Have a door with a magic mouth and a Glyph of Warding. The mouth would give a really really easy riddle, "speak the name of the beast which is there and not there". The party should come up with the answer "Displacer Beast", have the words "Displacer Beast" be the trigger for a glyph of warding. I'd also cast phantom trap on everything I could think of. Nothing makes a trap harder to detect then an entire room, where every object detects as a trap. The thief would have to attempt to disarm every item in the room before being sort of safe. Also every door or chest could be arcane locked with poison gas tubes built into the door. The party either will expend allot of resources on knock or dispel magic or they will be forced to break down the door. I'd also use the Magic Aura spell to make worthless items, preferably bulky items seam useful. Nothing like a few highly visible nonmagical 50 pound 6 foot long lead rods which radiate strong magic to limit the amount of goods that can be stolen. If you cast continual flame of the 50 pound rods they are sure to be stolen.
How to defend a store
- Thread starter PK
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Storyteller01
First Post
Haven't read the whole thread yet.
Your best drug dens have a legitimate front business that don't seem valuable (sya a mirror store, or a laundry service), as well as high end nobility on the take. Drawing attention may not be such a bad thing in this regard.
Stink bomb traps may work. Doesn't destroy inventory, and the targets will be easier to track and identify even if the trackers are less than moral (critters should get a bonus to Survival checks). Colored dies can work as well. Send out the goons when you notice the trap has been set off. No cops need know, and the problem still gets solved.
If it can be afforded, charm and glamor spells may work. One of my NPC's uses a minor glamor on anyone going in the door (everything looks SO pretty, and expensive!!!). During closing hours, it can be amped up to read as 'nothing unusual or worthewhile here, you can find something better'. Hitchhikers SEP field at its best!
A trick my roommate uses with her car: leave it open. Here car was broken into (they slit the top of the convertible) so she left the image in place. Nothing of value is left inside (poisons don't usually sell in bulk, unless its the vermin killing variety) and the place already looks broken into. The end result: nothing worth while here; it's already been hit.
You may want to look into less than lethal traps (at least until you can make a solid alibi). Having to clean up bodies every morning will get expensive (acid costs in those quantities) and the local thief/noble looking for fun may be the next body. Try explaining thast to his/her parents. That and guilds may enjoy the challenge/want revenge. Anything guarded that well must have valuables inside.
Your best drug dens have a legitimate front business that don't seem valuable (sya a mirror store, or a laundry service), as well as high end nobility on the take. Drawing attention may not be such a bad thing in this regard.
Stink bomb traps may work. Doesn't destroy inventory, and the targets will be easier to track and identify even if the trackers are less than moral (critters should get a bonus to Survival checks). Colored dies can work as well. Send out the goons when you notice the trap has been set off. No cops need know, and the problem still gets solved.
If it can be afforded, charm and glamor spells may work. One of my NPC's uses a minor glamor on anyone going in the door (everything looks SO pretty, and expensive!!!). During closing hours, it can be amped up to read as 'nothing unusual or worthewhile here, you can find something better'. Hitchhikers SEP field at its best!
A trick my roommate uses with her car: leave it open. Here car was broken into (they slit the top of the convertible) so she left the image in place. Nothing of value is left inside (poisons don't usually sell in bulk, unless its the vermin killing variety) and the place already looks broken into. The end result: nothing worth while here; it's already been hit.
You may want to look into less than lethal traps (at least until you can make a solid alibi). Having to clean up bodies every morning will get expensive (acid costs in those quantities) and the local thief/noble looking for fun may be the next body. Try explaining thast to his/her parents. That and guilds may enjoy the challenge/want revenge. Anything guarded that well must have valuables inside.
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Heathen72
Explorer
Storyteller01 said:
An interesting idea would be to have your traps be connected to the characters 'front' business. If you decide on a mirror shop, perhaps some sort of mirror trap that traps the PC inside (a little high level, I know) During the day they would not be armed, but at night it would be a different story. I like the idea of your character coming into work in the morning to find a thief trapped inside one of his mirrors. You could then sell it in your portrait store.
