Bandits Quest

Dag Durnick quest for levels 5-11 (configurable), requires 2+ Dag reputation (default minrep). New bandit group using animal control pets (wolves) to assist raids. Search bandit headquarters costs 3 forest turns. Completing it requires killing a fixed sequence of 5 named bandits — Scout, then Archer, then two Swordsmen, then Captain — one encounter at a time, tracked by an internal counter; there is no way to shortcut it by winning a single random fight. Kill bandits, collect their rings as proof. Return to Dag for rewards: 5000g default (rewardgold), 2 gems default (rewardgems), 1.1x experience multiplier (default experience 1.01-1.3 range), +3 Dag reputation. Auto-fail if level > maxlevel (11 default), auto-fail if refuse quest. Dragonkill resets quest status. Team composition: 2 swordsmen, 1 archer, 1 scout, 1 captain (Dag's intel — and yes, you really do have to kill all five). Requires dagquests module for reputation system. Where Dag leans in and tells you about bandits with animal control causing trouble and you naively wonder how you'll survive in their own base but the reward sounds good so you accept then discover the headquarters is absolutely packed with way more bandits than expected including their pet wolves everywhere forcing you to desperately search for lone stragglers, working your way one at a time down Dag's own team roster, while praying you don't get discovered by the massive coordinated bandit army.

Quest Availability

Level Range:

  • Minimum: 5 (default minlevel setting)
  • Maximum: 11 (default maxlevel setting)
  • Must be within range when Dag offers quest
  • Outleveling = auto-fail

Reputation Requirement:

  • Minimum: 2 Dag Durnick reputation (default minrep)
  • Checks dkrep from dagquests module
  • Must have proven yourself capable
  • Higher-tier quest than Manticore

Trigger:

  • Visit inn, talk to Dag Durnick
  • dagquests hook checks eligibility
  • status pref must be 0 (not started/completed)
  • If eligible, Dag offers quest

Requirements Summary:

  • dagquests module active
  • Level 5-11 (default)
  • 2+ Dag reputation
  • Haven't done quest before (status = 0)

Quest Offer

Dag's Pitch:

  • "Aye, ye've shown yerself t'be capable, I'll be givin' ye a shot at a problem that cropped up right recent."
  • "There be a new group o' bandits that be workin' the area."
  • "Normally that tain't nothing t' shout about"
  • "but they been using some kind o' control over th' animals"
  • "be usin' them as pets, help them in their raids."
  • "If ye can be takin' out one of th' teams at their headquarters"
  • "I'd be givin' ye a good bounty off'n their rings."
  • "Do ye want t' be givin' it a shot?"

Your Thoughts:

  • "You wonder how you're going to survive in their own base, but the reward sounds good."
  • (Narrator foreshadowing: The base is WAY more dangerous than Dag implies)

Team Intelligence:

  • Dag provides intel: "each team has two swordsmen, an archer, a scout and a captain"
  • Points out location on map
  • Wishes you luck

Choices:

  • Take the Job: status = 1 (active), "Search for Bandits (3 turns)" nav appears
  • Refuse: "Dag turns away, losing interest in your cowardice." status = 4 (failed)

Searching for Bandits

Navigation:

  • Appears in main village gate nav section
  • "Search for Bandits (3 turns)"
  • Only visible when status = 1
  • Costs 3 forest fight turns (expensive!)

Turn Requirement Check:

  • If turns < 3: "You get a short way outside of town but realize you feel far too tired to hike to the bandits headquarters today. Maybe tomorrow you'll be up to it."
  • Turn cost deducted before encounters
  • No refund if you die

Journey Scene:

  • "Once outside the town limits, you hike out to the place Dag indicated"
  • "and halt at the edge of the area."
  • "The trees have been cut in strange patterns"
  • "and it is obvious from their nature that to go further is dangerous."
  • "Hefting your [weapon], you carefully make your way down the trail"
  • "looking out for any possibility of an ambush."

