There's gonna be a Jailbreak

corwyn77 · Mar 12, 2019

So my last session ended with the party either unconscious or surrendering after a fight went bad. Deep in a complex run by a group of Zhentarim who have been raiding the countryside, mostly humans and half-orcs with a few wizards. Access into and out of the fort are strictly portals. The fort contains a smithy, a lot of stables for various animals, a winched-up drawbridge leading to an exit of sorts - a sheer 30 foot drop (they're level 3).

In the cells is a shapechanged (very small) dragon pretending to be a Paladin and a Drow (enemy of my enemy and all that).

I'm looking for some cool ideas for their escape. Two players were missing and I'm going to let them decide whether they were split up and can stage an escape or just abstract them being caught with the others.

TaranTheWanderer · Mar 12, 2019

Start off with some Thin Lizzy and a prep montage.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kFFHSRLl3mY

TaranTheWanderer · Mar 12, 2019

Seriously though, to give actual advice: for the two players who were missing, why not start them off right in the thick of it. Maybe they’ve disguised themselves as porters and they’ve piggy-backed in to the compound with a shady merchant who trades stuff with the Zhenterim for the stolen goods. That way none of the Zenterum will question strangers in the compound. They can help the others escape. The merchant might even give them a way to get escape unoticed by hiding in the wagon or whatever. It will give them a time line and add some tension.

TarionzCousin · Mar 12, 2019

I would give a few guards some personality quirks and prepare some dialogue. Let the players listen in on some crazy, insane, makes-no-sense discussion that secretly gives them clues or passwords to something fun later.

... or just inflict an hour of NPC on NPC chatter on them before allowing even a hint of an escape. Players love that.

corwyn77 · Mar 12, 2019

TarionzCousin said:
I would give a few guards some personality quirks and prepare some dialogue. Let the players listen in on some crazy, insane, makes-no-sense discussion that secretly gives them clues or passwords to something fun later.

... or just inflict an hour of NPC on NPC chatter on them before allowing even a hint of an escape. Players love that.

Or, I could do that, then have the Mary Sue dragon wipe the entire keep and rescue the PCs - Players really love that.

Oofta · Mar 12, 2019

corwyn77 said:
Or, I could do that, then have the Mary Sue dragon wipe the entire keep and rescue the PCs - Players really love that.

Sounds awesome. Just like Angel Summoner and BMX Bandit

Oofta · Mar 12, 2019

I can see several options, but a question first. Why did the Zhents jail them and not just kill them? Are they going to be shipped off to be slaves somewhere? If yes, then the "rescue during transportation" is a pretty common trope.

Some other thought starters

Who is the dragon? Why are thy shapechanged? Who would want them back, but would be prevented from directly confronting the Zhents? Might be a great option to get a third party involved.
Can the guards be bribed? Tricked?
Is there a distraction, such as a demon running amok (from a completely unrelated event) that gives them a chance to escape?
Make it into a mini-campaign. The group is enslaved and don't have a chance to escape until months later, but now they've been sold to slavers in the underdark.
Does it need to be played out in game?

That last one is an idea I stole from somewhere, but I don't remember where. Depending on your group, they may have fun just narrating what happens. Don't get any dice out, just let them tell a story and only play out certain set pieces. Basically set the scene - everyone is out of the cells, they've gotten rid of the first few guards and more are coming. Do they fight? Roll for initiative. Does someone mysteriously show up to help them? Tell the story, and so on. Won't work for every group of course.

Bawylie · Mar 12, 2019

Ok I feel like we do a LOT of jailbreaks. They’re all good. I dig it.

But.

How about we suicide squad this thing? How about the local regent offers to free the adventurers, discharge all debts and expunge any criminality thus far, in exchange for some side mission antics?

We can always jailbreak if they reject the offer, but this might be a good opportunity to run a cool one-off.

corwyn77 · Mar 12, 2019

Oofta said:
I can see several options, but a question first. Why did the Zhents jail them and not just kill them? Are they going to be shipped off to be slaves somewhere? If yes, then the "rescue during transportation" is a pretty common trope.

Well, mainly because I don't want to slaughter them out of hand. Transport to Z keep or to be sold as slaves, maybe to the underdark. I definitely don't want them getting to the underdark because they were looking for something a bit more episodic after the long slog through ToA.

Some other thought starters

Who is the dragon? Why are thy shapechanged? Who would want them back, but would be prevented from directly confronting the Zhents? Might be a great option to get a third party involved.

Can the guards be bribed? Tricked?

Is there a distraction, such as a demon running amok (from a completely unrelated event) that gives them a chance to escape?

Make it into a mini-campaign. The group is enslaved and don't have a chance to escape until months later, but now they've been sold to slavers in the underdark.

Does it need to be played out in game?

That last one is an idea I stole from somewhere, but I don't remember where. Depending on your group, they may have fun just narrating what happens. Don't get any dice out, just let them tell a story and only play out certain set pieces. Basically set the scene - everyone is out of the cells, they've gotten rid of the first few guards and more are coming. Do they fight? Roll for initiative. Does someone mysteriously show up to help them? Tell the story, and so on. Won't work for every group of course.

ParanoydStyle · Mar 15, 2019

...somewhere in the town, tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak, so don't you be around. Sorry...Thin Lizzy.

Were you referring to the party when you said "with a few wizards". If they're level 3, between them they should probably know feather fall and/or knock between them, so they have the tools they need to escape. If I was the and TONIGHT THERE'S GONNA BE A JAILBREAK, SOMEWHERE IN THE TOWN, ahem, I'd try to either start a fire at the smithy or at least block the flue, causing a smoke problem, and try to panic the horses and whatnot. Assuming they're aware that these things are here, obviously. Maybe their Drown "friend" has kiestered some lockpicks?

Oh, and you can torture or otherwise interrogate the PCs for information, if you want. I find that's awesome fun to roleplay.

I am genuinely happy the first response was Thin Lizzy, I didn't even see it before posting.

There's gonna be a Jailbreak

corwyn77

Adventurer

TaranTheWanderer

Legend

TaranTheWanderer

Legend

TarionzCousin

Second Most Angelic Devil Ever

corwyn77

Adventurer

Oofta

Legend

Oofta

Legend

Bawylie

A very OK person

corwyn77

Adventurer

ParanoydStyle

Peace Among Worlds

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