A Prison for the Worst [Archive] - Wizards Community

A Prison for the Worst [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Lyinginbedmon
06-21-07, 05:44 PM Okay, for my next campaign, the players are getting locked up in the best prison for kilomiles, Larkhill, named for the detention centre of V for Vendetta.

My problem is that, whilst Larkhill has been referenced and mentioned a lot before this event, I've never actually had to show it to them. So I'm now trying to piece together everything that would make the place so inescapable.

Here's what I have so far:
It's a land-based prison, no Alcatraz option
There are at least 3 wings:
One for melee-based villains (Like Fighters, Barbarians, etc.)
One for spellcasters (Like Clerics, Wizards, Sorcerers, etc.)
And a mixed wing (For Duskblades, Factotums, etc.). There may also be a Fourth wing for mental patients.
Each wing is divided into different levels of security across 5 floors:
1-Gold (For luxury, you only get here through very good behaviour or with the aid of someone powerful)
2-Stone (All prisoners that are too dangerous for everywhere else are kept here in a petrified state, also known as the "Rock Block")
3-MaxSec (Self explanatory, maximum security for the most dangerous criminals below the Rock Block)
4-Solitary (Again, basically for punitive measures)
5-GenPop (Everyone else, basically)
The spellcaster & mixed wing is covered with antimagic effects, including
Dimensional Lock
The Secure Cavern lair ward from Draconomicon, preventing a number of things, including spells/devices that detect, influence, or read emotions and thoughts right up to Wish, in addition to eliminating Scrying.
During transport, the prisoners are placed in Magebane Manacles (From Arms & Equipment Guide). All cells are wreathed in an Antimagic Field. The exception to this antimagic zone is the main courtyard, which features 3 guarded and reinforced turrets containing guards able to use Detect Magic and Battlemagic Perception, and can use Dispel Magic to counter any spells cast.
Naturally, holy symbols and reading materials are all forbidden within this area.
The melee & mixed wing is also defended thusly:
No weapons, Detect Weaponry is used to locate any smuggled or produced inside during random inspections
Zone of Peace affects every cell and the courtyard. 3 turrets like in the spellcaster courtyard are equipped with Solid Fog and various ranged damaging spells with Nonlethal Substitution
The mixed wing contains all of the above restrictors, whilst the maximum security levels boast improved mundane defenses and solitary include adamantine roomsThat's what I have so far, anyone have any suggestions? I'm especially looking for ideas on the layout.
Necrosis
06-21-07, 05:55 PM How brutal is the mindset of the wardens-if htey are nasty cutting out someones eyes, tongue, and chaining them to a wall is a good way of containment.

if they are extra planer with no morals-infesting them with xill or other nasties could be a fun little 'sentence'

you will need dimensioanl lock over the entire prison, or build it in a dead magic zone to prevent dimension dooring smash and grabs.
Mock26
06-21-07, 07:04 PM I've always been a fan of vertical prison cells, with a trap door set in the ceiling and the prisoners are lowered about 50' down via a rope or just tossed in. That right there puts a serious damper on any escape attempts through the door because it is well out of reach.

I would also add in an ultra-maximum security area where prisoners are kept in some sort of a stasis field that basically renders them the equivalent of unconscious and thus incapable of escaping from inside the stasis field.

Take care and have a great day....

ciao,
john.
drake_vampiel_d
06-21-07, 07:07 PM use BlackMaw prison from DUngeon issue #135
Anathema
06-21-07, 07:15 PM <puts on thinking cap>

With beings in D&D as potentially powerful as they are, I think you should take a queue from another movie that showcases a prison for the ultra-powerful; X-men 2. For this example, you see that no standard prison can hold someone as all-powerful as Magneto, and one had to be specially constructed for him.

Grafting this idea on to D&D, I would say that such a prison could not be made generically. For a D&D worlds greatest villains, the prison would have to be constructed around each new prisoner, and it would be impossible for such a place to be completely fool proof if there are some tricks that an individual might not have revealed. A contingency that the wardens couldn't plan for.

I think if I were making such a prison, I would start with the prisoners, and then build the prison around them.
Horus_Sungod
06-21-07, 09:40 PM I'm intrigued as why anyone would spend hundred of thousands of gp to keep powerful criminals locked? Seeing how brutal the D&D justice is (St. Culbert!), only lawful stupid paladins would keep evil characters (who do not repent) alive.

