Random Quest Generator

One press hands you a whole errand: who asks, the task, the place, the obstacle and the reward.

Random Quest Generator: 20 quests

A grandmother who refuses to give a reason asks you to return a book borrowed by somebody's great-grandmother on the roof of the old watchtower. In the way: a gatekeeper who is away on holiday. The reward: the answer to one question, any question.

Padlock: keep a part. Arrows: change only that part.

Who asksa grandmother who refuses to give a reason
The taskreturn a book borrowed by somebody's great-grandmother
The placeon the roof of the old watchtower
In the waya gatekeeper who is away on holiday
The rewardthe answer to one question, any question

Saved

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Every quest you make is kept here, newest first, up to the last 20. The list stays in this browser.

Quest of the day

A village council speaking all at once asks you to mind a dragon's egg until it hatches where the rainbow touches down. In the way: a bridge with the middle missing. The reward: your boots mended for life.
A messenger who cannot leave her post asks you to borrow a thimble from a giant at the stile in the middle of an open field. In the way: a troll collecting opinions, not tolls. The reward: a seat at the harvest table for life.
A river spirit speaking through a fishing float asks you to find the door that matches an old key in the garden behind the highest wall. In the way: two guards who each say the other has the key. The reward: free bread every morning for a year.
The smallest and quietest child in the village asks you to pick the first apple of the year in the forest of stone trees. In the way: a dragon sunbathing on the one good bridge. The reward: a kitten that grew up on a ship.
A talking raven with a debt to settle asks you to find out why the lanterns go out at midnight at the crossroads with four blank signposts. In the way: a riddle carved where the answer should be. The reward: the first dance at the midsummer fair.
A judge who cannot be seen to take sides asks you to find the last page of a recipe in the reed beds where the herons stand. In the way: two guards who each say the other has the key. The reward: a wish, slightly used.
A queen traveling as her own messenger asks you to wake a watchman who has slept for a year in the garden behind the highest wall. In the way: loose stones that slide one step back for every two. The reward: a letter of introduction to the queen.
An old oak that takes all afternoon over one sentence asks you to lead a blue-ribbon ram home from the fair at the well by the crossroads. In the way: a rule that nobody may cross before breakfast. The reward: a seat at the harvest table for life.
A bell ringer with a sore shoulder asks you to find out why the lanterns go out at midnight on the windy side of the tallest hill. In the way: a market day that cannot be missed. The reward: a rowboat, freshly painted, with your name on it.
A snowman who has until the thaw asks you to see a young bard safely to a first performance in the village that moved uphill after the flood. In the way: the last coach leaving at noon. The reward: a statue, small but flattering.
A caravan cook with twenty mouths to feed asks you to fetch a kettle that has not gone cold in a hundred years in the reed beds where the herons stand. In the way: a harvest that will not wait. The reward: a jar of honey that never runs out.
A lamplighter at the end of her round asks you to get a stopped clock ticking again on the hill that is a sleeping giant. In the way: a troll collecting opinions, not tolls. The reward: a seat at the harvest table for life.
A troll who has given up bridges asks you to escort a nervous goat to its new home at the top of the thousand-step stair. In the way: a guide who is also lost. The reward: a ribbon from the queen's own hat.
A grandmother who refuses to give a reason asks you to catch the goose that runs off with hats at the inn with a door on every side. In the way: a spell that makes everyone terribly polite. The reward: the spot where the trout always bite.
A giant who is too shy to go himself asks you to dig up a box buried on a wedding day on the pier that the town forgot to finish. In the way: a harvest that will not wait. The reward: a button that brings good weather.
A painted figure on an inn sign asks you to make peace between the frogs and the herons on the bridge between two mountaintops. In the way: a watchdog the size of a pony, who wants to play. The reward: a seat at the harvest table for life.
A baker who has run out of ovens to borrow asks you to return a borrowed ladder to its owner in the cove where the tide runs backward. In the way: a dragon sunbathing on the one good bridge. The reward: a button that brings good weather.
A troll who has given up bridges asks you to carry a letter that must not get wet in the cave behind the echoing cliff. In the way: nightfall, sooner than expected. The reward: boots already broken in.
A baker who has run out of ovens to borrow asks you to pick the first apple of the year in the bell tower where pigeons keep the hours. In the way: a door that wants a joke it has not heard. The reward: the true name of the river.
A messenger who cannot leave her post asks you to post a notice on the only door at the stile in the middle of an open field. In the way: two guards who each say the other has the key. The reward: the first dance at the midsummer fair.

