Author Topic: Expanded Black Market Bounties  (Read 2855 times)

LeviShultz

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Expanded Black Market Bounties
« on: September 15, 2016, 11:52:01 AM »
One idea I had was a bounty system for PP where Rogue Merchants also offer contracts for specific pieces of jewelry, letters, and other important that need to be acquired. Guard players could watch the bounty in question and other shady, RVT types might watch them as well to see if they'd make a good recruit. Rival rogues are going to be running into each other going after the same mark, should generate a bit of RP. I know I've had that happen when going after the same bounty head. The mark in question could be given better spot/listen skill scores to be a genuine risk.

I'm thinking of way to diversify the role of Pick Pocket that might be interesting and create opportunities for role play. By creating other incentives for players, like quests, they can feel good about flexing some of their niche skills rather than just the monetary reward for selling a bunch of rings. Pick Pocket can be good for making money, but I think we can think of a few ways it could be utilized that might have a more meaningful impact.

I like Syl's idea of the quest item being destroyed if you kill the mark, but maybe we could allow the mark to be subdued as well. This might be a good way for more brutish rogues to have some of the same opportunities as a sneaky thief. The goal of the quest is to get the item with out killing the mark. How you accomplish this is up to you and pick pocket might be a good way to do it.

A few specific quest ideas:

A certain nobleman in the Quarter Savant has an import letter that needs to be recovered. The area is filled with other NPCs and Gendarmeire, both player and ai so the risk is high. The letter is returned to the bar keep of the Double Agent in the Black Market. Sure you could just kick his ass and take it from him, but you're only gonna be able to do that so many times. Discretion is required.

A conflicting quest with a Gendarmerie bounty. There a split in the caliban gangs, someones wants the caliban bounty merely taught a lesson instead of turned in. You can either try to subdue him and rip an earing of his off, or sneakily steal it from him. It pays better than the gendarmeire bounty too. Certain players are gonna want to cut his head off and turn it in and other might only want to subdue him and help the underworld out. With players trying different ways to get payed off the same bounty its going to create mild conflict.

It's a half decent want to encourage more under world RP as well. Players are going to be going in and out of the Black Market for quests and are going to start running into each other sooner or later. Gendarm PCs could stake out the area and see if they can catch someone doing something or saying something they shouldn't.


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Syl

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Re: Expanded Black Market Bounties
« Reply #1 on: September 15, 2016, 01:04:01 PM »
I still heavily agree with this, it opens up the world for new RP with these bounties and helps with character's that don't really kill people.

Though I think these bounties should have a little bit of a restriction on them, teat them like the guy in Port that will only sell to you if you have Rogue or bard levels.

Like Bounties to Lift a item from someone will only appear if you have skill points in pick pocketing.

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Tsubaki Yamamoto: Shadow Thief
Roesor Cryso: A slave for the Masters.
Sokol: An Unlikely Hero

LeviShultz

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Re: Expanded Black Market Bounties
« Reply #2 on: September 15, 2016, 01:11:23 PM »
Maybe like a particular bounty would be PP only, but I think we get more benefit by casting as wide a net as possible. Subdual/PP seems to open up a lot of opportunists.

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Dumas

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Re: Expanded Black Market Bounties
« Reply #3 on: September 15, 2016, 01:45:53 PM »
I would say to keep the availability of these bounties open to the same classes and alignments that can access the Shady Merchant in Port.

Chaoshawk

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Re: Expanded Black Market Bounties
« Reply #4 on: September 15, 2016, 01:46:18 PM »
I approve of increasing applications of where pick pocket can be used. As it stands there aren't many places to usefully utilize the skill for much gain.
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Syl

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Re: Expanded Black Market Bounties
« Reply #5 on: September 15, 2016, 01:58:01 PM »
I would say to keep the availability of these bounties open to the same classes and alignments that can access the Shady Merchant in Port.

there isn't really much of an alignment to these.. unless you know the bounty was like, beat up some shop shop keep or steal from the orphanage.

Monica O'Sullivan: Master explorer
Tsubaki Yamamoto: Shadow Thief
Roesor Cryso: A slave for the Masters.
Sokol: An Unlikely Hero

Syl

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Re: Expanded Black Market Bounties
« Reply #6 on: September 15, 2016, 03:24:52 PM »
Stealing medicine from the needy for the rich could be an idea of a evil thief bounty I suppose.

Monica O'Sullivan: Master explorer
Tsubaki Yamamoto: Shadow Thief
Roesor Cryso: A slave for the Masters.
Sokol: An Unlikely Hero

LeviShultz

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Re: Expanded Black Market Bounties
« Reply #7 on: September 15, 2016, 03:43:04 PM »
Maybe the medicine could be put on the Sisters of Compassion in the ouvrier? 

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Syl

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Re: Expanded Black Market Bounties
« Reply #8 on: September 15, 2016, 03:47:57 PM »
Maybe the medicine could be put on the Sisters of Compassion in the ouvrier?

Shame that the evil bounties wont actually do alignment shifts towards evil.

Monica O'Sullivan: Master explorer
Tsubaki Yamamoto: Shadow Thief
Roesor Cryso: A slave for the Masters.
Sokol: An Unlikely Hero

LeviShultz

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Re: Expanded Black Market Bounties
« Reply #9 on: September 15, 2016, 03:54:42 PM »
I'd rather not have an automated evil shift mechanic in place. But its a good place for DMs to watch though.

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Arawn

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Re: Expanded Black Market Bounties
« Reply #10 on: September 15, 2016, 04:45:09 PM »
I'd rather not have an automated evil shift mechanic in place. But its a good place for DMs to watch though.

We don't do automatic alignment shifts because of the possibility of exploitation.
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booksarefun666

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Re: Expanded Black Market Bounties
« Reply #11 on: September 15, 2016, 05:00:48 PM »
Quests that overlap for both guards and thieves, but at mutually exclusive angles would definitely make things interesting.

SanneJ

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Re: Expanded Black Market Bounties
« Reply #12 on: September 15, 2016, 06:33:19 PM »
I'm going away for the weekend, but +1 on this line for me.
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LeviShultz

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Re: Expanded Black Market Bounties
« Reply #13 on: September 15, 2016, 08:03:18 PM »
I'd rather not have an automated evil shift mechanic in place. But its a good place for DMs to watch though.

We don't do automatic alignment shifts because of the possibility of exploitation.

Yeah, having an automated system for something like that really robs you of the impact as well. It can make for a nice starting place to find seedier characters though.
« Last Edit: September 16, 2016, 01:31:39 AM by LeviShultz »

"A no wisdom ranger is literally unwise."