Escape from a City

[Cheesegear]

A town is burning down and getting razed and pillaged by an army of invaders, and the party has to escape the town and not die.

Unfortunately, I can't really think of anything other than:
You come across a roving band of killers/looters. Stealth or fight?
You come across a roving band of killers/looters. Stealth or fight?
You come across a roving band of killers/looters. Stealth or fight?
You come across a roving band of killers/looters with a boss. Stealth or fight?
You've escaped! Hooray!

Anyone got some interesting encounters I can throw in? The party has to rescue a cat?

[JackPhoenix]

Rescuing other people is certainly an option. Doens't need to involve fight with the attackers... pulling someone from a burning/collapsed building, for example, though it'll still cost time and resources.
Panicked animals stampeding through the streets.
Gathering necessary supplies, if there's no other friendly settlement nearby.
Getting an item that really shouldn't fall into the attacker's hands.
Sabotaging a bridge on their way out/otherwise delaying pursuit.
Some dangerous monster/other group that could be directed to fight the attackes. Or perhaps even their own war beasts.

[Sigreid]

Appropriate encounters depends on the group. Here's a few ideas though:

1. Family/children trapped in a burning building.
2. Favorite barmaid being attacked by lecherous invaders.
3. Town mayor, a mostly incompetent boob begs the party to help him/her escape.
4. Animals going berserk with fear.
5. Collapsing structures blocking the way.
6. swarm of rats or other vermin fleeing a burning building.
7. Uh-oh, dead end.
8. Demon is taking advantage of the chaos.
9. Huh, turns out there were kobolds in the sewers that are trying to get out of town too.
10. A cult or foreign cell thinks this is a great time to take advantage of the chaos.
11. A merchant offers them a pretty penny if they can get him, his family and wealth to safety. If the party agrees, so much for stealth.


Hope this helps spawn some ideas.

[Asisreo1]

A town is burning down and getting razed and pillaged by an army of invaders, and the party has to escape the town and not die.

Unfortunately, I can't really think of anything other than:
You come across a roving band of killers/looters. Stealth or fight?
You come across a roving band of killers/looters. Stealth or fight?
You come across a roving band of killers/looters. Stealth or fight?
You come across a roving band of killers/looters with a boss. Stealth or fight?
You've escaped! Hooray!

Anyone got some interesting encounters I can throw in? The party has to rescue a cat?
Are you looking for combat encounters?

Some good encounters could have a very rare chance of some weaker undeads like shadows or zombies since undead tend to be attracted by a massive influx of death.

Other good exotic encounters could be some unseelie fey summoned by the negativity or demons spawned from the chaos.

Someone of a good nature, like a semi-strong knight captain, could mistake them for the raiders and engage them in combat for a bit.

[Dork_Forge]

You said that the city is burning, so environmental encounters would mix things up, things like:

-collapsing building (either a hazard to dodge or an obstacle to circumvent)

-panicked pack and riding animals bolting

-stampede of civilians (blend in, avoid being trampled etc.)

-Spreading fire (blocking routes, avoid, extinguish etc.)

[Asisreo1]

Do you know what would be really cruel?

Whilst fighting the invaders, the invaders can take the children as hostage and using them as shields if the villagers/party tries to fight back. Could be an interesting moral quandary.

It kinda reminds me of that one comic where the bad guy was bragging about how invincible he was when he had a crapton of babies taped all over his body.

[micahaphone]

Might want to also prep a few obstacles/encounters in case your party goes for the classic "escape through the sewers" type move.

[Kurt Kurageous]

This sounds like the opening scene of the notorious HotDQ! Utterly and completely.

I agree that fire, smoke, screams, and piteous hostages make a party question it's commitment to a greater good. I love moral quandaries, it makes the victory so much sweeter.

[Sigreid]

This sounds like the opening scene of the notorious HotDQ! Utterly and completely.

I agree that fire, smoke, screams, and piteous hostages make a party question it's commitment to a greater good. I love moral quandaries, it makes the victory so much sweeter.

And here I'm currently playing a monk that thinks it's perfectly fine to beat a house maid into unconsciousness just for convenience.

[KorvinStarmast]

And here I'm currently playing a monk that thinks it's perfectly fine to beat a house maid into unconsciousness just for convenience. This sounds like a teaser for a much longer story

Also, this is easily solved.
Cast Leomund's Tiny Hut.
Sip your tea whilst chaos reigns outside of your hut.

Emerge to clean up the mess, since in 8 hours a lot can happen.

[Kurt Kurageous]

Cast Leomund's Tiny Hut.
Sip your tea whilst chaos reigns outside of your hut.

Emerge to clean up the mess, since in 8 hours a lot can happen.

Neato!

This sounds good, but how likely is it someone prepares Leo's Shack? It's got the ritual tag, and it's usually not used in duress. Hard to set up a hut (1 min cast time) in a fight. If you've got one minute, you probably have eleven to cast it as ritual.

Sorry to be a hut pooper.

