Ramzour's Achievement System
This weekend I'm running two separate groups through the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure! To make things interesting, I crafted a list of 40 Achievements that the players can earn in these adventures. Achievements are earned by completing certain tasks. Each one gives a secret reward of some type. The players are shown the list of Achievements ahead of time, so they know what sort of things they can do to earn them. The rewards, however, are kept secret until it's earned.
How to Earn
During play, a player can earn an Achievement by completing one of the listed tasks. Most (but not all) of these Achievements are unique to the party, so ONLY THE FIRST player to earn the Achievement gets the reward. If it is unclear who earned the achievement, then the players either choose one winner or roll randomly for it.
Some of these are generic like "craft an item" or "slay a monster". Some are specific to the adventure like "Slay the Dragon" or "Wrestle the Ogre and WIN".
Rewards
Each Achievement has its own reward, but it's a secret! You'll have to earn one to find out what the reward is! I'm not listing the rewards here because my players might visit these forums. However, the rewards range from getting a new nickname, to monetary or story-based rewards. As my players unlock these Achievements, I'll probably update this thread with the rewards they got.
Why use Achievements?
Because they're fun! And it encourages players to try wacky things. I know they're kind of "gamey" and I don't care. A little friendly competition is good for the table. Remember Gimli and Legolas competing for Orc kills? Yeah, they were 'Cheevo Hunting for sure. Heck, Frodo only agreed to take the Ring because he knew that "Throw the One Ring into Mount Doom" was the rarest cheevo of all time. And afterwards, he totally got all of the ladies. And Samwise too.
Your ideas?
Can you think of any other Achievements and their secret Rewards? Please post them here in this thread using the following format:
Achievement Name. Achievement Reward.
Sample Achievement:
Slay a Monster. Get a free cleave attack as a Reaction.
Ramzour's LIST OF ACHIEVEMENTS for Lost Mine of Phandelver
Befriend an Animal
Befriend the Dragon
Breach a locked door
Buy an item at a merchant
Cause a hostile monster to slay another hostile monster for you.
Complete your Personal Quest (not unique)
Craft a Magic Item
Craft an Item
Defeat a monster with social interaction and not violence
Detect an ambush
Disarm a trap
Drop to 0 hit points (Reward: You don’t fall unconscious and you get to give a good “Help me I’m dying” speech)
Expose an Imposter
Find a magic item
Find a named magic item
Find a secret door
Frighten an Undead monster
Get Charmed by an enemy
Get Eaten by the Dragon
Get Feared by an enemy
Get lost in the wilderness
Heal an ally to full health (Reward: A nearby ally (or you) also gets healed to full health)
Kill a monster with your bare hands
Leap a great distance
Learn a new spell from a found scroll or Spellbook/Prayerbook
Meet all the NPC’s in town
Perform for a crowd
Pick an enemy’s pocket without them knowing
Rescue a hostage
Return a lost item to its rightful owner
Ride the Owlbear
Roll a natural 1 (Reward: Earn a Natural 1 Token. Spend it to give a creature a Natural 1 on a roll they make.)
Roll a natural 20 (Reward: Earn a Natural 20 Token. Spend it to give a creature a Natural 20 on a roll they make.)
Roll five natural 1’s
Roll five natural 20’s
Run Out of Ammo
See through another creature’s lies
Slay a Boss Monster
Slay a Monster (Reward: Earn a Cleave Token. Spend it to make an extra attack.)
Slay the Dragon
Sneak into an enemy encampment under a disguise
Stabilize an Ally
Win at a game of cards
Win at a game of Dragon Chess
Wrestle the Ogre and LOSE
Wrestle the Ogre and WIN
Your character dies
I would eliminate the "roll N" and include things that are actual choices. Randomness is cool, but rewarding choices is more powerful.
bawylie wrote:
Ramzour wrote:
bawylie wrote:
Cool idea! I would of course love to know what the rewards are ...
Is "Slay the Dragon" actually possible? Or is that achievement just asking for a TPK.
(I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive in the mail.
Wait, "craft a magic item"? Were the magic item crafting rules released already?!
Youngy wrote:
You're missing Stood in the Fire. 
But otherwise this is an awesome list. Great work!
Ramzour wrote:
MechaPilot wrote:
Youngy wrote:
Fralex wrote:
MechaPilot wrote:
Ramzour wrote:
I think that's a great idea! I agree with the "cheesy" ones as well as we all need cheese in our game. I'm thinking I'd be the one who tried to ride the Owlbear. Good stuff!
I updated the Achievement list with some of the rewards my party earned this past weekend! I also added a few more achievements to the list. Enjoy!
Sling617 wrote:
That would promote anti-role-play with characters doing seemingly random things to appease the invisible list in their head. There are numerous systems out there to promote role play that can help to enhance the game.
Sturmunddrang wrote:
MechaPilot wrote:
autolycus wrote:
Sturmunddrang wrote:
SteeleButterfly wrote:
What are the rewards for Befriend an Animal, Disarm a Trap, and Defeat a Monster Through Social Interaction? Several people in the group I played with recently pulled those off.
Luciender wrote:
Ramzour wrote:
Ramzour wrote:
SteeleButterfly wrote:
Luciender wrote:
Ramzour wrote: