Help with mechanics behind a plot?

[Balor01]

Hey playground,

Here is the Plot for part of my (lvl 6) campaign: PCs travel to Not-Arabia and follow a Man who is buying a large numbers of slaves to ship them off to an unknown location. They were sent here by a good wizard who knows the Man is a henchman of his old evil enemy.

So. If all is done right, PCs would find the location where cargo ships are carrying the "merchandise". Question is, how do they do it.

They could:
- ask the slave traders.
- ask someone who knows where specific ships are sailing to
- buy a contract in Thieves guild and have Thieves guild get them the info

Now ... first of all, I am thinking prices. What would be an appropriate price for a trader to give info on his customer to some nobodies? Perhaps nobodies with money, but still? Would he react and infor his customer (the Man) that someone is shadowing him?

How much would such an information cost?

And most importantly: By doing this, on whos' toes would PCs be stepping?

thanks

[sideswipe]

Hey playground,

Here is the Plot for part of my (lvl 6) campaign: PCs travel to Not-Arabia and follow a Man who is buying a large numbers of slaves to ship them off to an unknown location. They were sent here by a good wizard who knows the Man is a henchman of his old evil enemy.

So. If all is done right, PCs would find the location where cargo ships are carrying the "merchandise". Question is, how do they do it.

They could:
- ask the slave traders.
- ask someone who knows where specific ships are sailing to
- buy a contract in Thieves guild and have Thieves guild get them the info

Now ... first of all, I am thinking prices. What would be an appropriate price for a trader to give info on his customer to some nobodies? Perhaps nobodies with money, but still? Would he react and infor his customer (the Man) that someone is shadowing him?

How much would such an information cost?

And most importantly: By doing this, on whos' toes would PCs be stepping?

thanks

i like to think that in a situation where the person with the information has nothing to lose, that 5gp is about a +1 to diplomacy, and that a diplomacy check with a penalty should be used to get the info. so they have a penalty depending on how secret the info is and how much it would put the guys safety on the line. then they can add 5gp or more for a bonus. if it is a particularly good piece of info then up the price for the bonus. its a little houserule i have always used.

[Balor01]

i like to think that in a situation where the person with the information has nothing to lose, that 5gp is about a +1 to diplomacy, and that a diplomacy check with a penalty should be used to get the info. so they have a penalty depending on how secret the info is and how much it would put the guys safety on the line. then they can add 5gp or more for a bonus. if it is a particularly good piece of info then up the price for the bonus. its a little houserule i have always used.

Well here is a question: Slaver Market has a really good customer in form of a Man. Do you really think they have nothing to lose if they reveal the info to some random people interested in Man?

[Owl Prowler]

Well here is a question: Slaver Market has a really good customer in form of a Man. Do you really think they have nothing to lose if they reveal the info to some random people interested in Man?

It depends on how far ahead the Market's owners think. If they're sly businessmen, than the PCs better work pretty hard to make an offer that would be worth selling a customer out. If they're just dumb brutes who come to market each day with a caravan of slaves, they may just be looking to get a quick dollar- something the PCs could probably provide. It depends on how often the Man makes purchases from the Slaver Market, if he's a regular or if this was just a one time thing.

In short, the answer to all of these questions depends on how well you flesh out the scenario. Once you do that, the answer to the age-old question "what do I do if the PCs do this?" will hopefully be apparent just by considering the setting you've created.

[jiriku]

If all is done right, PCs would find the location where cargo ships are carrying the "merchandise". Question is, how do they do it.

They could:
- ask the slave traders.
- ask someone who knows where specific ships are sailing to
- buy a contract in Thieves guild and have Thieves guild get them the info

Murphy's Law suggests that your players will attempt to do none of these things, and instead attempt something completely unexpected. Be prepared. :smallbiggrin:


Now ... first of all, I am thinking prices. What would be an appropriate price for a trader to give info on his customer to some nobodies? Perhaps nobodies with money, but still?

The base price is "free, for a sufficiently high check with a relevant social skill". The PC could choose to offer something of value up front for a bonus to the initial check, say on the order of +1 to +5 depending on how good you judge the incentive to be. If the PC fails a check by no more than 5, the NPC might refuse but counteroffer by asking for something of value. I'd suggest asking for a service rather than money. Thieves and slavers generally have a lot of money and can easily get more, but a group of armed and dangerous murderhobos willing to do you a favor? That's a unique asset to acquire.


Would he react and inform his customer (the Man) that someone is shadowing him?

That's really going to depend on who the PCs are talking to. A guild contact will probably deal straight with them because betraying your customers is bad for business. A dockworker won't care, but may tell stories to his friends over a few drinks at the local pub, and those stories could spread. A slaver who was intimidated into talking when he'd rather have kept silent will probably run straight to the client and warn him of trouble (again, it pays to take good care of your customers).


How much would such an information cost?

If it comes down to gold, look at the expected total wealth gain from the adventure at hand. I'd suggest you should be asking the PCs to fork over no more than 1/4 of that total.


And most importantly: By doing this, on whos' toes would PCs be stepping?

That's really up to them, isn't it? Tactful players may actually make allies. PCs who act like thugs and/or renege on their deals may upset the slavers, the thieve's guild, the town guard, or even the influential and wealthy people whose power and money depends on a stable slave trade.

[Extra Anchovies]

What would be an appropriate price for a trader to give info on his customer to some nobodies? Perhaps nobodies with money, but still? Would he react and infor his customer (the Man) that someone is shadowing him?

How much would such an information cost?

And most importantly: By doing this, on whos' toes would PCs be stepping?

If some randoms are asking the merchant about a very specific piece of his merchandise, then it'll be pretty clear to him that the information has value to them; and if something has value, the merchant will first look for a profit and only after the money has changed hands will he question the ethics. Have him ask for a hefty sum in cash, and the guaranteed purchase of some of his wares; good roleplaying and/or a successful interaction-skills check should lower the price. Depending on how aware "the Man" is of the merchant's identity/etc, the merchant may also demand protection from the PCs should "the Man" find out and come after the merchant.

[Balor01]

Sweet answers, I have to say. The Man is a one-time good customer (buying a bunch of slaves for work overseas and then for sacrifice). Not a regular customer. I would think slavers (smart, rich guys), would be much more apprehensive about the whole investigation, but you are completely right.

Still, I feel I am sending my PCs into the deadliest trap of all: A LE City with strict laws and no actual plot to kill them. Just "get info and go on". Horror is sure to ensue.

[Thurbane]

As to slave costs, this thread has some decent pricing guidelines: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?152352-D-amp-D-Slave-costs

This post in particular: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=8486827&postcount=3