[jojosskul]

Two different buildings, one a temple where dozens of of the towns well to do were trying to escape the destruction, one the local orphanage, are on fire. The party has time to either help one or the other together, or split the party and try and help both. As they arrive at each location set an internal 5 to 10 round timer and have them perform the rescue on initiative. If they help one but not the other, and they go to the other after, it's too late. But make it REALLY hard if they split the party to save both, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE. No win situations suck, OVERCOMING things that FEEL like no win situations is awesome.

[Chugger]

As the party flees a large woman begs them, "HELP, SAVE THE CHILDREN!" The orphanage is on fire, and children are trapped inside. How to get in and save them without dying? Maybe they have to destroy a wall to get them out.

An official could release prisoners from the jail to join a bucket brigade and save a section of the town but he won't - clearly if more people helped it could work - so they have to convince the official to let them out. He's concerned they'll just flee - and not help - so party has to concoct a plan that will work - and maybe make persuasion checks.

[Vogie]

Obviously, you need to start on a movie binge. Escape from LA, Escape from New York, Red Dawn, Olympus has Fallen, London has Fallen, (and potentially Angel has Fallen, I haven't actually seen that one), Live Free or Die Hard, and any/all of the Bourne films.

Are they great movies? Not universally. But are they fun? Hell yes. They're great material to mine city encounters from.

[Cheesegear]

Some good encounters could have a very rare chance of some weaker undeads like shadows or zombies since undead tend to be attracted by a massive influx of death.

I didn't think of that. Not only is the Town being overrun by the actual hostiles, but Shadows and Revenants are also rising from the death and despair. That's actually a neat encounter to throw in since it would be different to just having the party run into 'Yet another group of the same patrols they've already beaten once, except now this patrol is bigger!'


Whilst fighting the invaders, the invaders can take the children as hostage and using them as shields if the villagers/party tries to fight back.

I like it.


Two different buildings, one a temple where dozens of of the towns well to do were trying to escape the destruction, one the local orphanage, are on fire.

Well, part of the initial wave of attacks was destroying the Town's temple and assassinating the local low-Tier 2 Cleric who can Create Food and Water and Revivify. With him removed from the equation, the Town is more likely to panic without leadership, and an NPC-with-class levels has been removed from the party's list of options.

[KorvinStarmast]

Sorry to be a hut pooper. That's another issue regarding the hut which we have discussed at length at our table: does it come with a latrine?

[HappyDaze]

If you're going for the time during the imminent fall of the city, then here are a few different options:
1) Someone in the city had something (fiend, undead, savage lycanthrope, dastardly criminal) trapped...until a siege weapon/spell shattered the prison and unleashed the something into the city.
2) Depending on your magic level, siege magic can create some fun like black puddings polymorphed into beasts that are flung over the walls with a siege engine. This kills the beast forms and they revert to black puddings inside the city.
3) Fleeing from a crazy rush of panicked citizens that are themselves fleeing from something (raging floodwaters, a cloud of poison gas, spreading lava, a zombie horde, etc.).
4) Collapsing architecture--a fight on a crumbling bridge can be more interesting than one on stable terrain.

This sounds like a teaser for a much longer story

Also, this is easily solved.
Cast Leomund's Tiny Hut.
Sip your tea whilst chaos reigns outside of your hut.

Emerge to clean up the mess, since in 8 hours a lot can happen.

Unless the enemy has a burrow speed or the mold earth cantrip, because nothing in LTH stops things from going under it.

[Sigreid]

That's another issue regarding the hut which we have discussed at length at our table: does it come with a latrine?

I would say no, it's essentially an invulnerable magic pup-tent. Fortunately, only the wizard casting usually has to hold it in as everyone else can come and go.

I'd like for Secure Shelter to be back in the game.

[Throne12]

Think about how they can get out of town.
Are there a airship or a water ship.
Do they need to run through a burning city avoiding buring objects or broken collapse objects.
Trying to get through Crowd of people with out being knocked prone and tramped.
Is there a Sewage system they can use
Do they need to climb over a wall or find a way through it.

When you think about how you party can escape from the city or hind wait out the invasion. You will have a lot of encounter ideas. Also just ask what you party is doing and how are they doing that.

A lot of DMing is asking the party what are they doing and how are they doing that.

[Sigreid]

Think about how they can get out of town.
Are there a airship or a water ship.
Do they need to run through a burning city avoiding buring objects or broken collapse objects.
Trying to get through Crowd of people with out being knocked prone and tramped.
Is there a Sewage system they can use
Do they need to climb over a wall or find a way through it.

When you think about how you party can escape from the city or hind wait out the invasion. You will have a lot of encounter ideas. Also just ask what you party is doing and how are they doing that.

A lot of DMing is asking the party what are they doing and how are they doing that.

How about catapults to launch themselves over the walls action movie style. :smallcool::smallbiggrin:

[furby076]

All the scenarios above are great.

