I wonder if some of the wonderful people in here might help me with an encounter I have coming up. My players (6 of them, Warlock, Barb, Sorcerer, Rogue, Cleric, Ranger) have been tasked to “Acquire” a shipment due to arrive in Neverwinter for a Rival organisation. To their credit, they’ve had a weeks lead time to prepare for this and they’ve done a decent job. One has been working on the docks, getting a feel for the people and the lay out etc. Another has worked with/bribed some of the officials to make the boat berth at a different dock compared to where it would usually dock. Along with some other prep work, all of which is refreshing as they typically take the “Hulk Smash” approach. So now I’m trying to piece together how this will play out to prepare for things to make sure that their work doesn’t come to nought but also to make the encounter enjoyable for them.
So what things could I do, without being too adversarial, to make this an enjoyable encounter. Current thoughts are:
· Checks to get into the docks through guards (checking paperwork etc)
· The rival gang will be at the other dock waiting and after a period of time will spot the ship docked elsewhere and a party in the distance taking their goods (chase?) < also how have people run chases before?
· Might have to go elsewhere to drop the cargo instead of the organised drop off point.
This type of encounter is pretty common, but can be very fun to play with, especially if your party has spent a good bit preparing for it. I have a few ideas that may help spice things up;
1. I think having checks to get to the boat is a good thing. Not only does it add some suspense, but it also acts as a reminder that just because they did things to increase their chances of success doesn't mean they win automatically. All it takes is one misstep to fall into the water and alert the gang members.
2. The rival gang noticing the party after a certain period of time is also a fun mechanic. It shows them they can't stay forever, and that they have to make decisions quickly if they don't want to get caught. It would definitely freak your players out if you started to drop hints that they may be on to them.
In terms of a chase, I think they can be a bit tough to do without just making them all roll Athletics checks (which is boring). What I would do is have maybe five checks, each one at a different point in the chase. If one of the players fails three check (although not consecutively), they are overtaken and get caught. To avoid monotony, you could use different checks; for instance, you could tell them to roll an Acrobatics check to vault over a barrel, and a Strength check to push townsfolk out of the way.
For each failed roll, you could have something special happen. If the player is attempting to jump between rooftops and they fail the check, have them fall into the alley below and become split from the rest of the party (as most chases tend to work anyway). The "special events" don't need to be complicated, because if four of your six players fail you don't want to be running five different chase scenarios. Just add little things that make the situation more interesting (I had a small flow chart with me to make sure I didn’t get confused).
3. Something else that would be interesting would be if you had some kind of miscellaneous item in the boat, instead of just supplies. Imagine the party's surprise if they pulled a tarp off of a box, only to discovered it's an owlbear cub in a cage. Maybe there is a crate of hallucinogenic drugs that, if handled roughly, release toxins that cause your players to become paralyzed. You could even use this scene as a place to give them a unique magic item. Little details like that always make it more memorable.
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Hello everyone,
I wonder if some of the wonderful people in here might help me with an encounter I have coming up. My players (6 of them, Warlock, Barb, Sorcerer, Rogue, Cleric, Ranger) have been tasked to “Acquire” a shipment due to arrive in Neverwinter for a Rival organisation. To their credit, they’ve had a weeks lead time to prepare for this and they’ve done a decent job. One has been working on the docks, getting a feel for the people and the lay out etc. Another has worked with/bribed some of the officials to make the boat berth at a different dock compared to where it would usually dock. Along with some other prep work, all of which is refreshing as they typically take the “Hulk Smash” approach. So now I’m trying to piece together how this will play out to prepare for things to make sure that their work doesn’t come to nought but also to make the encounter enjoyable for them.
So what things could I do, without being too adversarial, to make this an enjoyable encounter. Current thoughts are:
· Checks to get into the docks through guards (checking paperwork etc)
· The rival gang will be at the other dock waiting and after a period of time will spot the ship docked elsewhere and a party in the distance taking their goods (chase?) < also how have people run chases before?
· Might have to go elsewhere to drop the cargo instead of the organised drop off point.
Any help is always appreciated.
This type of encounter is pretty common, but can be very fun to play with, especially if your party has spent a good bit preparing for it. I have a few ideas that may help spice things up;
1. I think having checks to get to the boat is a good thing. Not only does it add some suspense, but it also acts as a reminder that just because they did things to increase their chances of success doesn't mean they win automatically. All it takes is one misstep to fall into the water and alert the gang members.
2. The rival gang noticing the party after a certain period of time is also a fun mechanic. It shows them they can't stay forever, and that they have to make decisions quickly if they don't want to get caught. It would definitely freak your players out if you started to drop hints that they may be on to them.
In terms of a chase, I think they can be a bit tough to do without just making them all roll Athletics checks (which is boring). What I would do is have maybe five checks, each one at a different point in the chase. If one of the players fails three check (although not consecutively), they are overtaken and get caught. To avoid monotony, you could use different checks; for instance, you could tell them to roll an Acrobatics check to vault over a barrel, and a Strength check to push townsfolk out of the way.
For each failed roll, you could have something special happen. If the player is attempting to jump between rooftops and they fail the check, have them fall into the alley below and become split from the rest of the party (as most chases tend to work anyway). The "special events" don't need to be complicated, because if four of your six players fail you don't want to be running five different chase scenarios. Just add little things that make the situation more interesting (I had a small flow chart with me to make sure I didn’t get confused).
3. Something else that would be interesting would be if you had some kind of miscellaneous item in the boat, instead of just supplies. Imagine the party's surprise if they pulled a tarp off of a box, only to discovered it's an owlbear cub in a cage. Maybe there is a crate of hallucinogenic drugs that, if handled roughly, release toxins that cause your players to become paralyzed. You could even use this scene as a place to give them a unique magic item. Little details like that always make it more memorable.