Finding the Thieve's Hideout

[Egiam]

I am planning out a 3.5 third level Eberron adventure set in Stormreach. It revolves about hunting down an object stolen by a local thieves guild. I have plenty of cool ideas, but one problem.

How can they find the thieves in the first place?

Gather info seems like an easy way out, as does a clue at the crime scene... but how should I execute this? What DC for gather info? What clue? What else? They are not high enough level to have access to powerful divination.

The hideout is an old building in a poor area of stormreach. You walk up to heavy wooden door, knock rhythmically five times, and a sentry allows you in the door and down the stairs. There is likely 2-3 of these strongholds throughout the city. I want this to be a very open-ended game, but here is a likely timeline:

-they encounter patron, get hired
-go to scene of crime, research
-gather info in public
-track down member, follow to 1st stronghold (protected by basic divination and traps)
-kick down the door, stab things
-Halfing apprentice wizard (second in command here) tries to escape with some money by throwing illusions at them (like the one that makes multiple copies of the caster).
-They find map of other strongholds in the city.
-That night (if the wizard escaped) a 4th level Warforged assasin tries to kill them.
-If they survive, they charge into other 2nd stronghold. Enemies spring a trap. The PCs must be smart to survive here. (Bilbo Baggins, anyone?). Think invisibility and sneaking to get past guards. They grab the object, and rush out. On there way out, they trigger a trap, alerting the guilds leader, who teleports to the scene. The leader is a Wizard, and a much to powerful threat for them to handle. The PCs must either be lucky, or run away with the object.
-While they were looting the area, they find books/maps, which leads us to the next adventure.
-They return the object, get money and girls.
-That's the end of the episode.

[Egiam]

Does anyone have an idea?

[BobVosh]

I am planning out a 3.5 third level Eberron adventure set in Stormreach. It revolves about hunting down an object stolen by a local thieves guild. I have plenty of cool ideas, but one problem.

How can they find the thieves in the first place?

Gather info seems like an easy way out, as does a clue at the crime scene... but how should I execute this? What DC for gather info? What clue? What else? They are not high enough level to have access to powerful divination.

I wouldn't call "locate object" high level. What level is the party? Can't they cast second level wizard spells? They can hire a wizard to cast the spell.

[Pharaoh's Fist]

Announce that you are making your own thieve's guild - with beer, and hookers.

Then just wait for them to come to you.

[BobVosh]

Announce that you are making your own thieve's guild - with beer, and hookers.

Then just wait for them to come to you.

Bender is disappointed. Needs blackjack and hookers. You know, forget the thieves guild. And the blackjack.

[Storm Bringer]

one method, for the truly machivellian DM:

the Players are told of the location by a thief, who is a double agent for the guard. the twist is that he's a triple agent, and is luring them into a trap (the 1st safehouse). the players prove to be harder than expected, though, and trash the place, with the halfing wizard only just escaping.

using clues found in the first hideout, they work out where the 2nd one is, and go to trash that.

at this point it would be a good idea to make it clear that a 'stealth' approach is needed. Some NPC is gonna have to tell them kicking in the door ain't gonna end well.


and when high-level wizard turns up, make it abundantly clear he's way too hard to fight and that flight is the expected choice. if your not careful, thye might just try and take him on.

[dsmiles]

one method, for the truly machivellian DM:

the Players are told of the location by a thief, who is a double agent for the guard. the twist is that he's a triple agent, and is luring them into a trap (the 1st safehouse). the players prove to be harder than expected, though, and trash the place, with the halfing wizard only just escaping.

Ooooooo...that's good. Plans within plans.....

[xPANCAKEx]

if the thieves guild is so low level that they're not hiding their HQ behind a front operation, then tailing a thief is ALWAYS an option, just very difficult.

locate object is a very real posibility, especially if they set the object up to be stolen in the first place

[Crow]

I'm not sure Locate Object would work. Even if it did, they would have to start within about 500 feet of the object.

Attempting to find a certain item requires a specific and accurate mental image; if the image is not close enough to the actual object, the spell fails. You cannot specify a unique item unless you have observed that particular item firsthand (not through divination).

The spell is blocked by even a thin sheet of lead.

Chances are, the object is some sort of unique item, otherwise there wouldn't be so many people after it.

[jiriku]

Use LOTS of clues. Like FIVE OR TEN clues. Your villains must be sloppy or overconfident, because they'll leave behind SO MANY CLUES! And eyewitnesses. Include AMAZINGLY OBSERVANT EYEWITNESSES!

And if they get stuck, try KNOWLEDGE CHECKS! Their knowledge checks will seem INCREDIBLY USEFUL!! They'll be making KNOWLEDGE CHECKS as if they were EPIC BARDS working for MORGRAVE UNIVERSITY!!!!

Encourage your players to go CRAZY with their SKILLS!!! They'll be power searching, power spotting, powerbluffing, power informationgathering, power intimidating, power diplomancing. They'll think their skills are ABNORMALLY POWERFUL!!!!

[Pharaoh's Fist]

Use LOTS of clues. Like FIVE OR TEN clues. Your villains must be sloppy or overconfident, because they'll leave behind SO MANY CLUES! And eyewitnesses. Include AMAZINGLY OBSERVANT EYEWITNESSES!

And if they get stuck, try KNOWLEDGE CHECKS! Their knowledge checks will seem INCREDIBLY USEFUL!! They'll be making KNOWLEDGE CHECKS as if they were EPIC BARDS working for MORGRAVE UNIVERSITY!!!!

Encourage your players to go CRAZY with their SKILLS!!! They'll be power searching, power spotting, powerbluffing, power informationgathering, power intimidating, power diplomancing. They'll think their skills are ABNORMALLY POWERFUL!!!!

400 CLUES!!!