Quest Program Triggers

This page documents all 13 triggers available for quest programs. Every trigger listed here is exclusive to quests — none of these triggers exist on any other entity type (mobiles, objects, rooms, tokens, areas, etc.).

For general trigger concepts and phrase matching, see Scripting Basics. For the commands you can use inside a triggered script, see Commands.

Table of Contents

How Quest Triggers Work
Entity Bindings
Trigger Quick Reference
Quest-Level Triggers
Stage-Level Triggers
Objective-Level Triggers
Trigger Lifecycle Summary
Related Triggers on Other Entity Types

How Quest Triggers Work

When you attach a script to a quest, you specify:

Trigger type — The quest event name (e.g., quest_accepted, stage_completed)
Phrase — A percent chance (1–100) that the script fires when the event occurs

All 13 quest triggers use percent chance as their phrase type. A phrase of 100 means the script always fires; 50 means a 50% chance each time the event occurs.

Attachment example:

qedit <quest vnum>
addprog <script vnum> quest_accepted 100

Entity Bindings

When a quest trigger fires, your script can reference these entities:

Variable	Type	Description
`$i` / `$(self)`	Quest	The quest itself
`$n` / `$(enactor)`	Mobile	The player involved in the quest event
`$(here)`	Room	The current room of the player
`$(phrase)`	String	The matched phrase/argument

See Variables and Tokens for the complete reference.

Trigger Quick Reference

All 13 quest triggers at a glance, organized by lifecycle phase:

Trigger	When It Fires	Phrase
`quest_accepted`	Player accepts the quest	percent chance
`quest_focused`	Player focuses/selects the quest	percent chance
`quest_completed`	Quest completion is finalized (after awards)	percent chance
`quest_failed`	Quest fails	percent chance
`stage_commenced`	A quest stage begins	percent chance
`stage_completed`	A quest stage completes	percent chance
`stage_failed`	A quest stage fails	percent chance
`stage_target_resolved`	A stage target is resolved	percent chance
`stage_dest_resolved`	A stage destination is resolved	percent chance
`objective_completed`	A quest objective completes	percent chance
`objective_failed`	A quest objective fails	percent chance
`objective_target_resolved`	An objective target is resolved	percent chance
`objective_dest_resolved`	An objective destination is resolved	percent chance

Quest-Level Triggers

These triggers fire in response to events on the quest as a whole.

`quest_accepted`

Enum: TRIG_QUEST_ACCEPTED (153)

Fires when a player accepts the quest. This is the earliest point in the quest lifecycle and is ideal for initialization — setting variables, sending introductory messages, or dynamically configuring quest parameters.

Alias: quest_accept

Phrase: Percent chance (1–100).

When it fires:

The player accepts the quest through a quest giver or quest interface
Fires once per acceptance

Common uses:

Send a welcome message or quest briefing
Initialize quest variables (quest varset)
Load objects or NPCs needed for the quest
Log quest acceptance for tracking

Example:

** Welcome the player and set up initial quest state
quest echoat $n {CYou have accepted the quest: The Lost Artifact.{x
quest echoat $n {cSeek the ancient ruins to the north...{x
quest varset quest_start_time $T

`quest_focused`

Enum: TRIG_QUEST_FOCUSED (156)

Fires when a player focuses or selects the quest — typically through a quest journal or quest tracking interface. This trigger is useful for providing contextual reminders or updating quest state when the player reviews their progress.

Phrase: Percent chance (1–100).

When it fires:

The player selects or focuses this quest in their quest interface
May fire multiple times as the player switches between quests

Common uses:

Display current quest progress or hints
Update quest tracking information
Provide contextual guidance based on current stage

Example:

** Remind the player of their current objective
quest echoat $n {cQuest: The Lost Artifact{x
quest echoat $n {cObjective: Find the ancient ruins north of Millhaven.{x

`quest_completed`

Enum: TRIG_QUEST_COMPLETED (154)

Fires after the quest completion is finalized and all standard awards have been given. This is the post-completion hook — use it for follow-up actions like unlocking new quests, sending congratulatory messages, or cleaning up quest state.

Phrase: Percent chance (1–100).

When it fires:

After all standard quest rewards and messages have been delivered
Fires once per completion

This fires after awards are given. If you need to modify rewards before they are delivered, use quest_complete on a mob/obj/room/token program instead — that trigger fires on other entity types before awards.

Common uses:

Send completion messages and lore
Unlock follow-up quests
Grant bonus rewards based on custom conditions
Clean up quest variables and temporary state
Record completion statistics

Example:

** Congratulate and offer a follow-up quest
quest echoat $n {YCongratulations! You have completed The Lost Artifact!{x
quest echoat $n {yThe elder nods approvingly... perhaps there is more work to be done.{x

`quest_failed`

Enum: TRIG_QUEST_FAILED (155)

Fires when the quest fails — whether due to a timer expiring, a critical objective being lost, or any other failure condition. Use this to clean up quest state, inform the player, or offer a chance to retry.

