D&D 5E [Tomb of Annihilation] The Flaming Fist

[CapnZapp]

Not in this particular adventure it's not It's quite permanent. You die here, you die for good. No take backs.

Hah.

The reason I brought up 50gp is because by the time the PCs get that (can be as early as level 1 ), the whole thing is moot anyway. They would have enough to get a charter and do what they want. So let's say you have a party of level 5 PCs. They are approached by the FF who declare they are the legal authority and demand the 50gp as a charter fee, or they will confiscate the items. The party looks around at each other and says, "10gp a person? I spend more than that on a meal. No probs." I.e., there wouldn't be much incentive for the PCs to fight the "law" just to save 50gp. At 5th level, they probably have a lot more than that in their pockets.

Unless we're massively misunderstanding each other, Flaming Fist want half of all your loot AFTER signing their 50 gp charter.

The 50 gp gets credited towards that sum.

Say you loot 10000 gp. You get to keep 5025 gp since you've already paid 50 gp so the sum to split is 9950; they "only" take half of that or 4975; ergo you keep 5025 gp.



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[CapnZapp]

I'm not talking animal messenger. I'm talking actual trained animal like carrier/homing pigeon (probably a parrot given the setting.) Each patrol has a couple and will either write a note for the fort, or just release them if it looks like they won't survive a fight.
When a patrol's parrot arrives back at the fort, that is when magic may become involved, probably through Speak with Animal to find out what the parrot saw before it left and to tell it to lead reinforcements back to where it was released.

Ah.

I didn't even consider a natural animal thinking the risk of it getting killed en route was unacceptably high.

Reinforcements include tracker dogs/dinos and more powerful NPCs. Their intent is probably not to be able to rescue the patrol, but more to investigate what killed them and to recover the bodies - including destroying any undead that they may have risen as.

Sure. That's why I came up with a patrol sending a message right away; otherwise it would take weeks until the patrol was even considered MIA.

I can imagine that while they aren't going to be resurrecting dead members, that sort of organisation may well have the sort of loyalty and contracts to invest very significant resources into ensuring members slain in the line of duty are not abandoned as undead.

Again, if they don't know the patrol is dead, and where it was killed, all this is theoretical without powerful divination magic.

If the party is made up of the sort of CE murderhoboes that that implies, simply being the authorities isn't going to impress them. You'll probably need capability to apply fairly major sanctions to divert that merry band of munchkins. - Particularly if they're just playing their characters as XP-and loot- gathering proxies of themselves.

Why does intelligently disposing of evidence make you assume chaotic evil murderhobos?

Not being able to buy anything or hire any guides is probably going to put a severe crimp on the party's navigation or capability to actually find the useful areas in the trackless jungle.

Again, the authorities must first know who the perpetrators are.

Without Sending magic, I imagine a party could have months to recruit all the guides they need before any action would be taken.

Besides, at 5th level it isn't unreasonable to assume a party can be their own guide with a ranger or druid.



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[Tony Vargas]

Why does intelligently disposing of evidence make you assume chaotic evil murderhobos?

Good point. CE is rarely so meticulous.

NE serial-killer-hobos?
LE assassin-hobos?

 

[futrtrubl]

I can imagine that while they aren't going to be resurrecting dead members, that sort of organisation may well have the sort of loyalty and contracts to invest very significant resources into ensuring members slain in the line of duty are not abandoned as undead.

This is an organization that lacks the funds to move their camp to unplundered areas.

Not being able to buy anything or hire any guides is probably going to put a severe crimp on the party's navigation or capability to actually find the useful areas in the trackless jungle.

Only one guide actually likes or works for them. The rest are mostly Chultans with no love for these foreign pillagers or those with their own agenda in the jungle. Hell, if the Merchant Princes of Nyanzaru heard you were systematically destroying the Fists they would probably outfit you in the best they could offer for free.

 

[DEFCON 1]

You aren't addressing that to me, are you?

I mean, I'm going for the opposite of ignoring the Flaming Fist...?

Nope, I was concurring with your point. The FF are there in Chult and finding ways to keep them active and useful as potential antagonists is a good goal to have.

 

[CapnZapp]

Good point. CE is rarely so meticulous.

NE serial-killer-hobos?
LE assassin-hobos?

What do you have against hobos?

Otherwise, why didn't you continue:

LG angelic-alcoholic-hobos?
NG unselfish-but-unwanted-hobos?
CG trying-to-be-good-not-always-succeeding-hobos?
...

 

[Sacrosanct]

Hah.


Unless we're massively misunderstanding each other, Flaming Fist want half of all your loot AFTER signing their 50 gp charter.

The 50 gp gets credited towards that sum.

Say you loot 10000 gp. You get to keep 5025 gp since you've already paid 50 gp so the sum to split is 9950; they "only" take half of that or 4975; ergo you keep 5025 gp.



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You're right. Those rat Bstrds!

I suspect my players will end up making a long term enemy if they survive this adventure, because even if they give up half their stuff to avoid a war, they won't be happy with it. And when my players aren't happy, they plot...

 

[CapnZapp]

In my case, they will hopefully gracefully decline the "offer" and relocate. Instead of escalating the situation, I mean.

Then when they much later start meeting random patrols... well, that's what this thread is for

 

[Tony Vargas]

Otherwise, why didn't you continue:

LG angelic-alcoholic-hobos?
NG unselfish-but-unwanted-hobos?
CG trying-to-be-good-not-always-succeeding-hobos?
...

CN anarchist-hobos
TN eco-terrorist-hobos
LN vigilante-hobos

 

[hawkeyefan]

What about addig a couple of wizards to the Flaming Fist forces? Say they provide each patrol with a speaking stone, and when a patrol knows they are about to engage, they ise a speaking stone or a message spell to alert the wizard, who then scries the pateol, and then teleports in with reinforcements if needed.

They're a military organization, so look at the way the modern military functions, and then replicate that with magic.