One-shot Prison-break; suggestions?

Nemesis Destiny · Feb 13, 2011

Our regular game is cancelled for next week (booooo!) and I'll be stepping in to run a one-shot game for the members of the group still able to attend (3 players + me DMing).

I have an idea - a prison break. Can anyone suggest decent modules for a one-shot jail escape that would ideally not take more than one 6-8 hour session to run? Party will be only 3 characters at level 4. I can adjust creatures' numbers as required.

Actually, I can change pretty much anything I need to, I'm mostly looking for a good map or adventure skeleton (with traps and such).

I have my own ideas as well, but it would be handy if there were something premade I could just use with a few tweaks.

renau1g · Feb 13, 2011

http://www.enworld.org/forum/4e-fan-creations-house-rules/249387-prison-break-adventure.html

This may help. I can't think of anything published like this...

Nemesis Destiny · Feb 13, 2011

Thank you for the link. I tried to give you XP for it, but alas.

I can probably pare that one down so that it becomes do-able in one session.

I'll still be glad to take more suggestions though

Dice4Hire · Feb 13, 2011

I ran one a short while ago that went well (due to good dice rolling and some clever ideas)

Part one: Skill challenge to get the guards by the bars so they can be attacked. (Failure means retry later)

Part two: Combat with said guards (they should be very weak)

Part three: Skill challenge to sneak around and get some gear.(Failure means no gear)

Part four: Fighting the guards halfway out.

Part Five: Skill challenge to avoid group of guards coming in to investigate sound of fight. (Failure bing a fight)

Part six: skill challenge to get away form the possee that is pursuing them (Failure is another fight)

The party did well and got away with only three fights.

Nemesis Destiny · Feb 13, 2011

Nice ideas. I might use some of that as an event outline.

I had been thinking along those lines already. Nobody is starting with any gear but the rags on their backs, so the initial 'beat up the guards' combat would be with under-level guys to make up for the fact that the best weapon anyone will have is a fist or improvised shank. I was thinking a bunch of minions and a regular skirmisher or two with clubs and / or daggers.

I also wanted to give the players a choice of escape routes; they could fight their way up to the surface through hordes of relatively weak guards, or try to slip out through the "unguarded" sewers.

Naturally, the sewers will be full of traps and other nasty surprises like crocs, Oozes, Carrion Crawlers, and maybe some undead. I might even stick an Otyugh down there to scare the hell out of them. Did I mention traps?

Chronosome · Feb 13, 2011

If you have any old Dungeon magazines lying around, look for issue #36(!). There's an adventure in there which is centered on a place called Granite Mountain Prison (ha -- you'll see why), and is one of the best I've ever run from the mag. I imagine it could be easily converted to 4e.

Oh, and here's a skill challenge I like:
Skill Challenge: Prison Break ? Dungeon's Master

I hope that helps!

Nemesis Destiny · Feb 13, 2011

Chronosome said:
If you have any old Dungeon magazines lying around, look for issue #26(!). There's an adventure in there which is centered on a place called Granite Mountain Prison (ha -- you'll see why), and is one of the best I've ever run from the mag. I imagine it could be easily converted to 4e.

Oh, and here's a skill challenge I like:
Skill Challenge: Prison Break ? Dungeon's Master

I hope that helps!

Thanks for the tip. Lots of good things were said about that particular adventure, it seems. I will try to find a copy of that issue

mneme · Feb 14, 2011

Might be worth mining some of the ideas in one of the LFR H3 mods where the players get separated from their gear -- Luru someting (with wolf in the title). It's a "most dangerous game" mod, not a prison break mod--but I could see mining out some of the ideas for how to treat PCs without gear, as it goes through pretty much every variation on the subject (in 4 hours! It's a bit crazy that way, as you don't fight any two combats with the same stats).

Nemesis Destiny · Feb 14, 2011

mneme said:
Might be worth mining some of the ideas in one of the LFR H3 mods where the players get separated from their gear -- Luru someting (with wolf in the title). It's a "most dangerous game" mod, not a prison break mod--but I could see mining out some of the ideas for how to treat PCs without gear, as it goes through pretty much every variation on the subject (in 4 hours! It's a bit crazy that way, as you don't fight any two combats with the same stats).

Thanks for the tip.

I have a plan on how to deal with it - they will quickly be able to scrounge some gear from the guards. Just simple stuff, like clubs and daggers at first.

The other thing, is that I was going to have the first fight for their freedom be against stuff that is a couple levels lower, so as not to overwhelm them, and mostly minions.

ffy · Feb 14, 2011

one thing to definitely think about is what to do with the partys magic user. is he bound and gagged and in a seperate cell, so that he couldnt break out by casting spells? maybe the guards are stupid as hell and dont realise its a magic user and thus leave him free to cast spells from behind bars?
because to me it seems that when the party is behind bars its a good time for the magic user to shine and look like a hero (as they care less about what armor or weapons they have in their posession), or to be quite useless (as without spells theres not much they can do in a fight), though ymmv.