Masquerade!

[WarKitty]

I'm thinking of running an "escape the city" plotline as a campaign opener. The PC's have warrants out for their arrest and death. It is the night of a grand religious festival of the night, where everyone goes masked in the streets. A perfect time to escape.

A couple of problems:
(1) I'm having a hard time coming up with why the PC's are wanted. They aren't at this point in the story adventurers. What sort of crime could the group (group tbd) be accused of?
(2) I figure the PC's have two possible escape routes: north into the desert, or south by boat across the sea. What sort of challenges could I give them for each one?

[HammeredWharf]

1) Someone framed them for the murder of one of their allies! Now they've got to escape the city or maybe try to catch the back-stabbing bastard who's behind this evil plot!
2) A couple of things to consider:

1. Who's after them? Is the city big enough to have competent guards or are they all a bunch of Warrior 1s who don't have any skills to speak of?
2. How skilled are the PCs and what will they likely do? Can they cast Disguise Self? Can they just teleport away? Without knowing their classes, it's hard to predict their moves.
3. What will you do when they ignore your challenges and make up a ridiculous plan that could work? I'd make up some stat blocks, maybe write some NPC personalities, describe the overall layout of the city and its guarded perimeter and improvise from there.
4. In the scenario I presented in 1), is the evil mastermind resourceful enough to help the city guard catch the PCs?

[WarKitty]

1) Someone framed them for the murder of one of their allies! Now they've got to escape the city... or maybe try to catch the back-stabbing bastard who's behind this evil plot?
2) A couple of things to consider:

1. Who's after them? Is the city big enough to have competent guards or are they all a bunch of Warrior 1s who don't have any skills to speak of?
2. How skilled are the PCs and what will they likely do? Can they cast Disguise Self? Can they just teleport away? Without knowing their classes, it's hard to predict their moves.
3. What will you do when they ignore your challenges and make up a ridiculous plan that could work? I'd make up some stat blocks, maybe write some NPC personalities, describe the overall layout of the city and its guarded perimeter and improvise from there.

I tend to give my party the initial plotline before letting them create their characters. But we will be dealing with 3-4 level 1 characters, probably somewhat badly equipped ones - most likely slaves. I'm actually leaning towards slaves of a murdered master. There will of course be equipment around the estate.

The city does have high level guards but the initial plan I was thinking was that they are not currently alerted. The warrants will go out first thing in the morning, backed not only by competent guards but by spellcasters with divination magic. Of course, no one's supposed to enter or leave the citadel during the festival night...

I was thinking of doing challenges in more of a "here's a potential encounter list" type of deal, rather than a specific you run into challenges x, y, and z in order. They can either try to figure out a way to get out of a (walled, gated) city to the northern desert, or slip out of the docks and onto the open ocean. The latter is probably easier, but the long-term risks are greater on the open ocean.

[JeminiZero]

Perhaps them have them accused of a crime which they DID do, but which is not really their fault. For example: the Royal Pest Control Agency has a standing bounty on rats for pest control purposes, so the PCs go into the sewers to kill them, collect the corpse, and turn them in for the bounty. Along the way, they kill a rather unique looking rat, but think nothing of it. Shortly after turning it in, they learn that the King's favorite pet, a rat fitting the description of the corpse they just turned in, has gone missing. There is of course, the promise of a reward promised for its return, but also the threat of a death sentence on anybody who harms it.

They decide the wise thing to do would be to leave the city before the Royal Pest Control Agency alerts all the city guards.

[Gildedragon]

Escape the city
1) They have grievously insulted one of the Families (can be crime family, or noble house, or both) that run the city.

Reasons: Spurned one of the scions' offer for marriage; slept with one of the scions; murdered a family person; elbowed into the Family's business (they don't tolerate competition); intervened in the Family's meting of 'justice'
or were framed for any of these
2) What is to the east and west?
So challenges:

To the north:

Getting OUT the city walls is a good challenge
They have to get past the gate somehow: either bluffing or KOing the guards there... but the gates may be closed at night and during the festival, so someone has to get into the watchtower to open them...
Or they can scale the walls but they high and hard made from big smooth rocks, and there will be guards patrolling at the top, and then getting down is another problem.

To the south:
In the docks they will probably run into criminals in addition to the guards, esp if they are dressed all fancylike
They have to find a ship that will take them (or find a way to stow away into it)
Or steal a ship (which might have crew sleeping within; well armed crew) and figure out how to sail it

Regardless they run into a couple of problems:

They have to choose streets (slow, hard to spot) and rooftops (the opposite) with little time to debate which to pick, so the party may be split
They might get bounty hunters on their tail besides the guards
They need to have good enough disguises to not be Spotted and raise the alarm

[WarKitty]

I haven't mapped it all out, but the basic idea is that "desert" and "ocean" are the only two terrain options available. The city stands at the end of a river delta, a vast trading oasis that's the only spot of civilization for many day's journey. Up along the river the civilization descends quickly into barbarism.