Add a timer at two levels
1) party has 10 "actions" they can do. Doing any of the above (e.g., rescuing family from burning building) takes an action. Short rests take an action. Long rest is 2 actions and can be done once for the entire town scenario
2) Timer - players have 10 minutes between "actions" to make a decision or they lose another action. No more dilly dallying for an hour debating on a topic

Some "actions" may take more. Saving family from burning building = 1 action. Maybe a fight. Keeping the ancient artifact might be 3 actions, and involve fighting more marauders...and maybe fighting/convincing the town guards defending the artifact.

The players should be residents of the town...so maybe have a pre-session or two where the players are doing quests for the town folks, getting to know them and getting attached. They should know the butcher is named Ralph. The librarian has a crush on the PC wizard. Why is this important? When the party has to choose what they will do - there are consequences and they should feel connected to the town. "wait, we have to save the Riktor parents, if they die then 5 year old suzie will be an orphan, and i can't let her lose her smile"...the wizard may respond "but Lisa the librarian and i have a special bond. I cannot let her die.". tik tok

In game and out of game time stress + connection to the townfolk. Not everyone can be saved, and not ever decision i a good or optimal decision

[JellyPooga]

To reiterate some of what's already been said, the "how" kind of determines the "what".

The PC's are fleeing the city. Ok, great, that's your Scenario.

You're jumping ahead a little in your adventure design. What you need to consider next isn't the Actors and Encounters, but the Stage.

- Are they fleeing through streets? Through the sewers? To the river to escape by boat? Finding a magical teleportation circle?
- Do they need to escape a building first? Do they need to go to any specific location (e.g. the docks, the guard house, the inn, the city gates or the mages guild)?
- Are there any alternative routes the players might consider that you haven't? How do the locations the PCs might visit during their egress link up?

The Stage will guide you in your encounter design. If the only way out of the city is through the streets to the city gates, then that will suggest mobs/stampedes, looters/raiders, *person* in distress, "Lost!" and similar encounters along the way, not to mention an encounter at the gates themselves (do the raiders control the gates or do the guard? Who's outside the gates? Are the PCs going to have to talk their way out or fight? etc. etc.). This is going to be very different to taking the sewer route or looking for that teleport out.

Once you have your Stage (or Stages), then you want to consider your Actors. *Who* could potentially be on that Stage? For example, you're not likely to find a Noble Mage-Lord in the Sewers...unless he is also fleeing the city through them and you want to make an encounter of it (is he panicked and hostile? Lost and desperate "I'll pay anything if you get me out of here!"? A patsy of the Raiders defending an exit?). Similarly, you might not find swarms of giant rats in the streets...unless the reason the PCs *can't* flee through the sewers is because the raiders have cut them off with fire/chemical warfare/magic, flushing the denizens of the cities underbelly into the streets above.

As the Stage suggests the Actors, the Actors suggest the Encounter.

This is, of course, because the Scenario is a location-based one i.e. the entire premise of the Scenario is predicated on a location; "Escape the City!" If the Scenario was "Stop the Ritual!" or "Kill the Badguy!", then your adventure design process will start with something else (e.g. the Encounter in the case of a ritual or the Actor in the case of the Badguy).

This is how I design my adventures, anyway. Hope it helps.

[KorvinStarmast]

I would say no, it's essentially an invulnerable magic pup-tent. Fortunately, only the wizard casting usually has to hold it in as everyone else can come and go. I wonder if one could cast rope trick whilst in the hut to make for a nice private bathroom where one can leave one's fewments and such. No sewage bill, since an hour later the extradimentional space is sealed up again ... whoops, never mind ... Anything inside the extradimensional space drops out when the spell ends.

I'd like for Secure Shelter to be back in the game. So would Keith Richards (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeglgSWKSIY)

[KorvinStarmast]

Unless the enemy has a burrow speed or the mold earth cantrip, because nothing in LTH stops things from going under it. Not only disagree (https://rpg.stackexchange.com/a/94342/22566), but that rather defeats the purpose of the spell. An assertion that "this is how it works" is not the same as a fact. But if that's how you roll as a DM, that's fine as long as your players are aware of that risk.

[J-H]

An interior wall has collapsed across 3 blocks worth of streets. Do you go around, or do you go over? If you go over, you're moving at 1/3 speed, you're making yourself visible from rooftops, and there's a danger the rubble shifts under you.

Someone is taking advantage of the collapse to steal. Do you stop him?

You bump into (or come across) an invisible wizard sneaking out of the city. He is technically deserting from the army/militia. Do you guilt trip him? invite him along? give him a pep talk?

You spot a sewer opening. You could go that route, but you wouldn't have the chance to dodge whatever is there when you come back above the surface. Also, stuff lives in the sewers.

The Alchemist's quarter has exploded, and a cloud of strangely colored smoke is creeping across the next few blocks. Do you risk it, or go around? Have a fun random table of things that happen.

[KorvinStarmast]

The Alchemist's quarter has exploded, and a cloud of strangely colored smoke is creeping across the next few blocks. Do you risk it, or go around? Have a fun random table of things that happen.
Or, do you cast gust of wind to blow it towards a non-populated area (or toward the accountant's quarter of the city ..) :smalltongue: