Soooo as it happens, the party is level 2 and they all have/had excellent backstories written. It's two sessions in. Sadly, it is all too easy to TPK a party at this level.
So here's what happened. I'm running Icewind Dale, and they're doing the starting quest, hunting the killer Sephek Kaltro. The trouble is that they know he's the killer - but there's not necessarily any proof. They found him doing his job as a bodyguard for Torg's traveling company. At night, Sephek was on duty guarding the camp. I warned the party that if they tried to attack him so close to the campsite, he would raise the alarm. A character tried to lure him away with silent image, but it was to no avail. Then, after Sephek asked a player what they were doing there, they attacked.
Naturally, the camp woke up. This resulted in two character deaths, an incapacitation, and a surrender.
Sephek and Torrga (the leader of the company) are still alive, but some of their fellow merchants are dead. As I see it, they are perfectly within their right to bring the party to the local jail and they would be convicted of murder, then sent to Revel's End (the supermax prison). There's no evidence that Sephek is a cold-blooded killer beyond rumors, but plenty that the party is. If that wasn't bad enough, each city in Ten-towns gives a sacrifice of sorts to mitigate Auril's wrath (poor cities sacrifice a night of warmth, modest cities food, big cities a living individual). This city could decide easily to sacrifice the remaining party members unless they are cleared.
So, here's their options. Get their names cleared, escape and become criminals, or rewind time and forget this little mishap ever took place. I need a get out of jail free card, stat.
Option 1: There's no denying the party tried to kill Torg's company. But what if they could prove that Sephek is a killer? There's no evidence, but could they get him to admit it, or maybe get him to come after them?
Option 2: Escape and become criminals. At level 2.... Yeah not a great option. Ten-towns would be completely hostile, and bounty hunters would come after them. What on earth would they do in the wild? There's practically nothing to survive off of.
Option 3: Forget it happened. I might have a time travel or divine intervention fix... but it feels like cheating or cliche.
Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated. My party is screwed otherwise.
This is a great problem to have! While I’m a bit curious about how the party knew of his guilt without any proof, they did choose to disregard due process. Murder hobos go to jail, but maybe they can find evidence or a witness that can help prove Sephek’s guilt and justify the party’s action. Plus it’s a great place to meet the new characters who’ll be replacing their dead allies.
I guess that’s my way of saying Option 1 sounds like your best bet! With a bit of work you have a great investigation and social encounter ahead of you.
Find letters/writings that point to Sephek’s crimes, convince an eye witness to come forward, bribe a guard who knows where evidence was hidden or can prove a cover up. Just tack on a few level appropriate DC’s for the skill checks :)
So, errr, I'm not seeing why they can't just claim he confessed to murder and the party tried to bring him in. I'm sort of feeling like there was a part of the story that was missed here. Why would he have raised the alarm? He seems a bit smarter than that.
'Because he’s doing the Frostmaiden’s work, the spirit inside Sephek doesn’t care about getting caught, and he isn’t shy about admitting his guilt. He considers surrendering only because it buys time for him to escape and commit more murders.'
I simply would have had him run or escape from combat. Too often we forget that monsters and encounters can have enemies that flee. I'd have suggested when confronted he would have been more cunning and sinister.
'Yeah, you caught me. Good for you. Now find the proof punk.'
When then attacked, he simply makes an escape. He's got misty step. So, he's got no reason to engage with the party. He may not be book smart (INT) but he's street smart (WIS). The wisest course of action available to him is simply to avoid the combat if it allows him to keep killing.
More than this, why was Sephek guarding the camp?
'After Torrga retires for the night, Sephek is free to do as he pleases until the following morning. If he happens to be in Bryn Shander, Easthaven, or Targos, he stalks his next murder victim. If he’s elsewhere, he spends the night drinking and carousing, then falls asleep for a few hours, preferably in an unheated place such as a barn or an abandoned cottage.'
