## **Alarm Triggers** - **Alarms trigger if:** - PCs fail 3 attempts at the vault, set off a magical glyph, fight guards, or are caught without invitation/masked. - Rival crew may deliberately set an alarm to cover their own escape. **When an alarm is triggered:** - Bells ring (audible across mansion), magical lights flash red. - Guards double patrols; key doors lock. - Dire hounds are released in basement/gardens. - City Watch may arrive within 10–30 minutes (d20 minutes, or whenever drama needs to peak). --- ## **Chase Sequence (Skill Challenge Style)** **The party escapes through mansion halls, the hedge maze, tunnels, or rooftops, with guards, hounds, or the rival crew in hot pursuit.** **Structure:** - Set a “Chase Clock” at 5 rounds (add or subtract for group speed/decisions). - Each round, each PC must overcome a challenge (or group makes a collective check). **Chase Complications Table (Roll or Pick Each Round):** |d8|Complication|DC / Skill Example|On Success|On Fail| |---|---|---|---|---| |1|Slippery marble floor|Acrobatics DC 14|Dash ahead|Lose time (add 1 round)| |2|Locked or barricaded door|Athletics/Thieves’ Tools DC 15|Break/pick it quickly|Delay; rival/guards gain ground| |3|Guard blocks path|Stealth, Deception, or Combat DC 15|Bypass unseen|Confrontation, alarm escalates| |4|Magic hound on trail|Animal Handling/Stealth DC 16|Hide or calm it|Hound attacks/bays for guards| |5|Collapsing balcony/railing|Acrobatics DC 15|Jump or swing to safety|Take 1d6 damage, lose item| |6|Fireworks explosion|Dex Save DC 13|Dodge, gain cover (adv. next)|Stunned for 1 round| |7|Rival crew blocks/interferes|Any social/combat DC 16|Rival retreats, drops clue/item|Rival grabs Mask, escapes!| |8|Secret door/tunnel|Investigation DC 14|Shortcut, -1 round from clock|Miss, go longer route| - **3+ failures:** Guards close in, party must make a stand or get caught. - **Success:** Party escapes to gardens, city, or secret hideout. - **If carrying the Mask:** add +1 to all DCs (it’s bulky, magical, and glows slightly). --- ## **Aftermath if Caught** - PCs are brought before Lady Ravelle for trial (opportunity for desperate roleplay, bribes, or last gambit). - City Watch may jail the group (breakout adventure!). - Rival crew might try a jail break in exchange for Mask or future favours. --- # **Skill Challenges (Expanded, Table-Ready)** --- ## **Masquerade Skill Montage** **Blending In (Oceans-11-Style):** - Each PC chooses an approach: - Performance/Deception (pass as noble/servant) - Stealth (avoid notice) - Insight (read the room, spot threats) - Persuasion (socialise, gain info) - Sleight of Hand (pickpocket, plant evidence) - **DCs**: 13–16 based on difficulty. - **Each round**: PCs who succeed gain clues, contacts, or an alibi; failures attract suspicion or face an unexpected encounter/event (see event tables). **Casing the Vault:** - PCs must locate, observe, and plan for: - Patrol schedules (Perception/Insight DC 14) - Magical wards (Arcana DC 15–18) - Combination lock clues (Investigation DC 13–16) - Staff weaknesses (Persuasion/Deception DC 15) - Escape routes (Investigation/Perception DC 13) --- # **Puzzles & Riddles (With Hints and Consequences)** --- ## **The Decimal Vault** **Puzzle**: The safe has a dial marked 0–10, with .1 tick marks. _Vault Inscription:_ “To guard the Mask, the turnings are fine—Count not just the numbers, but the spaces between. Turn right to the trio and two shades more, left for the pair and a single whisper, right to the last feast, with company and some for the road.” **Solution:** - Right 3.2, Left 2.1, Right 7.2 - Clues in gallery, library, wine cellar (see previous handouts). **Hints (if PCs get stuck):** - Olly or The Whisperer can nudge (“Don’t forget, the old master loved his decimals—two notches past three, a single breath after two, and seven with a couple toasts for luck…”) - Detect Magic/Arcana may reveal faint glow at correct notches. **Consequences:** - 3 failed attempts triggers alarm; if Mask is taken without solving, magical ward deals 3d8 force damage (Dex Save DC 15 for half) and sets off alarm. --- ## **Gallery Riddle Contest** > “I have a heart that never beats, I have a home but I never sleep. I can take a man’s house and build another’s, and I love to play games with my many brothers. What am I?” > **Answer:** A deck of cards. - **Hint:** Lady Ravelle says, “Let us see who here knows the games nobles play…” - **Failure:** No clue/token, possible social setback; Success: PC gains an audience or a bonus clue. --- ## **Library Bookshelf Puzzle** > “Place me between envy and passion. I am the calm between storms.” > **Solution:** Blue book between green (envy) and red (passion). - **Hint:** Library attendant offers, “A little order brings clarity.” - **Failure:** Bookshelf locks, must find another route for 10 minutes. --- ## **Cellar Secret Hatch** > “I am always hungry, I must always be fed. The finger I touch will soon turn red. What am I?” > **Solution:** Fire (turn “fire” bottle). - **Hint:** Olly: “There’s always something hot in the cellar, if you know what to look for.” - **Failure:** No access to tunnel, must try garden or bluff a guard. --- ## **Other Social Riddles (Examples for Distractions, Diversions)** - “Two in a corner, 1 in a room, 0 in a house, but 1 in a shelter.” (Answer: Letter R) - “The more you take, the more you leave behind.” (Answer: Footsteps) **Failure** on riddles usually means social embarrassment, missing a clue, or, in the worst case, a rival crew swoops in. ## **Other Possible Rewards** - Blackmail material (letters, ledgers, artefacts) - Noble favours (political leverage) - Minor magic items/art (wands, enchanted jewellery, rare wines) - Contact with The Whisperer or a rival crew for future jobs --- ## **Possible Outcomes & Fallout** - **Success:** PCs gain Mask (and trouble!); Lady Ravelle may become an ally or sworn enemy. - **Failure/Escape:** PCs escape, but the city knows their faces; bounty hunters or city watch on their trail. - **Rival Crew Succeeds:** PCs must recover the Mask in a future session—possible cross-city chase. - **Disaster:** PCs are captured, leading to a “prison break” adventure or forced alliance with the rival crew. --- ## **Adventure Hooks for Next Session** - The Mask begins whispering secrets, urging the party into deeper intrigue. - An agent from a rival noble house offers a king’s ransom for the Mask… or threatens to expose the party. - Lady Ravelle sends an “invitation” to parley—an ambush, test, or plea for help. - The Mask’s curse begins to manifest; local disappearances are blamed on the party. - The city’s thieves’ guild wants their cut—or wants the party gone. ---