Initial Encounter (75% Wolf, 25% Direct)

Wolf Ambush (75% chance, e_rand(0,3) = 1,2,3):

  • "With a rush from the side, a maddened wolf rushes towards you!"
  • "You will have to fight one of the bandit's pets!"
  • Must fight wolf before searching for bandits

Skip Wolf (25% chance, e_rand(0,3) = 0):

  • "Though you see plenty of evidence of attacks by the bloody shreds which are scattered through these woods"
  • "you manage to avoid any ambush."
  • "In the heart of these woods, you start to hear parties of bandits moving freely"
  • "chatting amongst themselves about their exploits."
  • "There are far more of them than you expected!"
  • "You realise you are in over your head, and try to find one alone to fight."
  • Skip directly to bandit search

Pet Wolf Fight

Bandit Wolf Stats (not "Maddened Wolf" — the creature's actual name is Bandit Wolf, and it is not an even match):

  • Level: Your level - 1
  • Weapon: "Rabid Snapping"
  • Attack: Equal to your attack (1.0x)
  • Defense: 75% of your defense (0.75x — noticeably weaker on defense than you)
  • HP: 110% of your max hitpoints (0.75x defense is offset by extra health)
  • Type: "quest" creature

Beating the wolf grants a small experience payout on top of clearing the way — it isn't purely a progress gate, though the reward is modest compared to the bandit fights.

Victory:

  • "The wolf collapses from its wounds, and as it stills you notice a strange symbol branded into its side."
  • Small experience gain from the kill
  • Proceed to bandit search

Defeat (Death):

  • "Your vision blacks out as the wolf tears the throat out of your already badly injured body."
  • YOU HAVE DIED!
  • -10% experience
  • -all gold
  • Go to Detention
  • Quest remains active (can retry) — dying to the wolf does not cost Dag reputation

Searching for a Bandit

Random Encounter (e_rand(1,5)) — there is no "5 different bandit types, pick one at random" table. The roll only decides what kind of event happens; the actual bandit sequence is fixed and tracked separately (see below).

Roll Probability Outcome
1 20% Another Bandit Wolf fight
2 20% Arrow ambush — a scripted RNG event, not a fight. If your hitpoints are at least half your max, you dodge (losing 10-40% of your current hitpoints to a graze) and can keep searching or flee. If you're already below half health, the ambush kills you outright — -10% experience, all gold stolen, off to Detention.
3, 4, 5 60% (combined) The next bandit in the fixed sequence (see Bandit Types & Stats below) — not a random pick each time.

Bandit Types & Stats — A Fixed Sequence, Not a Random Draw

An internal counter (qthree) advances by one every time you roll a 3, 4, or 5 while searching for a bandit. What you fight depends purely on the counter's current value, not on chance — you always meet them in this order, and you must beat all five to complete the quest:

1st encounter — Bandit Scout:

  • Level: Your level - 1
  • Weapon: "Slim Dagger"
  • Attack: 75% of your attack (0.75x)
  • Defense: 80% of your defense (0.8x)
  • HP: Your max hitpoints (100%)
  • Type: "quest"
  • Encounter: he notices you too early to call for help and grimly draws his dagger.

2nd encounter — Bandit Archer:

  • Level: Your level - 1
  • Weapon: "Slim Dagger" (yes, the same weapon text as the Scout — the code reuses it)
  • Attack: 85% of your attack (0.85x)
  • Defense: 80% of your defense (0.8x)
  • HP: Your max hitpoints (100%)
  • Type: "quest"
  • Encounter: you charge before he can draw his bow, and he curses and pulls a dagger instead.

3rd and 4th encounters — Bandit Swordsman ×2 (matches Dag's intel of "two swordsmen"):

  • Level: Your level (no penalty)
  • Weapon: "Keen Blade"
  • Attack: Your attack (1.0x)
  • Defense: 90% of your defense (0.9x)
  • HP: 105% of your max hitpoints (1.05x)
  • Type: "quest"
  • Encounter: he draws his sword and attacks in the measured way of an experienced swordsman — fought twice, back to back.

5th encounter — Bandit Captain (final fight; winning this completes the quest):

  • Level: Your level + 1
  • Weapon: "Wicked Axe"
  • Attack: 115% of your attack (1.15x)
  • Defense: 90% of your defense (0.9x)
  • HP: 115% of your max hitpoints (1.15x)
  • Type: "quest"
  • Encounter: he turns with a smile, telling you that you know not the enemies you've made, and hefts his axe.

