PCs vs. The Law -- my players stay out!!

[atom crash]

Also, you didn't directly answer Byrons_Ghost's question about how much the players know. Is there any reason the ritual has to happen in two weeks, other than you decided it would? Why not in six weeks at the following full moon? You are the DM, you can change things however you need them to be changed. Say, the PCs attack on the Sea Lord disrupted a small part of his plan and now he need extra time to recover, whatever You can rationalize about any excuse if you really want to keep this campaign alive. If you are determined to keep to your script, then let the PCs witness the end of the world and make them understand that for different choices, they might have averted it.

The players know enough to be aware of the timing. Another prong of the plan was for a hobgoblin army to attack the city on the same night to cause further chaos. They have diverted that plan already by killing the only hobgoblin chieftain who could unite several tribes, allowing the other hobgoblin tribes to fall back into warring with each other. The ceremony is two weeks away, and the foreign dignitaries are already on their way. the campaign has been leading up to this for a while, and they have been painfully aware of the deadline.

I'm still trying to plan out Friday's session, but right now I'm leaning on giving each PC a different sentence based on their level of involvement. The PC who fireballed the nobles will be hanged while the rest of the party watches helplessly. The PC who initiated the attack will be sentenced to the headsman's axe, but at the last moment the Sea Lord shows mercy and only demands his right hand (the one the PC raised against the Sea Lord) in exchange for a public apology. Since this PC's pride has condemned them all (he initiated the attack because the Sea Lord taunted him as he tried to place a medal around his neck) that would be a fitting dilemma. The other PCs may be sentenced to join a labor camp or be imprisoned on the Hulks (large ships that serve as floating prisons).

Or I could hint to them that it will all end very badly for them and let them die trying to fight their way out.

 

[haakon1]

I'd go for executing the ring leader/most atrocious criminals, and exiling the others (after taking all their stuff), if you need a punishment.

But I'd rather sentence them all to death, and have them get out. Not through their own cunning -- the prison should be well run -- but with help from "the Resistance". And I wouldn't have the Resistance be large or powerful. Maybe a handful for brave soldiers and commoners, perhaps with one hidden leader behind it -- perhaps the head or second head of the City Guard (to honor Deep Throat).

I like the idea of a rag-tag, outnumbered, outgunned group of rebels liberating the PC's as their only hope . . .

"I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm here to rescue you!"

 

[sword-dancer]

The trouble is, the PCs can't really prove what they know.
?

Zone of truth spell etc, aren`t available?



As far as all the witnesses are concerned, the PCs attacked the city lord without provocation. The city lord taunted the PCs as he prepared to decorate one of them with the first medal of honor, but no one else at the event heard his comments.
How was that possible to taunt them without hearing anybody near?

The party levelled some accusations at the city lord, but the only thing they can prove is that he bears a tattoo they found on some other cultists. The city lord's story is that long ago he was captured by pirates at sea and was branded.

AFAIk Tattoos aren`t branded, that means an capable guardsman would get "suspicious".

During the fight, four or five city guardsmen were killed and a few more injured. Also, five innocent minor dignitaries were killed in a fireball blast aimed at city guards.

Normally I consider an attack at an represantative of Ruler with dangerous force(deadly weapons, spells etc) in the line of duty rebellion and treason, and therefore punishable by death.
But I must ask, had the guards acted as it was their duty, asking for surrender, trying to get the parties from each other, or assaulted with deadly force or endangering the party in attacking them at the spot or such?
In which case seld defense, even with weapons etc was in order, "clearly" misusing their authority from represantitives is also considered in most non evil especially good societies treason, and could and should be countered with force, ruthless force, isn`t even only accepted but approved.
If it was reasonable/necessary self defense, thedignitaries were at the wrong time at the wrong place.
Bloodprice or such would be the order of the day, if not killing without reasn at best or cold blooded murder.

The PCs have at least one important NPC -- the high priest of the temple of knowledge -- who can vouch for them, but he can't get them out of trouble completely.

If a high priest supportzs them with full weight, they should be mostly of the hook.

 

[sword-dancer]

This is something I see in players all the time. Not all players but enough. They don't think through their actions. Not to mention think themselves above the law like this..

Maybe they did this because it was appropiate in Char.
I did another stunt for a few weeks, my pc jumped in the trap(Ì was and I think i´m OOC proved it was and isa trap) and my pc expected it also wlll maybe more likely.
But she couldn`t accept the consequences if she was wrong.

 

[sword-dancer]

The legal system in a lot of fantasy worlds is too lenient. Depending on the period you choose as a model, a realistic set of punishments might include the death penalty even for theft (e.g., http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/history/crime/crimes.html). I originally passed on buying one of the books on running city adventures because the punishment listed for theft was something like being fined twice the value of the stolen item. .

Interesting wcould be that the vikings used death as punishment for theft, because they considered somnebody who had sunk for theft must be dead broke, so there wasn`t anything worth to fine.

 

[S'mon]

BTW in 12 Monkeys etc plagues spread round the world in 2 weeks because of _air travel_. Unless your Freeport is the hub of a teleport network or your world is very small it should take far longer.

Something like the Black Death took several years to spread round the world from its source.

 

[Darmanicus]

Have them executed.

When it comes round to the good priest raising them have them reincarnated instead into one of the things they'd most hate to be, (this would take some subtle enquiry).

They are now all perfectly disguised and have an opportunity to thwart evil dudes plans and if they do have them all reverted back to their old forms, (with maybe the odd tentacle still attached).

 

[Hawkeye]

Someone mentioned making restitution for the cost of the Raise Dead/Ressurection to the family of the NPC in question. I can just see this leading to an entirely new way for the DM to bleed money out of the PCs. Some poor, down on his luck NPC tries to use suicide by PC as a means of getting his family 5000+ gp worth of restitution. much like some people do with life insurance policies now.

If the PCs were foolish enough to attack a important NPC in full view of the public then they need to pay for the crime.

Hawkeye

 

[painandgreed]

Have them stuck in prison as others invesitgate their story, ultimatly foiling the plans of the BBEG and saving the day. The party is found out to be right and gets off for their actions but they get no glory or reward for doing so except not getting executed. They are simply put back on the street post adventure plot.

 

[misterdeath]

Hope I'm not too late for you to see this...

Have them stripped of their possessions, bound in ropes, and "buried at sea."

The spot where they're dumped is near a water-intake that feeds into the cave system where the next part of the adventure is supposed to take place. (A separate one from the official entrance, have it come out underwater.)

Add a large number of bound dead bodies into the deep part of the lake, add a few more items that they can find so they can re-equip themselves (albeit not as well as they probably had been - and maybe make them do some diving to find some of the stuff), and continue the adventure. They'll not be able to return to Freeport openly unless they can prove the bad guys are really bad guys, and probably not even then, but they can still save the world...