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Perhaps you could give your alchemist a mephit or something of similar intelligence, to act as a smarter guard dog who could activate traps and such? Give the mephit sufficient flying space, a potion of invisibility and a tan bag of tricks and he can stall would-be thieves for at least a little while.
kigmatzomat
Legend
He's a drug dealer, right? How about a drug-addicted Awakened animal? There has to be a number of them out there who's druid died or who got tired of the whole adventuring schtick. I see cats being obvious candidates for overindulgence but a raccoon, raven, or other curious animal could easily get into a cache of "fun dust" and get addicted.
The critter acts as guard & backup in return for table scraps and a regular fix.
The critter acts as guard & backup in return for table scraps and a regular fix.
Do you have Traps and Treachery- I think Sword and Sorcery makes it.
You can have a lock qwith easy Pick DC- but a high trap DC. The trap sprays acid onto whatever pick that is inserted into the lock. To disable, you have to press a switch while inserting the key.
Inside, you have to go through a double set of doors (like at banks) which ahs a different set of keys. So, if sokmeone tries to rob you, they will get the money, and make it out one set of doors, but is then locked between the other set. That then triggers a side door to open, unleashing a couple dire wolves to attack. Or fill with acid. You take a pick.
There are always the usual poison darts and falling objects if they open door without disabling trap.
My favorite is always when something trivial happens that gets the group paramoid. This may not be relevant, but I liked the setup of the whole thing.
While the group is walking through a tunnel, they trigger a trap and are sprayed with blood. They wash off as much as they can, and keep moviong through the tunnel. You ask them to make CON checks ev ery few minutes to scrae them into thinking something is wrong. All that is happening is the check is to see if they vomit from the smell. Finally, towards the end of the encounter, they find a wolf traier who unleashes them all onto you, attracted by the dried blood.
The fun is the paranoia of not knowing what substance was sprayed on them, and having to deal with it all day.
Let the players do most of the work. You just sit back and enjoy the show.
You can have a lock qwith easy Pick DC- but a high trap DC. The trap sprays acid onto whatever pick that is inserted into the lock. To disable, you have to press a switch while inserting the key.
Inside, you have to go through a double set of doors (like at banks) which ahs a different set of keys. So, if sokmeone tries to rob you, they will get the money, and make it out one set of doors, but is then locked between the other set. That then triggers a side door to open, unleashing a couple dire wolves to attack. Or fill with acid. You take a pick.
There are always the usual poison darts and falling objects if they open door without disabling trap.
My favorite is always when something trivial happens that gets the group paramoid. This may not be relevant, but I liked the setup of the whole thing.
While the group is walking through a tunnel, they trigger a trap and are sprayed with blood. They wash off as much as they can, and keep moviong through the tunnel. You ask them to make CON checks ev ery few minutes to scrae them into thinking something is wrong. All that is happening is the check is to see if they vomit from the smell. Finally, towards the end of the encounter, they find a wolf traier who unleashes them all onto you, attracted by the dried blood.
The fun is the paranoia of not knowing what substance was sprayed on them, and having to deal with it all day.
Let the players do most of the work. You just sit back and enjoy the show.
Storyteller01
First Post
Balgus said:
It's made by Fantasy Flight Games, and it's an excellent 'how to play a rogue' book! WIsh I could get my hands on T&T II.
Invest in a gigantic Gelatinous Cube. Keep this ooze at the bottom of a deep basement behind heavy doors and some traps. Put sugar, salt and various other spices in vials of glass. Insert said vials into cube. They sink to the bottom.
Put drugs into salt shakers in your kitchen.
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Pay off the theives guild with a slice of business in exchange for protection. They'd end up stealing from you anyways.
Put drugs into salt shakers in your kitchen.
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Pay off the theives guild with a slice of business in exchange for protection. They'd end up stealing from you anyways.
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