A little background:
My players rescued a woman from a band of brigands at 2nd level who turned out to be the crown princess of the kingdom. They have spent the last 4 levels evading attempts to take her back, been framed for murdering a Duke and had to take up being a crew aboard a trade ship just to smuggle her back to the capitol.
Well, they're almost there and something occurred to me... what should be their reward? I don't want it to be something as lame as a pile of gold, thats just so blah...
Ideas? I've considered titles, land, a map owned by the first king of the kingdom that they won't be able to use for 10 levels or so (yes, I'm that kind of jerk lol)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Prestige. Titles are a good start. Assuming that the princess isn't ticked off with them for some reason, she'll tell the king. He'll start with titles. They'll be feasted, yay, these heroes saved the princess! A parade. Maybe a statue or two. Everyone will know who they are. Give them bonuses when interacting with people who like the monarchy. Free meals, free drinks. If the princess has taken a shining to one of them, who knows, maybe some romance is in the works (depending on how the nobility feel about the purity of the bloodlines, but hey, this guy is a newly made noble, so maybe it isn't a problem).
If you want something a tad more concrete, maybe they now have access to various guilds, colleges, and whatnot that required a patron; who better than the royals? Access to prestige classes, teachers, and whatnot.
Of course, this is assuming that the king isn't in on the kidnapping and hoping to remove the crown princess from the succession :)
All of Lathiira's suggestions are really good.
You could alternatively give them something fun that leads to further adventures but doesn't inherently give them huge wealth or combat bonuses. How about the use of an Airship complete with captain and crew under their command? As long as you give them quests that cannot be solved with a bank of seige engines they've got a really cool toy without unbalancing things.
*Edit* - Other items with "wow" factor but without being hugely abusive:
A Flying Carpet
An Instant Fortress
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I will 4th Lathiira here. However, I guess it would depend on the personalities of the princess and the king. If the king is kind, the above would probably be logical. If he's a mean old guy, then perhaps the most he gives them is a grudging thank you and a weapon of their choosing from the armory, if he's stingy then perhaps he just gives them some flowers and their names engraved on a plaque, if he's a necromancer then maybe he gives them the service of a few simple undead.
If he's silly or eccentric though... three words. Awakened. Butler. Monkeys.
Give them a level of a prestige class without elevating their official character level. Maybe the king knights them and they become steel falcons.
Give them a level of a prestige class without elevating their official character level. Maybe the king knights them and they become steel falcons.
...such as Noble Scion?
Admittedly, I would not allow the leadership feat (although.... a single cohort for the whole party, with something useful like being a skill monkey, or crafting, or whatever they haven't bothered to cover... that would not entirely be out of the question)
Prestige. Titles are a good start.
I read titles as something else and completely inappropriate.
In my own games I'm really big on offering rewards to my players in the form of custom items and advancements that are normally impossible. For example I'm happy to potion elixirs that improve ability scores by +1, +2 bonuses to skills or even free feats for fitting rewards.
For example my players have just helped out a npc who often trains soldiers, so the players will soon be offered the chance to gain a teamwork feat for free. It encourages players to work together more and makes otherwise unattractive feats, really cool because they're now bonus and not a tax.
Another time the players worked really hard and earnt themselves a grab of treasures in a vault. I wrote down multiple objects like robes, rods, rings, boots, etc on post it notes, stuck them to a board and players rolled initiative allowing them grab items. Later on they were able to identify them and make use of them.
Property is always a really cool thing to own but you have to be mindful of whether your campaign is one that stays local or keeps travelling. I own property in a Shattered Star Campaign and because we need to move around so much, it is the most useless waste of space on my character sheet.
Ah, some of your ideas are good Deadalready. But our OP wanted something beyond just giving them loot. For titles, I'm not suggesting they become generals or Warden of the Eastern Marches or High Priest of Abadar or anything. Knighthoods and baronets come to mind, titles that can further their adventures when they get titles...attached to untamed wilderness or outlying districts full of bandits, monsters, secret evil cults, that sort of thing.
Your comments about property are also important to remember though. But even then with the rules from Ultimate Campaign that can be worked around. Give them property, like a store. Plus someone to manage it. Now they've got a little money coming in on the side and yet another source of adventures.
Another thought: give them Leadership for free. Or at least part of it. A few followers come to them, in awe of their accomplishments (they hopefully told a few bards what happened, right?). If they actually take the feat, give them a bump to their score because well, not everyone can claim to have rescued the crown princess.
Really, with the gratitude of a king, all sorts of rewards are possible...assuming he wants his daughter back :)
Something else just came to mind: award the PCs a free social trait, or maybe another trait that ties into their adventures to return the princess.
I also second the above ideas and I recommend reading the webcomic Exiern for what possible reward can lie in wait, when you bring the princess back to her father ("to each their own" in the archives and the following).
I personally would go with a parade and a day of public celebration, plus the introduction to some influential people around court. There would be a discreet purse of gold delivered by the treasurer, too (which can be turned into whatever they really want).
"Influential people" can include patrons, specialists who grant access to stuff normally not available (traits, feats, rare spells or unusual gear), and of course adventure hooks. Many players like to have contacts in society, and some like the combatless roleplaying around it (think Dumas-like intrigues here).
Titles and land are tricky, because some players really don't want them. Some don't wish to be concerned with managing estates, others want to be really anonymous. If the players are not of that kind, they can end up as landed gentry with a regular income...and the occasional adventure involving their estates.