Bandit Combat Resolution

Victory (any of the first four bandits):

  • "The bandit collapses as you finish him off, and you quickly take his identifying ring as proof that you killed him."
  • Small experience gain
  • Quest counter (qthree) has already advanced — the next search rolls will eventually surface the next bandit in the sequence
  • Return to searching, or flee back to the village

Victory (the Captain, 5th and final bandit):

  • "You have killed 5 Bandits! You have completed the quest!"
  • Bonus experience from the quest's experience multiplier setting
  • status = 5 (ring collected, ready to return to Dag)

Defeat (Death) in any bandit fight:

  • "Your vision blacks out as the bandit slices your throat open and you collapse, gagging, to the ground."
  • YOU HAVE DIED!
  • -10% experience
  • -all gold
  • Go to Detention
  • status = 3 (failed) and -2 Dag reputation — dying to a bandit (Scout, Archer, Swordsman, or Captain) costs you reputation on top of the usual death penalty. This is unique to bandit-fight deaths; dying to the wolf or the arrow ambush does not touch your reputation.

Returning to Dag

Automatic Reward (dagquests Hook):

  • When status = 5, next visit to Dag triggers reward
  • "You hand Dag the assorted rings, and he grins before producing [rewards]!"

Rewards:

Reward Default Amount Admin Setting
Gold 5,000 rewardgold (int)
Gems 2 rewardgems (int)
Experience 10% of total experience (1.01-1.3, default 1.1)
Reputation +3 Dag rep Fixed

Reward Messages:

  • Both gold and gems: "You hand Dag the assorted rings, and he grins before producing 5,000 gold and 2 gems!"
  • Only gems: "You hand Dag the assorted rings, and he grins before producing 2 gems!"
  • Only gold: "You hand Dag the assorted rings, and he grins before producing 5,000 gold!"
  • Neither: "You hand Dag the assorted rings, and he grimaces before shrugging, and saying that they're not giving out rewards for those anymore." (admin set to 0)

Completion:

  • status = 2 (completed)
  • +3 Dag Durnick reputation (dagquests_alterrep(3))
  • News: "[Your Name] has been heard boasting about defeating a huge group of bandits!"
  • Quest complete permanently for this character (until dragonkill)

Auto-Fail Mechanic

Outleveling Quest:

  • Checks at newday hook
  • If status = 1 AND level > maxlevel (11 default):
  • status = 4 (failed)
  • "You hear that Dag can't pay enough for adventurers of your stature, and you abandon the bounty."
  • Quest fails permanently

Level Math:

  • maxlevel default: 11
  • If you reach level 12, quest auto-fails at newday
  • No grace period (unlike Manticore quest)
  • Do quest early in level range

Quest Reset

Dragonkill Hook:

  • When you kill dragon: status = 0, queststatus = 0 (full reset)
  • Can do quest again next playthrough
  • Resets regardless of previous completion/failure

Admin Settings

Configurable Values:

  • rewardgold: Gold reward (int, default: 5000)
  • rewardgems: Gem reward (int, default: 2)
  • experience: Quest exp multiplier (float 1.01-1.3, default: 1.1)
  • minlevel: Minimum quest level (range 1-15, default: 5)
  • maxlevel: Maximum quest level (range 1-15, default: 11)
  • minrep: Minimum Dag reputation (int, default: 2)

User Preferences:

  • status: Quest progress (int, default: 0)
    • 0 = Not started / Reset after dragonkill
    • 1 = Active (searching for bandits)
    • 2 = Completed successfully
    • 4 = Failed / Refused / Outleveled
    • 5 = Collected ring, ready to return to Dag

Strategy Guide

When to Accept:

  • Level 5-8 recommended (bandits will be manageable)
  • Have 2+ Dag reputation (complete Manticore first if needed)
  • Can afford 3 turns minimum (possibly more if deaths)
  • Want high-value rewards (5000g + 2 gems)

Turn Management:

  • Each search costs 3 turns (expensive)
  • 75% chance wolf fight before bandit search
  • 20% chance for another Bandit Wolf and 20% chance for the arrow ambush event each time you search for a bandit
  • You must clear all 5 bandits in sequence (Scout, Archer, Swordsman ×2, Captain) — the wolf/ambush rolls just add delay and risk on top of that requirement
  • Budget several searches for quest completion, not just one

Bandit Difficulty:

  • All 5 named bandits must be beaten in a fixed order: Scout → Archer → Swordsman → Swordsman → Captain
  • Scout and Archer are your easiest fights (reduced attack, reduced defense on the enemy)
  • The two Swordsmen fight at full parity with you (100% attack, 90% defense, 105% HP)
  • The Captain is the hardest (level+1, 115% attack, 90% defense, 115% HP) and also the one that completes the quest
  • A death to any of the five costs -2 Dag reputation on top of the usual death penalty

