Planning a denial entry to a city encounter.

[YCombinator]

Setup:

I am running a custom campaign. Characters are level 1 and have a slim chance of reaching level 2 by the time they reach this encounter. It was a requirement of their character history that they be on their way to Silverymoon, and they were all captured on the way. They have escaped capture from the Drow. I borrowed Out of the Abyss chapter 1 for this.

Upon reaching Silverymoon, the characters are informed by a very strict guard that no one is allowed into the city. There has been a huge amount of Drow attacks on the city and it is in lock down. They are all suspected of being spies and turned away. What awaits them on the inside of the city is a massive power struggle of several factions as the city teeters toward instability.

Getting in:
I am trying to predict all of the ways my characters could react to this encounter and how I'll respond. I could use a little help fleshing out the details, difficulty checks, and things to watch out for. Also any fun traps or aids you've heard of perhaps.

Option: The players attempt to charge the gate and fight their way though.
Looking at an easy combat with a high potential to turn into a hard combat half way though. Basically 1 melee Noble (CR 1/8) and 2 melee Guards (CR 1/8) at the gate, 2 more ranged Guards on the wall above in range. If a fight begins, they're looking at a thug and two more guards coming to their allies aid. The city guard is not fighting to kill but to incapacitate. Characters passive perception will realize this as soon as a hit from any guardsman lands on them.

Outcome: If they win, they will be fugitives within the city and will need to remain in hiding or clear their name. If they lose they will end up in the city jail and need to stand trial or break out.

Option: Players attempt to bribe the guards. They don't have much with them so this might be a little tricky. I don't know what the DC should be for this and if they'll need to get all three guards in ear shot persuaded or just the nobel. When I say DC, I just mean how hard this should be. I often don't role for charisma checks.

Outcome: Success, characters enter the city unmolested. Failure, characters are denied entry but suspicion of them is increased. They will be followed by a spy.

Option: Players attempt to sneak into the city. Man I could use some input on this one. They could do anything. Climb the wall, sneak in through the river. Tunnel. I should have perception for tower guards and DC for the wall climb worked out.

If they wait... and are stuck outside the city, several things might happen.

Option: Characters delay and encounter a member of the Harpers (peaceful arcane spies) or Zhentarium (the black network) sneaking around outside the city walls.

Outcome: The characters might be able to gain the character's favor in exchange for help entering the city. If the characters fail a persuasion they will be no better off and perhaps remembered negatively when they encounter that party in the future inside the city.

Option: Characters delay and are attacked by the Drow who are going after the city. This could be a hard / deadly encounter but the guard will come to their aid assuming they have not had an actual fight with the guard yet.

Outcome: A successful battle with guards surviving to tell the tale will result in the characters being admitted to the city with an immediate audience with the high ruler. Failure on this encounter could result in death or a desperate need to run flee leaving the guard to die.

[Spectre9000]

Setup:

I am running a custom campaign. Characters are level 1 and have a slim chance of reaching level 2 by the time they reach this encounter. It was a requirement of their character history that they be on their way to Silverymoon, and they were all captured on the way. They have escaped capture from the Drow. I borrowed Out of the Abyss chapter 1 for this.

Upon reaching Silverymoon, the characters are informed by a very strict guard that no one is allowed into the city. There has been a huge amount of Drow attacks on the city and it is in lock down. They are all suspected of being spies and turned away. What awaits them on the inside of the city is a massive power struggle of several factions as the city teeters toward instability.

Getting in:
I am trying to predict all of the ways my characters could react to this encounter and how I'll respond. I could use a little help fleshing out the details, difficulty checks, and things to watch out for. Also any fun traps or aids you've heard of perhaps.

Option: The players attempt to charge the gate and fight their way though.
Looking at an easy combat with a high potential to turn into a hard combat half way though. Basically 1 melee Noble (CR 1/8) and 2 melee Guards (CR 1/8) at the gate, 2 more ranged Guards on the wall above in range. If a fight begins, they're looking at a thug and two more guards coming to their allies aid. The city guard is not fighting to kill but to incapacitate. Characters passive perception will realize this as soon as a hit from any guardsman lands on them.

Outcome: If they win, they will be fugitives within the city and will need to remain in hiding or clear their name. If they lose they will end up in the city jail and need to stand trial or break out.

