn into rupee currency, and cannot be immediately used to acquire treasures.

    There is, however, one exception to the above rule. Aany rupees you gain from a profession during that quest can be immediately be transferred back into profession's points for that same profession. This must be done in the same instance those rupees are earned. Normally, if you remember, profession rupees can only be turned into currency rupees (instead of quest rupees).

    In addition, a player can only gain rupees from the highest-level profession any of their characters possesses in the course of a quest. A single character can take on multiple professions, but they can only gain the rupee bonus from one profession per quest.


    On Mercantile
    Rupees, as well as both magic-tier and common-tier, can be exchanged freely between player-characters through in-character role-playing. However, despite having a set price, magic-tier items cannot be instantly purchased from a NPC-run shop except through a quest. Such items must either be earned in quests, acquired from another player-character, or created through one's profession.

    It is not possible for a character to teach another character a spell or skill, except through a quest ...or perhaps some form of unique profession.


    On Item Tiers
    On Hyrule Castle, all physical items are divided into three tiers: god-tier, magic-tier, and common-tier. This determines primarily an item's attainability.

    God-tier items include things that are definitely one-of-a-kind canonically, or ridiculously powerful. Overpowered effects included the ability to make an individual effectively invincible, undetectable, or invisible; an "undodgeable" and "unblockable" offensive effect; capable of widespread destruction; etc. For instance, the Master Sword, Din's Fire, Majora's Mask, and the Magic Cape are all considered god-tier for different reasons. All god-tier items are effectively unobtainable under any circumstances.

    Magic-tier items include most magical items; devices with complex mechanical components; explosive items; items which somehow enhance the user's power; anything which induces warping; organic items such as animals (although mundane plants would be common); mildly complex methods of transportation such as a carriage or bicycle; and most magical songs, such as Song of Storms. A crossbow, a fire rod, a steed, and bombs are all considered magic-tier. They are considered valuable, and need to be earned on Hyrule Castle either through quests rewards, profession crafting, or trading between player-characters. A list of all established magic-tier items, and their costs, is kept and updated in the Library of Treasures.

    Common-tier items roughly include anything which could reasonably exist within medieval Europe, including certain "modern" things like Pictograph Boxes; mundane plants; Hyoi Pears, and other simple items within the Zelda series which are common and exist for simple practicality. Basic armor, a Deku Shield, swords of all varieties, and so on were all considered common. A common-tier item would cost a player nothing, so long as the item was reasonably obtained within the role-play. (Notably, the Picori race's Lost & Found racial ability lets them find common-tier items in otherwise-unreasonable places.)
  2. Adaar

    Adaar New Member reg

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