Urban campaign and Bounty Hunter ideas...

[gamerprinter]

Always working on one setting idea or another, often what I am home-brewing is not a setting I'm developing, but here's the last setting our group has been playing and I think it has potential as its own Adventure Path.

I posted what it was basically about in a thread in the General Forum that gives a good overview on what the setting is all about.

I ran an urban campaign with a Bounty Hunter Agency, who were more or less law-abiding. The city had rules allowing outsiders to hide in the city for a length of time and if they escaped capture in that time were given amnesty for any crime committed. Outside law enforcement was forbidden inside the city, while local law enforcement concentrated on crimes within the city, so criminals hiding out (not committing crimes) are safe from everyone except the Bounty Hunters (included the PC party).

When the law was created one of the signing legal agents was actually an outsider serving a lawful neutral deity of Law. His signature make the document legally binding at an extra-planar level, thus 'outsider' criminals from beyond the plane hid in the city, trying to gain amnesty. So many of these criminal types are elementals, fiends, Jinn, and many others. (Which made it a campaign setting that could go really high in levels, while remaining in the city.)

While one PC was the primary martial Bounty Hunter - an archetyped Urban Ranger (for Pathfinder), the rest of the party were investigator/detectives in varying other classes.

As Bounty Hunters they could act like investigators, but at the same time they could cross legal lines and do things a bit illegal in the pursuit of the quarries.

So what I need...

A detailed city map
Since the law of the city creates the need for a Bounty Hunter Agency allows the setting go even to high levels of play and still be pertinent, it is more unique than what could be possible in 'any city' where a bounty hunter organization exists. While the bounty hunter concept could easily be adapted to a different use. The value of this setting requires its own city.

Since I'm a cartographer, no big deal, though city maps are the most complicated and most work of any maps. I need to make a cool city map for my own purposes anyway, so I might as well do so with this project.

Varying Power Bases...
To properly accomodate the city charter and law regarding criminal amnesty, several institutions need to be put in place to handle the wider ramifications.

1. A military judicial government in the form of a military noble line, being Lawful is a paramount element to fit the atmosphere of the town, though being a large city of disparate citizens and criminals in hiding, it is in fact a chaotic place with the attempted semblance of control.

2. A powerful military with the arcane arsenal to be able to deal with exotic extra planar threats.

3. Local law enforcement concerned with crimes committed in the city, not shepherding criminals in hiding attempting to escape justice. Because some of those criminals in hiding will be tempted to do crime, they will become entwined with local policing activities, so the police force must also be well arcanely equipped to deal with a variety of dangerous scenarios.

4. Ministry of Extraplanar Affairs - something like the state department, but has regular dealings with ambassadors and other representatives from the various extra-planar populations and concerns that exist in such a city. Aside from the expected wizard bureaucrats, they would be supported by their own 'agents' or black operatives to be competitive with any Bounty Hunters.

5. Extra planar residents - some of those receiving amnesty of their extra planar crimes, in relative safety become permanent residents of the community, taking on various positions of power that they might best fit. A marid for a Harbormaster for instance is one such former seeker of amnesty. (She was an important NPC in the campaign our home group played.)

6. Extra planar embasseys - often those obtaining the bounties for said fugitives by the various extra-planar embasseys throughout the 'bureaucrat' area of the city. They have representatives working closely with the bounty hunter agency, while maintaining their own spies and assassins to bypass local law and kill their quarry themselves.

7. A judiciary system that does not believe in capital punishment, rather extended periods of incarceration and labor. The prison system is managed by a priestly order of inmate keepers. Through diet and divine application inmates become ageless while in captivity, so they can fully serve sentences that might normally extend past their expected lifetimes. 500 year sentences can be adequetely served, without actually aging (perhaps at 10% rate for some cost.)

8. Prison capable of containing the wrathful powers of varying extra-planar inmates. For this reason, many of the varying extra-planar agencies have investments and technical advisors to help the prisons keep their inmates in captivity.

9. Varying factions like multiple crime syndicates, street gangs, mercantile companies, craft guilds, religious orders also compete or collaborate with bounty hunter activities.

