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I am GMing a module for PFS and have a question regarding the treasure rewards.
Situation: The PCs successfully bribed a BBEG into leaving with all of her minions and lieutenants (this is explicitly stated as being a legitimate way to succeed at the goals of this mission). Much of the treasure is on the BBEG and her minions and lieutenants. The PCs fought Lieutenant A to a draw before BBEG agreed to the bribe; Lieutenant A has a particularly nice item on the chronicle. The PCs never even saw Lieutenant B at all, but he left with the BBEG.
Question: How should I handle the rewards?
My First Instinct: The PCs lose out on those rewards. This seems overly harsh, which is why I'm asking.
Option 1: The items are crossed off the chronicle, but the PCs still get the gold reward.
Option 2: The items are crossed off the chronicle, the PCs get the gold reward less the amount carried by Lieutenant B who they never faced.
Option 3: Cross off the items, reduce the gold by the amount contributed by the items, but they get everything else.
Option 4: The PCs get everything.
Option 5: Something else entirely.
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I dunno; I think it's noted in a few scenarios that if the PCs bypass an encounter diplomatically, they still get full rewards. Different from never actually encountering the encounter. I gotta find a scenario that has such a reference. Idea being that you don't penalize the PCs for doing something awesome.
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Option 1. Creative solutions clause means they always get the gold reward, but they never obtained those items. Oh, but of course full rewards less the bribe. They still have to pay that.
The Guide To Organized Play disagrees with you and calls for Option 4:
If,for example, your players manage to roleplay their way through a combat and successfully accomplish the goal of that encounter without killing the antagonist, give the PCs the same reward they would have gained had they defeated their opponent in combat. If that scene specifically calls for the PCs to receive gold piece rewards based on the gear collected from the defeated combatants, instead allow the PCs to find a chest of gold (or something similar) that gives them the same rewards. Additionally, if the PCs roleplayed past an NPC who carries a specific potion or scroll that the PCs might be granted access to on the scenario’s Chronicle sheet, don’t cross that item off the sheet—instead, allow the PCs to find the item elsewhere as a reward for creatively resolving the encounter without resorting to combat.
So while the creative solutions clause doesn't mean that the foe hands his items over to them, they are still expected to find the items elsewhere. Or at least they should not be crossed off the chronicle sheet.
EDIT: Rereading it, the Guide only talks about scrolls or potions. Hu. I'm not sure if there is an oversight or actually intended. Seems oddly specific.
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Option 1. Creative solutions clause means they always get the gold reward, but they never obtained those items. Oh, but of course full rewards less the bribe. They still have to pay that.The Guide To Organized Play disagrees with you and calls for Option 4:
If,for example, your players manage to roleplay their way through a combat and successfully accomplish the goal of that encounter without killing the antagonist, give the PCs the same reward they would have gained had they defeated their opponent in combat. If that scene specifically calls for the PCs to receive gold piece rewards based on the gear collected from the defeated combatants, instead allow the PCs to find a chest of gold (or something similar) that gives them the same rewards. Additionally, if the PCs roleplayed past an NPC who carries a specific potion or scroll that the PCs might be granted access to on the scenario’s Chronicle sheet, don’t cross that item off the sheet—instead, allow the PCs to find the item elsewhere as a reward for creatively resolving the encounter without resorting to combat.So while the creative solutions clause doesn't mean that the foe hands his items over to them, they are still expected to find the items elsewhere. Or at least they should not be crossed off the chronicle sheet.
EDIT: Rereading it, the Guide only talks about scrolls or potions. Hu. I'm not sure if there is an oversight or actually intended. Seems oddly specific.
Yeah, I thought it was only for expendables, same way you give the party the scroll or potion even if the enemies use them. I'm happy to be wrong. I've actually never had PCs lose anything vaguely relevant, despite a lot of creative solutions, so it hasn't come up.
