Campaign against thieves [Archive] - Wizards Community

Campaign against thieves [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Pegasos989
05-12-07, 03:04 AM So, I am once again trying to create a campaign of battling against thieves' guild. The last time it failed due to poor planning and thus most missions repeating the previous one with diffrent briefing...

But now...

The background shortened:
The city of Ankh-Morpok (this is not discworld, just like the name) is practically overrun by thieves. The Milancetti family controls just about everything, from trade (through smuggling, extortion, etc.) to politics (blackmailing, money, etc.)... Most have already accepted the fact, learned to live with it and lost hope of things changing. However, when the justicar Oth Urgoth comes to the city, kills the corrupted leader of the city guard and takes the charge, he simply needs people who haven't yet been corrupted and yet is willing to risk their lives. Somebody from outside the city. Adventurers.

So, I have divided the subplots into several categories (in the order in which they are to happen).

The welcoming committee
When PCs are just arriving to the city...
-A "priest of fharlangh" tries to sell the PCs expensive signs for protection. If they won't buy them, bandits will attack them on their way to the city. If they buy the signs, the bandits will leave them alone.
-At the citygates, corrupted guards try to get them to pay extra taxes, tolls or such or give away their weapons. If the PCs won't do it, they will be tried to put to jail.
-When the PCs meet the justicar, he will send them to catch the corrupted guards, bandits, the con-priest, etc.

Getting help
As the guards are corrupted, the jails need to be guarded, etc. the justicar needs a lot of more help.
-Traveling to a nearby monastery/mercenary camp/such and battling beasts on the way
-Convincing the monks/mercenaries/such to come with the PCs by killing some threat that forces them to stay there (such as dire bats terrorizing their families)

Weakening of the guild
The next thing to do is to show people that the Milancetti family is vulnerable too and can be won. Also, the general power of the family must be brought down by a step or two.
-Beating up a few gangs of streetthugs
-Ambushing a group of smugglers
-Protecting a shop/shopkeeper who didn't pay protection money
-Liberating a guard caught as a prisoner by the family

Cutting off the divine help
After people have seen the family is not invulnerable, Oth Urgoth thinks that the family should be further weakened by cutting them from getting help from priests.
-Closing down a temple of olidammara
--Getting evidence that it harbours crime
--Closing it down
-Destroying the clerics of Vecna
--Ambushing grave robbers
--Interrogating them
--Finding and killing the clerics of vecna

Cutting off the political influence
When the divine help is cut off, the next step is political influence.
-Finding evidence against corrupted nobles
-Imprisoning the previously mentioned nobles
-Destroying evidence used in blackmailing

Cutting off the arcane help
After the general power of the family is weakened and divine and political help cut to the minium, the family's contacts to the mages' guild need to be destroyed.

Here I am kinda lost with the ideas. It could be smuggling arcane components I guess but... nah. Financial help is also not quite what I am after. What benefit do the mages get from the Milancetti family? Suggestions greatly appreciated! Maybe something like delivering scrolls and spellbooks of some vile or otherwise banned spells?

Catching the leaders
When the power of the family is damaged on each area, it is time to catch the right hand of the godfather.
-Stealing the documents about location of a safehouse
-A distraction attack against the subleader
-After the subleader has fleed to the safehouse along with a bunch of elite bodyguards and city guards have surrounded the house, entering the house and imprisoning the subleader
-Preventing the imprisoned subleader being freed/killed by the family
-Interrogating the subleader
--If not succesful, fetching a specialist

Random
These are less related to each other, which can be added at whatever point it seems appropriate.
-The family sends assassins or thugs after the PCs

But now, I would appreciate feedback. Any subplots into any of the categories are appreciated, though I am mostly in need with the "cutting off the arcane help" subplots...

Also, any suggestions on how to deal with the final head of the family are nice. Ideas I have so far thought of:
-A long category for it (not unlike the subleader's category)
-A grand finale when the PCs enter his manor to bring him down.
-The godfather has escaped and needs to be chased down through the cities...

EDIT
Actually, one more thing I would be in need of hints with is foreshadowing the next missions. I think it is a bit dumb and too straight forward if it is

*Justicar tells them to beat up thugs
*They beat up thugs
*Justicar tells them to ambush smugglers
*They ambush smugglers
*Justicar tells them to...

Naturally it gets a bit less hack and slash if he just tells them that there is smuggling going on and the pcs need to find out where, how and stop it. However, I would like to make it so that the missions lead one to another... Like they get hint of the smuggling when beating up the thugs. The thugs could have smuggled items or drop some letter (but the letter is so cliche it hurts. I like cliches but this is too much of it) but more ways to make quests lead one to another are always welcome.

