I'm running There Is No Honor and the PCs just walked into Roblach's shop and f*&#ed up his day. So far there have been four deaths or attempted murders in Sasserine since the PCs showed up (Vark, Islaran, Roblach and the High Priestess of Wee Jas). So I'm thinking about adding in an encounter where the PCs get arrested and have to face trial. Can anyone recommend an adventure where this sort of scenario is handled well so I can read over it?
I do not know a scenario where this happens. I know various prison break scenarios but they are rather high-level.
However, I did something similar with my players. Because they had been at all the locations where dead bodies were found, I introduced a fanatical police inspector who tried to construct a "case" against them. Every day he visited them (just before breakfast) and started to hound them with questions. The police inspector was partly based on Columbo, except that he never got his facts quite right (he had all kinds of interesting theories) and never found any real evidence. But it made the PCs very nervous. I even had him arrest one of the PCs who was seen at a murder scene, but he was released after a day because of lack of evidence (after having been threatened with torture if he did not confess).
When the inspector got on the trail of the Lotus Dragons, Rowyn managed to charm one of the PCs and "asked" if he would do a job for her, namely kill this nosy inspector. The PC had no problem with that at all (he would probably have done it even if he was not charmed) and he poisoned the policeman and dropped the dead body on Parrot Island. He also left a note on the body with the name Vanthus on it. Now the city guards think Vanthus has killed the police inspector (the other city guards are a lot less fanatical).
I hope this story can serve as inspiration. I am curious to hear how it worked out in the end.
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I'd maybe have them hear that they're being investigated but not make too big a thing of it. Just freak them out. Let them hear their names are being bandied about by the watch, then let the watch come in to a bar and shout freeze, before arresting someone else and dragging them off. Make them sweat. Have them hear someone was hanged or jailed for something they did - Rowyn has the connections to swing it.
The problem is, the more side-adventures you do, the more stuff you'll have to skip to make sure they don't get more powerful than the recommended levels. Pumping up the adventures is a vicious circle you want to avoid. Believe me!
That said, it's your adventure and you know your group - if they want to get grounded in Sasserine it's a perfect way to introduce NPCs who could be relatives of passengers on the Wyvern or colonists in Farshore. A fun prison adventure is Escape to Meenlock Prison in Dungeon 146. Maybe they want to free someone accused of one of their crimes.
Actually that's a great lead-in to that adventure, which I'd really wanted to use. Doh!
I had forgotten all about Escape to Meenlock Prison. That is a really nasty adventure :-)
...However, I did something similar with my players. ...
Brilliant. I had my players arrested for un-related stuff, because they were trying to run both sides of the coin. On a trip to the jungles to trade (poison-but they did not know this) with a bullywug tribe, they randomed a were-critter. They had chopped his hand off during combat and kept it (thinking it would be a useful magic component).
The guards at the gate stopped them as they do everyone, and when asked their business showed them the hand. They landed in jail for trafficking in human parts. Their defense "it was a wereboar not a human!" landed them in quarantine. *grin* I let them sit there for two days before Lavinia had to come and talk tot them. I just hired you and you go about this! Like my family has not suffered enough!
*grin*
Oh yeah, Miranda (and the constitution) never happened in Sasserine. Evidence, who needs evidence?
Oh yeah, Miranda (and the constitution) never happened in Sasserine. Evidence, who needs evidence?
Oh, man! I gotta watch Red Heat again.
Ivan Danko: Do you know Miranda?
Hooligan: Never heard of the b****.
[Danko punches him unconscious]