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fail Action

Marks a quest as failed. Updates the quest status to "failed" in the Campaign Cookbook and provides narrative consequences for unsuccessful attempts.

Syntax

fail:Quest Name Here
Important: The quest name must exactly match the name field of a quest template in the current episode's questTemplates array. Case-sensitive, including spaces and punctuation.

Basic Usage

{ "text": "Leave the merchant to his fate", "nextScene": "ep1-scene5-abandon", "questActions": ["fail:Rescue the Merchant"] }

When to Use

Use the fail action when:

Design Tip: Quest failure should be a meaningful consequence, not a punishment. Use failures to create interesting narrative branches and opportunities for redemption.

Effects

When a quest is failed:

  1. Quest status changes from "active" to "failed"
  2. Quest moves to the "❌ Failed" group in the Party Sheet's Quest Log
  3. Reputation may decrease (if defined in quest consequences)
  4. Related quests may become unavailable
  5. Alternative story paths may open

Complete Example

{ "sceneId": "ep1-scene6-timeout", "title": "Too Late", "readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>By the time you reach the bandit camp, it's empty. The captives have been moved, and the trail has gone cold.</p><p>You return to {nearestBurg} to deliver the grim news. Gareth's face falls. 'I see,' he says quietly. 'Perhaps... perhaps it's too late for them now.'</p></div>", "choices": [ { "text": "Accept the failure and move on", "nextScene": "ep2-scene1-aftermath", "questActions": ["fail:Rescue the Captives"] }, { "text": "Vow to continue searching", "nextScene": "ep2-scene1-redemption", "questActions": ["fail:Rescue the Captives"] } ] }

Quest Definition with Failure Consequences

The quest template's consequences field is optional freeform authoring documentation - it isn't read by the app directly, but it's a useful place to record what should narratively happen on failure, so you (or another DM running the campaign later) remember to act on it:

"questTemplates": [ { "name": "Rescue the Captives", "type": "rescue", "description": "Save the prisoners from the bandit camp", "consequences": { "failure": { "reputation": -10, "opensQuest": "Redemption: Track Down the Slavers" } } } ]

Failure Scenarios

1. Explicit Abandonment

The party chooses to abandon the quest:

{ "sceneId": "ep1-scene4", "title": "A Difficult Choice", "readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>The bandit camp is heavily fortified. Attempting a rescue would be suicide.</p></div>", "choices": [ { "text": "Attempt the rescue anyway", "nextScene": "ep1-scene5-rescue" }, { "text": "Abandon the quest and return to {nearestBurg}", "nextScene": "ep1-scene5-abandon", "questActions": ["fail:Rescue the Captives"] } ] }

2. Failed DC Check

Critical failure at a key moment:

{ "sceneId": "ep1-scene5", "title": "The Infiltration", "readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>You attempt to sneak past the guards. Roll a DC 15 Stealth check.</p></div>", "choices": [ { "text": "Success - Enter undetected", "nextScene": "ep1-scene6-success" }, { "text": "Failure - Alarms sound, captives are executed", "nextScene": "ep1-scene6-disaster", "questActions": ["fail:Rescue the Captives"] } ] }

3. Time Expiration

Taking too long causes automatic failure:

{ "sceneId": "ep1-scene8", "title": "Too Little, Too Late", "readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>Your extended rest cost you precious time. When you arrive, the bandits are long gone.</p></div>", "choices": [ { "text": "Return to town", "nextScene": "ep2-scene1", "questActions": ["fail:Rescue the Captives"] } ] }

4. Permanent Consequence

Quest becomes impossible due to player actions:

{ "sceneId": "ep1-scene7", "title": "Unintended Consequences", "readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>Your fireball destroys the cage... and everyone in it. The captives are dead.</p></div>", "choices": [ { "text": "Face the consequences", "nextScene": "ep1-scene8-aftermath", "questActions": ["fail:Rescue the Captives"] } ] }

Redemption Arcs

There's no unlockConditions/quest-visibility system in the app - "unlocking" a follow-up quest just means putting it in questTemplates and only presenting a scene that offers to accept: it down the failure branch:

"questTemplates": [ { "name": "Rescue the Captives", "type": "rescue" }, { "name": "Redemption: Track Down the Slavers", "type": "side-quest", "description": "A second chance to make things right after the captives were lost" } ]

Then, on the scene reached only via the fail:Rescue the Captives branch, offer a choice that accepts the redemption quest:

{ "text": "Vow to track down the slavers who took them", "nextScene": "ep2-scene1-redemption", "questActions": ["accept:Redemption: Track Down the Slavers"] }
Narrative Depth: This creates a second-chance questline that only becomes reachable if the party fails the initial quest, adding replay value and emotional stakes.

Best Practices

1. Make Failure Meaningful

✓ Good: Failure opens new story paths or consequences
✗ Bad: Failure just blocks content with no alternatives

2. Provide Narrative Closure

Always show the consequences of failure:

✓ Good: "The captives are never seen again. Gareth mourns their loss."
✗ Bad: "Quest failed." (no emotional impact)

3. Offer Redemption When Appropriate

✓ Good: Failed rescue → New quest to track slavers
✓ Good: Failed negotiation → Combat alternative
✗ Bad: Permanent dead-end with no continuation

4. Balance Consequences

Don't make single failures campaign-ending:

✓ Good: -10 reputation, alternative quest opens
✗ Bad: Game over, restart campaign

Multiple Quest Failures

Rarely needed, but you can fail multiple quests simultaneously:

{ "text": "Flee the region entirely", "nextScene": "ep2-scene1-exile", "questActions": [ "fail:Stop the Bandits", "fail:Rescue the Captives", "fail:Protect the Caravan" ] }

Common Mistakes

Failing Quests That Were Never Active

Error: Trying to fail a quest that was never accepted

Only fail quests that are currently active:

✓ Correct: accept → fail
✗ Wrong: fail without accept

Using Failure as Punishment

Failure should create interesting narratives, not punish players:

✓ Good: Failure creates moral dilemma and new quest
✗ Bad: Failure removes all rewards and blocks progression

See Also

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