my PC's robbed a magic shop: consequences....

[LazerPointer]

my 4th-level basically good PC's hatched a plan to rob a small magic shop in the middle of the night. Everybody stays inside because of a vampire spawn problem, so they weren't caught. they made off with a couple nice bows and a couple of magically trapped chests. On the way back to their inn a few vampire spawn killed the gnome mage, one of the most active in the heist.

I'm looking for ideas for cool things in the chests, and what appropriate consequences should be; here are the 4 that occur to me now:

1) None, the merchant had his stall insured.

2) The merchant, (or his insurance company!) went to the diviner's guild, and has discovered who did it.

3) There is less of value in the chests than they had hoped for, so the merchant didn't pay for the divinations.

4) The merchant found out who they were, and had their alignments divined as well. He shows up at the inn with a friend to talk. He won't report them to the guard, cause it's covered by the insurance, but there was one item or heirloom in one of the chests that is very special to him/essential for something, and he pleads for its return.

Events that are gonna happen the next day:

the nobles, fearing the sudden rise in vampire spawn activity, are gonna pull all/most of the guards back behind the walled noble district.

A noble house with a grudge, knowing that the guards will be re-assigned, has hired a dozen or so people to attack the PC's at their hotel.



I haven't given them too much magic stuff so far, cause I don't wanna accidentally overdo it. So it would be ok for there to be some good loot, though I'm looking for cool ideas over uber-powerful stuff. I don't want to have them captured by the guard, though if that's the most plausible scenario then I'd be okay with jailing the 3 who went into the building.

If the guard show up I could have them lead by a cocky noble's son they've brawled with before.

 

[Chimera]

1) None, the merchant had his stall insured.

????

It seems highly unlikely that NO ONE would take an interest in catching who did this. Sure, I'm insured. But do I want it to get around that I'm such easy pickings and won't do anything if someone does manage to steal my entire shop? Might as well hang up a "free goods" sign.

And what would my insurers think of this? Why would they insure me again? Why wouldn't THEY go after the thieves to recover their losses? After all, my car insurance company is going after the guy who hit me (and provided fraudulent insurance information)...

Heck, even today we see insurance companies going after treasure hunters to recover monies they paid over 100 years ago when those ships sank!

2) The merchant, (or his insurance company!) went to the diviner's guild, and has discovered who did it.

A reasonable proposition.

3) There is less of value in the chests than they had hoped for, so the merchant didn't pay for the divinations.

Still seems highly unlikely that he would do nothing.

4) The merchant found out who they were, and had their alignments divined as well. He shows up at the inn with a friend to talk. He won't report them to the guard, cause it's covered by the insurance, but there was one item or heirloom in one of the chests that is very special to him/essential for something, and he pleads for its return.

Again, insurance or not, someone is coming after the group. Whether that be the insurers or the local government, no one is going to just throw up their hands and say "Meh. It was insured. Who cares?"

 

[Lord Morte]

1) None, the merchant had his stall insured.

2) The merchant, (or his insurance company!) went to the diviner's guild, and has discovered who did it.

3) There is less of value in the chests than they had hoped for, so the merchant didn't pay for the divinations.

4) The merchant found out who they were, and had their alignments divined as well. He shows up at the inn with a friend to talk. He won't report them to the guard, cause it's covered by the insurance, but there was one item or heirloom in one of the chests that is very special to him/essential for something, and he pleads for its return.

It strikes me that the merchant is probably going to want his stock back, unless you go with option 3, so he isn't like to just write it off if there is a chance he can regain it and still turn a profit. If the insurance works anything like Real World insurance, he's better off trying to reclaim the stolen goods.
So I'd say opt 1 is out, but option 2 and 4 have potential.

Maybe the merchant decides he can't successfully get his stock back, but the insurance company feels differently and decides it's cheaper to hire bounty hunters to go after the party than to pay the claim. Alternatively, the merchant confronts the party, but threatens to go to the guards or the city officials unless they do something to pay him for the goods.

So it would be ok for there to be some good loot, though I'm looking for cool ideas over uber-powerful stuff.

Hmmm, I recently introduced a pair of Boots of Agility (+5 competence bonus on Tumble) in my D&D game. There is also Amulets of Scentlessness, Glamered armour (or plain cloth, for when you absolute must be in style), and Wand bracers(from a Dragon magazine). Dragon magazines frequently have unusual magic items in them, so if you can get access to some you will be doing well. Plus you could include some wands of useful but rarely seen spells.

 

[reanjr]

1) None, the merchant had his stall insured.

Insurance? Alrighty...

2) The merchant, (or his insurance company!) went to the diviner's guild, and has discovered who did it.

I like that one better

3) There is less of value in the chests than they had hoped for, so the merchant didn't pay for the divinations.

What about the magical bows, etc. Those are worth quite a bit. It would be worth his time/money to get the divining done and hire some people to go check it out.

4) The merchant found out who they were, and had their alignments divined as well. He shows up at the inn with a friend to talk. He won't report them to the guard, cause it's covered by the insurance, but there was one item or heirloom in one of the chests that is very special to him/essential for something, and he pleads for its return.

