Last session, my PCs (unexpectedly) captured a famous Blackbeardian pirate. For this upcoming session, here's my lineup:
Encounters -
1. PCs need to escort the pirate to the authorities to collect the bounty (also: any suggestions on what a good bounty reward would be for 2nd level players?)
2. Assuming they succeed and don't lose him, I'd like to do a trial of some kind, but I'd like to involve the PCs somehow and not just do a cutscene.
3. The hanging's at dawn, so they've got the night to shop and celebrate!
4. The pirate's fellow-pirate family comes to rescue him before he can be hanged, and so my PCs chase them all through the city, fighting their way through streets filled with piratey goodness.
My issue, again, is with step 2. Has anyone tried to do a trial before? How'd it go?
|
Never done it before, but try to think about your player's strengths and weaknesses throughout this whole thing, and think of possible things for the players to do. Combat oriented players will have fun with 1 and 4. Tracking / survival players can have some limelight during the escort phase, and possibly tracking the fleeing pirates in t phase 4. Possible interactions with the trial are some of the obvious social skills (bluff, sense motive, diplomacy), along with some knowledge skills as appropriate (famous loot they caught on him? A lost noble's signet ring, dripping with jewels?)
The pirate will accuse his escort of planting things on him, being the real pirates, turning an innocent man in for the reward, dangerous strangers with unknown motives. If they're worried they'll be denied their reward or falsely accused, they'll hate him!
You could even create some quirky local legal customs, such as trial by combat or some trial of skill or magic, or seeing if you weigh more than a duck to prove you're not a witch. :)