So, if he's with Torrga does Sephek strike you as someone to volunteer for guard duty? No, he'd be planning his next murder. Elsewhere, he's drinking and/or asleep.
With the greatest respect it feels like you didn't read the book well enough. You had options as a DM that you didn't use.
As to how to get out of this...here are some options I would consider.
Option 1 - Explain to your table that Sephek wasn't utilised by you in the best way and that you'd like to replay that encounter in the interests of being fair to the table. Take it from the player attacking Sephek. Only this time, have him Misty Step away. So, have him dash his full distance, then misty step. Have him do that three times and the party are not catching him no matter their speed.
Option 2 - As above, only explain that he shouldn't have been on guard duty and remap the scene. Run it from the camp. Maybe this time he's off as the description says having found a nice cold place to rest away from the rest of his group.
Option 3 - The party have been arrested. In the time before dawn however, Sephek has disappeared. He's decided he needs to kill his next victim while he has the chance. This allows the party to claim that he's the murderer and raise enough suspicion. Sephek isn't human remember, it's a spirit possessing a human body. It literally doesn't care about human concerns. It doesn't care about what is rational or makes sense as long as it gets to fulfil the whims of the Frostmaiden. So, maybe he does something kinda crazy. In this scenario though... 'If Torrga Icevein survives but has reason to believe the characters slew her bodyguard, she pressures certain Ten-Towners not to do business with them. At some later point, the characters might find themselves unable to buy something they need or denied lodging at a local inn because the merchant or proprietor doesn’t want to earn Torrga’s everlasting enmity.' So, the players won't get away scott free and will have to persuade NPCs to sell/lodge them.
Honestly, and I mean no disrespect here I'm a bit surprised you decided to set it up so that they encountered Sephek at a campsite. It should've been at lodgings or somewhere static (i.e. not on the road). Between that and playing Sephek in a less than faithful way to the stat block and description, I'd err on the side of just saying to your players: 'look I made a mistake. I didn't read the descriptions as carefully as I should have, do you all mind if we revisit this scene and retcon it.'
If they want things to stand, fine. If they're happy to have a redo...go with it. We all as DMs make mistakes. That's how we learn to be better DMs.
That said, it's been a long time since I've DMd an 'official' adventure. I may be misreading the source, so if you feel that I am do please ignore my comments.
Just have actual evidence of Sephek's guilt come to light, right as the players are being marched onto the scaffold.
Tell the story, rather than play it out. They would normally go to jail for their offense - but sadly, they get Judge Irongaze, who takes an extreme point of view on all things. On a technicality, he sentences them to death, and soon enough they're marching to the gallows, for the short drop and long sleep. But in the last moment, a messenger rushes in, waving a piece of paper, stating that the PC's are actually right, and that Sephek's been seen by credible witnesses gutting innocents in bright daylight.
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Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
Whats the players vibe? Im general I would advise against turnig the clock unless you really messed up and the players feel like its unfair.
Im with the first commenter and would send them to jail and give them opportunity to clear their name by maybe meeting someone who also know he is guilty. Maybe a guard who believes them can sneak them out and cover for them for one night for them to go collect the evidence.
If the players who died are really upset about it, once they clear their name the city can offer to resurrect them.
As for knowing of his guilt, they found out through an old retired adventurer, who's kinda been studying the murders. She hired the party to kill him without getting the authorities involved.
This might be my best bet, thanks. Introducing a couple of new player characters to get them out of trouble might really flush out their new backgrounds too - strong ties from the getgo. Sephek's whole deal is that he hunts people that evade death by sacrifice to Auril - his patron. If the town is on the fence about it, then decide not to - Sephek might go after them to ensure their deaths. That would clear them on Sephek's end. Then simply implicating Torrga's company in all this business would be too sketchy not to do some investigative work - it's probably not the most trustworthy company. That's probably enough to get them released.
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Soooo as it happens, the party is level 2 and they all have/had excellent backstories written. It's two sessions in. Sadly, it is all too easy to TPK a party at this level.
