D&D General Intelligent BBEG captured PCs, now what?

[Baldurs_Underdark]

In our previous session, the BBEG (Drow mage, INT 24, WIS 20, lawful evil, homebrew) captured the PCs (party of 4, all level 14, two spell-casters). They ran out of spells/HP and surrendered after they correctly didn't see an escape.

The BBEG could just kill them, but I don't want to end the campaign here. The campaign is too much fun, and also it feels wrong to kill the PCs after they surrender (even though they did the same to some of my NPCs ). So, the logical next step is that the BBEG will lock up the PCs in a jail... to be dealt with (or experimented on?) later.

We ended the session in a large room in the upper levels of the lair. The players haven't seen the jail/dungeons yet, so I have a lot of freedom to design the jail before next session (in 3 weeks). In my opinion this BBEG should be able to build a jail that they cannot escape from. But I want to give the players something to play for, so the PCs should have a chance to escape.

So, what could be a critical mistake in a jail where a very intelligent mage would lock up dangerous high level characters? I don't want it to look like this mage made a huge blunder.

All ideas are welcome. Feel like I cornered myself a little as DM here.

 

[jgsugden]

Rather than that angle, hav you considered having the NPC come up with a deal he can offer the PCs that would exchange their freedom for something he needs? The extermination of a rival that he can't be outwardly seen working against?

 

[Umbran]

So, what could be a critical mistake in a jail where a very intelligent mage would lock up dangerous high level characters? I don't want it to look like this mage made a huge blunder.

The most basic place for an error would be in the jail keepers, rather than the BBEG. It is just so difficult to find good help these days.

The next error (not so much error, but point of opportunity for the PCs) would be for the BBEG to have some use for the PCs. Every time they are dragged out of the cell to be subject to some magical experimentation, or to enact some villainous errand under a geas, or whatever, is an opportunity for the PCs to win.

Are they worth a ransom to anyone? Do they have loed ones to be threatened? Then ransom and threaten away!

 

[Weiley31]

The next step is the Tea Party of course.
And not your normal kind of Tea Party either.

 

[Bradley Hindman]

The weak link in any jail is the jailer. Instead of having the "supergenius" make a mistake in jail design, why not have an underling have a reason to set the PCs free.

EDIT: Ha. I see Umbran is a faster typer than I am . . . and more eloquent as well.

 

[Mecheon]

Lie to the players to convince them to see his way of thinking and as a good-will gesture, send them off to do something that unknowingly helps out the BBEG

When they figured out they've been lied to their rage alone will ensure the BBEG's demise

 

[Oofta]

Why lock them up in jail when you can force them to do a task with a geas? Send them off to fight some other BBEG. It helps the captor, not totally against their ethics (assuming of course they care). Less expensive than jail and it makes the PCs valuable. Tell them they have to accept the geas willingly or they will be executed.

If you do lock them up in jail, just make it in a anti-magic zone, make up special "kill" collars or whatever suits your fancy. There are a handful of spells that will stop all teleportation, although personally I don't limit myself to the magic in the book.

If they are in jail then you need to consider a jailbreak scenario. Maybe a secret ally, an option to foment a rebellion, natural disaster or invasion breaks security and so on.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

BBEG plants guard who BBEG knows will help the PCs escape. Why? Because guard has been informed that BBEG intends to form an alliance with another slightly less powerful entity. A slightly less powerful entity for whom the guard once worked - and despises - because of horrible treatment. Slightly more horrible than he currently receives under the BBEG. If the two were to form an alliance, he feels the horrible treatment would increase exponentially, and he's almost to retirement age and hoping to earn his full pension and not be subject some weird imposition brought about by the alliance. Being that the party could not beat the BBEG, perhaps, posits the guard, they could beat the other slightly less powerful entity, thus foiling the BBEG plans and helping out said guard. Of course, they need to make the escape look good and he encourages them to give him a good knock on the head.

PCs recover their gear, escape, engage and defeat other slightly less powerful enemy and, shortly thereafter, plot twist! They learn that the BBEG wanted the slightly less powerful entity dead anyway and have unwittingly done the BBEG's bidding.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Make it possible for the PCs to escape; because them escaping was all part of the evil plan! Maybe so they can be tracked back to the secret good guy hide out?

 

[Bacon Bits]

Depends on what you want to do with them. To the Drow, your PCs are just another resource. IMO, these are high level PCs. That means it should be a pretty difficult challenge to overcome. I would not allow them to just escape from the drow. These are the threat that just beat them. I wouldn't make them weak. I wouldn't let the drow make a mistake at all.

If your players are friends and you get together regularly and you're not worried about a little difficulty causing the campaign to end prematurely, then I'd have the drow break the party.

First, remove their equipment and tie them up. Known spellcasters would be gagged and have their hands bound. Warriors would have their hands bound and legs chained.

Second, interrogate them using charm, dominate, suggestion, detect thoughts, and zone of truth. Torture is appropriate for drow, but use your judgement on what's table-appropriate. With magic, it's not necessary, but they're drow. You don't need to do it on camera. You can just tell the PCs this has happened. For an effect of torture, I'd apply a reduction to max hp (to perhaps 50%) or an effect that prevents hp recovery. Require recuperation (downtime recovery) to remove these effects. These are significant injuries here.

Then I would split up the party.

• Sell the high Str, Con characters to Duergar or Orcs
• Sell the high Int, Wis, Cha characters to Illithids
• Sell the others to hobgoblins for their combat pits
• Sell those who resist too strongly efreet, rakshasa, or other or other extraplanar creatures

Only then, after they're split up, completely disarmed, and away from the drow, would I give them real opportunities for escape. This might work best if you can run each group differently, so that you can devise a small adventure for each group to overcome and escape and find each other again.