However they start out they have to start out as a party. I'd rather not have them start as high-ranking members of society.

[Gildedragon]

No one said nothing of them being all high class or 'nythin
Adventurers went into the city, wrecked stuff/insulted some hoity toity/were framed for the above and they have to go "underground" for a few days until they can escape.

[John Longarrow]

Why kill the master?

Escaped Slaves works just as well and gives them a really good reason to run. Also avoids potential alignment issues.
This also means each can be branded or otherwise marked by their owner. This would give a good reason to go masked.

Say the local populace keeps slaves. Each slave is marked on the forehead with the brand of their owning house. Only during this fest can they get away with running around masked without being notable for it. Toss in colored magical brands (colors indicate house, symbol owner) and you have a fair amount of back story already made. Magic also means they can be dispelled - good for later when the party levels up.

The real question though is how would adventurer types wind up as slaves in the first place? And what were their jobs? I can see the healer being able to get into places where party cloths would be kept (tending sick family member who won't be able to enjoy the fest), likewise a rogue should be able to sneak in and steal cloths.

[Slipperychicken]

Encounter ideas:

You could give them a sandworm if they go through the desert.

Bounty hunters in demon masks could pursue them on their way out of the city. The bounty hunters want the reward for themselves, so they won't alert the police.

City chases might happen inside dense crowds. Staying in a crowd will help shake the bounty hunters, but it's difficult terrain, missing a ranged attack inside a crowd risks hitting civilians, and falling down in a crowd may incur trample damage.

If they take to the seas, they may be harassed by privateers and pirates.




Here's a plot idea: The PCs might wake up in a prison convoy being led to their execution (the charges all being completely outlandish and fictitious, obviously the result of corrupt officials), a result of each PC having somehow angered the guard captain or other public official in their backstory (the reasons why are to be decided collectively). They need to escape or they will surely be hanged.

[WarKitty]

I'm really looking for encounters in the process of escape. Whichever route they take out, the desert or the sea, will likely have its own sessions and encounters and plot hooks. I don't plan on dumping them back into civilization right away.

The city they're starting in is a raiding culture, so slaves may not always have been slaves. Many slaves were born into their lot, but others might have had another life before they were captured and sold in the market. Or maybe they trained in secret, as large manors hardly have time to keep an eye on all their slaves.

Also, how does a terraced city sound? The city itself is carved out of a steep cliff, making the most of space.

[atemu1234]

Quite simple. Have one of them have an evil twin brother who frames them for the crime while escaping disguised as the good brother... :nale:

[WarKitty]

Perhaps them have them accused of a crime which they DID do, but which is not really their fault. For example: the Royal Pest Control Agency has a standing bounty on rats for pest control purposes, so the PCs go into the sewers to kill them, collect the corpse, and turn them in for the bounty. Along the way, they kill a rather unique looking rat, but think nothing of it. Shortly after turning it in, they learn that the King's favorite pet, a rat fitting the description of the corpse they just turned in, has gone missing. There is of course, the promise of a reward promised for its return, but also the threat of a death sentence on anybody who harms it.

They decide the wise thing to do would be to leave the city before the Royal Pest Control Agency alerts all the city guards.

Well, so far the idea of "let's actually have killed our master" seems to be going over well...

[Phelix-Mu]

Level 1 and escaped slaves/framed or actually killed that bastard their owner, to me, screams survivalist mission. Maybe they escape into the festival, hoping no one discovers the body until the morning. Alas, no such luck, and the taskmasters of their former owners are out in the streets. The slaves have almost nothing besides the clothes on their backs.

Good News:
1.) Many places are relatively relaxed or unlocked, due to the casual festival atmosphere. Will the party take advantage and go on a shopping spree?

2.) The local church/es of whoever grant sanctuary, and one or two of the characters might know this (Knowledge(local) or Knowledge(religion)). Will the party seek shelter, feeling that their crimes are righteous (or that they are wrongly accused, if they didn't do it)? Maybe the church can smuggle the former-slaves out of the city on a barge or something, as part of the ceremonies.

Or, a twist:
- The master isn't dead. The slaves are all part of an elaborate re-enactment of a local legend involving a slave uprising and the vengeance of an angry god. The escaped slaves are allowed to escape to play their part as the quarry of the sacred hunters, who are part of the church and hunt down those that escape the prescribed social order. If the slaves are captured, they are sacrificed to the god. If they escape, they win their freedom. Even if captured, the pcs should be given a chance to figure this out and escape their escape.