So here's what happened. I'm running Icewind Dale, and they're doing the starting quest, hunting the killer Sephek Kaltro. The trouble is that they know he's the killer - but there's not necessarily any proof. They found him doing his job as a bodyguard for Torg's traveling company. At night, Sephek was on duty guarding the camp. I warned the party that if they tried to attack him so close to the campsite, he would raise the alarm. A character tried to lure him away with silent image, but it was to no avail. Then, after Sephek asked a player what they were doing there, they attacked.
Naturally, the camp woke up. This resulted in two character deaths, an incapacitation, and a surrender.
Sephek and Torrga (the leader of the company) are still alive, but some of their fellow merchants are dead. As I see it, they are perfectly within their right to bring the party to the local jail and they would be convicted of murder, then sent to Revel's End (the supermax prison). There's no evidence that Sephek is a cold-blooded killer beyond rumors, but plenty that the party is. If that wasn't bad enough, each city in Ten-towns gives a sacrifice of sorts to mitigate Auril's wrath (poor cities sacrifice a night of warmth, modest cities food, big cities a living individual). This city could decide easily to sacrifice the remaining party members unless they are cleared.
So, here's their options. Get their names cleared, escape and become criminals, or rewind time and forget this little mishap ever took place. I need a get out of jail free card, stat.
Option 1: There's no denying the party tried to kill Torg's company. But what if they could prove that Sephek is a killer? There's no evidence, but could they get him to admit it, or maybe get him to come after them?
Option 2: Escape and become criminals. At level 2.... Yeah not a great option. Ten-towns would be completely hostile, and bounty hunters would come after them. What on earth would they do in the wild? There's practically nothing to survive off of.
Option 3: Forget it happened. I might have a time travel or divine intervention fix... but it feels like cheating or cliche.
Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated. My party is screwed otherwise.
This is a great problem to have! While I’m a bit curious about how the party knew of his guilt without any proof, they did choose to disregard due process. Murder hobos go to jail, but maybe they can find evidence or a witness that can help prove Sephek’s guilt and justify the party’s action. Plus it’s a great place to meet the new characters who’ll be replacing their dead allies.
I guess that’s my way of saying Option 1 sounds like your best bet! With a bit of work you have a great investigation and social encounter ahead of you.
Find letters/writings that point to Sephek’s crimes, convince an eye witness to come forward, bribe a guard who knows where evidence was hidden or can prove a cover up. Just tack on a few level appropriate DC’s for the skill checks :)
So, errr, I'm not seeing why they can't just claim he confessed to murder and the party tried to bring him in. I'm sort of feeling like there was a part of the story that was missed here. Why would he have raised the alarm? He seems a bit smarter than that.
'Because he’s doing the Frostmaiden’s work, the spirit inside Sephek doesn’t care about getting caught, and he isn’t shy about admitting his guilt. He considers surrendering only because it buys time for him to escape and commit more murders.'
I simply would have had him run or escape from combat. Too often we forget that monsters and encounters can have enemies that flee. I'd have suggested when confronted he would have been more cunning and sinister.
'Yeah, you caught me. Good for you. Now find the proof punk.'
When then attacked, he simply makes an escape. He's got misty step. So, he's got no reason to engage with the party. He may not be book smart (INT) but he's street smart (WIS). The wisest course of action available to him is simply to avoid the combat if it allows him to keep killing.
More than this, why was Sephek guarding the camp?
'After Torrga retires for the night, Sephek is free to do as he pleases until the following morning. If he happens to be in Bryn Shander, Easthaven, or Targos, he stalks his next murder victim. If he’s elsewhere, he spends the night drinking and carousing, then falls asleep for a few hours, preferably in an unheated place such as a barn or an abandoned cottage.'
So, if he's with Torrga does Sephek strike you as someone to volunteer for guard duty? No, he'd be planning his next murder. Elsewhere, he's drinking and/or asleep.