Next step Meet the one who asks Roll what you meet on the way

How it works

This random quest generator deals one errand for a tabletop game or a story in five parts: who asks, the task, the place, what stands in the way and the reward. Nothing here needs a fight to finish.

Read the full guide

Deal a quest, then keep the good parts

Press New quest. Tap a part to lock it or change it alone, so a giver you like can hand out a second job. Copy puts the quest in your notes, and Print 20 quests fills a notice board.

The shapes a quest takes

The word comes from Old French queste, from a Latin verb meaning to seek or to ask. In medieval England a quest could be the formal search for stolen property or lost livestock. Games sort quests into gather, delivery or "fetch", and escort kinds. The task row here adds finding out and mending.

Tips

Lock the place and deal three quests: one location, three reasons to go there.
Ask the players why the giver cannot do it alone. The first line usually answers.

Questions and answers

What makes a good side quest?

A giver with a reason, one clear task, and an obstacle the players can solve more than one way. A toll keeper who takes only riddles can be answered, outwitted or befriended. A reward that is a favor keeps the giver in the story.

Can I use these quests in any role-playing game?

Yes. The quests are written for no rule system and name no published world, monster book or adventure. There are no levels, coin amounts or dice. Set the difficulty yourself by deciding how stubborn the obstacle is.

Are the quests safe for a family table?

Yes. No quest asks for a fight, and nothing involves gore, weapons or death. The trouble is fog, geese, riddles, rival parties and missed ferries. For a meeting on the road, use the random encounter table.

Who asks: all 50 quest givers

Town and village 12

a baker who has run out of ovens to borrow
a beekeeper with one hive too many
a bell ringer with a sore shoulder
a grandmother who refuses to give a reason
a miller whose millstream has run dry
a pair of twins who agree on nothing else
a schoolmistress with chalk on both sleeves

Show all 50 quest givers (43 more)

Town and village, continued

a shepherd who is one sheep short
a smith's apprentice left to mind the forge
a tailor with a wedding on Saturday
a village council speaking all at once
the smallest and quietest child in the village

On the road 10

a caravan cook with twenty mouths to feed
a ferryman who never leaves the river
a lamplighter at the end of her round
a mapmaker with one corner still blank
a messenger who cannot leave her post
a peddler with a pack taller than he is
a pilgrim walking the other way
a retired knight too stiff to ride
a traveling player missing half a costume
a wagon driver who swears the road used to be shorter

Court and tower 10

a castle steward counting spoons
a court astronomer who is afraid of the dark
a judge who cannot be seen to take sides
a librarian who never raises her voice
a lighthouse keeper who has not slept in a week
a queen traveling as her own messenger
a royal gardener up to her elbows in soil
a wizard who has misplaced his spectacles
a young duke with his first real problem
an abbot who will not explain further

Odd company 18

a cat that is clearly somebody important
a clockwork owl wound by nobody
a dragon grown too old to fly
a fox in a waistcoat who denies being a fox
a giant who is too shy to go himself
a hedgehog herald with a very small trumpet
a mermaid with a letter she cannot carry inland
a painted figure on an inn sign
a river spirit speaking through a fishing float
a scarecrow who cannot leave the field
a snowman who has until the thaw
a statue that speaks once a year
a talking raven with a debt to settle
a troll who has given up bridges
a voice from the bottom of a well
a weathervane that has seen something
an old oak that takes all afternoon over one sentence
the moon's reflection in a rain barrel

How this list was compiled: Our own list, written on 2026-10-01 for this page: who hands out the job, written to stand before the words "asks you to". The tool builds one quest from five rows and cannot block a combination, so every line was written to read well beside every line of the other four. Rules for every row: an errand for a tabletop game or a story, written for no rule system and no published world. Nothing is settled by a fight: no gore, no weapon, no death, no drink; the creatures are the common ones of folklore (a dragon, a giant, a troll, a griffin, a mermaid) and none belongs to one game. Rewards are things, favors, knowledge and honors, with no coin amounts. Thirty lines were written and read first, and forty random results were read in full. Screened by script on 2026-10-01: no line repeats a line of any other list on this site or on drawthisnext (exact match, or six in ten content words shared), the rows of random-encounter-table, random-scenario-generator, random-npc-generator, random-curse-generator and random-loot-generator among them; no line contains the title of a published adventure (465 titles read from two English Wikipedia lists of published adventure modules; their addresses are in the page notes), and no line shares a run of four words with those lists or with the articles Quest, Quest (video games) and Adventure (role-playing games). Licence: own work

The task: all 60 tasks

Fetch and bring back 12

borrow a thimble from a giant
bring back a bell that was left behind
bring down a kite caught on the clock tower
buy back a fiddle sold by mistake
catch the goose that runs off with hats
collect a debt of three buttons
dig up a box buried on a wedding day

Show all 60 tasks (53 more)

Fetch and bring back, continued

fetch a kettle that has not gone cold in a hundred years
fill a bottle with morning mist
find the last page of a recipe
gather seven feathers of seven colors
pick the first apple of the year

Deliver 12

bring soup to a dragon with a cold
carry a letter that must not get wet
carry a sleeping cat without waking it
deliver a birthday cake to a hermit
deliver a crown in an unopened hatbox
hang a lantern where travelers can see it
leave a basket and knock twice
plant an acorn exactly at midnight
post a notice on the only door
return a book borrowed by somebody's great-grandmother
return a borrowed ladder to its owner
take an apology to someone who is not expecting one

Escort and guard 12

bring a grumbling wizard to a meeting he keeps avoiding
escort a nervous goat to its new home
guard a wagon of pumpkins overnight
keep a bonfire lit through one rainy night
keep watch from dusk until the rooster crows
lead a blue-ribbon ram home from the fair
lead a choir that cannot see in the dark
mind a dragon's egg until it hatches
ride with the mail coach on its last run
see a young bard safely to a first performance
shepherd forty ducks to the market
walk an elderly tortoise to a wedding

Find out 12

count the swans twice, to be sure
discover what is knocking under the floor
find out what has pleased the crows so much
find out who keeps winding the town clock
find out why the lanterns go out at midnight
find the door that matches an old key
follow the footprints that start from nowhere
learn the name of the stranger who waves every evening
learn who has been leaving flowers
learn why the stream has gone silent
listen for a song that is heard only at dawn
map the paths that the sheep will not take

Mend and settle 12

coax a frightened pony down from a roof
get a stopped clock ticking again
judge a pie contest nobody else dares to judge
lay the last stone of an unfinished wall
make peace between the frogs and the herons
mend a weathervane that only points at people
relight a beacon that went dark
settle an argument between two echoes
talk a giant out of a sulk
teach a young griffin to land
untangle a hundred fishing lines by morning
wake a watchman who has slept for a year

How this list was compiled: Our own list, written on 2026-10-01 for this page: the job itself, a verb phrase that follows "asks you to" and reads with any place after it. The rules every row follows and how each line was screened are in the source of the quest-giver list. Licence: own work

The place: all 50 places

Water and coast 10

at the ford with the stepping stones
at the lighthouse at the end of the sandbar
at the well by the crossroads
behind the waterfall with the mossy steps
beside the lake that hums before rain
in the cove where the tide runs backward
in the salt marsh below the old sea wall
on the far bank of the widest river
on the island where the ferry turns around
on the pier that the town forgot to finish

Show all 50 places (40 more)

Hills and heights 10

at the hut above the tree line
at the standing stone that leans east
at the top of the thousand-step stair
in the cave behind the echoing cliff
in the pass where the snow comes early
on the bridge between two mountaintops
on the ledge where the eagles nest
on the roof of the old watchtower
on the windy side of the tallest hill
under the hill where the echo lives

Woods and fields 10

at the edge of the wood nobody has named
at the oldest oak in the forest
beneath the tree that keeps its leaves all year
in the clearing where nothing casts a shadow
in the field with the single scarecrow
in the hollow where the foxes hold court
in the meadow the mowers always skip
in the mushroom ring past the last farm
in the orchard that fruits in winter
in the reed beds where the herons stand

Built by somebody 10

at the crossroads with four blank signposts
at the inn with a door on every side
at the market held on the frozen river
at the windmill that grinds only at night
beyond the last milestone on the north road
in the bell tower where pigeons keep the hours
in the castle with scaffolding on every tower
in the garden behind the highest wall
in the library at the bottom of the stairs
in the village that moved uphill after the flood

