D&D 5E Send a party to get an item/loot, how to keep them to their contract?

[Baldurs_Underdark]

As a DM, I am running into the problem that I don't know how to keep the players to a contract?

In two cases, there is an NPC with knowledge of an item/loot, who would prefer the players to get this for him because its dangerous. Party gets big reward, NPC also benefits. Everybody wins, right? Except, this is D&D, and the party can just run away with all the loot and items, and never give anything to the NPC.

I don't want to railroad this, but I do want to have a smart way to keep the players from running away with everything. If the contract is clear up front, it won't feel too much like railroading (I hope), while it does give me a little control. Let's not discuss the concept of railroading too much here, and focus on smart tricks to keep players to a contract.

So far, I came up with the following ideas:

• Allow the players to do what they want, and have the NPC believe them... if they roll high enough on Persuasion (pretty much only a 19 or 20 on the D20). If this happens, too bad for me as DM. I'll have to deal with it.
• Since they are likely to fail the Persuasion, the NPC will offer that the players pay up front for the information. Players are unlikely to have enough cash, and probably won't trust the NPC enough anyway.
• If the players won't pay, the NPC will offer that they all enter a Zone of Truth, and explain their intentions through multiple questions. Works if they are honest, which the NPC is, but probably will lead to no contract at all because I doubt that the players are 100% honest (although it may be hilarious).
• I am considering to invent a magical ring or armband which (one of) the players cannot remove, and which the NPC can locate from a distance. This way if the players betray the NPC and run off with all the loot, at least the NPC can track them down. Could lead to an interesting storyline by itself if the players choose to betray the NPC anyway.

Are there any other practical ways to at least try to prevent the players from breaking contract and running off with all the loot and magic items without consequence? This doesn't need to be RAW or even a method/item described in the DMG. Anything creative is welcome.

 

[guachi]

If a guy has enough money to hire the party to get an item, he has enough money to hire NPCs of equivalent power to get an item from the PCs.

 

[akr71]

Have the party retrieve an item they can't or don't want to use.

Have the party retrieve an item that is part of a larger item (of which the NPC already has many of the pieces).

The NPC ruins their reputation if they do not fulfill the contract and they are basically outcasts. There should be an understanding that they either succeed in the quest or (mostly) die trying - if they are seen around the city, the NPC can assume that they successfully retrieved the item, but decided to keep it for themselves.

Bonus money is offered if the party is willing to have Geas cast upon them.

 

[Wormwood]

1. Reputation. The first time the Party betrays one of their employers, simply have that reputation precede them the next time they are looking for a job. "I'm afraid the Duke will not require your services. Not after what you pulled in Eastport. Good day."

2. Have the Macguffin they are hired to collect be much more valuable to their employer than it would be on the open market. A magic item that only their employer can use. A mundane item of great sentimental value. In other words, don't pay mercenaries 100 gp to a fetch 5,000 go diamond; that's just asking for trouble. Rather, hire mercenaries to fetch a ceramic egg that's been in your family for generations (with the proviso that they keep all incidental treasure they come across in the quest).

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[CapnZapp]

Have the item be of much less use to the PCs than the quest giver.

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[Warmaster Horus]

This is how good NPC antagonists are made! A prudent employer would utilize some choice divination spells to determine the truth if the party failed to perform the service they were paid to do. As a DM make sure they are influential enough to make a good foil moving into the future.

 

[Charles Rampant]

Have the reward offered by the NPC be more valuable to the party than the item in question, is the logical answer to me. As @CapnZapp mentions, having the item be relatively worthless to the party but valuable to the NPC is one way to tip it; having the reward be extraordinary is another.

You can play around with this. For example - the party in Guardians of the Galaxy thought the orb was worhless to them, but were being misled; once they realised its true worth, they kept it. Alternatively, have the party sent to retrieve some completely inane object - a silver comb, the feather of a goose - from a dangerous location. The players will speculate about why their employer wants such a worthless object, and you get to practice your best mysterious look. If it turns out to actually matter, you can just combine the best parts of their speculation to make the 'true' reason.

 

[Frankie1969]

You're approaching this the wrong way. A contract is a good plot hook to use if the party is mostly lawful / honorable / charitable. If your group is more self-serving, then you should choose a different hook.

Do they have a social obligation where breaking the contract would cause more problems than it's worth? This is why detailed PC backgrounds are so valuable. Maybe the party cleric's church needs the item, or the rogue's grandmother.

Last, if they're a pure murder hobo squad with no character constraints, maybe the item is sentient and only works for the purposes that it upholds. And as akr71 mentioned, Geas on the least-trustworthy party member is an option.

 

[Krachek]

Write up the story.

Who is this Npc?
Alignement, bond, ideal, power level, etc.

What is this loot-items?
Where it come from, why the npc know it is there, why he can't or don't want to pick up himself
What it's true value or usefulness to the npc.

After that you let roll the story.
The pc may be fair or not, The npc may be fair or not.
The npc may have some capacity to test the pc or ask for retribution,
But it's the npc capacity not the DM capacity.

 

[Eltab]

Before you do anything in-game, you need to talk to your players.

If the characters are going to be untrustworthy liars who cheat rob and steal from everybody, then the game is going to have invisible walls close in around it, which will funnel you to Thieves Guild -type adventures. Or the PCs will always be on the run from powerful angry determined pursuers.

It's really hard to save the world from Ultimate Evil when the rest of the campaign world thinks you ARE the Ultimate Evil.