Phrase: Percent chance (1–100).

When it fires:

The quest transitions to a failed state
Fires once per failure

Common uses:

Send failure messages
Clean up spawned NPCs or objects
Reset quest state for retry
Record failure for tracking

Example:

** Notify the player of failure and clean up
quest echoat $n {RYou have failed the quest: The Lost Artifact.{x
quest echoat $n {rThe ancient magic fades, and the ruins seal themselves once more...{x
quest varclear quest_start_time

Stage-Level Triggers

Quest stages represent major phases of a quest (e.g., “Find the ruins”, “Defeat the guardian”, “Return the artifact”). These triggers fire when stage events occur.

`stage_commenced`

Enum: TRIG_STAGE_COMMENCED (157)

Fires when a quest stage begins. Use this to introduce the next phase of the quest, spawn stage-specific content, or update quest tracking.

Phrase: Percent chance (1–100).

When it fires:

A new stage of the quest is activated
Fires once per stage commencement

Common uses:

Display stage introduction text
Spawn NPCs or objects for the new stage
Set stage-specific variables
Update quest journal entries

Example:

** Introduce Stage 2: Defeat the Guardian
quest echoat $n {cStage 2: The guardian of the ruins blocks your path.{x
quest echoat $n {cDefeat the ancient guardian to proceed deeper.{x
quest varset current_stage 2

`stage_completed`

Enum: TRIG_STAGE_COMPLETED (158)

Fires when a quest stage completes successfully. Use this to advance the quest, grant intermediate rewards, or transition to the next stage.

Phrase: Percent chance (1–100).

When it fires:

All objectives in the stage are satisfied
The stage transitions to a completed state

Common uses:

Grant intermediate rewards (experience, items, gold)
Display stage completion messages
Advance to the next stage programmatically
Record stage completion time

Example:

** Stage 1 complete — reward and advance
quest echoat $n {YStage complete! The ruins have been found.{x
quest echoat $n {yYou sense the guardian's presence deeper within...{x

`stage_failed`

Enum: TRIG_STAGE_FAILED (159)

Fires when a quest stage fails. This may or may not fail the entire quest depending on the quest design — some quests allow retrying a stage, while others fail outright.

Phrase: Percent chance (1–100).

When it fires:

A stage’s failure conditions are met
Fires once per stage failure

Common uses:

Send stage failure messages
Clean up stage-specific content
Reset stage state for retry
Optionally fail the entire quest

Example:

** Stage failed — offer context
quest echoat $n {RThe guardian's magic overwhelms you. The stage has failed.{x
quest echoat $n {rYou must gather your strength and try again.{x

`stage_target_resolved`

Enum: TRIG_STAGE_TARGET_RESOLVED (160)

Fires when a stage’s target entity is resolved. Target resolution is the process of determining what the player needs to interact with for a stage — for example, selecting which mob to kill or which NPC to speak to. This trigger enables dynamic quest generation by letting scripts assign targets at runtime.

Phrase: Percent chance (1–100).

When it fires:

The engine needs to resolve the target for a stage
Fires during quest setup or stage transition

Common uses:

Dynamically select a target mob from a pool
Choose a target based on player level, location, or history
Set the target vnum via quest variables

Example:

** Dynamically pick a target mob for a slay stage
** Choose a harder mob for higher-level players
if level $n >= 40
  quest varset stage_target 52010
else
  quest varset stage_target 52005
endif

`stage_dest_resolved`

Enum: TRIG_STAGE_DEST_RESOLVED (161)

Fires when a stage’s destination is resolved. Destination resolution determines where the player needs to go for a stage — selecting a room vnum dynamically. This enables quests that send players to different locations each time.

Phrase: Percent chance (1–100).

When it fires:

The engine needs to resolve the destination for a stage
Fires during quest setup or stage transition

Common uses:

Randomly select a destination room
Choose a destination based on player progress or location
Set the destination vnum via quest variables

Example:

** Pick a random dungeon entrance for the "go to" stage
quest varset stage_dest 31050
quest echoat $n {cThe oracle points you toward the eastern caverns.{x

Objective-Level Triggers

Objectives are individual tasks within a stage (e.g., “Kill 5 wolves”, “Collect 3 gems”, “Visit the shrine”). These triggers fire when objective events occur.

`objective_completed`

Enum: TRIG_OBJECTIVE_COMPLETED (162)

Fires when an individual quest objective completes. This is more granular than stage_completed — a stage may have multiple objectives, and this fires for each one independently.

Phrase: Percent chance (1–100).

