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Froogleyboy
2010-09-12, 02:08 PM
Okay, I started a thread similar to this around a year ago, and the prospect of a prison D&D game has aroused my couriosity once again*. Not wanting to be a Thread Necromancer (:smallbiggrin:) I decided to start another thread.

Okay, the premise is simple, the players (lvl. 1) start out in a high-security prison. Yes, I realize that the idea of a magical prison is kind of rediculus (someone had the idea of killing the prisoner and rezzing them after their sentence is up) but the idea still tickles my fancy.

We're looking at a prison break scenario here, but it's not going to be easy for the heros. The halls are patrolled constantly by constructs (kind of like warforged, but without the ebberon flavor) and the courtyard has a variety of gaurds, from longbow wielding constructs, to wizards with various spells to stop our heros.

So, does anyone have any imput? Ideas? Monsters that may be lurking?

* I was given the idea after playing the Chronicles of Riddick, Escape from Buther Bay

WarKitty
2010-09-12, 02:18 PM
What rough era are you looking at? What level are the players going to be starting at? Why are they in prison? What is the alignment of the state that imprisoned them? I've got some potential ideas depending on how things play out.

Froogleyboy
2010-09-12, 02:44 PM
What rough era are you looking at? I don't know, rennasence (sp?)

What level are the players going to be starting at? 1
Why are they in prison? Treason/Heresy (it's a Theocracy)
What is the alignment of the state that imprisoned them? I've got some potential ideas depending on how things play out.
LG/NG

Greenish
2010-09-12, 02:52 PM
I don't know, rennasence (sp?)Renaissance.

So, they're imprisoned by NG/LG theocracy, which should mean that the prison isn't a full-blown hellhole, and probably that the guards will try to subdue the escapees rather than killing them outright. BoED has a short list of non-lethal weapons the guards could use.

WarKitty
2010-09-12, 02:52 PM
Alright. So they're fairly low-level characters, which means they won't be seen as a huge threat. That makes it more plausible for them to be in a potentially escapable prison. Are your characters going to be evil? I generally think of societies that have "heresy" as a crime as being non-good by definition, but whatever. Possibly include some "reformatory" elements in the prison. You have some good ideas so far. Constructs are good. So are traps. Some form of magical guard animal. Possibly even "reformed" prisoners that will try to stop the heroes.

The first level of challenges would probably be designed to slow or incapacitate the escapees rather than kill them outright. Net traps, entangle spells, fog cloud areas patrolled by creatures with blindsight. If they get caught the guards don't kill them, but they're transferred to a higher security session and taken in for "reformation" classes.

Urpriest
2010-09-12, 03:08 PM
Eberron would be a cool setting for this. I could see Thrane operating such a prison, with the help of House Kundarak or Deneith.

Froogleyboy
2010-09-12, 03:28 PM
No, the characters aren't going to be evil. It's only gonna be two people (three at the most) and the always play true neutral or chaotic good. Also, incase it matters, religion opperates different than in other campaign worlds. Deites do not exist. They lost power back in what was known as the First Age. Now people "worship" Angels, Demons, and Dragons (and occasionly Giants in northern lands)

WarKitty
2010-09-12, 03:34 PM
No, the characters aren't going to be evil. It's only gonna be two people (three at the most) and the always play true neutral or chaotic good. Also, incase it matters, religion opperates different than in other campaign worlds. Deites do not exist. They lost power back in what was known as the First Age. Now people "worship" Angels, Demons, and Dragons (and occasionly Giants in northern lands)

Hmmm...personally I'd want an answer as to why heresy is such a big deal. But if your players are cool with it that's fine.

Reis Tahlen
2010-09-12, 03:45 PM
And why not a sort of "city-prison"?

A prison that is so huge, so immense it covers as much area and has the number of inhabitants of a city?

You can imagine abandonned quarter (long ago, after a riot wich became an horrible carnage, the autorities condemned the place, and now undeads and monster lurk the place).

