DF] Random Encounters and Side Jobs

[ajardoor]

Simple, really, we write some minor stuff the GM can throw into a DF game.
Side jobs are errands a party member can do for NPCs to earn a little money, items, plot hooks or info while in a town or city.
Random encounters are exactly what you'd expect.
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For example;

Side Job: Hostage Situation
When resting at an inn, a desperate bandit grabs an unlucky serving girl. The owner may ask a trustworthy adventurer to settle the matter.

Saving the girl is worth a CP and saves $35 on living expenses for that week (the grateful owner comps the room and one meal per day).
Killing the bandit earns the party a $50 reward from the watch due to a bounty on his head, double the reward if he's bought in alive.

Convincing the bandit to release the girl will require at least a Neutral reaction and a $100 bribe. $50 on a Good reaction and $25 on a Very Good reaction. On an Excellent reaction or critical success on an Intimidation roll where the bandit knows he is clearly outmatched (i.e. 5-on-1 odds or a sword at his neck), the bandit surrenders without a fight.

The bandit has one average shortsword, no armor, $19 in cash, a few mundane items of GM's decision and two knives.
ST 11, HT 10, IQ 11, DX 12, Per 13, Will 11, FP 10, HP 11, Speed 5.5, Move 5, Dodge 8, Parry 9 (shortsword)
Shortsword (13): 1d-1 imp/1d+1 cut
Knife (14): 1d-1 imp/ 1d-2 cut
Thrown Knife (11): 1d-1 imp

[Bruno]

Good discussion idea!

I like the modern incarnation of random encounters - more than just a line on a table indicating number and type of monsters, it's an actual fully detailed encounter (albeit usually a short one). Adds a little more color, and gives the GM a useful tool for "and while the PCs are travelling down this road to the dungeon for the fourth time this month, a... THING happens!" moments. But because each "thing" is pre-planned, the GM has a little background information to explain exactly why an ettin was harassing people on the kings highway for when players decide to talk instead of murder (or talk AND murder, or read minds, or whatever).

Speaking of which, I'm working on one for the Random Encounter on a road file ;)

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Side Job: Hostage Situation (Level II):

While the PCs are resting at an inn, a desperate trio of hardened adventurers on the run from whatever passes for serious law enforcement tries to commandeer the common room and disarm all present without warning. The crusty old innkeeper goes for his crossbow and is outdrawn, leaving the PCs to defend his beautiful daughter and the innocent patrons (or to join forces with the outlaws for the siege and to loot and plunder the inn, if they are so inclined and make Fast Talk or Streetwise rolls to convince them that they hate authority enough be trusted).

For an easier scenario, start the PCs off in their sleeping quarters with all of their gear close at hand and let them attempt to take the rogue party by surprise if they want. For a harder scenario, start them off at mealtime in the common room with no armor and nothing but dinner utensils for weaponry unless they are very adept at Holdout or have an invisible sword or something.

The rogue party should have decent weapons and armor, and stats that are comparable to the PCs, but will be outmatched because they have lost their cleric, are tired (at 1/2 FP), optionally wounded (anything from 1-2 HP for minor scrapes and bruises to one guy below 1/3 HP and slowing the whole group down), have no shields, and are probably outnumbered (especially if the PCs can make some excellent Leadership or Fast Talk rolls or use Mind Control to rally the crowd). I suggest a fighter, a thief, and a wizard, but customize to whatever will give your PCs a tough but winnable head-on challenge.

Rewards: The rogue party lost all their cash in the pursuit, but they robbed a shipment of treasure that belonged to the (crown / most famous influential megarich merchant / major temple) and the reward for their heads is whatever the party would consider a tidy but not life-changing sum. If anybody is interested in marrying or otherwise romantically attaching themself to the innkeeper's beautiful daughter and operating an inn, her orientation is agreeable and social skills are at a +4 situational TDM (hurr).

If the PCs join forces with the rogue party and repel the Good Guys successfully, the rogues reveal that they stole the treasure to hire high-powered muscle to take on an even bigger job raiding a secret complex that only they know the entrance to...