[Callin]

Could always Divine Intervention the plot.

Basically the PCs pick a commoner/slave background. Then on the night of the festival they all receive a Divine Vision telling them they need to meet at such and such and escape to stop <insert plot here>. Since some are slaves then the ones helping them escape are now criminals. Yadda yadda fill in the blanks.

Another option is the same thing but its because the God/Godess has a small soft spot for them and sees that they are being set up as patsies in a crime being committed and VERY shortly the alarm is being raised. They will need to say their goodbyes and grab all the gear they can from their homes, or steal what they can and then book it out of town in time to be able to come back and clear their name. Only to find out their names were cleared a month or so after they left when the same crime is committed again by another group of people (patsies again)

[WarKitty]

Or, a twist:
- The master isn't dead. The slaves are all part of an elaborate re-enactment of a local legend involving a slave uprising and the vengeance of an angry god. The escaped slaves are allowed to escape to play their part as the quarry of the sacred hunters, who are part of the church and hunt down those that escape the prescribed social order. If the slaves are captured, they are sacrificed to the god. If they escape, they win their freedom. Even if captured, the pcs should be given a chance to figure this out and escape their escape.

I think I like this. The idea of a ritual sacrifice fits well in the city as I imagine it. The festival is the Night of Demons. The slaves are chosen to play the part of demons who are ritually hunted and slain - thus ensuring the safety of the city for the next year.

[John Longarrow]

Terraced...

Say the river is coming down falls (100+ foot drop) that is in the middle of the city, top is where the rich live. Going down hill towards the warves gets poorer and poorer.

Oddness is the "Top" is a ridge that is about 50' above the desert to the north. On the desert side the river spreads into a wide lake surrounded by farmland.

Slave pens run along the edge of the lake (they farm and fish) while at the furthest edge of the farm land is a thick line of trees. These are watered by irrigation canals that water the fields.

Party starts out in a manner on the top of the ridge, near the "Great bridge" that crosses the falls.

This lets them either try to run into agricultural area (low population but very few resources) or down hill through the city (gets progressively as they get closer to the warves).

Either way the party runs there are advantages / disadvantages.

[Gildedragon]

Possible escape routes:
Rooftop
Street level (blend into the masquerade)
Street level (try and use deserted streets)
Sewers

[Slipperychicken]

Also, how does a terraced city sound? The city itself is carved out of a steep cliff, making the most of space.

What if you make it so that it's plausible to jump from a drop to a building? That way you could do some serious Assassin's Creed sort of chase scene, leaping from cliffs to rooftops and such. Or the PCs could even try to jump a vehicle onto the rooftops and ride around that way when they try to block the roads. It would be pretty badass to descend at least some of the "city levels" that way.

[Coidzor]

Also, how does a terraced city sound? The city itself is carved out of a steep cliff, making the most of space.

You mean like the cliff-dweller pueblos of the Southwestern U.S.? Or like those if they went from the base of the cliff up to the top of the cliff rather than being set into the cliff at some elevation above the base of the cliff?

[Twilightwyrm]

For 'escape the city" scenarios, there are a few options:
1) As you were thinking, making them escaped slaves. Players of certain classes (Paladin, Cleric, and Wizard come to mind) they will have to have been a bit more recently captured, but it can still work. This works because the guards hunting them may likely be more interested in simply capturing them to be resold, and thus aren't going to be in a kill-on-sight mood. (Unless there is some sort of law dictating the slaves must follow their masters to the grave, unless specifically willed to another) Further, as "just another slave", the PCs will likely be better able to vanish into crowds.
2) Political turmoil is always a good excuse. Depending on the nature of the change in power, the PCs are hunted in part by the guards, but more fervently by the supporters of the faction in power for either being part of the opposing faction, being suspected to have been part of the opposing faction, or being related to people of the opposing faction. This is also effective because, whether they were directly related or not, it gives all of the PCs a reason to get engaged with the story-line (resentment of false accusation, political opposition, or having their friends and family killed). Remember, politics need not be on ideological lines either, as simply falling out of favor with the king can be enough reason for another faction to move against yours.
3) Mistaken identity, frame jobs, and legal misunderstandings are all perfectly legitimate ways of making the PCs marked for capture by the guards, if somewhat expected.
4) Make them hunted by criminal elements, rather than necessarily the guards themselves. Maybe the guards are on the lookout for them, because one of said criminal elements tipped them off that these people were seen at the scene of X recent crime, but the real enemy the PCs will have to worry about are plain clothes agents of said criminal element, and enforcers waiting for them when the backs of the guards are turned. This can be coupled the the "politics" scenario, except for a change in criminal underworld politics (which can to be a bit more ruthless and fickle).