Sneaking into a city traps and encounters

[YCombinator]

I have a campaign where my characters have been denied entry to a city on lock down. They have opted to sneak into the city. I am hoping to make this situation much more interesting than simply a stealth check against the guards on the wall and an athletics check to climb the wall.

I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas about how to add some interesting elements to this.

[OldTrees1]

Well city walls are long so traps are generally a bad choice (you have to trap the whole length to get the benefit of 1 trap). Now the walls are not uniform, there are likely to be towers and gates. Gates are usually better watched as are the areas close to towers. As such a cunning thief might try to scale midway between 2 towers. There are fewer of these locations and the other defenses gently lead people here so it might be valid for a trap.

[BiPolar]

Depends on what you're offering :) Yes, a simple wall climb makes it difficult to create traps, but you can also provide hints to subterranean options. Once underground in an established pathway, you have lots of options :D.

[JackPhoenix]

In a recent game, my players airdropped to the quarantined city from passing airship. The airship itself was ordered to get away from the city under the threat of being shot down, but took big enough curve during turning to get behind the walls. The characters jumped down with Feather Fall and disappeared into the city before the guards could get to their location.

[YCombinator]

Depends on what you're offering :) Yes, a simple wall climb makes it difficult to create traps, but you can also provide hints to subterranean options. Once underground in an established pathway, you have lots of options :D.

This is an interesting idea. I can prepare some some pathways, traps, and encounters for an underground passage way and potentially offer them hints through NPC or investigation checks to find the entrance.

[swrider]

I had a party need to escape a quarantined city once. They struck a deal with the local thieves guild to utilize a hidden tunnel going from the graveyard to an hidden cove on the other side of a mountain near the city.

Perhaps you could have some sort of smuggling operation going on where people were being smuggled into or out of the city.

Depending on why the city is in lock down this may present some moral dilemmas as well. Are people infected with a deadly disease being brought out of the city? Should you stop them?

Or if there is anyone allowed insides (I.E. relief supplies, guards etc..) you could have them impersonate or hijack one of those groups.

[swrider]

Why is the city on lockdown out of curiosity?

[RickAllison]

If the city is on lockdown, it must have a water supply. Find the water, find the entry point.

[BiPolar]

If the city is on lockdown, it must have a water supply. Find the water, find the entry point.

This is exactly what I was talking about. Create a way in that has a very specific path. Once on that, you have total control of the ride.

[gfishfunk]

Make it clear that watch has been doubled. If the city is violent, have a couple of bodies hanging from the walls of people that tried to sneak in or out. In other words, dissuade the party from going over, but allow them the choice.

Then offer them information from a moderately reliable source about a way in...

[Temperjoke]

You know, they don't have to specifically be actual traps. What about a section of the city that's under repair, with rickety scaffolding, where stuff could accidentally break and fall, or accidentally get stuck in concrete, etc?

[tieren]

If the city is on lockdown, it must have a water supply. Find the water, find the entry point.

Seconded, think about how things like water get in and how things like waste get out. Could have some interesting traps along an ancient sewer (both by design and as a result of decay).

Bonus points if you incorporate a were-rat with monk levels and call him "Splinter".

[YCombinator]

Why is the city on lockdown out of curiosity?

The city is on lock down due to repeated attacks from the Drow. The city I am using is Silverymoon which is just to have some backstory, maps, and details fleshed out for free. Several things have changed to fit my campaign.