Effective Imprisoning of PC's, how can you do it?

[Obryn]

I'm going to house-rule (if necessary) that all the Arcane and Divine powers require Verbal and Somatic components. It keeps the flavor reasonable, and means that it's as easy (or hard) to disable a Wizard as it is to disable a Fighter.

Alternately, I'll make powers with the "Implement" keyword require an implement, rather than simply be enhanced by one.

I'm looking for ways in which either of these would break the game, and so far I'm not finding anything.

-O

 

[Spatula]

Most spells (or prayers) list Implement. Though the rules specifically say otherwise, I am thinking of requiring an implement or holy symbol to cast. Gandolph lost most of his power without his staff, and Harry Potter and company needed their wands. Since it is no easier to disarm a wizard than a fighter (in fact, there are no rules for disarming or sundering weapons that I have found) it shouldn't seem like I am picking on the spellcasters. But it does allow for a non-lethal way to deal with spellcasting prisoners.

I think the reason they got rid of implements as a requirement is that casters are screwed without one, whereas martial characters can still use their powers with improvised weapons.

Perhaps if you require implements you can also allow for improvised implements that give a -2 hit/dmg penalty (fashioning a crude wand or holy symbol out of sticks, for example).

 

[Vempyre]

I like the magic circle idea

 

[Kurotowa]

To answer the title question with another question, why would you want to?

Seriously, nothing kills a game session like effectively imprisoning the PCs. It turns the players from active participants into passive observers while they wait for the DM to allow them out of their captivity. It's boring, it's de-protagonizing, and too many DMs use it as a chance to humiliate the PCs. And people wonder why most parties would rather fight to the death than surrender.

No, what you want is a nice ineffective imprisonment, one aimed solidly at keeping normal feebs in place. And if most parties of clever PCs will be able to escape in short order? Well, of course! That's the point, after all. Thrilling escapes from deadly prisons are part of the genre, not sitting helplessly in a cell.

So yes, by all means make some effort to up the security measures a little. But please don't take it too far! One of the most boring nights I ever had was when the DM threw us into anti-magic cells with adamantine bars, and then expected us to get out on our own. He finally had to deus-ex us out because he'd worked so hard being smart about an effective imprisonment that he hadn't left us any way to actually get out.

 

[AverageCitizen]

To answer the title question with another question, why would you want to?

Seriously, nothing kills a game session like effectively imprisoning the PCs. It turns the players from active participants into passive observers while they wait for the DM to allow them out of their captivity. It's boring, it's de-protagonizing, and too many DMs use it as a chance to humiliate the PCs. And people wonder why most parties would rather fight to the death than surrender.

No, what you want is a nice ineffective imprisonment, one aimed solidly at keeping normal feebs in place. And if most parties of clever PCs will be able to escape in short order? Well, of course! That's the point, after all. Thrilling escapes from deadly prisons are part of the genre, not sitting helplessly in a cell.

So yes, by all means make some effort to up the security measures a little. But please don't take it too far! One of the most boring nights I ever had was when the DM threw us into anti-magic cells with adamantine bars, and then expected us to get out on our own. He finally had to deus-ex us out because he'd worked so hard being smart about an effective imprisonment that he hadn't left us any way to actually get out.

I would have to disagree, but only to a point. There is rarely a good cause to lock pcs in a dungeon and throw away the key, but some of the best sessions I've ever played have been cinematic escapes. And don't forget the possibility of rescue. I rolled a rogue once and busted my own party out of prison. I liked the character so much that I ended up keeping him.

Anyway, to answer the question, the solitary confinement and the magic circle ideas look best to me. Solitary would be very effective, especially in pitch black. Use speaking stones or whatever for interrogation. If its got to be face to face, make it too dangerous to escape until after the interrogator and his entourage are gone. The return trip to the cell is probably the best time the heros can escape, so let them roll with it. At least, thats what I'd do. Can someone shoot a magic missle out of a magic circle?

And I really think its a bad idea to keep them in there for more than a few minutes of gametime. If they have things to do and people to talk to then its fine, but if not don't let the game slow down. If they can't find a way out and there's no roleplaying going on, and a timepass won't screw up your story, I think the idea of using an extended skill challenge as a montage would be a good way to play their prison stay. After that, I would let them escape. I'd have something break in the routine that provides an opportunity. It will let them blow off some steam.

 

[ZombieRoboNinja]

First off, teleporting: the eladrin and warlock teleports have to do with them blinking into the Feywild, so the answer is easy enough: make sure that your prison exists in the Feywild too. This much would probably be common practice anywhere that has a sufficient number of eladrin, like most major cities.

Now, some teleporting, like Dimension Door and other wizard powers, might not go through the feywild in your setting, so it COULD be that common jails wouldn't have any countermeasures against them. But high-level jails, like those used against paragon-tier PCs, will probably incorporate special rituals to prevent teleportation. The Forbiddance ritual is the obvious choice here, but you might come up with a less costly version as well. (I like the "line of gold" thing myself, although I'd probably make it some material adventurers around carrying around coins of.)

 

[pogminky]

Feed through grate.

Blindfolded, naked, manacled, drugged and regulary beaten to within an inch of KO.

 

[Nork]

I imagine this one ought to be easy.

Would you apply a penalty to an attack roll made by a chained up fighter, or require a rather difficult skill check for a chained up player trying to climb a ladder?

Why should a wizard get a free pass in a situation where any other character would easily accept a massive penalty to anything they would be attempting to do as completely justified given the circumstance.


Because really, is it going to help your story if you've got to come up with super detailed explanations for how an ultra-max super-hero prison could nullify every possible power? Or is it going to help your story if you tell them that being chained up with a bag over their head makes it hard to cast spells. Just like it makes it hard to do any other action they might think of.

 

[WOLead]

Then comes a Warlock. As far as I can tell, each Wizard Teleportation and the Eladrin Fey Step all need Line of Sight to escape. Assuming they are allowed the action.

Most of the Warlock's skills are bound by the same limitation, though only most. Warlock's Leap with its lack of need for Line of Sight is unique, but if you chosen the wrong square to leap blindly into you'll have to wait a day to try again. Also at Epic levels, you could simply see through the eyes of a curious guard, using Eyes of the Warlock, then use Raven's Glamour to sneak out quietly or hit another the guard can see with Dark Transport and start a fight.

Even putting a blindfold or a bag over a Warlock's head is foiled if you let him know where you are. He'll just take a guess and attempt to land Eyes of the Warlock on the person using the rules of attacking vs. Total Concealment.

The easiest way to keep a PC who can teleport in a Jail? Have the jail cells and surrounding areas itself under a Forbiddance Ritual, made permanent for one thing. Keep the areas unaffected out of site of the cells though with a simple floor to ceiling divider or wall. Then bind the NPC's arms in a reverse prayer to keep them from casting, picking locks, or simply breaking the bonds. Painful, but should work.

 

[Blackbrrd]

As mentioned before, the easiest way is probably to dump the characters in a deep pit, deeper than the typical teleportation powers. In addition you would want two grates, one directly above the PCs and one at the top of the pit. This way the wizard can't fly somebody to the top who then teleports out.

If they didn't have the above possibilities, drugging the characters seems like a good idea. Or just giving them blinding sickness.