King Eurystheus set Hercules twelve 'impossible' tasks to win his penance. In other cultures, fathers-in-law often set a prospective groom an impossible task. This can be a way to show villainy, to challenge your heroes to perform great deeds, or get them killed, among other outcomes.
Ways you can use Impossible Tasks in your game: - Hercules 'cheated' to accomplish several of these tasks, and setting things that seem impossible, but can be accomplished with the aid of magic (or friendship, in the case of the Lernean Hydra) can be a way for your Player Characters to feel bonding and complete mighty deeds together. A well-timed combination of attacks can be fantastic when it all works, and letting your players actually succeed in doing what they want is something I'm a big fan of. - An employer might set an impossible task if they don't want to pay for services- "oh, and don't forget I want the beast's hide WHOLE, no marks on it!". For normal adventurers, killing a monster might be challenge enough, but doing so without harming it with weapons sounds impossible. Perhaps not for a monk, or a spellcaster who can charm the creature to sleep, poison it, or snuff out its life-force instantly. This might leave an employer dumbfounded and frustrated at having to actually do the thing they've agreed to. - Adding conditions that seem innocuous but are designed to make the task difficult could also be a complication. For example, leaving a note that they need to go to the Duke's summer palace to be paid, but only leaving it after they've left town to go on their quest. This means more overland travel, or writing off payment for their task. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 6 August 2020. Comments are closed.
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AuthorI'm Luke. He/him pronouns. Archives
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