When it fires:

A single objective within a stage is satisfied
Fires once per objective completion

Common uses:

Notify the player of objective progress
Grant per-objective rewards
Update quest tracking display
Trigger conditional logic based on which objectives are done

Example:

** Notify player of objective completion
quest echoat $n {GObjctive complete!{x
quest echoat $n {gOne step closer to finishing this stage.{x

`objective_failed`

Enum: TRIG_OBJECTIVE_FAILED (163)

Fires when an individual quest objective fails. Depending on quest design, a single failed objective may or may not fail the entire stage or quest.

Phrase: Percent chance (1–100).

When it fires:

A single objective within a stage fails
Fires once per objective failure

Common uses:

Inform the player which objective failed
Adjust quest difficulty or provide hints
Clean up objective-specific state

Example:

** Notify player of objective failure
quest echoat $n {RAn objective has failed. Check your quest journal for details.{x

`objective_target_resolved`

Enum: TRIG_OBJECTIVE_TARGET_RESOLVED (164)

Fires when an objective’s target entity is resolved. Similar to stage_target_resolved but at the objective level — determines the specific target for an individual objective (e.g., which specific mob to kill for a “slay” objective).

Phrase: Percent chance (1–100).

When it fires:

The engine needs to resolve the target for an objective
Fires during stage setup or objective initialization

Common uses:

Dynamically assign objective targets
Choose targets based on player context
Support random or rotating objective targets

Example:

** Assign a target mob for this kill objective
** Pick from a set of lieutenants based on which zone the player is in
if inroom $n == 31000
  quest varset obj_target 52015
else
  quest varset obj_target 52020
endif

`objective_dest_resolved`

Enum: TRIG_OBJECTIVE_DEST_RESOLVED (165)

Fires when an objective’s destination is resolved. Determines where the player needs to go for a specific objective (e.g., which room to visit for a “go to” objective).

Phrase: Percent chance (1–100).

When it fires:

The engine needs to resolve the destination for an objective
Fires during stage setup or objective initialization

Common uses:

Dynamically assign objective destinations
Randomize visit locations for repeatable quests
Choose destinations based on player level or progress

Example:

** Assign a destination room for this goto objective
quest varset obj_dest 31075
quest echoat $n {cYour compass points toward the northern watchtower.{x

Trigger Lifecycle Summary

The following diagram shows when triggers fire during a typical quest lifecycle:

Player accepts quest
  └─ quest_accepted         ← initialization, welcome message

Player focuses quest in journal
  └─ quest_focused          ← progress reminder

Stage begins
  ├─ stage_commenced        ← stage introduction
  ├─ stage_target_resolved  ← dynamic target assignment
  └─ stage_dest_resolved    ← dynamic destination assignment

  Objective setup
    ├─ objective_target_resolved  ← per-objective target
    └─ objective_dest_resolved    ← per-objective destination

  Objective completes/fails
    ├─ objective_completed  ← progress notification
    └─ objective_failed     ← failure handling

Stage completes/fails
  ├─ stage_completed        ← intermediate reward, advance
  └─ stage_failed           ← retry or fail quest

Quest completes/fails
  ├─ quest_completed        ← final reward, unlock follow-ups
  └─ quest_failed           ← cleanup, retry offer

Several quest-related triggers exist on other entity types (mobs, objects, rooms, tokens) rather than on quests themselves. These are useful for NPCs and objects that participate in the quest system:

Trigger	Entity Types	Description
`quest_cancel`	Mob, Obj, Room, Tok	Fires when a quest is cancelled
`quest_complete`	Mob, Obj, Room, Tok	Fires before awards when a quest is turned in complete
`quest_incomplete`	Mob, Obj, Room, Tok	Fires before awards when a quest is turned in incomplete
`quest_part`	Mob, Tok	Used to generate a custom quest part when selected
`prequest`	Mob, Tok	Custom checking for questing; allows setting quest part count
`postquest`	Mob, Tok	Called after all quest rewards and messages are given

These triggers are documented in their respective entity type sections (Mobile Triggers, etc.) and are not part of quest programs. They fire on the NPC or object involved in the quest interaction, not on the quest itself.

Quest Program Triggers

How Quest Triggers Work

Entity Bindings

Trigger Quick Reference

Quest-Level Triggers

quest_accepted

quest_focused

quest_completed

quest_failed

Stage-Level Triggers

stage_commenced

stage_completed

stage_failed

stage_target_resolved

stage_dest_resolved

Objective-Level Triggers

objective_completed

objective_failed

objective_target_resolved

objective_dest_resolved

Trigger Lifecycle Summary

Related Triggers on Other Entity Types

`quest_accepted`

`quest_focused`

`quest_completed`

`quest_failed`

`stage_commenced`

`stage_completed`

`stage_failed`

`stage_target_resolved`

`stage_dest_resolved`

`objective_completed`

`objective_failed`

`objective_target_resolved`

`objective_dest_resolved`