Risk Assessment:

  • Death penalty: -10% exp, -all gold, plus -2 Dag reputation if the killer was a bandit (not the wolf or the ambush)
  • Quest remains active after death (can retry, but you keep grinding through the same fixed sequence)
  • Wolf fights and the arrow ambush can wear you down before you even reach the next bandit in line
  • The Captain fight is the most dangerous, and it's mandatory — there's no way to finish the quest without beating him

Reward Value:

  • 5,000 gold + 2 gems = ~7,000g equivalent
  • 10% exp bonus = significant at level 5-11
  • +3 Dag rep = unlock future quests
  • Best gold reward of any Dag quest

Common Mistakes

Outleveling Quest:

  • Fails at level 12 with no warning
  • Do quest early (level 5-8)
  • Don't delay if close to level 12

Insufficient Turns:

  • Quest costs minimum 3 turns
  • Deaths require full restart (another 3 turns)
  • Save turns before starting

Underestimating Multiple Wolves and the Arrow Ambush:

  • 75% initial wolf + 20% search-phase wolf + 20% search-phase arrow ambush = plenty of ways to take damage before you even reach the next named bandit
  • The arrow ambush is not a fight you can win outright — below half HP it simply kills you
  • Might be low HP when facing the next bandit in the sequence
  • Prepare for consecutive fights; there is no way to skip ahead in the Scout → Archer → Swordsman → Swordsman → Captain order

Forgetting the Reputation Cost:

  • Dying to a named bandit costs -2 Dag reputation, on top of the standard -10% exp and lost gold
  • Dying to the wolf or the arrow ambush does not cost reputation
  • Repeated bandit deaths can eat into the rep you need for other Dag quests

Bandits Quest: where Dag Durnick leans in and tells you he's impressed you're capable enough for a recent problem involving a new bandit group using some kind of control over animals as pets to help with their raids which sounds ominous and he wants you to take out one of the teams at their headquarters collecting their rings as proof for a good bounty and you wonder nervously how you'll survive infiltrating their own base but the reward sounds good so you accept. Dag provides intel that each team has two swordsmen an archer a scout and a captain then points out their location on a map and wishes you luck, and it turns out that roster isn't flavor text — it's a literal to-do list you have to clear in order. You hike out to the indicated area costing three precious forest turns and notice the trees have been cut in strange patterns that are obviously dangerous territorial warnings and as you carefully make your way down the trail hefting your weapon there's a seventy-five percent chance a Bandit Wolf, weaker on defense than you but padded with extra health, rushes from the side forcing you to fight one of the bandits' pets before you can even start searching for actual bandits, or twenty-five percent chance you manage to avoid the wolf ambush entirely seeing plenty of bloody shreds scattered through the woods until you reach the heart where you hear parties of bandits moving freely chatting about their exploits and you realize with dawning horror there are FAR MORE of them than expected and you're completely in over your head so you desperately try to find one alone to fight. After defeating the wolf or skipping it you search for a lone bandit and there's a twenty percent chance another wolf attacks you, a twenty percent chance an unseen archer puts an arrow in your leg (or, if you're already below half health, simply kills you outright), and a sixty percent chance you're handed the next bandit on Dag's actual list — Scout first, then Archer, then a Swordsman, then a second Swordsman, then finally the Captain — with no way to skip ahead or draw one at random out of order. If you win against any bandit you find a ring in their pouch as proof, and beating the Captain specifically is what flips the quest to complete, but if you lose any of these five fights you die losing ten percent experience, all your gold, AND two points of Dag reputation, going to Detention while the quest stays active for another attempt after resurrection. When you finally return to Dag having worked all the way through his roster he gives you five thousand gold and two gems plus a ten percent experience bonus and three reputation with a news announcement that you've been boasting about defeating a huge group of bandits — which, unlike some quests around here, is for once not an exaggeration, since you really did have to kill all five of them. The quest auto-fails if you level past eleven without completing it with a message that Dag can't pay enough for adventurers of your stature so you abandon the bounty, and dragonkill resets everything letting you do it again next playthrough, and the whole quest requires at least two Dag reputation to even be offered making it a higher-tier quest than the Manticore that assumes you've already proven yourself capable of not dying immediately.