That's an extremely nice or cowardly merchant.

I haven't given them too much magic stuff so far, cause I don't wanna accidentally overdo it. So it would be ok for there to be some good loot, though I'm looking for cool ideas over uber-powerful stuff. I don't want to have them captured by the guard, though if that's the most plausible scenario then I'd be okay with jailing the 3 who went into the building.

Maybe the merchant can post a job to hunt down the thieves. As reward, it offers any two of the items stolen. If your players are smart, they might pretend to have found and killed the perpetrators and keep the most desired items without being hunted. Otherwise send them another party of adventurers set out to kill them and take their loot. Or just take their loot if the opportunity presents itself. This way, the players get to have a few magic items, it seems plausible, and everyone walks out of the story fairly happy.

 

[philreed]

I haven't given them too much magic stuff so far, cause I don't wanna accidentally overdo it. So it would be ok for there to be some good loot, though I'm looking for cool ideas over uber-powerful stuff.

My specialty! Check the link in my sig for coupons to get 101 Collection for $1.95. It's loaded with interesting treasures that aren't over-the-top (and most aren't even magical).

As to what to do, do nothing . . . for now. Lull them into a false sense of security and make them think that they got away free. Then, after several sessions have passed, have assassins strike. It seems that the shop was, in fact, a front for a local guild and was used to launder coin and magic items. The thieves and assassins have been following the party since the night of the theft and have waited for the perfect moment to strike (which would be after the party have exhausted themselves on some unrelated combat).

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

The proprietor has paid for the divinations and even now a crack team of NPC bounty hunters is assembling to track the party down and bring them to justice, dead or alive. As the days pass, the rumors of the huge treasure they stole grow and grow, and soon every two-bit adventurer in the countryside is looking for them.

Meanwhile, one of the treasure chests was actually the prison for some extra-planar creature of infinite no-goodness who will now be set free to raid and pillage the countryside, and generally convert the area to evil. The PC's know who is responsible, and hopefully they decide to stop it -- or they would if every rock didn't hide a new assassin.

You've just had enough plot hooks for an entire campaign! Heck, after a couple more days pass, the rumors of the theft will be so great that even if they returned all the treasure to the shop adventurers would still be tracking them down for a share of the loot.

 

[shilsen]

I don't want to have them captured by the guard, though if that's the most plausible scenario then I'd be okay with jailing the 3 who went into the building.

This does seem the most plausible to me, but it would depend heavily on the campaign setting and the current circumstances. Did the PCs leave any evidence at the scene which could be traced back to them? Is getting information from the diviner's guild acceptable evidence for the authorities to take action? What is the current situation with the guard with the vampire spawn problems you mentioned? Taking questions like these into account, decide on whatever seems most plausible - and also most interesting for the game. The guard shows up, assassins are sent after them, a bounty is put out on the thieves, one of the stolen magic items eats somebody's face in the middle of the night - any of that can be a fun repercussion (well, the face-eating might be more fun for you than for the PC ) .

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

The merchant mentioned has a serious gambling problem and owes a good deal of money to a local crime lord. In order to avoid being fed to the vampire spawn you mentioned, the merchant concieves of a desperate idea.

He goes to the crime lord, arranges for him to "steal" most of the best items from his store to pay back his consdiderable sum of money. Then, he uses his insurance to recoup from the horrible "theft".

The PC's beat the Crime Lord's gang by just a few hours. Now bad stuff happens. The merchant's mutilated body is found impaled to the door of his store one morning with the brand of the crime lord on his forehead. His family is now missing. The crimelord thinks the merchant double-crossed him and killed him and plans on selling his family into slavery to attempt to recoup some of his losses.

Now let your "Good" PC's know. After all they're good, right? And still chose to knock off some innocent merchant's business? Need to remind them of their alignment I think. Show them that theft isn't exactly a a "good" thing.

Just an idea,
Vraille Darkfang

 

[Starman]

Inside one of the chests is a strange larval creature. No one knows what it is. The only thing it will eat is some psychotropic drug. Eventually the creature makes a cocoon. When it comes out, it is a brain-sucking, mind-warping creature of doom that goes on a rampage. PCs must deal with it, because they started it.

Starman (with thanks to Mr. Mieville)

 

[scourger]

First off, those chests contain potions marked in a code or arcane language (I like Draconic) that the merchant used. The healing potion is clearly marked but also contains a non-magical poison. It is a very powerful posion. It should be lethal when quaffed by the injured character. THAT is the merchant's insurance. Of course, it could be another unique potion, like invisibility. Imagine the PC who goes invisible and is then stricken with a powerful poison. I honestly don't know why more potions in treasure troves aren't poisoned, but I'll use it on my players for that one good reminder to use detect poison from now on. You only get this dirty trick once as a DM.

Second, that merchant is dead--slain by the group of more powerful NPCs who robbed Ye Olde Magick Shoppe for the secret vault of powerful items and covered their tracks better. The NPC group is very happy to let the PCs be the fall guys. This way, the consequences are more subtle but still direct. It would just be a bonus if the the NPC thieves are allied with the nobles or vampires now bent on revenge and justice.