You can establish some sort of hierarchy in each quarter, with boss, thugs, more or less corrupted guard, and so on.

You can also imagine an "High security psycho branch", with the most ravenous and insane people, and the madness infected even the prison authority.

The prison would be so immense that escaping one's cell is only the first step. The most dangerous and longest thing would be of finding it's way in the labyrinthic city and escaping the numerous perils. The Arch-Director would be confident that even if one prisonner could evade his cell, he would never survive the other cellmates and the more dangerous quarter of his prison.

Froogleyboy
2010-09-12, 03:45 PM
Hmmm...personally I'd want an answer as to why heresy is such a big deal. But if your players are cool with it that's fine.
Because since the "gods" are living creatures that also run the kingdoms, following their religion is kinda important :smallwink:


And why not a sort of "city-prison"?

A prison that is so huge, so immense it covers as much area and has the number of inhabitants of a city?

You can imagine abandonned quarter (long ago, after a riot wich became an horrible carnage, the autorities condemned the place, and now undeads and monster lurk the place).

You can establish some sort of hierarchy in each quarter, with boss, thugs, more or less corrupted guard, and so on.

You can also imagine an "High security psycho branch", with the most ravenous and insane people, and the madness infected even the prison authority.

The prison would be so immense that escaping one's cell is only the first step. The most dangerous and longest thing would be of finding it's way in the labyrinthic city and escaping the numerous perils. The Arch-Director would be confident that even if one prisonner could evade his cell, he would never survive the other cellmates and the more dangerous quarter of his prison.

That's a pretty cool idea. I haven't thought about it like that. Any sources for inspiration?

Reis Tahlen
2010-09-12, 04:17 PM
That's a pretty cool idea. I haven't thought about it like that. Any sources for inspiration?

I would say:

- For the "thematic quarter", with colorfull bosses and corrupted authority: Ricky-Oh, the story of Ricky (don't take this one seriously, but it can give some idea)

- Silent Hill, for some of the creepiest and abandonned quarter, and Resident Evil for the same, but with more bloodbath :smallbiggrin:

- The Saw Series, and some Joker, Scarecrow and other Batman vilains for insane quarters.

- "1984" could give you some ideas for the more advanced quarters, perhaps the one just around the Arch-Director office.

- "Fortress", with Christophe Lambert. Yes, it was a bad movie, but the prison here is huge, could have some idea. "Alien 3" if you want to drop some uncontroled monster menace in some part of the prison.

- When I wrote my first post, I had in mind the city of Midgard in "Final Fantasy VII", for no exp^lained reason.

That's a good beginning.

WarKitty
2010-09-12, 04:25 PM
Throw in some spies as well, that work for the government. Great for keeping your players off balance.

Urpriest
2010-09-12, 04:25 PM
Also a good idea to look into classic prison ideas, in particular the Panopticon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon).

Reis Tahlen
2010-09-12, 04:34 PM
I forgot: a very good source would be "InFamous", a PS3 game where the character is trapped in a quarantined city, and has to choose between being a hero (by helping the autorities and the citizens) or a vilain by... being an a-hole. Each quarter of the city is ruled by a gang with his own unique personnality, and a BBEG, of course.

And of course, "The Rock".

SurlySeraph
2010-09-12, 08:10 PM
Another source of inpiration: Escape From New York.


Renaissance.

So, they're imprisoned by NG/LG theocracy, which should mean that the prison isn't a full-blown hellhole, and probably that the guards will try to subdue the escapees rather than killing them outright.

But it *will* be full of evil people rather than CG anti-establishment types. So the prisoners will likely be a bigger threat than the guards. Take the premise of well-organized prison gangs, and then kick it up. Imprisoned demon cultists re-form their cult on the inside and attempt to create a gate to the Abyss in a toilet. Thieves' Guild members direct crime on the outside and smuggle things in and out. Wizards offer freedom and infinite wealth to anyone who can sneak into the evidence room and get their spellbook back - or, if they've got Spell Mastery, build constructs and summon outsiders to do the job.