As a DM, how would you catch...

[Kealios]

All of you have provided excellent feedback. A few things I didnt mention, but your responses were helpful anyway:

1. The merchant is dead. Shortly after the PC's took her and planned on interrogating her, she dropped dead. Suddenly. At their feet...and they dont know why (I cant spoil how, because they might be reading heh).

2. The merchant has HIGHLY influential, rich, and evil "friends"...the PC's have earned the ire of some bigwigs Oh yea, and she belongs(ed) to a very subversive, evil cult that the PC's are just discovering how big they are. Oh boy. "Merchant" is almost as misnomer for her--she just was really, really succesful at investing and is now really, really rich.

3. The city sending the hunters after the PC's is more of a side plot...but you're right. A bounty may just be posted and left at that...but the merchant's friends might not be so lenient.

Thanks for the ideas. I never play spellcasters when I role-play, so as a DM, i have limited knowledge of what alot of them do. This has helped me plot the future course of the campaign, and helped me understand some options that are available to me.

Much appreciated...
Kealios

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

How about having the merchant's evil friends hire someone to "make an example" of the PC's, and have them arrive at the same time as the good bounty hunter? Lots of confusion on all sides, and possibly some switching loyalties, especially if the bounty hunter has been given some reason to question the merchant's upstanding reputation in town...

 

[Kurotowa]

Ah, we're talking about angering an evil conspiracy. In that case, the spell you need to be aware of is Commune. This is a 5th level cleric spell that lets you ask Yes/No questions to a divine agency which answers to the best of its ability (which is not absolute). A little high level and has an XP cost, so it can't be cast too much. But it's important to also remember that Imps and Quasits (familiars of choice for evil wizards) can use it as a SLA once a week for free, gaining answers to six questions. Because it only answers Yes/No questions it's limited by what you already know, but when you've got to narrow down your theories it can't be beat.

 

[azmodean]

Remember that forcing a Druid captive into a chainmail shirt can ruin their whole day. Literally, even if they take it off.

This seems really off-base to me. I would call this situation "being wrapped in chainmail" as opposed to "wearing chainmail". I really think the druid would need to put the armor on themselves to get the associated penalty as opposed to someone putting the armor on them.

 

[Dremmen]

Rangers

IMO, if you're talking bounty hunters, you want rangers. They would be able to track the owl, and the terrier. High enough rangers should be able to investigate the scene and from it extrapolate what happened. No, they wouldn't know the owl was supernatural, but they would be able to track the owl. It still has to stop, and has to poop, and there would be other signs from the terrier. A team of rangers could track them down and ambush them. That would put a wrench in the druid's plans as arrows start streaming in out of nowhere.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

IMO, if you're talking bounty hunters, you want rangers. They would be able to track the owl, and the terrier. High enough rangers should be able to investigate the scene and from it extrapolate what happened. No, they wouldn't know the owl was supernatural, but they would be able to track the owl. It still has to stop, and has to poop, and there would be other signs from the terrier. A team of rangers could track them down and ambush them. That would put a wrench in the druid's plans as arrows start streaming in out of nowhere.

That's all fine and dandy, except that you can't track druids.

Trackless Step (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, a druid leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. She may choose to leave a trail if so desired.

The terrier, maybe, but only if it's walking. If the druid is carrying it, no tracky. Also, Tree Stride is going to make all tracking useless.

(ranger 1): "Hmm...the trail ends at this oak tree. He must have used Tree Stride. Well, at least we know that he must have ended up in another oak somewhere."
(ranger 2): "Um, sir? We're in an oak forest."

 

[Pielorinho]

This seems really off-base to me. I would call this situation "being wrapped in chainmail" as opposed to "wearing chainmail". I really think the druid would need to put the armor on themselves to get the associated penalty as opposed to someone putting the armor on them.

I dunno--I kinda like the idea. In fact, I'll probably suggest a houserule that you can deprive a druid of his powers by binding him in iron manacles, just because that's cool.

Daniel

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

Make it cold iron. That's got more character, and plays into the druid powers=nature=fey thing. Although considering that the druid isn't technically violating any vows by being unwillingly wrapped in metal, I don't see a good reason why the powers wouldn't come back immediately upon shedding the damnable metal bonds.

 

[Feyd Rautha]

How did the druid turn invisible? An owl is a tiny creature and a flyer and thus cannot fly while carrying a terrier. I mean think of how big a coconut...terrier is! None of the guards had ranged weapons? Was it Transport via Plants or Tree Stride...there's a big difference?

