The Amtgard Questing Guild

Fortes Fortuna Juvat
(Fortune Favors the Brave)

(All rules presented herein are for purposes of defining the specialized world presented by the Amtgard Questing Guild and under no circumstances should these rules be used in normal battlegames to supercede the rules presented in the most current version of the Amtgard Handbook on the Rules of Play produced by Amtgard, Inc.)

A Brief Description of Playing in a Quest
(I know explaining things this way often helps me, so here’s my way of explaining this.)

Arrival, Check-In, and Team Draft
Nimble decides to go to the Shire of Phoenix Tears and play in a quest, having heard they were not to be missed. As he arrives he is directed to the “Guildhall,” where his weapons are checked for legality and the Guildmaster checks the Quest records for any other entries for Nimble. He doesn’t find one, and so after approving his weapons the guildmaster sits down and starts a new record for the 4th Level Assassin.

Starting off, the guildmaster has to calculate Nimble’s starting gold. Nimble’s has entered his first Quest under this system as an Assassin, and he is 4th level. He also holds no permanent titles, and so the banker issues Nimble four (4) silver coins, representing 40 gold (4*10=40). In terms of possessions, Nimble had the foresight to bring a ‘torch’ representation (a stick with a rag wrapped at the top,) along with a 5’ length of rope (to simulate the 20’ of rope his character carries,) and a notebook and pen to track information. Using all of his gold he buys a Class 1 lockpick so he can Bypass Security.As he wanders around taking in the sites of Phoenix Tears, he sees two reeves with clipboards start to line up the players, separating the people that have played in a KatzuQuest from those that haven’t. Not wanting to be missed or looked over, Nimble slides over into the newbie group. The reeves talk among themselves and each one select one of the experienced questors. They call those two questors ‘team leaders.’Every time a team leader picks an experienced questor, he grabs a player from the newbie group and brings him onto his team. Being the most experienced ‘newbie’ helps Nimble get selected quickly, where he and the other classes that require a class list begin drafting their lists.

Taking Care of the Details
Once the teams get picked, the reeves give the teams five minutes to finalize their plans. During this time the team leader heads a debate over how the upcoming treasure gets split, makes sure the spellcasters have made lists to compliment each other, and getting a feel for his team’s strengths and weaknesses. The team leader also looks over both of the lists prepared by the team’s assassins to assure legality. The players also introduce themselves to each other and decide if there is any animosity or goodwill amongst the other players. Nimble and a barbarian decide that they don’t trust each other, mainly because Nimble comes from a culture that conquered the barbarian’s tribe.

With everything finally set up, the team leader announces the specific objectives given to him by the team’s Gamemaster (or reeve). They are to obtain the Eye of Gevak, a powerful talisman that would fetch quite a price if it can get back to the city. Also a little girl has gone missing and her parents will pay dearly for her safe return. A few more moments pass by and then the Gamemasters retrieve their teams. Its time to play…

The Quest for the Eye of Gevak
Early into the Quest one of the 1st level players is named the “Henchman,” or the guy who carries the party treasure until the end of the quest. It only takes a few minutes for the party to reach their first test: a 15’ chasm with nothing around save a tree on the party’s side of the chasm. The veteran assassin asks how deep the chasm is, to which the GM says it could very well go on forever, it looks so deep. Suddenly Nimble has an idea.

Checking with the reeve, he checks to see whether he can knock down the tree, but fails. When he sees this the team leader turns to the nearest barbarian and asks him to try knocking the tree over. After a cooperative effort by a few questors, the tree is knocked over and the party continues on. Moving past the chasm, the party enters the grounds of a once-mighty castle. As they move slowly, the party’s Bard asks if he knows anything from local rumors about this place, and the GM informs him that this is the castle of the Arch-Lich Gevak, a Necromancer of the highest order. The party’s Healer asks what he knows of this place and is told that Gevak was known to sacrifice to the darkest of demons and was always surrounded by a retinue of skeletons and other undead.

As they near the door, the GM tells the party that they see a fairly ornate lock on the door. The barbarian, still beaming over having helped conquer the tree, offers to knock down the door, but the Team Leader stops him, suggesting that knocking down the door might alert the guards inside. Nimble decides to try to bypass the lock, and produces his Class 1 lockpick, kneels down by the door, and starts his 10-second use time. 10-seconds later, the GM tells him that his attempt fails, but there doesn’t seem to be any traps on the door and so if he could use a higher-rated lockpick it might succeed. Just as Nimble is about to back away from the door, he feels the presence of the veteran assassin, who lowers his own set of lockpicks down to Nimble. Suggesting he use the Class 5 pick, Nimble smiles, takes the pick, and spends the 50-second use time to spring the lock. The GM says the lock comes open freely and the door can be opened at any time.