However, the stone block idea is VERY good! Even the most powerful villain is poweless when transformed into a statue. Actually, I think it'd be more "realistic" (as far as D&D goes) to keep a regular prison and the Stone block.
Lyinginbedmon
06-22-07, 03:34 AM Because this is a Lawful nation, so criminal execution is a punishment they don't use.

That said, they have used it in the past, when there was a monarchy, until they all died in the Great War and the system of government became a representative democracy.

And it's one thing to kill a powerful criminal and quite another to simply restrain him.
Empirate
06-22-07, 06:18 AM Also, in the world of D&D, there's True Resurrection. So no killing, stupid idea, especially for the most villainous of villains.
I like the idea of building it in a dead magic zone. Then all you need are physically powerful guards and a stable architecture. I also like the 50' deep cells. These are historic and have been used throughout the Middle Ages; they were called "oubliettes" (because everybody thrown in was basically a forgotten person).

You could also go for a prison on the negative or positive energy plane. The prisoners are free to do what they want, but breaking out is simply no option...
Lyinginbedmon
06-22-07, 06:37 AM The deep cell idea is interesting, perhaps we could save space by having the cells be composed chiefly of Bags of Holding...
A BoH IV would suffice, 250 cubic feet limitation, which means that the maximum height can be 16 ft. assuming a 4x4 floor space, though this would cost 10,000 GP per cell... This would however give a DC 63 Jump check to reach the top, or DC 31 with vertical reach.

I've been considering largely the issues of unarmed characters like Monks, and the issues between prepared and unprepared spellcasters (Prepared you can get rid of the holy symbol or spellbook, unprepared you need to get rid of everything).

I think that a loud claxon sounding every 7 hours would prevent the prepareds from...preparing, but would make the guards extremely aggrivated. Symphonic Nightmare (Spell Compendium) could prevent it, and could be applied during weekly medical examinations. I'm still unsure how to effect the sorcerers.

Monks and other unarmed fighters are some of the hardest, because I'd have to disparage Geneva to rid them of weaponry... Perhaps the Rock Block is the best option for them, but that would seriously cramp up the space.

EDIT: Brainwave on the oubliettes: Bags of Holding, with the opening of the bag wrapped around a Bottle of Air! There's a trap mechanism that, should the prisoner leap to the opening and push out the bottle to escape, closes the opening thereby sealing the bag! This way, they have to remove the bottle to escape, but doing so seals the bag, preventing their escape and potentially leaving them to suffocate. The Guards have a key that allows them to open the mechanism, but this can only be done from outside the bag so any prisoners that steal the keys have a useless object.
Lyinginbedmon
06-22-07, 07:12 AM On further thought, the Bag of Holding idea should only be used for the melee characters, because using the antimagic of the mixed & spellcasting wings would negate the extradimensional space.
robertliguori
06-22-07, 07:42 AM Prisons are predicated on the concept that there are hard limits to human skill and physical capacity, that a created system of guards, bars, and other wards can exceed these limits, and that you can mass-produce this system to handle multiple people at once. None of these items are necessarily true in D&D; any prison would have to be strictly ad-hoc, with each cell based on what would be needed to constrain each individual high-level-character.

Moreover, there is always the very popular planar-exile option. Dumping evil people into Carceri could solve the problem nicely.
runestar
06-22-07, 08:11 AM Best prison? Trap the soul.:D
lastknightleft
06-22-07, 09:15 AM Um, prison would be too expensive? also if it's an unescapable prison what's the point of it. How'sabout a prison near impossible to escape. If you remove all chances of escape then the players might not appreciate it.
Lyinginbedmon
06-22-07, 09:21 AM The prison has existed for well over 500 years, expense isn't much of an issue. Given that the GP Limit of a community represents its annual monetary output, and that only 4% of that output is put towards construction and upkeep of Larkhill prison, that's 20,000,000 GP to spend
zzo38
06-22-07, 09:38 AM Um, prison would be too expensive? also if it's an unescapable prison what's the point of it. How'sabout a prison near impossible to escape. If you remove all chances of escape then the players might not appreciate it.