The goal is to make complex, believeable, interwovan campaign of mulitple entities of a large and exotic city as the real setting the PC bounty hunters participate.

Props:
Props - as in the homebrew, I think this campaign setting is great for gaming aid props, as I used many in the homebrew game, including: a page from the city charter in legalese that granted the rights for bounty hunters as a mechanism to manage the criminal immigrant population, a bounty hunter's license (an actual certificate with PCs name), Wanted Posters with illustrations of the 'wanted', details on his crimes, and amount paid. These would be great to include in a publication adventure path, don't you think?

Maps - not of every precinct, at least not in detail beyond the total city map, but specifc neighborhood/precincts as they appear among various bounties-missions made available in the adventure path. I am a cartographer so that is my strong suit. Precinct and specific encounter scale maps would be included for every quarry.

Pathfinder specifics:

I don't want to invent any new classes for this, I think relying on the APG archetypes that currently exist plus its new classes seem most appropriate to fit the role of Bounty Hunters: Detective Bard, Inquisitor, Investigator Rogue, Urban Druid, and Urban Ranger. Perhaps an investigative flavor of sorcerer new archetype might fit as well.

The Bounty Hunter Agency is well defined, with an owner/operator, staff of experts and enforcers, a hierarchy, budget per bounty allotted, available special equipment available or can be crafted, operate as a hostel or barracks for the bounty hunters (but they will probably also maintain 'apartments' elsewhere in the city), as well as a training site. It will be specifically mapped.

New gadgets and magic items, perhaps new spells avoiding feats or other add-on rules, then focusing on statted targets for bounties of all levels. I could include enough NPCs for more than what a given party of bounty hunters could retrieve over a 20 level adventure path. Thus not a rail-road campaign, rather more sandbox, with choices for marks at every level.

The NPC stat sheets would include last known whereabouts, known hang-outs or at least which precinct in the city the individual should be located, and any other pertinent specifics. This gives the GM clues on how best to use him, and other than a few plothooks and larger storyline ideas, there are goals only and not a pre-set order of actuation in game (its more sand-boxy).

Thoughts? Would this make for an interesting campaign setting, and something that might be interesting enough to purchase/play?

GP

 

[gamerprinter]

So no thoughts or suggestions? Is there anything I have not considered? Is this a doable campaign or mostly 'meh'?

I'm curious at your thoughts.

Unlike my other publication projects, my plan is to do this completely on my own as in the only publisher involved, perhaps as every other job as well, like Illustrator, Cartographer, Developer, Author...

Let me see what I can do on my own and on a limited budget.

GP

 

[MortonStromgal]

It reminds me of Shadowrun and a bit of Matthias Thulmann or the Witcher

 

[gamerprinter]

It reminds me of Shadowrun and a bit of Matthias Thulmann or the Witcher

Funny, I never thought of Shadowrun (which is future cyberpunk rather than fantasy) it might be worth looking at that to get some ideas modified for the technology of course. I haven't read any of the Witcher stuff, so it might also be worth a look.

Thanks for the response.

GP

 

[Maidhc O Casain]

This sounds interesting to me!

 

[grufflehead]

A bit late replying but I think it's got a lot of potential too. Looking for any input as you said you were going to develop it on your own?

 

[Scotley]

Wow, I see lots of potential to let your creativity run free here. I'll offer up some questions to get your juices flowing since you've stated a desire to make the place your own work.

First of all, IMHO, the city should be in an unusual location. Someplace with planer connections, access to the underdark, areas of wild and dead magic and perhaps even areas where the time stream flows differently. One might experience 500 years of incarceration and hard labor in only say 100 years for everyone else. Conversely, a judge might rule that someone need only serve a short sentence, but that enough time should pass so that victims would be long since dead before the criminal returned. So where is the city and what unusual features does its location produce?

Have you considered the possibility that a prison came first? The city, with its strange provisions of amnesty arose near a very special prison. Manage to escape and hide out long enough and you gain your freedom. Perhaps the precedent for this was set by an early very power prisoner or maybe by some very powerful being who chose to protect an escaped prisoner. Lots of fun back-stories could lend themselves to this.

