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

[Eltab]

there are very few books/stories out there that are written from the villains point of view which should give you some indication that it is not a very popular topic nor all that fun after a while

I liked the Darth Bane trilogy (and the same author's "prequel") in the Star Wars universe.
The Phantom of The Opera spotlights an anti-hero / pseudo-villain.

But the fact that I can mention these characters by name does indicate the rarity of a good villain-centered story.

 

[Eltab]

...which if anyone is carrying it will just get them killed - especially if they try to sell it. Except my NPC...

The four most expensive words in the English language: "It's Different This Time."
You could introduce a third party that crashes the NPC's hideout in the PCs' absence, wanting to steal the item and not fussy about killing whoever they meet. When the PCs return, the NPC is acting almost-paranoid.

 

[Bradley Hindman]

If you are worried that the PCs are going to break their contract, they probably will. You know your players best. So . . . let them break it and then as many have already said, ensure there are consequences and make them interesting. The consequences shouldn't be seen as punishment. What are some likely consequences? Some of these have already been mentioned by others:
1) The NPC patron hires professionals to recover that with which the PCs absconded.
2) Merchants are unwilling to deal with the PCs, either for fear of angering the patron or on moral grounds of not wishing to deal with thieves and their ill gotten gains.
3) If there is a contract, then there must be laws. Have the PCs arrested for breach of contract.
4) Have the patron spread the word far and wide that the PCs are untrustworthy oath breakers. No one will hire them; no one will deal with them. The damage to their reputation either needs to be overcome by great and heroic deeds or by attacking the problem directly in the social sphere.
5) The local thieves guild views the PC's actions as the theft that it is. They come looking for their cut and to deliver a warning about freelancing . . .

 

[cmad1977]

Consequences.


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[Blue]

If it's not a secret, their patron takes them down the the local church of the god of justice and for a small donations they make an oath - he gives them all the information he knows and they that they will bring back the object.

Doesn't have to be magical. But if they break it, the church will post it, and others will know them as oathbreakers, allied churches may not provide healing or sell potions, etc.

 

[Coroc]

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.

No, no, you think much to complicated.

A single persuasion check just to allow them the mega sword of doom they recovered is to easy. Much to easy.

First of all everybody in the part with lawful alignment even those with lawful evil alignment would in character not break a contract. If they do anyway they are in for an alignment change to neutral or even chaotic at least.

Second, someone who can hire one party of adventurers for the difficult task of recovering the megasword of doom from the dungeon of death has the means at hand to hire a group of more experienced adventurers (Stat these like PCs ) for a very simple task: Kill the Party and bring the object.

Oh and then there are thieves, preferable before any reward is paid, and the cult of doom who wants their artefact back as well as the angry adult dragon from because it was stolen from his hoard 400 years ago...

If this is not to your liking then have the recovered item be an artefact in reality with every mean curse attached to the item which is to your liking. In the end your party will pay gold to get rid of it. See 2nd ed book of artifacts for some sample curses.