If you remove all chances of escape, it is good, the players will figure out what you have missed!
Sarella Starshine
06-22-07, 10:02 AM One of the dragon mags have detailed such a prison in Ebberon: Hellspike prison. I can't remember what the issue no. is off hand (i would have to dig through my dragons to find it). Though, I will post what it is when I do find it.
Lyinginbedmon
06-22-07, 10:23 AM Hellspike was a supplement wasn't it? You mean Dreadhold prison? In which case, issue 344.

And yes, I imagine whatever we figure out here will inevitably be overruled by the imaginative minds of my players, who have considered such things as stringing a guard's body up to salute on someone entering through a door, instead of the hack and slash affair they usually went for...
Dan Hemmens
06-22-07, 10:57 AM Because this is a Lawful nation, so criminal execution is a punishment they don't use.

Because no Lawful nation has capital punishment? Sorry I really don't get that.

That said, they have used it in the past, when there was a monarchy, until they all died in the Great War and the system of government became a representative democracy.

I'm fairly sure that a lot of representative democracies do in fact have capital punishment. I understand one of them at least is rather powerful at the moment.

And it's one thing to kill a powerful criminal and quite another to simply restrain him.

Usually, killing them is far easier.

Although as others have pointed out, True Resurrection makes killing them a bad idea.

I can see the campaigns now:

"Capital Punishment is not an effective deterrent against violent crime: studies show that the worst offenders will be immediately resurrected by their colleagues."
Lyinginbedmon
06-22-07, 11:22 AM Because no Lawful nation has capital punishment? Sorry I really don't get that.
It's a historical thing, suffice it to say that the country this prison is in (Beldor) doesn't have the death sentence.
I'm fairly sure that a lot of representative democracies do in fact have capital punishment. I understand one of them at least is rather powerful at the moment.
There's a dozen different responses I can give to that, but most of them aren't civilised and/or pertinent to this topic. This representative democracy doesn't do it.
Usually, killing them is far easier.

Although as others have pointed out, True Resurrection makes killing them a bad idea.

I can see the campaigns now:

"Capital Punishment is not an effective deterrent against violent crime: studies show that the worst offenders will be immediately resurrected by their colleagues."
As does Animate Dead, Resurrection, Reincarnation, etc. There's also at least one spell that revives you if you specify the cause of death, which should be possible given the death sentence part.
Dan Hemmens
06-22-07, 12:21 PM It's a historical thing, suffice it to say that the country this prison is in (Beldor) doesn't have the death sentence.

Fair enough, I just find it unusual. Modern liberal attitudes to jurisprudence aren't something I usually associate with fantasy settings.
Confusion567
06-22-07, 04:57 PM What's the point of this place? Do you want your players to escape? Are they waiting for a Rescue Team Ex Machina? That would certainly affect the design.

As does Animate Dead, Resurrection, Reincarnation, etc. There's also at least one spell that revives you if you specify the cause of death, which should be possible given the death sentence part.

They could be executed with a soul-trapping sword (or with some sort of kill-spell and a Trap Soul cast on them). Course, now I see some BBEG raiding their room of souls, breaking all the gems, and doing some sort of mass resurrection for an army of criminals... Not that it matters, because there is no death sentence.

But if there were... True Resurrection says it cannot bring back to life someone who dies of old age. Maybe an artificial aging spell?
Lyinginbedmon
06-22-07, 05:05 PM Naturally I can't reveal too much of the campaign plot, but suffice it to say that leaving isn't the overall point, but staying is and I very much doubt they'll be motivated to do so. After the conclusion of the main storyline, however, they will leave.
glorfon
06-22-07, 05:09 PM ooohh! ooohh! pick me!

Doors/gates barred shut with one or more imovible rods!
Lyinginbedmon
06-22-07, 05:15 PM Hmm...I can imagine the main gates of the prison being barred with Immovable Rods on both sides, with a series of them across the center when the gates are shut. The rods would have to be physically inside the gates to prevent them being disabled by rioting prisoners inside or attackers from outside
setekh
06-22-07, 05:54 PM I've always been a fan of vertical prison cells, with a trap door set in the ceiling and the prisoners are lowered about 50' down via a rope or just tossed in. That right there puts a serious damper on any escape attempts through the door because it is well out of reach.

A thought (Stolen blatantly from Stargate obviously)
Are there spells that allow gravity to be altered in a localised field?
You take them down a corridor, put them in a rectangular room say, fifteen / twenty feet long, then Boom, the gravity changes and the long becomes deep.
OGS-Remix
06-22-07, 06:39 PM Make the prison guard staff have several spellthieves whose sole job everyday is to drain off all the spell energy of spellcasting prisoners.