What sorts of things could powerful beings do for hard labor? This could result in some unusual features for the city. Especially the labors of evil beings such as demons and devils. Their work might lead to unexpected consequences for the city. Again, a great opportunity to let your creativity run wild.

Beyond the prison, why is there a city here? What is it about this place that makes it viable? Is there some repository of ancient knowledge or power here at the confluence of planes? Did the labor of some early powerful being produce something that continues to make wealth for the citizens? I would lean toward some sort of special trade hub that causes lots of unusual creatures to travel here. It would make it much easier for prisoners to hide in a multicultural center over a human-centric society.

Let's explore the bounty hunter aspect a little more. Sure some of the criminals are simply on a sort of 'most wanted list', but could there be some who posted an unusual bond to gain their freedom until their trial? Then they fled rather than face trial? Might not a portion of that unusual bond be a reward for their capture? It would allow you to reward successful bounty hunters with something besides cash, which could become both stale and problematic over a long campaign.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

 

[gamerprinter]

Wow, I see lots of potential to let your creativity run free here. I'll offer up some questions to get your juices flowing since you've stated a desire to make the place your own work.

First of all, IMHO, the city should be in an unusual location. Someplace with planer connections, access to the underdark, areas of wild and dead magic and perhaps even areas where the time stream flows differently. One might experience 500 years of incarceration and hard labor in only say 100 years for everyone else. Conversely, a judge might rule that someone need only serve a short sentence, but that enough time should pass so that victims would be long since dead before the criminal returned. So where is the city and what unusual features does its location produce?

Location, location, location... really as a homebrew it was located as a coastal city at the foot of a coastal range only accessable by sea on a prime material plane location. But does that really work (it worked for our homebrew), but it might better serve to be in a more exotic place.

I don't really want a Sigil, or other kind of demiplane. Could be on the astral plane? How about the moon? How does the moon fit in D&D cosmology - I don't really know?

I haven't settled at a best location yet... I'll know it when I see it, but no inspirations just yet.

However, what the city looks like, I have some ideas. I am inspired by a more exotic and grander version of Constantinople and Samarkand. I see minaretted mosques, sky piercing gothic cathedrals, a great frequency of temples, walled mansions, keeps and castles, as well as the grand fortress of the city's lord surrounded by parks. This would be a megapolis perhaps upwards to 100,000 people.

Beyond that I need a best location to put it in, to best adapt to whatever choice that becomes.

Have you considered the possibility that a prison came first? The city, with its strange provisions of amnesty arose near a very special prison. Manage to escape and hide out long enough and you gain your freedom. Perhaps the precedent for this was set by an early very power prisoner or maybe by some very powerful being who chose to protect an escaped prisoner. Lots of fun back-stories could lend themselves to this.

I had considered the possibility of the prison preceeding the existence of the city. Interesting backstory idea, I'll have to think on that a bit.

What sorts of things could powerful beings do for hard labor? This could result in some unusual features for the city. Especially the labors of evil beings such as demons and devils. Their work might lead to unexpected consequences for the city. Again, a great opportunity to let your creativity run wild.

I want to use a word I invented as name for another thread... Diabalestae, which links devils with city defensive siege machines, so having devils making diabolical defense works sounds appropriate. These would be collosal sized balistae and anti-siege machines. I'm sure I could come up with more ideas, but that one's for starters.

Beyond the prison, why is there a city here? What is it about this place that makes it viable? Is there some repository of ancient knowledge or power here at the confluence of planes? Did the labor of some early powerful being produce something that continues to make wealth for the citizens? I would lean toward some sort of special trade hub that causes lots of unusual creatures to travel here. It would make it much easier for prisoners to hide in a multicultural center over a human-centric society.

One thought, if on a prime material world, is this is an ancient comet strike location that have created some sort of rift inciting time anamolies, and rare metal/gem deposits.

Combining a comet strike from within the D&D cosmology suggests to me, a piece of an outerplane 'broke' from it's source into the astral plane, randomly entering a color pool to this particular world and causing a world shattering castrophe, however that was ages ago. At this location is where the prison and city exists due to anamolies and deposits still remaining as needed resources and environment to accomodate the extra-planar nature of it.