The reason I'm pointing out these past issues? Note that in the future you have some improvements you can make. If something doesn't seem to be quite kosher then don't let them do it... you're the GM. If they break something then break them right back. Oh...and I would watch out being the druid from now on. Anybody who has even a wind of that event and a minor understanding of magic will shoot every animal they see from now on. Should prove interesting when the Druid activates the APL+3 encounter by scouting.

Look, the druid might be buffing his nails on his cloak right now, but he just played his biggest card. He'll never scout again because he broke the first rule of scouting... "Don't be seen!" From now on there won't be a safe perch for any owl or other animal. Now if he had actually scouted and not drawn any attention then maybe, but no longer. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if he is taken before his druidic order for putting the lives of other druids in danger due to his reckless actions.

Look, you can make this as easy or as hard on them as you like. I prefer hard because it sounds like they're coasting. Here are some ideas...

1.) Lawful Good nation is astonished by the acts of the party and at the highest levels (the psion's cronies were powerful correct?) there is a push to summon an inevitable or other Mechanus dwelling creature intent on bringing the party to justice. Inevitables make great enemies because it is an instant warning to lawful clerics and paladins that they must turn themselves in or face atonement. I mean c'mon... they were sure enough that they assassinated the guy they can easilly defend it in the courts!

2.) Direct intervention from the Lawful cleric or paladin's deity in the form of revoking all powers. Skipping the combat phase of the entire Inevitable encounter the Deity could simply withdraw his or her favor because all told they committed a reckless act. Another thing would be to force an alignment change.

3.) If you have no lawful clerics or paladins then have them have been scried before the terrier died. Their faces and names might be guessed and warrants drawn up. They can probably escape justice in other nations, but if they ever set foot in the one they were in then they're in for trouble and killing of lawful good guardsmen only trying to do their job. (an evil act which could mount up)

4.) The druid was extraordinarially reckless. Animals in the city will start being killed, any animal coming near a caravan or other secure location will be fired upon, and it could even result in a shift in the balance of nature as the Lawful Good nation breaks ties and even goes to war with the Druid Cabals for hiding the assassin. He needs to be brought before his order and questioned. Perhaps a safer court for the party since the evil bigwigs won't have any influence there, but possibly worse as I would bet a druidic order has worse ways of killing someone than a Lawful Good nation (honey and a hill of fire ants comes to mind). Regardless he's ruined himself as a scout for his party.

5.) Scry and teleport in capture crews. If the PCs are known then there is nothing preventing this. Wait until they are camped and teleport in with overwhelming force. If you can KO or incapacitate the people on watch before combat breaks out then it's all over. Otherwise simply have a +5 or higher CR encounter where they are all using merciful armor spikes and grappling. If they don't surrender after seeing what they face then feel free to throw "resisting arrest" into the mix.

Good luck

 

[Dremmen]

That's all fine and dandy, except that you can't track druids.



The terrier, maybe, but only if it's walking. If the druid is carrying it, no tracky. Also, Tree Stride is going to make all tracking useless.

(ranger 1): "Hmm...the trail ends at this oak tree. He must have used Tree Stride. Well, at least we know that he must have ended up in another oak somewhere."
(ranger 2): "Um, sir? We're in an oak forest."

Hrmm..that would present a problem. Druid is the least used class by my players, while ranger gets used quite often, so I don't know much about them. Still, hiring rangers to track someone down, as futile as it might be, would seem to me the most logical next step prior to hiring expensive seers to divine the whereabout of said dog. And you never know - if the rangers are local and know the woods well enough, they might pick up on the the druid's general area. They can also employ woodland creatures to help in the search. IF they could find him before the druid realizes he is being tracked, they could *neutralize* him before he could Tree Stride.

Plus, and I'm not certain on this, once the druid wildshapes, doesn't he adopt the creature's abilities? That would say to me that the druid's own abilities are left behind, like spellcasting. But again, I don't have the PHB in front of me. In owl form I don't think he could prevent himself from shedding feathers, or leaving claw marks on limbs.

(ranger 1 to rangers 2 - 5): If he talks, moves, waves his hands..anything other than breathing..shoot.
volley of arrows drill the druid to the ground
(ranger 1 to rangers 2 - 5): ..or sneezing..sneezing was okay...d'oh..