To contain melee all you need are permanent walls of force to make unbreakable cells. You can also do something clever like casting Rope trick above a pool of acid or something and then pulling the rope away from it. So melee can't get out of the rope trick without outside assistance to avoid getting dropped into serious danger.

You should also mark everyone with arcane mark and take a picture and some hair so you can Scry on them easily.
Lyinginbedmon
06-22-07, 07:10 PM My concern is that whilst the spellcasters need spells to be effective in shanking another inmate, the melee guys have little such detriment to having their weapons taken away
Moldiver
06-22-07, 07:31 PM My concern is that whilst the spellcasters need spells to be effective in shanking another inmate, the melee guys have little such detriment to having their weapons taken away

That shouldn't really be a problem though with the threat of landing in Stone Ward. Is it really worth it to take out a former prisoner when you get turned to stone for doing it? You never know, an accident might happen to you're body while your stone. Then you're SOL.
True Cavalier
06-22-07, 08:22 PM Geas on the prisoners to make them unable to leave the premises?

Probably wouldn't work on the highest level spellcasters (they will dispel it themselves) but for the melee guys, it's worth casting it once every 2 weeks.

Also, if I was running the place, I'd keep a panic button for emergency lockdown of all the cells and instantaneous turning of all cells to fiery ovens... in case of a mass attempt at escaping. Better safe than sorry (and you are going to be sorry if a bunch of high-level characters are fighting you at the same time). But then I am not Lawful Good.

Maybe they would keep emergency guardians. I can imagine John McGuard carrying a scroll of Summon Monster V in case he gets swarmed, or a one-use gemstone that can Dominate or at least Charm Person (especially if he's stationed with the melee guys).

PS The Geas part might fit with your "We want to leave, but for now we must stay" plan.
ravenshrike
06-22-07, 08:41 PM Because this is a Lawful nation, so criminal execution is a punishment they don't use.
? *head explodes*:confused: :weep: :nonono:
Lyinginbedmon
06-22-07, 08:50 PM ? *head explodes*:confused: :weep: :nonono:

As I said before:
It's a historical thing, suffice it to say that the country this prison is in (Beldor) doesn't have the death sentence.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Lyinginbedmon 06-21-07, 05:44 PM	Okay, for my next campaign, the players are getting locked up in the best prison for kilomiles, Larkhill, named for the detention centre of V for Vendetta. My problem is that, whilst Larkhill has been referenced and mentioned a lot before this event, I've never actually had to show it to them. So I'm now trying to piece together everything that would make the place so inescapable. Here's what I have so far: It's a land-based prison, no Alcatraz option There are at least 3 wings: One for melee-based villains (Like Fighters, Barbarians, etc.) One for spellcasters (Like Clerics, Wizards, Sorcerers, etc.) And a mixed wing (For Duskblades, Factotums, etc.). There may also be a Fourth wing for mental patients. Each wing is divided into different levels of security across 5 floors: 1-Gold (For luxury, you only get here through very good behaviour or with the aid of someone powerful) 2-Stone (All prisoners that are too dangerous for everywhere else are kept here in a petrified state, also known as the "Rock Block") 3-MaxSec (Self explanatory, maximum security for the most dangerous criminals below the Rock Block) 4-Solitary (Again, basically for punitive measures) 5-GenPop (Everyone else, basically) The spellcaster & mixed wing is covered with antimagic effects, including Dimensional Lock The Secure Cavern lair ward from Draconomicon, preventing a number of things, including spells/devices that detect, influence, or read emotions and thoughts right up to Wish, in addition to eliminating Scrying. During transport, the prisoners are placed in Magebane Manacles (From Arms & Equipment Guide). All cells are wreathed in an Antimagic Field. The exception to this antimagic zone is the main courtyard, which features 3 guarded and reinforced turrets containing guards able to use Detect Magic and Battlemagic Perception, and can use Dispel Magic to counter any spells cast. Naturally, holy symbols and reading materials are all forbidden within this area. The melee & mixed wing is also defended thusly: No weapons, Detect Weaponry is used to locate any smuggled or produced inside during random inspections Zone of Peace affects every cell and the courtyard. 3 turrets like in the spellcaster courtyard are equipped with Solid Fog and various ranged damaging spells with Nonlethal Substitution The mixed wing contains all of the above restrictors, whilst the maximum security levels boast improved mundane defenses and solitary include adamantine roomsThat's what I have so far, anyone have any suggestions? I'm especially looking for ideas on the layout.
Necrosis 06-21-07, 05:55 PM	How brutal is the mindset of the wardens-if htey are nasty cutting out someones eyes, tongue, and chaining them to a wall is a good way of containment. if they are extra planer with no morals-infesting them with xill or other nasties could be a fun little 'sentence' you will need dimensioanl lock over the entire prison, or build it in a dead magic zone to prevent dimension dooring smash and grabs.
Mock26 06-21-07, 07:04 PM	I've always been a fan of vertical prison cells, with a trap door set in the ceiling and the prisoners are lowered about 50' down via a rope or just tossed in. That right there puts a serious damper on any escape attempts through the door because it is well out of reach. I would also add in an ultra-maximum security area where prisoners are kept in some sort of a stasis field that basically renders them the equivalent of unconscious and thus incapable of escaping from inside the stasis field. Take care and have a great day.... ciao, john.
drake_vampiel_d 06-21-07, 07:07 PM	use BlackMaw prison from DUngeon issue #135
Anathema 06-21-07, 07:15 PM	<puts on thinking cap> With beings in D&D as potentially powerful as they are, I think you should take a queue from another movie that showcases a prison for the ultra-powerful; X-men 2. For this example, you see that no standard prison can hold someone as all-powerful as Magneto, and one had to be specially constructed for him. Grafting this idea on to D&D, I would say that such a prison could not be made generically. For a D&D worlds greatest villains, the prison would have to be constructed around each new prisoner, and it would be impossible for such a place to be completely fool proof if there are some tricks that an individual might not have revealed. A contingency that the wardens couldn't plan for. I think if I were making such a prison, I would start with the prisoners, and then build the prison around them.
Horus_Sungod 06-21-07, 09:40 PM	I'm intrigued as why anyone would spend hundred of thousands of gp to keep powerful criminals locked? Seeing how brutal the D&D justice is (St. Culbert!), only lawful stupid paladins would keep evil characters (who do not repent) alive. However, the stone block idea is VERY good! Even the most powerful villain is poweless when transformed into a statue. Actually, I think it'd be more "realistic" (as far as D&D goes) to keep a regular prison and the Stone block.
Lyinginbedmon 06-22-07, 03:34 AM	Because this is a Lawful nation, so criminal execution is a punishment they don't use. That said, they have used it in the past, when there was a monarchy, until they all died in the Great War and the system of government became a representative democracy. And it's one thing to kill a powerful criminal and quite another to simply restrain him.
