Post/Author/DateTime	Post
syrinth 01-20-07, 02:27 AM	Ok, my players just stole a spellbook worth approximately 30k sell price. What would you say would be the punishment if they are caught for the theft? I obviously don't want to say, ok you get out of prison ten years later but I definitely want them to feel the burn. What would you all suggest?
TheChilliGod 01-20-07, 02:57 AM	Stealing 30,000 gold pieces... That's pretty steep. Well, I suppose you could get away with crucifixion for that. Yeah, first offense. :P If you want them to feel the burn, you could always burn their pockets a little more. Threaten them with 10 years in jail, then they can either bail themselves out for an extra 15,000gp, or some mysterious stranger (Whose name is Ploght Huk) shows up and bails them out on the condition that they are subject to either Mark of Justice, or Geas/Quest. Said mysterious stranger tells them to go on a little adventure and in exchange, he'll remove the spells. Of course, this makes for a great opportunity to either restore their honor, or put them in deeper trouble than they first thought (maybe Ploght Huk is a little on the evil side!). "Community service" instead of jail works just as well. I'd use that term loosely around D&D. But, if you want to let them off comparatively scott-free, then just fine them 15,000gp for the crime and be done with it.
BeefotronX 01-20-07, 02:57 AM	Well, for an interesting punishment, consider compelling them to perform some sort of restitution under a geas. Perhaps the wizard himself can do this.
syrinth 01-20-07, 02:59 AM	As for geas and quest I have a little problem with the fact that it only lasts for days since that means the max would be fifteen >.< I think I kind of like the person posting bail for them and then demanding they perform services for them. The wizard himself has been charged for gross negligence resulting in death and is currently serving ten years community service, the first two of those will be without his spellbook. Maybe the fine works though actually, might help make them hurt just a bit.
Donager 01-20-07, 03:05 AM	Create an improved Geas spell. it combines a permency and geas spell and requires the caster to release it.
Free1983 01-20-07, 04:38 AM	Ok, my players just stole a spellbook worth approximately 30k sell price. What would you say would be the punishment if they are caught for the theft? So they aren't caught yet. If your players are in a large nation, I suggest that they find bills in every guard-station, adventurer's guild or even inns in the country. These bills could have the following written upon: A vague explanation about the theft of the spellbook and a reward for finding it. OR if someone withnessed the theft, there could be (vague) descriptions of the thief/party. OR if the autorities have access to a lower form of divination, there could be detailed descriptions or even drawings of the thief/party. The party will find these bills (as they are everywhere) and will have (depending on the level of detail on the bills) a hard time to find lodging, official help, etc. Moreover, there will be other parties roaming the land to find them, which will result in the occasional conflict. You can take this option to a higher level as you deploy some paladins to bring the thief/party to justice. There are some nice prestige classes for such forces :D. Of course, you'll have to give them the opportunity to outrun or outsmart these measures, but you can give them a hard time doing it :plotting:. I obviously don't want to say, ok you get out of prison ten years later but I definitely want them to feel the burn. What would you all suggest? If they get caught, I'd go with the quest for freedom thing. The fine is a bit lame as they can just pay and get on with buisseness as usual. Hope this helps, Cheers
remoray 01-20-07, 04:44 AM	Sentence them to ten years prison. The next scenario in your campaign is then, obviously, breaking out of prison. If you want them to feel the burn, make breaking out of prison difficult. remoray
syrinth 01-20-07, 04:45 AM	The organization that is most likely to find them has the means to ensure that they stay in prison. There won't be much of a burn if they can just pop out of prison with little actual problem.
Raymond_Luxury_Yacht 01-20-07, 12:16 PM	Death.