Let's explore the bounty hunter aspect a little more. Sure some of the criminals are simply on a sort of 'most wanted list', but could there be some who posted an unusual bond to gain their freedom until their trial? Then they fled rather than face trial? Might not a portion of that unusual bond be a reward for their capture? It would allow you to reward successful bounty hunters with something besides cash, which could become both stale and problematic over a long campaign.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

I had already surmised that many outer planar beings do not rely on gold as a measure of wealth, thus exotic payments of boons, magic items, slaves, gemstones bearing a being's soul, and other exotica, in addition to more normal treasure items would be available as payments for bounties.

Any more ideas are welcome - though I say I'm developing this myself, contributors are always welcome, and I've no problem giving credit for those who do, should this go to publication.

GP

 

[Scotley]

I agree with you that repeating the Sigil style demi-plane would not be a good idea. Keeping the place on the Prime Material makes sense; although the moon thing appeals to me personally. Certainly the isolation of the coastal range makes it a good place for a prison.

Perhaps the strange nature of the area is due to the influence of some early prisoner? Some powerful being who's very essence messed with the flow of time and the functioning of magic in the area? The comet thing has been done a time or two, but the crashing demi-plane thing is an interesting twist. Maybe the extra-planer bit has slowly washed up by way of the elemental plane of water into the sea here about and thence onto the shores here due to the nature of local tides and currents.

I love Diabalestae, very cool sounding and evocative.

 

[grufflehead]

Disclaimer - I'm not at all familiar with Sigil (other than the concept behind it), and have very limited knowledge of Eberron and Waterdeep.

A bunch of questions that popped into my head (in no order):

- how big is the city?

I'm assuming pretty big if you are talking about multiple wards, and the fact that it's obviously big enough for criminals to get 'lost' in

- what is the make-up of the populace? Standard races? How weird do they get?

Again, I'll assume there is a pretty eclectic mix else all these outsiders will stand out like a sort thumb.

- What do the 'ordinary' people do?

Presumably all the functions of a standard city have to be fulfilled as the economy will drive everything. If there are merchants, refuse workers, doctors, teachers, clerks etc, how do they react to the (apparently) fairly commonplace occurence of extra-planar creatures appearing?

And on the subject of economy, while putting it in a bizarre location sounds fun, how do people trade (how do they do it in Sigil?)? Are the trade routes by sea, land, both, extra-planar themselves? Something else? The more you have to shoehorn things in, the more it will either turn into Sigil, or possibly become weird enough that it turns people off.

With all these ordinary fleshpods on the go, *any* sort of extra-planar creature could easily go on a killing spree before the law caught up with them. That suggests that there is some sort of compact which is well understood by all regarding how to behave (regardless of alignment). There must be a compelling reason why outsiders come to this place for the 'amnesty' - why not just disappear to some backwater of the Prime Material? Why run the risk of being caught by the bounty hunters? And if the 'carrot' for refugees is the possibility of freedom if they remain hidden (freedom from whom exactly?), then the penalty for breaking the 'First Law' has to be final - any outsider who kills/rapes/insert other capital crime while in the city, will, when caught, have their essence completely and irrevocably destroyed for all eternity. Who is capable of carrying that out?

As far as turning it into something like an AP, there needs to be a plot apart from just 'go and catch this guy'. Episode 1 has the new recruits doing just that, but by episode 2, a seemingly routine assignment has to lead to something more. Some ideas might include:

- another outsider is the only one with the info the PCs need; but he needs something from them...

- a crime is committed that spans the authority of the city guard and bounty hunters; who has jurisdiction?

- someone/thing is framed and the PCs have to assemble the clues to prove their/its innocence

- perhaps the bigger plot could be that something has escaped from a (let's say) lower plane. Normally, compact rules apply, but in this case, the escapee has something so powerful/explosive that the powers that be have decided they want it back and will go to any lengths to get it. Part 1 might be that they send something to find and silence the escapee; the PCs intervene and stop it. Part 2 is an escalation, maybe the powers deliberately stir up trouble and attempt to use the turmoil as cover for another snatch attempt. Then the denouement (perhaps of the whole AP) is a full scale assault on the city by the legions of hell/the abyss.

Just rambling now but maybe throws up some questions you haven't thought of.