Empirate 06-22-07, 06:18 AM	Also, in the world of D&D, there's True Resurrection. So no killing, stupid idea, especially for the most villainous of villains. I like the idea of building it in a dead magic zone. Then all you need are physically powerful guards and a stable architecture. I also like the 50' deep cells. These are historic and have been used throughout the Middle Ages; they were called "oubliettes" (because everybody thrown in was basically a forgotten person). You could also go for a prison on the negative or positive energy plane. The prisoners are free to do what they want, but breaking out is simply no option...
Lyinginbedmon 06-22-07, 06:37 AM	The deep cell idea is interesting, perhaps we could save space by having the cells be composed chiefly of Bags of Holding... A BoH IV would suffice, 250 cubic feet limitation, which means that the maximum height can be 16 ft. assuming a 4x4 floor space, though this would cost 10,000 GP per cell... This would however give a DC 63 Jump check to reach the top, or DC 31 with vertical reach. I've been considering largely the issues of unarmed characters like Monks, and the issues between prepared and unprepared spellcasters (Prepared you can get rid of the holy symbol or spellbook, unprepared you need to get rid of everything). I think that a loud claxon sounding every 7 hours would prevent the prepareds from...preparing, but would make the guards extremely aggrivated. Symphonic Nightmare (Spell Compendium) could prevent it, and could be applied during weekly medical examinations. I'm still unsure how to effect the sorcerers. Monks and other unarmed fighters are some of the hardest, because I'd have to disparage Geneva to rid them of weaponry... Perhaps the Rock Block is the best option for them, but that would seriously cramp up the space. EDIT: Brainwave on the oubliettes: Bags of Holding, with the opening of the bag wrapped around a Bottle of Air! There's a trap mechanism that, should the prisoner leap to the opening and push out the bottle to escape, closes the opening thereby sealing the bag! This way, they have to remove the bottle to escape, but doing so seals the bag, preventing their escape and potentially leaving them to suffocate. The Guards have a key that allows them to open the mechanism, but this can only be done from outside the bag so any prisoners that steal the keys have a useless object.
Lyinginbedmon 06-22-07, 07:12 AM	On further thought, the Bag of Holding idea should only be used for the melee characters, because using the antimagic of the mixed & spellcasting wings would negate the extradimensional space.
robertliguori 06-22-07, 07:42 AM	Prisons are predicated on the concept that there are hard limits to human skill and physical capacity, that a created system of guards, bars, and other wards can exceed these limits, and that you can mass-produce this system to handle multiple people at once. None of these items are necessarily true in D&D; any prison would have to be strictly ad-hoc, with each cell based on what would be needed to constrain each individual high-level-character. Moreover, there is always the very popular planar-exile option. Dumping evil people into Carceri could solve the problem nicely.
runestar 06-22-07, 08:11 AM	Best prison? Trap the soul.:D
lastknightleft 06-22-07, 09:15 AM	Um, prison would be too expensive? also if it's an unescapable prison what's the point of it. How'sabout a prison near impossible to escape. If you remove all chances of escape then the players might not appreciate it.
Lyinginbedmon 06-22-07, 09:21 AM	The prison has existed for well over 500 years, expense isn't much of an issue. Given that the GP Limit of a community represents its annual monetary output, and that only 4% of that output is put towards construction and upkeep of Larkhill prison, that's 20,000,000 GP to spend
zzo38 06-22-07, 09:38 AM	Um, prison would be too expensive? also if it's an unescapable prison what's the point of it. How'sabout a prison near impossible to escape. If you remove all chances of escape then the players might not appreciate it. If you remove all chances of escape, it is good, the players will figure out what you have missed!
Sarella Starshine 06-22-07, 10:02 AM	One of the dragon mags have detailed such a prison in Ebberon: Hellspike prison. I can't remember what the issue no. is off hand (i would have to dig through my dragons to find it). Though, I will post what it is when I do find it.
Lyinginbedmon 06-22-07, 10:23 AM	Hellspike was a supplement wasn't it? You mean Dreadhold prison? In which case, issue 344. And yes, I imagine whatever we figure out here will inevitably be overruled by the imaginative minds of my players, who have considered such things as stringing a guard's body up to salute on someone entering through a door, instead of the hack and slash affair they usually went for...
Dan Hemmens 06-22-07, 10:57 AM	Because this is a Lawful nation, so criminal execution is a punishment they don't use. Because no Lawful nation has capital punishment? Sorry I really don't get that. That said, they have used it in the past, when there was a monarchy, until they all died in the Great War and the system of government became a representative democracy. I'm fairly sure that a lot of representative democracies do in fact have capital punishment. I understand one of them at least is rather powerful at the moment. And it's one thing to kill a powerful criminal and quite another to simply restrain him. Usually, killing them is far easier. Although as others have pointed out, True Resurrection makes killing them a bad idea. I can see the campaigns now: "Capital Punishment is not an effective deterrent against violent crime: studies show that the worst offenders will be immediately resurrected by their colleagues."