Once everyone is ready, the party rushes in, bashing and hacking their way through the lower levels and heading for the master suite, where Gevak would be resting. Along the way the party finds the young girl, and the veteran assassin uses his teleport to spirit her away to safety. With Nimble as the only remaining assassin, the Team Leader instructs him to stay near the Henchman unless things get bad. As the party continues on, they eventually reach Gevak’s chamber and thrash him completely. Sweeping the castle they find the Eye, a magical dagger, a blood ruby, and 300 gold. After a fair amount of healing the party returns to the town, where the Assassin has already completed the deal for the return of the little girl.

With everyone together and the treasure in one place, the party begins to divvy up the loot…

Dividing up the Loot, Check-Out, and Clean-Up
The girl was ransomed back for 50 gold, the Eye resold for 350, and then the 300 gold from the castle leaves a total of the magic dagger, a blood ruby, and 700 gold. As per party agreement, 10% of the final cash goes to the GM for doing such a good job on the course, leaving 630 gold. The best player award goes to the veteran assassin, who takes the blood ruby (for ‘his own reasons.’) The best performance by a newbie goes to Nimble for trying to topple the tree and for bypassing the door to Gevak’s castle, and so he is given the magical dagger (which turns out to be the Bladesharpened Dagger ‘Shadowbiter.’) Per the party rules, best player and best newbie don’t get cash if an item is able to be awarded, so the remaining 630 gold is divided among the six other members, meaning that everyone other than the two assassins receive 105 gold.

Nimble wanders around until the bank re-opens, when he deposits his Class 1 lockpick and Shadowbiter. Meeting up with the veteran assassin later, they converse and decide to offer their services as a team next quest. With everything taken care of, the GMs begin cleaning up. On a whim, Nimble decides to help out with the clean up. He stays to even help the GMs and the Questmaster (who happened to have been the Guildmaster this game) pack their vehicles. Overjoyed at the sight of a happy and devoted questor, his former team’s GM awards him 20 gold for his time, and the QuestMaster notes it in his log-book along with asking Nimble if he’d like to be a team leader next quest. Overjoyed, Nimble says yes and so he departs for his home with ideas of the glories yet-to-come in the next quest.

Rules for all Guild-run Quests

1. Unless otherwise noted, Quests shall be run using the Amtgard 6.0 Handbook on the Rules of Play and these rules. Park-specific rules variants shall be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

2. Class Masters that play their Mastered class receive special benefits as noted in the Masterhood ability list in this binder. If a park is playing by the 6.1 master/guildmaster rules, then the Master gain both effects.

3. From time to time new spells, abilities, or items may be introduced. You are the holder of the item/spell only if you have the appropriate enchantment/permission slip granted by the Guildmaster at sign-in. Each item will be issued a control number, and failure to possess the item’s control number will result in forfeiture of the item. If you are slain you can be searched for all items and gold you have on you. These items are only playable in Quests and will not be honored elsewhere.

4. Once I declare ‘Lay On,’ my two interests are assuring the proper function of abilities and the bettering of the storyline. Seek out a Reeve only if you need to do something that will affect the Quest or these rules (permanent enchantments, random act of brutality, medical emergency, etc.)

5. All Quests will have a Guildhall that sells items, enchantments, and serves as a bank. Each Quest has a limited supply of items and once it sells out the guildhall cannot sell any more. Any gold or items bought or won must be recorded at the end of the day by the Guildmaster in order to carry over to the next quest. Any item/gold not “checked in” in this way at the end of a quest is considered ‘lost’ and is un-recoverable.

6. There is no Rule #6.

7. Many Quests that run long will have ‘Waypoints,’ which function as mini-Nirvanas. At these Waypoints there will be circles of power. Death Circles act as mini-nirvanas, Life Circles allow curative spells to affect a large group at once, Teleportals can transport you from one Waypoint to another connected Waypoint, and Magic Circles have the awesome power to restore spells to spellcasters.

8. You may search virtually ANYTHING by touching the target with both hands and saying “Searching” x10. This must be an un-interrupted count and any break in the search means you must start over.

9. The 'Inigo Montoya' clause: If you are killed by a player and looted, you may not hunt that person down during your next life.

10. Cash is accumulated in two ways. At the beginning of your first quest, you will be given gold equal to 10*your best (highest) class level. You also get +10 gold for each permanent (awarded) title you can claim (Sir/Dame, Nobility, Masterhood, Squire/Page, etc.) Gold is also acquired through game-play (Fee, Theft, Treasure, etc.) Provinces that agree to use this system will be granted an amount of gold to be used for things such as bounties or service to the realm (1000 for Shires/Freeholds, 2000 for Baronies, 3000 for Duchies, 4000 for Principalities, and 5000 for any Kingdom.) Any province can petition the guild to re-imburse gold if it goes to furthering the Guild (ie rewarding questors who help clean up after a quest, etc.)