EDIT2
More encounters/ideas to add, I thought of are added, so I created Random, finding help and Welcoming committee -categories.
Goldenmaxter
06-05-07, 06:00 PM I might be missing something, but what does exposing the corruption within the government do if (almost) everybody in town is a thief or such?
Zaver
06-05-07, 06:08 PM In regards to the wizards guild go with necromancy. It's a pretty safe bet that magic like that would be outlawed in most places but wizards aren't going to ignore studying magic because of some silly little law. That helps to just because now the family can be bringing them cadavars to experment on. Only see, sometimes it aint so easy to find a body what was dead 'fore I got there.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Pegasos989 05-12-07, 03:04 AM	So, I am once again trying to create a campaign of battling against thieves' guild. The last time it failed due to poor planning and thus most missions repeating the previous one with diffrent briefing... But now... The background shortened: The city of Ankh-Morpok (this is not discworld, just like the name) is practically overrun by thieves. The Milancetti family controls just about everything, from trade (through smuggling, extortion, etc.) to politics (blackmailing, money, etc.)... Most have already accepted the fact, learned to live with it and lost hope of things changing. However, when the justicar Oth Urgoth comes to the city, kills the corrupted leader of the city guard and takes the charge, he simply needs people who haven't yet been corrupted and yet is willing to risk their lives. Somebody from outside the city. Adventurers. So, I have divided the subplots into several categories (in the order in which they are to happen). The welcoming committee When PCs are just arriving to the city... -A "priest of fharlangh" tries to sell the PCs expensive signs for protection. If they won't buy them, bandits will attack them on their way to the city. If they buy the signs, the bandits will leave them alone. -At the citygates, corrupted guards try to get them to pay extra taxes, tolls or such or give away their weapons. If the PCs won't do it, they will be tried to put to jail. -When the PCs meet the justicar, he will send them to catch the corrupted guards, bandits, the con-priest, etc. Getting help As the guards are corrupted, the jails need to be guarded, etc. the justicar needs a lot of more help. -Traveling to a nearby monastery/mercenary camp/such and battling beasts on the way -Convincing the monks/mercenaries/such to come with the PCs by killing some threat that forces them to stay there (such as dire bats terrorizing their families) Weakening of the guild The next thing to do is to show people that the Milancetti family is vulnerable too and can be won. Also, the general power of the family must be brought down by a step or two. -Beating up a few gangs of streetthugs -Ambushing a group of smugglers -Protecting a shop/shopkeeper who didn't pay protection money -Liberating a guard caught as a prisoner by the family Cutting off the divine help After people have seen the family is not invulnerable, Oth Urgoth thinks that the family should be further weakened by cutting them from getting help from priests. -Closing down a temple of olidammara --Getting evidence that it harbours crime --Closing it down -Destroying the clerics of Vecna --Ambushing grave robbers --Interrogating them --Finding and killing the clerics of vecna Cutting off the political influence When the divine help is cut off, the next step is political influence. -Finding evidence against corrupted nobles -Imprisoning the previously mentioned nobles -Destroying evidence used in blackmailing Cutting off the arcane help After the general power of the family is weakened and divine and political help cut to the minium, the family's contacts to the mages' guild need to be destroyed. Here I am kinda lost with the ideas. It could be smuggling arcane components I guess but... nah. Financial help is also not quite what I am after. What benefit do the mages get from the Milancetti family? Suggestions greatly appreciated! Maybe something like delivering scrolls and spellbooks of some vile or otherwise banned spells? Catching the leaders When the power of the family is damaged on each area, it is time to catch the right hand of the godfather. -Stealing the documents about location of a safehouse -A distraction attack against the subleader -After the subleader has fleed to the safehouse along with a bunch of elite bodyguards and city guards have surrounded the house, entering the house and imprisoning the subleader -Preventing the imprisoned subleader being freed/killed by the family -Interrogating the subleader --If not succesful, fetching a specialist Random These are less related to each other, which can be added at whatever point it seems appropriate. -The family sends assassins or thugs after the PCs But now, I would appreciate feedback. Any subplots into any of the categories are appreciated, though I am mostly in need with the "cutting off the arcane help" subplots... Also, any suggestions on how to deal with the final head of the family are nice. Ideas I have so far thought of: -A long category for it (not unlike the subleader's category) -A grand finale when the PCs enter his manor to bring him down. -The godfather has escaped and needs to be chased down through the cities... EDIT Actually, one more thing I would be in need of hints with is foreshadowing the next missions. I think it is a bit dumb and too straight forward if it is Justicar tells them to beat up thugs They beat up thugs Justicar tells them to ambush smugglers They ambush smugglers *Justicar tells them to... Naturally it gets a bit less hack and slash if he just tells them that there is smuggling going on and the pcs need to find out where, how and stop it. However, I would like to make it so that the missions lead one to another... Like they get hint of the smuggling when beating up the thugs. The thugs could have smuggled items or drop some letter (but the letter is so cliche it hurts. I like cliches but this is too much of it) but more ways to make quests lead one to another are always welcome. EDIT2 More encounters/ideas to add, I thought of are added, so I created Random, finding help and Welcoming committee -categories.
Goldenmaxter 06-05-07, 06:00 PM	I might be missing something, but what does exposing the corruption within the government do if (almost) everybody in town is a thief or such?
Zaver 06-05-07, 06:08 PM	In regards to the wizards guild go with necromancy. It's a pretty safe bet that magic like that would be outlawed in most places but wizards aren't going to ignore studying magic because of some silly little law. That helps to just because now the family can be bringing them cadavars to experment on. Only see, sometimes it aint so easy to find a body what was dead 'fore I got there.