[Stripe]

Great idea! But, you know what would be cool, too? Do this on wiki.rpg.net.

[ajardoor]

Interesting trivia, BTW; I got the initial example (Hostage Situation) from Fallout 1. I think a few of the New Reno mob family side quests in Fallout 2 would be okay for this as well ("Hey, Lloyd! CATCH!").

[ajardoor]

Side Job: Slacker
A higher up in the Theif's Guild or similarly organised criminal mastermind hires the party to straighten out one of his trusted minions, who has become withdrawn from society and refuses to do his share of selling stolen wares on the black market. The minion must not be killed, just forced back onto the street corners. The upfront fee will be $200.

The characters find the minion a paranoid wreck, who explains a group of intensely dangerous rival gangers want him dead for "poaching on their turf."
Explaining this to the boss will cause him to offer the party another $1000 if they take out the rivals.

The rival gangers consist of a 250-point Thief, a 150-point Knight, two 100-point Swashbucklers and a 200-point Wizard.

The GM may award all characters with 1 CP as well, if they handle the job smoothly and professionally.

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Side Job: Up in Smoke

A nasty and strange alchemical gas chokes a large street due to an untimely critical failure of a local enchanter, causing outbreaks of random violence, hallucinations, drunkeness and any other effects the GM decides are appropriate.

The party is hired to venture into the smoked area during the confusion and steal a valuable magic item while the city watch tries in vain to contain the situation.

The job will pay one decent, non-consumable magic item of the GM's choosing in return (not the one they were sent to retrieve!).

The hard part is the smoke, which will limit visability, require the characters to protect their breathing and turn any animal or citizen exposed to it into a raving lunatic vomiting up random chemicals.
And that's assuming they don't get exposed to it themselves.

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Side Job: Driven to Distraction

A rich person of some importance is making a trip in a carriage, along with some armed guards and two friends. The party are hired to somehow delay this journey for about a hour at least. The nobleman and his friends are not to be harmed at all. The job will pay $350.

The nobleman, of course, will have plenty of jewelry (either roll three times on the appropriate Treasure Tables or just assume ((4d X $20) + ($400 X 1d/2)) total worth) on his fine clothing and his two friends have luxury items worth another $120.

The guards are mostly average worthies, all with cheap crossbows, shortswords, some decent armour (no more than DR 4 on the torso), 1d X $7 in cash and fairly intelligent combat tactics.
The two exceptions are Vincent Carmine, chief of personal security and war veteran (370-point Knight with fairly advanced equipment), and Venus Blackette, well reknowned professional magic user in excellent standing with The Guild of the Seven Sequestered Circles in the nation's capital (320-point Wizard with a 9 FP power item).

[Son of Dave]

Side Job: Militia Work (Ambush)

The party have been hired to deal with a local bandit problem. There is a gang that has been raiding local caravans and merchants, who are hiding out in the local forrest/abandonded keep/cliff side cave system (or any other 'high-rise' location the GM wants). The parties job is to drive them away, force them to surrender or kill them. The local official who hires them promises $300 plus $30 per surrendered bandit or $15 for every dead bandit (ears from the corpses are acceptable tokens).

However, the gang have been tipped off, and have set up an ambush leveraging their high vantage point (in trees, up walls or on the cliff edge), to pelt the approaching party with arrows and other missile weapons.

The bandits are relativly weak individually, qualifying as mooks, having ST12, DX10, IQ10, HT10, Per13 etc. a Bow/Crossbow/Sling~13, Shortsword~12 and Stealth~12.

They are equipped with suitable weapons (eg. Shortbow, 15 arrows, Cheap Shortsword, Leather Armour [DR2, torso, groin] and have 1d*$5). Despite their weakness, they are willing and prepared to fight, and will fight intelligently (e.g. taking lots of Aim maneuvers, and taking AoA(determined, ranged) to prop up their hit rate and hiding until the party are within range).

The number of bandits is highly variable, though 5-10 should be a reasonable -but temporary- threat to low power parties; scale the numbers up to small army sizes for the more experienced parties. Alternativly, add in the bandits boss, a 200-point Scout with a magical longbow.