Objective

Accompany Tap Tap to the location of the artifact, solve the puzzles/challenges guarding its entrance, and retrieve it in one piece.

Stipulations

Tap Tap insists on leading the way and solving any puzzles encountered along the journey. The party must trust his guidance and keep him safe from harm, as he is their key to accessing the artifact.

Additional Dynamics

• Potential Culprits: A group of treasure hunters is also seeking the artifact, viewing Tap Tap as a nuisance to be eliminated. They may attempt to thwart the party’s progress or even capture Tap Tap for themselves.
• Motives: The treasure hunters are driven by greed and a desire to claim the artifact’s power for themselves, regardless of the consequences.

Outcomes and Rewards

Consequences of the party’s actions, based on their success or failure.

Failing Stipulations (Success with Caveats):

• Effect on NPC: If the party disregards Tap Tap’s guidance or harms him, he becomes distrustful of outsiders and refuses to assist them further. However, he may still provide cryptic hints from afar.
• Effect on Party: The party loses the opportunity to claim the artifact and may face retaliation from the rival treasure hunters for their interference.
• Effect on Region: The marauders are confused but not entirely deterred, leading to continued, though less frequent, raids.

Total Failure:

• Effect on NPC: Tap Tap continues his quest alone, determined to retrieve the artifact despite the dangers. However, without the party’s assistance, he may fall prey to the traps guarding its location
• Effect on Party: The party misses out on the rewards associated with completing the quest and loses Tap Tap’s potential assistance in future endeavors.
• Effect on Region: The artifact remains hidden, but rumors of its existence attract more adventurers to the forest, leading to increased competition and potential conflicts.

Complete Success:

• Effect on NPC: With the artifact safely retrieved, Tap Tap gains newfound respect for the party and offers his services as a loyal companion. He may accompany them on future adventures, providing his unique insights and abilities.

• Effect on Region: The discovery of the artifact brings prosperity to the region, attracting scholars, merchants, and adventurers alike. The forest becomes a hub of activity as people flock to witness its wonders.

• Effect on the Party: The party earns the gratitude of the locals and receives a share of the artifact’s power as a reward, granting them newfound abilities or knowledge.

Becoming a Recurring Character

• Messenger of Secrets: Tap Tap can serve as a unique method of communication between the party and other NPCs who are otherwise unreachable, whether due to being in hiding or because they’re in locations too dangerous to approach directly. This role can evolve into Tap Tap bringing quests or secrets from distant lands, acting as a bridge between multiple story arcs or providing the party with crucial information at key moments.
• Tap Tap’s Trials: Develop a series of challenges or mini-quests designed by Tap Tap to test the party’s wit, perception, and problem-solving skills. These could range from deciphering complex puzzles to uncover intricate plots in the cities they visit. Successfully completing these trials could reward the party with rare insights, magical items, or the loyalty of powerful allies, all facilitated by Tap Tap’s unique intelligence.
• The Raven’s Cache: Tap Tap has hidden caches of items and treasures collected from his travels and adventures around the world. He may offer clues or riddles to the party that lead to these caches, turning each discovery into a mini-adventure of its own. These caches could contain anything from magical trinkets to ancient tomes filled with forgotten knowledge, each cache reflecting Tap Tap’s curious and eclectic nature.
• Unexpected Encounters: Tap Tap occasionally crosses paths with the party during their travels, each time bringing a new challenge, opportunity, or mystery. These encounters are not always planned, giving the DM flexibility to introduce Tap Tap whenever a dynamic shift or a light-hearted moment is needed in the campaign. His appearances can vary greatly, from bringing dire warnings about impending threats to simply sharing amusing anecdotes from his latest escapades.
• Guardian of the Grove: In a more involved storyline, Tap Tap discovers a threat to his home forest or a nearby sacred grove. He enlists the party’s help to investigate and combat this threat, leading to a series of quests that delve into environmental themes, the balance of nature, or ancient feuds among mystical creatures. Success in these quests not only earns Tap Tap’s eternal gratitude but also allies the party with the forces of nature in that region, offering them sanctuary, knowledge, and the support of woodland creatures.