Valthonis 01-20-07, 12:28 PM	You could always have the owner of the spell book hunt them down himself for his own "justice". This could very easily bypass any legal problems you might be having. It could also make an interesting quest hook similar to the geas spell idea
High Octane 01-20-07, 12:30 PM	Death. By ****** off wizard.
penchant 01-20-07, 02:34 PM	Go arabic. Cut the right hand off. That will put some penalties on their skill checks and let everyone know they are theives. Then they can adventure on the REgeneration Quest.
Donager 01-20-07, 02:45 PM	I love the idea of a hand chopped off. I have to remember that
zzakk2to2 01-20-07, 03:47 PM	what i want to know is what did he take the book for? also why did he steal it because thats what you should base the punishment on because if he only wants it to learn the spells and copy them into his book and return it then realy what do you have once they return it.
The Colonel 01-20-07, 03:48 PM	Can I just point out that imprisonment wasn't all that normal as a sentence in medieval societies? After all, jailing people is expensive. Forfiture of assets, mutilation, forced labour or death are more likely.
Tusalu 01-20-07, 05:12 PM	If I was a highlevel wizard, and someone stole my spellbook. I would geas him with collecting a lot more spell. Punisment and adventure.
zzakk2to2 01-20-07, 05:13 PM	the last thing you would do is kill them because what if someone has a true rez waiting for them?
aramilcaelvan 01-20-07, 05:24 PM	I agree with Tusalu. Have him be forced to both return the book (obviously), and then quest to find more spells for the wizard. I don't really care how you bind the character to it.
penchant 01-20-07, 11:44 PM	It really depends on who has the criminal. If the city has him then normal punishments are going to be enacted according to the law. If the wizard has him then he may never see a judge. Formal criminal law in the middle ages was actually very pragmatic. They would not likely expect a thief to have a True Resurrection ready since that is a 25000 GP spell, almost the price of the book in question. Also the status of the thief plays into it. Can he lay claim to any nobility or someone who is noble will back him? He could get by with restitution only. If he is a commoner, then mutilation as I suggested above, Getting branded, getting fitted with a fool's mask (Large Iron Helm in the shape of a fool that is RIVETED closed.) or even death. Since none of this is permanent inthe D&D world, I would apply what seems appropriate and call it the price of getting caught. It will teach them to be better thieves and scope out a target before going in.
Samineru 01-21-07, 12:13 AM	Have half of the players killed, then let them recreate as castle guards. From there on it's a campaign with half trying to break out and half trying to keep the others in, or just somehow get the half of players to enlist as guards.
olshanski_home 01-21-07, 12:19 AM	In my games the punishment is usually double the crime. The first 30,000 goes to the state, the second 30,000 goes to the victim. If the criminal cannot afford it, he is killed and all of his posessions are seized, with the money being paid back 50%/50% to the state and the victim. The money that goes to the state is used to fund bounty-hunters, adventurers, law-enforcement, and all of the magic necessary to support those individuals, (divination, scrying, etcetera).
MaximumPain 01-21-07, 01:48 AM	Sounds like the start of an excelent loin-cloth and dagger scenario. If they did it punish them in some way and make it hurt.
Need_A_Life 01-21-07, 10:20 AM	Imprisonment with an execution waiting within a months time. They have had their equipment confiscated and are bruised pretty badly (some subdual damage) and now they have to find a way out of jail fast.
robertliguori 01-21-07, 10:31 AM	Send bands of level 1 adventurers after them. It seems to be how D&D worlds resolve these kinds of problems for threats that aren't players. Because you really don't want to have any situation where a moderate-level party is angry at a nation. Because even if the moderate-level party is tracked down and killed, they can sterilize vast swathes of land before they're caught. Unless your nation-state is composed of adventurers or ex-adventurers, most like the vengeance will be in the form of the wizard who just lost a spellbook.
zzakk2to2 01-21-07, 05:17 PM	They would not likely expect a thief to have a True Resurrection ready since that is a 25000 GP spell, almost the price of the book in question. A WIZARD STOLE IT!!! dang he might have a teamate to cast it or some such thing like a teleport to get out before you even kill him!