Lyinginbedmon 06-22-07, 11:22 AM	Because no Lawful nation has capital punishment? Sorry I really don't get that. It's a historical thing, suffice it to say that the country this prison is in (Beldor) doesn't have the death sentence. I'm fairly sure that a lot of representative democracies do in fact have capital punishment. I understand one of them at least is rather powerful at the moment. There's a dozen different responses I can give to that, but most of them aren't civilised and/or pertinent to this topic. This representative democracy doesn't do it. Usually, killing them is far easier. Although as others have pointed out, True Resurrection makes killing them a bad idea. I can see the campaigns now: "Capital Punishment is not an effective deterrent against violent crime: studies show that the worst offenders will be immediately resurrected by their colleagues." As does Animate Dead, Resurrection, Reincarnation, etc. There's also at least one spell that revives you if you specify the cause of death, which should be possible given the death sentence part.
Dan Hemmens 06-22-07, 12:21 PM	It's a historical thing, suffice it to say that the country this prison is in (Beldor) doesn't have the death sentence. Fair enough, I just find it unusual. Modern liberal attitudes to jurisprudence aren't something I usually associate with fantasy settings.
Confusion567 06-22-07, 04:57 PM	What's the point of this place? Do you want your players to escape? Are they waiting for a Rescue Team Ex Machina? That would certainly affect the design. As does Animate Dead, Resurrection, Reincarnation, etc. There's also at least one spell that revives you if you specify the cause of death, which should be possible given the death sentence part. They could be executed with a soul-trapping sword (or with some sort of kill-spell and a Trap Soul cast on them). Course, now I see some BBEG raiding their room of souls, breaking all the gems, and doing some sort of mass resurrection for an army of criminals... Not that it matters, because there is no death sentence. But if there were... True Resurrection says it cannot bring back to life someone who dies of old age. Maybe an artificial aging spell?
Lyinginbedmon 06-22-07, 05:05 PM	Naturally I can't reveal too much of the campaign plot, but suffice it to say that leaving isn't the overall point, but staying is and I very much doubt they'll be motivated to do so. After the conclusion of the main storyline, however, they will leave.
glorfon 06-22-07, 05:09 PM	ooohh! ooohh! pick me! Doors/gates barred shut with one or more imovible rods!
Lyinginbedmon 06-22-07, 05:15 PM	Hmm...I can imagine the main gates of the prison being barred with Immovable Rods on both sides, with a series of them across the center when the gates are shut. The rods would have to be physically inside the gates to prevent them being disabled by rioting prisoners inside or attackers from outside
setekh 06-22-07, 05:54 PM	I've always been a fan of vertical prison cells, with a trap door set in the ceiling and the prisoners are lowered about 50' down via a rope or just tossed in. That right there puts a serious damper on any escape attempts through the door because it is well out of reach. A thought (Stolen blatantly from Stargate obviously) Are there spells that allow gravity to be altered in a localised field? You take them down a corridor, put them in a rectangular room say, fifteen / twenty feet long, then Boom, the gravity changes and the long becomes deep.
OGS-Remix 06-22-07, 06:39 PM	Make the prison guard staff have several spellthieves whose sole job everyday is to drain off all the spell energy of spellcasting prisoners. To contain melee all you need are permanent walls of force to make unbreakable cells. You can also do something clever like casting Rope trick above a pool of acid or something and then pulling the rope away from it. So melee can't get out of the rope trick without outside assistance to avoid getting dropped into serious danger. You should also mark everyone with arcane mark and take a picture and some hair so you can Scry on them easily.
Lyinginbedmon 06-22-07, 07:10 PM	My concern is that whilst the spellcasters need spells to be effective in shanking another inmate, the melee guys have little such detriment to having their weapons taken away
Moldiver 06-22-07, 07:31 PM	My concern is that whilst the spellcasters need spells to be effective in shanking another inmate, the melee guys have little such detriment to having their weapons taken away That shouldn't really be a problem though with the threat of landing in Stone Ward. Is it really worth it to take out a former prisoner when you get turned to stone for doing it? You never know, an accident might happen to you're body while your stone. Then you're SOL.
True Cavalier 06-22-07, 08:22 PM	Geas on the prisoners to make them unable to leave the premises? Probably wouldn't work on the highest level spellcasters (they will dispel it themselves) but for the melee guys, it's worth casting it once every 2 weeks. Also, if I was running the place, I'd keep a panic button for emergency lockdown of all the cells and instantaneous turning of all cells to fiery ovens... in case of a mass attempt at escaping. Better safe than sorry (and you are going to be sorry if a bunch of high-level characters are fighting you at the same time). But then I am not Lawful Good. Maybe they would keep emergency guardians. I can imagine John McGuard carrying a scroll of Summon Monster V in case he gets swarmed, or a one-use gemstone that can Dominate or at least Charm Person (especially if he's stationed with the melee guys). PS The Geas part might fit with your "We want to leave, but for now we must stay" plan.
ravenshrike 06-22-07, 08:41 PM	Because this is a Lawful nation, so criminal execution is a punishment they don't use. ? head explodes:confused: :weep: :nonono:
Lyinginbedmon 06-22-07, 08:50 PM	? head explodes:confused: :weep: :nonono: As I said before: It's a historical thing, suffice it to say that the country this prison is in (Beldor) doesn't have the death sentence.