11. The Game Master has full discretionary power over the game. He is only answerable to the Questmaster.

12. Robbery is strongly discouraged. Discouraged, but not illegal. When you rob another player, you rob them of either their gold 'on-hand' or any items they carry, but not both. Anyone caught robbing
another player will be brought before the park monarch to have justice done.

13. Unless otherwise noted, no one may summon Elementals or fashion Golems.

14. Unless bestowed by consent of the monarchy, all equipment is considered to be of standard quality and manufacture. All Magic Items must be approved by the monarch before they can be awarded in Quest. Items crafted by Permanency ignore this stipulation.

Masterhood Abilities
(Choose 1 from the appropriate class entry)

Anti-Paladin –
a) +1 point to any Armor Worn (5 points armor max.). Simulates better materials.
b) A Non-Magical Bladesharp 1/Life, simulating arcane knowledge revealed through dark means.

Archer –
a) The Master Archer’s Mend now functions twice per life.
b) The Master Archer’s aim is so precise that he may cast one Healer Wounding per Life. He must have an arrow nocked in order to use this ability.

Assassin –
a) The Master Assassin may make one weapon they are using Red 1/Life.
b) May pick an additional Assassin ability from the Assassin class.

Barbarian –
a) Immune to Magical Fear (Scare, Awe, etc.)
b) Animal Companion – May turn one willing volunteer into an animal companion with a Q:M ratio of 1:1 from Animal section of the Dor un Wetlands.

Bard –
a) +1 magic point @ 5th level
b) Greater Presence – Master Bard counts as 7th Level for purposes of Presence only (Lower Level Druids and Monks may not attack the Master Bard. Master Monks and Master Druids count as 7th.)

Druid –
a) Petrified Weapon (1/Life) – The Master Druid has fashioned a weapon out of petrified wood, making it a Hardened Weapon. It is a non-magical ability, and so therefore cannot be dispelled.
b) May Summon Elementals as described in the Dor un Avathar.

Healer –
a) May raise the Max available Stuns to 4
b) May Turn Undead as a Monk

Monk –
a) 1 point of Dexterity Armor
b) +1 life (total 5)

Monster –
a) May play a 2:1 or less Monster in quests. Final approval is left to the Questmaster.

Paladin –
a) +1 point to any Armor Worn (5 points armor max.). Simulates better materials.
b) A Non-Magical Bladesharp 1/Life, simulating knowledge revealed through a patron deity.

Scout –
a) Armor-Piercing Arrow (as the Archer ability)
b) Improved Animal Companion – May turn one willing volunteer into an animal companion with a Q:M ratio of 2:1 or less from Animal section of the Dor un Wetlands.

Warrior –
a) Warrior Improved Shield becomes 1/Life
b) May use a Short Bow

Wizard –
a) May fashion Golems as described in the Dor un Avathar.
b) May summon Elementals as described in the Dor un Avathar.

The Guildhall

Item Cost Available

MAGIC
Spells
(cast by the Guildmaster. Only enchantments and spells are for sale. Enchantments may be sold as scrolls for +10 gold above cost. Spells may be sold as potions for no cost difference. Guildmaster has final approval over which spells may be sold. Enchant strips from the guildhall will be bright orange with the spell name spelled out on the strip.)

Bard Magic 10*Spell Level 2 per spell
Druid Magic 20*Spell Level 2 per spell
Healer Magic 20*Spell Level 2 per spell
Wizard Magic 30*Spell Level 2 per spell

BLACKSMITH
Mend Weapon 5/foot Unlimited
Mend Shield 10 Unlimited
Mend Armor 5/Point(/section) Unlimited

ITEMS
Lock Pick*** - -
Class 1 40 6
Class 2 80 5
Class 3 120 4
Class 4 160 3
Class 5 200 2
Class 6 240 1

DIVINE SERVICES
Holy Symbol* 50 20
Holy Icon** 200 2
Lives 150 One Per Person per Quest

* - Any Undead touching someone wearing a Holy Symbol looses a limb.
** - A Holy Icon allows a player to Turn Undead as per Monk once per Life. In addition, a Holy Icon counts as a Holy Symbol.
*** - Lockpicks disable locks of their level or lower. In order to use a lockpick, the user must kneel beside the lock, place both hands on the lock, and say “Picking”x(level of the lockpick.) If the lock is too tough for a certain set of lockpicks, any traps on the lock will activate.
Example: Bob the Barbarian owns a set of class 3 lockpicks. It costs Bob 30 seconds to disable any lock rated 1-3, even if it is only a level 1 lock. If he tried picking a level 5 lock that has been poison trapped, after his 30 seconds the attempt would fail and the poison effect would activate.