Summary: Low level PC's are new to town and in need of work, but are
unqualified for most of the "hired sword" jobs. They eventually find a
merchant named Schmidt who offers to pay them a small amount for a
short, easy merchant caravan escort. It is a safe route that takes all
of about 3 days.
Schmidt says that he wouldn't even bother hiring security for the
route (being so close to the city), but his insurer- DeVries and Sons
Bank- requires it per their insurance contract.
The PC's leave with the merchant caravan. The first day passes uneventfully, and there is plenty of traffic on the main thoroughfare. On the second day, the caravan driver calls a halt and pulls off the road to "water the horses". Shortly thereafter, a group of armed men crest the nearby hill. A friendly conversation between the armed men and the caravan driver takes place. The caravan driver explains to the PC's that they have been the victim of a necessary deception. They will actually be turning over the caravan cargo to these men, per Schmidt's orders. He produces a signed note from Schmidt to verify. The driver apologizes for the deception and says that Schmidt will be paying them double the agreed amount for their trouble.
Basically, Schmidt is running an insurance fraud scam. He insures his cargo and allows it to be "robbed" and fenced. He gets the insured value back from the bank, plus a cut of the stolen goods.
The caravan driver requests that the PC's help unload the cargo and stash it in a nearby cave. Once they are inside the small cave, the thugs (apologetically) explain that they have to kill the PC's to make the "robbery" look legit. The thugs (3-5 of them) are a moderate challenge for the low-level PC's, plus they have them cornered in the cave. When the PC's gain the upper hand in battle, one of the robbers will attempt to flee and alert Schmidt of what happened. If the PC's get in trouble, you can have some travelers from the road hear the fighting and come bail them out. In either case, the caravan driver has long since fled.
The Aftermath: At this point, the PC's have a lot of options. (I'm a big fan of sandbox games.) They can report what happened to local authorities, or to the DeVries and Sons Bank (who may hire the PC's to investigate Schmidt or find out who is fencing all the stolen goods and shipping them out of town). The PC's can go directly to Schmidt and confront him, though murdering him in broad daylight is likely to get them locked up.
Schmidt realizes he underestimated the PC's, and may offer to pay them off to leave him alone. He might even offer them a job and let them in on his scheme. Obviously, he can't be trusted- but he has coin and connections, both of which the PC's lack.
I have had a lot of success with this little hook because it is believable and easy to get players on without railroading them. Then you have a nice little skirmish, and from there the players have any number of options to deal with the fallout.
The PC's leave with the merchant caravan. The first day passes uneventfully, and there is plenty of traffic on the main thoroughfare. On the second day, the caravan driver calls a halt and pulls off the road to "water the horses". Shortly thereafter, a group of armed men crest the nearby hill. A friendly conversation between the armed men and the caravan driver takes place. The caravan driver explains to the PC's that they have been the victim of a necessary deception. They will actually be turning over the caravan cargo to these men, per Schmidt's orders. He produces a signed note from Schmidt to verify. The driver apologizes for the deception and says that Schmidt will be paying them double the agreed amount for their trouble.
Basically, Schmidt is running an insurance fraud scam. He insures his cargo and allows it to be "robbed" and fenced. He gets the insured value back from the bank, plus a cut of the stolen goods.
The caravan driver requests that the PC's help unload the cargo and stash it in a nearby cave. Once they are inside the small cave, the thugs (apologetically) explain that they have to kill the PC's to make the "robbery" look legit. The thugs (3-5 of them) are a moderate challenge for the low-level PC's, plus they have them cornered in the cave. When the PC's gain the upper hand in battle, one of the robbers will attempt to flee and alert Schmidt of what happened. If the PC's get in trouble, you can have some travelers from the road hear the fighting and come bail them out. In either case, the caravan driver has long since fled.
The Aftermath: At this point, the PC's have a lot of options. (I'm a big fan of sandbox games.) They can report what happened to local authorities, or to the DeVries and Sons Bank (who may hire the PC's to investigate Schmidt or find out who is fencing all the stolen goods and shipping them out of town). The PC's can go directly to Schmidt and confront him, though murdering him in broad daylight is likely to get them locked up.
Schmidt realizes he underestimated the PC's, and may offer to pay them off to leave him alone. He might even offer them a job and let them in on his scheme. Obviously, he can't be trusted- but he has coin and connections, both of which the PC's lack.
It's also perfect for your PCs if they're evil. They jump the bandits, take the loot for themselves and now they have options.
- They can blackmail Schmidtt
- They can offer to work for him as the guys who are attacking the caravans
- They can take over the operation
- They can set up a similar protection racket in town
- something else that will completely surprise and shock you.
I have had a lot of success with this little hook because it is believable and easy to get players on without railroading them. Then you have a nice little skirmish, and from there the players have any number of options to deal with the fallout.
Schmidt is but a guppy in a big sea of fish... I haven't fleshed it out fully in either of the campaigns that I used this hook, but it works wonderfully to add spice in between adventures. The party returns to town after a dungeon crawl for some rest and relaxation... Schmidt has had a man tailing them and know they are laden with treasure. He sells this info to local cutpurses. When the PC's defeat and interrogate the thieves, they learn Schmidt is once again playing games with their lives and they resolve to take him out for good. But the organization Schmidt belongs to has pull with the town guard, and murdering him is out of the question. Now, if they want to be rid of him, they will need to find out who is protecting him and why.
In the process, they could find themselves hunting down Schmidt's bosses... or replacing him in their organization.
No comments:
Post a Comment