With the greatest respect it feels like you didn't read the book well enough. You had options as a DM that you didn't use.
As to how to get out of this...here are some options I would consider.
Option 1 - Explain to your table that Sephek wasn't utilised by you in the best way and that you'd like to replay that encounter in the interests of being fair to the table. Take it from the player attacking Sephek. Only this time, have him Misty Step away. So, have him dash his full distance, then misty step. Have him do that three times and the party are not catching him no matter their speed.
Option 2 - As above, only explain that he shouldn't have been on guard duty and remap the scene. Run it from the camp. Maybe this time he's off as the description says having found a nice cold place to rest away from the rest of his group.
Option 3 - The party have been arrested. In the time before dawn however, Sephek has disappeared. He's decided he needs to kill his next victim while he has the chance. This allows the party to claim that he's the murderer and raise enough suspicion. Sephek isn't human remember, it's a spirit possessing a human body. It literally doesn't care about human concerns. It doesn't care about what is rational or makes sense as long as it gets to fulfil the whims of the Frostmaiden. So, maybe he does something kinda crazy. In this scenario though... 'If Torrga Icevein survives but has reason to believe the characters slew her bodyguard, she pressures certain Ten-Towners not to do business with them. At some later point, the characters might find themselves unable to buy something they need or denied lodging at a local inn because the merchant or proprietor doesn’t want to earn Torrga’s everlasting enmity.' So, the players won't get away scott free and will have to persuade NPCs to sell/lodge them.
Honestly, and I mean no disrespect here I'm a bit surprised you decided to set it up so that they encountered Sephek at a campsite. It should've been at lodgings or somewhere static (i.e. not on the road). Between that and playing Sephek in a less than faithful way to the stat block and description, I'd err on the side of just saying to your players: 'look I made a mistake. I didn't read the descriptions as carefully as I should have, do you all mind if we revisit this scene and retcon it.'
If they want things to stand, fine. If they're happy to have a redo...go with it. We all as DMs make mistakes. That's how we learn to be better DMs.
That said, it's been a long time since I've DMd an 'official' adventure. I may be misreading the source, so if you feel that I am do please ignore my comments.
DM session planning template - My version of maps for 'Lost Mine of Phandelver' - Send your party to The Circus - Other DM Resources - Maps, Tokens, Quests - 'Better' Player Character Injury Tables?
Actor, Writer, Director & Teacher by day - GM/DM in my off hours.
Just have actual evidence of Sephek's guilt come to light, right as the players are being marched onto the scaffold.
Tell the story, rather than play it out. They would normally go to jail for their offense - but sadly, they get Judge Irongaze, who takes an extreme point of view on all things. On a technicality, he sentences them to death, and soon enough they're marching to the gallows, for the short drop and long sleep. But in the last moment, a messenger rushes in, waving a piece of paper, stating that the PC's are actually right, and that Sephek's been seen by credible witnesses gutting innocents in bright daylight.
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
Whats the players vibe? Im general I would advise against turnig the clock unless you really messed up and the players feel like its unfair.
Im with the first commenter and would send them to jail and give them opportunity to clear their name by maybe meeting someone who also know he is guilty. Maybe a guard who believes them can sneak them out and cover for them for one night for them to go collect the evidence.
If the players who died are really upset about it, once they clear their name the city can offer to resurrect them.
As for knowing of his guilt, they found out through an old retired adventurer, who's kinda been studying the murders. She hired the party to kill him without getting the authorities involved.
This might be my best bet, thanks. Introducing a couple of new player characters to get them out of trouble might really flush out their new backgrounds too - strong ties from the getgo. Sephek's whole deal is that he hunts people that evade death by sacrifice to Auril - his patron. If the town is on the fence about it, then decide not to - Sephek might go after them to ensure their deaths. That would clear them on Sephek's end. Then simply implicating Torrga's company in all this business would be too sketchy not to do some investigative work - it's probably not the most trustworthy company. That's probably enough to get them released.