D&D General Should Adventurers Behave More Like Bounty Hunters? What Would Be the Implications?

[Cadence]

Seems likely to me, possibly combined with some sort of planar travel. I'm not sure the policy is all that practicable when the "miscreants" are giants or dragons or the like.

Yeah - one other option is that if the monsters could be contained temporarily until judgement is passed and then sent to a different plane that might be a solution. But ... isn't that just potentially making it someone else's problem or killing them by other means?

What's the current spell for making something smaller? Combine that with a geas to get it started off at least?

Exile/transportation also brings up the plot hook of what happens when something comes back? If they're trying to be enlightened about shipping things off to other dimensions, do they have it set to return them at the end? Does it check if they want to come back? Has their been some destruction at the local judicial center that destroyed the records of who is coming back when? Or what if someone on the other end sends it back early? What if it acts reformed but isn't? What if it is reformed but no one trusts it?

 

[prabe]

What's the current spell for making something smaller? Combine that with a geas to get it started off at least?

Exile/transportation also brings up the plot hook of what happens when something comes back? If they're trying to be enlightened about shipping things off to other dimensions, do they have it set to return them at the end? Does it check if they want to come back? Has their been some destruction at the local judicial center that destroyed the records of who is coming back when? Or what if someone on the other end sends it back early? What if it acts reformed but isn't? What if it is reformed but no one trusts it?

These are complications, and part of why the policy doesn't seem practicable long-term. Whether they'd be appropriate for a campaign centered around a "bring 'em back alive" policy is ... open for discussion. I'd be reluctant to bring them into play if it was just one adventure or arc in a longer, more-conventional campaign, simply because it feels too much to me like solving the same problem more than once (something I really don't like).

 

[Cadence]

I'd be reluctant to bring them into play if it was just one adventure or arc in a longer, more-conventional campaign, simply because it feels too much to me like solving the same problem more than once (something I really don't like).

I hadn't thought of that. It would get meh if done more than once or twice. I was picturing the long lived thing like the dragon or a giant that was exiled in the distant past (which again, would get old, but could give the party/town something to worry about after it happened the first time).

 

[prabe]

I hadn't thought of that. It would get meh if done more than once or twice. I was picturing the long lived thing like the dragon or a giant that was exiled in the distant past (which again, would get old, but could give the party/town something to worry about after it happened the first time).

That's fair. I'm thinking that it's reasonable to explore the ramifications and consequences if it's a campaign premise, but if it's a one-off inside a larger campaign I'd probably let it lie after the PCs did the thing (unless there's interest around the table in exploring it, of course).

 

[Oofta]

I have no issue with the occasional "bring 'em back alive" quests. Only having that kind of quest would get old.

There are other issues with things like exile. Exile used to be a real punishment because people rely on connections to others in their community for survival and power. Being exiled was dangerous, and likely a death sentence. If the person being exiled did survive, it just made it someone else's problem.

But in a fantasy world individuals (whether high level humans or monsters) can have powers us mere mortals simply don't have. A dragon can destroy a small city with no help or resources. Exiling a dragon would be like firing a small nuke at another country because you wanted to reduce your stockpile.

 

[Umbran]

No. Do not water it down so that NPCs/"monsters" can be subdued by fireballs.

Part of the exciting nature of the campaign you seem to be brainstorming up is that you can't just use the normal tropes of D&D.

If I was player in this campaign, I would enjoy coming up with new solutions to the challenges that non-lethal capture presents. Don't water it down.

But, be careful - in a world in which you'd face severe repercussions for using lethal force... you'd have spells and weapons developed to handle the situation. Blunt weaposn that are hard to kill with, for example, and more spells designed to incapacitate and bind, rather than kill. Asking players to cope with new long-term play expectations, but with the same old tools, may not end up with a great play experience.

 

[Chaosmancer]

On the subdual, I tend to let archers and cantrips deal non-lethal damage. Players so rarely even attempt to not kill enemies that allowing it more often is fine with me.

As for the imprisonment idea. It depends on the amount of magic involved. For example, I'd potentially look into Geas and have the dragon's sentence commuted to 222.5 years of community service. That seems far more effective than locking them away in some dank hole. It might also reform them, depending on the settings assumptions about dragons.

As for the Title. I like the idea of PCs acting as Bounty Hunters/Exterminators. You can't do bounty hunting on a nest of Kruthiks, but being sent out to capture and bring a dragon in for a court ruling would be very memorable and cool.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

But, be careful - in a world in which you'd face severe repercussions for using lethal force... you'd have spells and weapons developed to handle the situation. Blunt weaposn that are hard to kill with, for example, and more spells designed to incapacitate and bind, rather than kill.

You can always use carbonite.

Probably have to test it on someone, see if they survive the process.

 

[Oofta]

You can always use carbonite.

Probably have to test it on someone, see if they survive the process.

Just remember, no disintegrations.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Just remember, no disintegrations.

You know, I read the title ...

Should Adventurers Behave More Like Bounty Hunters? What Would Be the Implications?

And I was thinking ... sure. That would mean that the adventurers would all be cool, and mysterious, and awesome, and then they'd get killed off quickly and lamely by a Sarlacc purple worm.