Building the Behind Bars One-Shot Encounter P1

Now that we’re pivoting from The Lost Mines of Phandelver to the Acquisitions Incorporated modules, we need to flush out the specific encounters that ultimately get the party in front of Omin Dran in Waterdeep. Today’s post will focus on the overall skill challenge and the prisoner cut scenes.

Like we described yesterday, our party’s goose was cooked, and they ultimately couldn’t escape capture. Now they find themselves in the damp, dark basement prison cells of the cultists. A wise captive always knows that the amount of intel they can obtain regarding their captives and surroundings ultimately leads to a higher probability of escape.

So DM Ben is going to create a skill challenge across several encounters that take place while in captivity and during their travel to Waterdeep. The better they do on a series of skill checks, the better their chance of escaping (along with some or most of their original belongings).

Let’s discuss the why here. It will become known that the cultists snatched up the party because a competing adventuring group in Acquisitions Incorporated known as “The Six” started to hear growing rumors of a powerful, new adventuring group. The Six considers themselves Omin Dran’s best “employees” and they don’t want anyone taking a piece of their contract pie (especially in regards to the Orrery artifact mission).

So let the skill challenge rolls begin! Can they learn who is actually out to get them and why?! The group will need to survive a brutal round of interrogation via survival checks to determine which party member(s) take the hardest hits and take levels of exhaustion. No specific questions are ever asked and the beatdowns seem to be for no apparent reason. A successful investigation check will reveal someone wants to inflict serious pain on them (e.g., it becomes clear that they’re beginning to infringe on someone else’s turf).

Next, they will look for verbal or visual clues on their new enemy. A successful perception check means a glimpse of a small tattoo on one of the capture’s arms. DM Ben will make them an item card, as this is a critical clue.

What does this new clue mean, though? A tattoo of a six indicates someone from this rival group is in cahoots with the cultists (probably using their muscle to capture and break the adventurers/send them off running with their tails between their legs).

The group is being held in prison cells under the cultists’ living quarters. DM Ben is mostly utilizing Hirst Arts tiles here to set the scene. A lifeless corpse sits in the corner (a successful history check will reveal this is Reidoth from the Thundertree Ruins encounter). The party previously interacted with this character so it will be disturbing to find him dead and help the group realize the cultists were hot on their tail.

The group will also be introduced to a new NPC who is also locked up in the basement. This magnificent mini is from Dwarven Forge and their Prison Passage encounter set. Is he a mole? Or is he just trying to escape, too, and become an ally in their fight for freedom? The party can make intimidation, persuasion, and investigation checks to figure him out. Their success here determines how much this NPC ultimately helps or hinders their great escape. This human NPC’s name is “Cliff Brickjaw.”

Our family campaign might introduce a new player, so DM Ben may use this opportunity to insert that new character as this additional prisoner.

Thinking ahead, the party certainly will want more intel on its captures, so after spending what seems like several long nights in their cells, they overhear a drunken card game being played from above. DM Ben will swap a normal table with a card table by STL Miniatures to represent the drunken gambling shenanigans occurring upstairs.

The group can make a perception check to discern things such as:

• Their captives love alcohol and high-stakes cards.
• Their employer is after an artifact called “the Orrery.”
• The tattooed member of the Six can’t handle his liquor.
• The cultists don’t really like The Six that hired them.
• They’re taking them to slave traders in Waterdeep.

Encourage the team to take solid notes here. These info nuggets will be important should they get their freedom back and want to exact some revenge.

Lastly, the group can ascertain more intel by charming a guard (named “Tybris”) or servant (named “Fen”). Challenge your players here! How or what could they say to sway one of these NPCs to help them when the timing is right? Use persuasion, sleight of hand, and insight checks to glean information or lift an item from them.

Side note: the group is bound with metal chains that light up when anyone attempts to cast a spell. Those spell attempts fizzle out when cast.

Fun right?! So now all these checks will determine what happens next in the upcoming Waterdeep Express and Chance to Live encounters. Stayed tuned this week to see how. 😉