Option: Players attempt to bribe the guards. They don't have much with them so this might be a little tricky. I don't know what the DC should be for this and if they'll need to get all three guards in ear shot persuaded or just the nobel. When I say DC, I just mean how hard this should be. I often don't role for charisma checks.

Outcome: Success, characters enter the city unmolested. Failure, characters are denied entry but suspicion of them is increased. They will be followed by a spy.

Option: Players attempt to sneak into the city. Man I could use some input on this one. They could do anything. Climb the wall, sneak in through the river. Tunnel. I should have perception for tower guards and DC for the wall climb worked out.

If they wait... and are stuck outside the city, several things might happen.

Option: Characters delay and encounter a member of the Harpers (peaceful arcane spies) or Zhentarium (the black network) sneaking around outside the city walls.

Outcome: The characters might be able to gain the character's favor in exchange for help entering the city. If the characters fail a persuasion they will be no better off and perhaps remembered negatively when they encounter that party in the future inside the city.

Option: Characters delay and are attacked by the Drow who are going after the city. This could be a hard / deadly encounter but the guard will come to their aid assuming they have not had an actual fight with the guard yet.

Outcome: A successful battle with guards surviving to tell the tale will result in the characters being admitted to the city with an immediate audience with the high ruler. Failure on this encounter could result in death or a desperate need to run flee leaving the guard to die.

First option sounds fine if they try to fight their way in.

Bribery is another way of getting in and this depends on how corrupt you want guards to be and how serious this lock down is. This decision will have lasting consequences throughout your campaign. If the guards are corrupt, and the lock down is a result of the power struggle then maybe a DC 12 with a cost of 50gp per person, or items equivalent to this (keep in mind though the guards aren't gonna care too much about mundane arms and armor as they have plenty). If they're really serious about keeping people out and could get into significant trouble, the DC is gonna be maybe a DC 20 and cost maybe 100gp per person, which creates a dynamic of maybe only a few players can get in and they have to work to get the others inside.

As to sneaking in, the walls will be manned, the river entrance will have a metal grate and will be exceptionally difficult to enter through (otherwise the Drow would have already done so if there really is a threat). They could try bribing a merchant to sneak them in on his cart or something of that sort though. A stealth check to ensure the guards don't hear them, and another check perhaps to see whether the guards find them when searching (they move out of the way as a guard pokes his sword in the hay or some such). Tunnels are going to take a long time to make and all sorts of things can happen, the least of which is being found by the patrol that sweeps the perimeter of the city every couple hours.

As to your options if they stay outside the city for an extended period, why not add some plot hooks for the factions vying for power inside the city? Already give them glimpses of this, and options to begin choosing sides which will allow them entry into the city.

Also, I hope your players don't visit this forum. :P

[YCombinator]

As to your options if they stay outside the city for an extended period, why not add some plot hooks for the factions vying for power inside the city? Already give them glimpses of this, and options to begin choosing sides which will allow them entry into the city.

Also, I hope your players don't visit this forum. :P

Yeah they're not on this forum. :)

As for plot hooks for the factions outside the city... that does sound like a good idea. Not sure how I'd introduce this outside of the city walls. I'm imagining not many people outside the walls. Just the army and guards. Merchants will have been having trouble traveling the nearby land recently so trade routes will be slow. But not non-existent I suppose.

Let me know if you have any examples of what you're suggesting for plot hooks outside the wall. Inside the city, here's the basic situation:

The Ardent Legion, army patroling the Silvermarches, the area around Silverymoon, has all but retreated to Silverymoon. They have joined up with the Guards in Silver, the towns local patrol, which is common. The Ardent Legion has gained a lot of power since their leader has been appointed ruler of Silverymoon. This is cannon btw, that he's the ruler.

The spell guard is practicing magic but are the few that are allowed. There have been a rash of terrible events due to magic and the towns people are scared. The Arcane Brotherhood has been in town as well. Magic is now being tightly controlled and you must register to use it.

The Harpers, once welcome here, have gone under ground. The wizard's school as closed its doors and some professors speak out, some hide, others, have retired.

Theives and black market dealers are gaining power as magic items are hard to get any other way.

The merchants want whatever is good for their economic interests.

The government is the only thing keeping military rule out of the city, but the strong military is the only thing keeping the Drow out of the city. Upsetting this careful balance could be disastrous but it's not exactly a good situation as it is.