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

[deltadave]

First- throw them in the stocks so that the townsfolk can see them being made a proper example of. Second, flog them and finally exile them with a warning never to return on pain of death. If you want to be especially sure that they don't, then brand their hands or forehead. It goes without saying that everything they had on them is to be confiscated...

The only reason for not executing them is that a prominent local can vouch for them...

 

[Liolel]

Your Party is in big trouble. With the lack of evidence to prove the city lords guilt, combined with the very public attacks, and the various deaths they caused their sentence would almost certain be execution.

Heres what I would suggest. Don't have any of their allies speak up for them, because to them to do so would probably cause the public to perceive those allies much worst, and speaking up for the party won't help the party much. Instead their allies should arrange in some manner to give the party a good opportunity to escape. Thats just what seems the most reasonable to me while still giving the party a chance.

 

[Campbell]

It is very plausible that a society with a decent level of access to raise dead might make heavy use of weregild. It might be interesting to require the PCs to serve the city and their intended target in some capacity until all debts can be paid off. Additionally, any holdings may be seized, any titles stripped.

Through their actions they might have shown that they are undeserving of citizenship, for the time being. As such they might forfeit their right to possess land, carry weapons within the city, or even their right to marry. The idea might be to reform the individuals in question, espicially when they could prove to be valuable allies in the future.

 

[The Shaman]

It is very plausible that a society with a decent level of access to raise dead might make heavy use of weregild.

You beat me to it by about fifteen minutes, Campbell...

I'll second the suggestion.

 

[atom crash]

The captain of the guard is a fighter/paladin of Heironeous. He's interested in justice/restitution, not punishment/revenge.

A couple of prominent citizens could vouch for them, but at this time that would amount to political suicide. A few of the people they webbed would have stood behind them had not they been "targetted" as well. The most troubling thing for me to reconcile is punishing them for their wanton disregard for the safety of everyone else at the ball. The PCs just went in with guns blazing. How to punish them suitably without ending the campaign?

From a metagaming perspective I don't want to just slap them all in jail and let them escape. Our group has been faced with imprisonment in 3 other games over the past 2 years (two modern settings and one fantasy setting), all of them unwarranted uses of railroading -- heck, two DMs used imprisonment as a plot device to get their campaigns going. On the other hand, the PCs' actions here clearly warrant imprisonment.

Putting them in the stocks and being publicly flogged would be great, then forcing them to pay restitution to raise the people they killed. But the player's would never go for the flogging.

And like I said, the guy they attacked is evil to the bottom of his black shrivelled heart. They just don't have concrete proof of what he's up to -- just a lot of circumstantial evidence. Any cult attack on the PCs now is going to make them look like they were right all along. And there's a cult plot afoot to make it look like the city lord dies during the night -- so he can continue his plan to bring about the end of the world at the next full moon, two weeks a way -- while the PCs are under heavy guard. If they escape from captivity, they would certainly take the rap for his subsequent "death."

 

[Ahrimon]

Have the captain of the guard receive a vision form Heironeous that there is a catastraphe about to happen and that the PC's are the ones who can stop it. He doesn't know who the BBEG is, so he can make sure the PC's surrender all monetary funds for restitution and then he secretly arranges for them to be set free. If the PC's are good and/or lawful, he could charge them with stoping the catastraphe in return for his help. They were going to do this anyway so it shouldn't be a problem. He can leave them a note saying that he will be watching them, and while they will be wanted by the city he will do what he can to help behind the scenes. After all, heavenly law and goodness should should be more important to him than city law.

The church doing the resurrection will make sure (through speak with dead or other divine aid) that the people they are bringing back aren't bad guys. And the church, knowing that there is evil afoot can secretly help the PC's avoid being recaptured until the problem is solved.

Then once the catastraphe has been stopped and the BBEG is dead in his cultist robes, surrounded by the bodies of his evil cultist cronies the PC's will be vindicated before the city for their actions. They get the money back that they paid for bad guys that didn't get resurrected. And a reward from the city that covers what they lost plus a nice bonus.

Looks good to me.

Ahrimon

 

[Campbell]

Perhaps more information about the PCs in question might help us give you some more relevent feedback.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Strip them and dump them in a hole. The players were foolish in public and they attacked a public figure, in this case they will have to be made an example of, you just do not have lords being attacked in public, even if the players are in the right! If I was the bad guy, I would make sure the players get theirs and I would create proof they were the most dangerous people in the campaign world and make me look good!

Now, plot notes: Players can be saved from everything by an unknown lord who knows everything and can direct the players in the clearing of their names, it will take time, a number of adventures, rewards would be the proof, not treasure.

 

[jasper]

Players won't go for flogging. TOUGH! Flogg them it is only hit pts. Slavery and lost of all their items are good points. If necessary end the campaign. Why is so bad? Or toss them in the dungeon and make the characters npcs and advance the campaign 3 to 6 months. Have roll up new pcs in high priest power bloc and their mission is to free the former npcs with out a body count. Or have the cult do the same because they need new victims.

 

[monboesen]

The characters must atone for their griveous sins (and killing innocent bystanders is very bad indeed).

In a world with a harsh law I would say execution is the way to go. That will teach the players to think more about their actions in the future.

In a very magical world they might be Geased to Raising all the innocent bystanders or some other equivalent Good deed instead of a sentence.