Quote:
Originally Posted by DouglasCole
Granted, I stole the idea from Caverntown
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Thanks for mentioning Caverntown. It's a classic example of what we're talking about here. I went totally over the top to make it
very hard for even powerful PCs to get away with crime . . .
Riders who refuse to pay are escorted off the lift – often with the assistance of other passengers, who rarely appreciate delays.
The cave [...] resists natural or magical forces with HT 20. The pillars themselves are effectively indestructible.
Delvers hoping to exploit rooftops to get over the Barricade – or buildings to conceal efforts to go through it – are out of luck.
Exterior doors are customarily iron [...] The prevalence of sticky-fingered delvers in town spurs most citizens to lock their doors [...]
Subtler troublemakers must use Stealth at -5 (or magic!) to get close without being noticed, and then Climbing at -5 to get over the wall [...]
Delvers who decide not to pay will find their way blocked by at least twice as many guards as their party size [...] Any outcome that doesn't end in payment means a criminal record [...]
If the delvers are being annoying, the watchmen will be prepared with a few tough guys and a spellcaster or two.
Two gigantic (20') stone golems [...] Delvers who make themselves a threat and try to flee up The Shaft may learn this the hard way.
The price? Confiscation of any goods offered for sale or any tools used to perform a service, plus a fine [...] Fleeing this fate might be possible [...] but success leads to a criminal record [...]
Locally, cheating the Guild [...] ends in a visit by a squad of surly dwarven knights in plate armor.
. . . and the entire
It's Good to Be in Charge! (p. 13) and
Local Laws (pp. 25-27) sections . . . and every bit that mentions "remedial penance" or "alternative punishment" . . . and the part where the Society of Assassins works for the Mayor (p. 23).
But I
also gave PCs valves for letting off steam, in
Warrior Codes (p. 27). This is important, too. You can carry weapons, defend yourself, and even duel as long as you're not breaking the law. The city doesn't want to disarm you and railroad you into danger; it just wants you to respect its laws, its guilds, and its citizens.