Strange places 10

at the fair that packs up before sunrise
at the house built around a tree
at the stile in the middle of an open field
in the forest of stone trees
in the town that appears on no map
in the tunnel with daylight at neither end
in the valley that keeps its own time
on the hill that is a sleeping giant
on the road that is longer going back
where the rainbow touches down

How this list was compiled: Our own list, written on 2026-10-01 for this page: where the job is, each starting with its own small word (at, in, on, under) so that it follows any task. The rules every row follows and how each line was screened are in the source of the quest-giver list. Licence: own work

In the way: all 50 obstacles

Weather and ground 10

a bridge with the middle missing
a fog that turns every traveler around
a path that forks more often than seems fair
a river that has moved since the map was drawn
a week of rain arriving all at once
a wind that blows every map away
brambles that grow back overnight
loose stones that slide one step back for every two
mud deep enough to keep a boot
snow, although it is midsummer

Show all 50 obstacles (40 more)

People 10

a festival crowd filling every street
a gatekeeper who is away on holiday
a guide who is also lost
a hermit who wants to hear all the news first
a rival party with a one-hour head start
a rumor that you are the tax collector
a toll keeper who takes only riddles
a very helpful stranger giving wrong directions
an official who needs the form in triplicate
two guards who each say the other has the key

Creatures 10

a bear who is very fond of the picnic spot
a dragon sunbathing on the one good bridge
a flock of sheep in no hurry at all
a giant using the valley as a bed
a great many geese
a griffin nesting on the signpost
a magpie that has flown off with the key
a troll collecting opinions, not tolls
a watchdog the size of a pony, who wants to play
bees guarding the shortcut

Rules and riddles 10

a door that wants a joke it has not heard
a law against whistling, strictly kept
a lock with three keys held by three cousins
a map sketched by someone who was guessing
a password that changed this morning
a promise you forgot you made
a riddle carved where the answer should be
a rule that nobody may cross before breakfast
a sign that says "No" and nothing else
a spell that makes everyone terribly polite

The clock 10

a candle that must not burn out first
a clock that everyone trusts and should not
a ferry that crosses once a week
a full moon that the whole plan depends on
a harvest that will not wait
a market day that cannot be missed
a tide that comes in early
the last coach leaving at noon
nightfall, sooner than expected
one day fewer than you were promised

How this list was compiled: Our own list, written on 2026-10-01 for this page: what stands in the way, a thing to get past by wits, patience or kindness and never by a fight. The rules every row follows and how each line was screened are in the source of the quest-giver list. Licence: own work

The reward: all 50 rewards

Things 10

a blanket woven by the whole village
a coat with one pocket you have not found
a compass that points to the nearest hot meal
a hat that keeps off any rain
a kite that flies in no wind
a lantern that never needs oil
a pony that knows every road home
a rowboat, freshly painted, with your name on it
a walking stick cut from the oldest oak
boots already broken in

Show all 50 rewards (40 more)

Favors 10

a bed at any inn on the north road
a favor, owed and written down
a guide for your next journey
a horse, lent for as long as the journey lasts
a letter of introduction to the queen
a room in the tower whenever you need one
a seat at the harvest table for life
free bread every morning for a year
free passage on the ferry, forever
your boots mended for life

Something learned 10

a lesson in talking to crows
a map that shows the shortcuts and the picnic spots
a recipe the whole valley has begged for
a song that puts any baby to sleep
a trick for finding north without stars
a word that calms any horse
the answer to one question, any question
the ending of a story nobody else has heard
the spot where the trout always bite
the true name of the river

Honors 10

a ballad, sung at least once
a place in the village mural
a ribbon from the queen's own hat
a statue, small but flattering
an apple tree planted where you choose
the first dance at the midsummer fair
the key to the city, which opens nothing
the title of honorary bell ringer
your name on the new bridge
your own feast day on the village calendar

Odd gifts 10

a bag that weighs less the fuller it gets
a button that brings good weather
a jar of honey that never runs out
a key, and a hint about which door
a kitten that grew up on a ship
a whistle that dragons come to
a wish, slightly used
an egg that will hatch when it is ready
an umbrella borrowed from a giant
three seeds and no instructions

How this list was compiled: Our own list, written on 2026-10-01 for this page: what the giver hands over at the end: a thing, a favor, something learned or an honor, never a number of coins. The rules every row follows and how each line was screened are in the source of the quest-giver list. Licence: own work