My PCs have decided to spy on a secret meeting between two groups to report back to the rivals of one of the groups. My concern is how make the players actively involved in the encounter, so I'm not just talking to myself.
My idea so far is to required repeated stealth checks to determine if the PCs stay hidden, perception checks to hear certain pieces of the information, and history checks to understand what they hear. I also have a plan for the enemies' reaction if they fail any stealth checks.
Does anyone have any further ideas for how to make this encounter about the players, not the NPCs?
You have patrols by the guards of the two groups. You can throw in a random animal just to mess with them. You have patrols from the city watch. And you have the possibility of someone in the meeting noticing them.
That doesn’t mention getting to the location where the meeting is being held. It’s not on the town square, is is? Have the players track one of the two groups to find the meeting location, them they have to break into the location and find where in the building the meeting is being held.
The meeting is being held in the middle of a swamp near the secret base of one of the groups. The PCs had successfully tracked the other group to the meeting when we paused for the night. So far, the stealthy characters successfully followed them without being seen while the not stealthy ones had been following from a much bigger distance and ran into trouble that made them take a detour. They are now all observing the clearing where the meeting is taking place.
With a stealth check, they have to do more than simply roll they have to say what they are doing. It's a roll to move quietly or to position yourself to see without being seen. It would be perception to hear and alike.
To make it more interesting simply have the discussion the people are having be more dynamic and require players to change tactics as it goes on.
Give them a guard or servant that wonders on the outside that they need to move to avoid or distract.
Give them different kinds of things to see like a letter or contract they read part way; or a hidden face so players need to find another angle or consider stealing it to get that info.
make the people talking move, maybe they have a whole dinner planned and don't just stay in one location.
Basically keep posing challenges to the players they can fail based on their decisions not just rolls.
You could set up encounters getting to and from the secret meeting, and when they're at the secret meeting have them roll stealth and maybe just summarize what they learn there instead of fully acting it out, that way they're not just sitting there watching you roleplay off yourself and they don't have time to get bored.
Presumably you'll have a scrpt for what the meeting will do if they aren't spotted - so make the obvious hiding places a part of that script. The tensest moments in movies and books involve someone who is hiding almost being found. So say there's long grass, have ne animated person swipe it with their sword to illustrate a point. There's a space under a log, have someone drop something which rolls under there. That way the players have to think quickly to avoid detection. A sorceror demonstrating a magic staff splits a tree in half (precluded by "do you see that tree?", and people moving away from it, so the PC has a chance to move aside or be discovered.
When they are hiding, they become the environment - so involve the environment and it will be more than just a cutscene for them - it will be an excercise in thinking fast and picking out good hiding places! The longer they stay hidden, the more they will uncover - so I would go for 5 major bits of cover which the players might choose, and then play out the scene as:
Clue 1 cover piece 1 is interacted with Clue 2 Cover piece 2 is interacted with etc.
After all 5 have been interacted with, the meeting ends and the NPC's leave - assuming the PC's stayed out of sight for the whole time!
My PCs have decided to spy on a secret meeting between two groups to report back to the rivals of one of the groups. My concern is how make the players actively involved in the encounter, so I'm not just talking to myself.
My idea so far is to required repeated stealth checks to determine if the PCs stay hidden, perception checks to hear certain pieces of the information, and history checks to understand what they hear. I also have a plan for the enemies' reaction if they fail any stealth checks.
Does anyone have any further ideas for how to make this encounter about the players, not the NPCs?
Only spilt the party if you see something shiny.
Ariendela Sneakerson, Half-elf Rogue (8); Harmony Wolfsbane, Tiefling Bard (10); Agnomally, Gnomish Sorcerer (3); Breeze, Tabaxi Monk (8); Grace, Dragonborn Barbarian (7); DM, Homebrew- The Sequestered Lands/Underwater Explorers; Candlekeep
You have patrols by the guards of the two groups. You can throw in a random animal just to mess with them. You have patrols from the city watch. And you have the possibility of someone in the meeting noticing them.
That doesn’t mention getting to the location where the meeting is being held. It’s not on the town square, is is? Have the players track one of the two groups to find the meeting location, them they have to break into the location and find where in the building the meeting is being held.
Professional computer geek
The meeting is being held in the middle of a swamp near the secret base of one of the groups. The PCs had successfully tracked the other group to the meeting when we paused for the night. So far, the stealthy characters successfully followed them without being seen while the not stealthy ones had been following from a much bigger distance and ran into trouble that made them take a detour. They are now all observing the clearing where the meeting is taking place.
Only spilt the party if you see something shiny.
Ariendela Sneakerson, Half-elf Rogue (8); Harmony Wolfsbane, Tiefling Bard (10); Agnomally, Gnomish Sorcerer (3); Breeze, Tabaxi Monk (8); Grace, Dragonborn Barbarian (7); DM, Homebrew- The Sequestered Lands/Underwater Explorers; Candlekeep
With a stealth check, they have to do more than simply roll they have to say what they are doing. It's a roll to move quietly or to position yourself to see without being seen. It would be perception to hear and alike.
To make it more interesting simply have the discussion the people are having be more dynamic and require players to change tactics as it goes on.
Basically keep posing challenges to the players they can fail based on their decisions not just rolls.
You could set up encounters getting to and from the secret meeting, and when they're at the secret meeting have them roll stealth and maybe just summarize what they learn there instead of fully acting it out, that way they're not just sitting there watching you roleplay off yourself and they don't have time to get bored.
Presumably you'll have a scrpt for what the meeting will do if they aren't spotted - so make the obvious hiding places a part of that script. The tensest moments in movies and books involve someone who is hiding almost being found. So say there's long grass, have ne animated person swipe it with their sword to illustrate a point. There's a space under a log, have someone drop something which rolls under there. That way the players have to think quickly to avoid detection. A sorceror demonstrating a magic staff splits a tree in half (precluded by "do you see that tree?", and people moving away from it, so the PC has a chance to move aside or be discovered.
When they are hiding, they become the environment - so involve the environment and it will be more than just a cutscene for them - it will be an excercise in thinking fast and picking out good hiding places! The longer they stay hidden, the more they will uncover - so I would go for 5 major bits of cover which the players might choose, and then play out the scene as:
Clue 1
cover piece 1 is interacted with
Clue 2
Cover piece 2 is interacted with
etc.
After all 5 have been interacted with, the meeting ends and the NPC's leave - assuming the PC's stayed out of sight for the whole time!
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