Editing Bribery & Gambling (section)

==Bribery==
Bribery is a dangerous trade, for even though a given guard is “accessible” to bribery, if the price offered is not sufficient, he may as well decide that calling other guards might give him a slight promotion.

First, the PC has to make sure that the guard is accessible to bribery, with a Sense Motive check. The basic DC is 20, with modifiers:

* if the guard has no family to protect: -10
* if the guard was not paid for the last month: -5
* if the guard was not paid for 3 months: -8
* if the guard just got a promotion: +5
* if the guard was already caught failing his duties: +10
* if the PCs have taken the guard’s family into safety: -10
* if the guard hates the Shadow (loved one killed, for example): -5
* if the PCs give the guard a good story to explain his failure to his superiors: -10


Feel free to add your own modifiers for specific NPCs’ motivations.

If this check succeeds, the PC knows whether the specific guard can be bribed or not. If the check fails, the PC always thinks the guard can be bribed… (evil DM grin).

In order to practice bribery, a PC will have to give an item or perform a service that is worth a given number of vp. The vp cost depends on what the guard is asked to “ignore” (a weapon, a book, a fey, a known fugitive, etc.). The more risks the guard takes, the more expensive the bribery will be. For example, it might cost a little fortune to convince a guard to allow a prisoner to escape or to allow passage into a restricted area).

Here follow some basic examples of “prices” for different “services” a guard could provide to the party:

* Ignore a weapon (simple): 10 vp
* Ignore a weapon (martial): 20 vp
* Ignore a weapon (exotic): 25 vp
* Ignore a fey (except gnome or orc): 150 vp
* Ignore a known criminal: 150 vp
* Ignore a book (or scroll): 25 vp/ book
* Ignore an obviously magic item: 500 vp/item
* Disobeying an order (“run after him”): 800 vp
* Giving the password to a restricted area: 800 vp
* Giving an uniform (which will later be used as disguise): 500 vp
* Giving the night shift timetables: 50 vp
* Drawing map of a fortress: 750 vp
* Lending keys to a restricted area: 750 vp
* Indicating the weaknesses of a Shadow minion (legate, orc commander, traitor prince, etc.): 200 vp
* Providing a means of escape for the party: 450 vp


Of course, guessing the vp value of a service is not enough. A specific guard might not accept to be paid with a sword or weapon, another might want food, etc. The price can increase or decrease dramatically with specific circumstances:

* if the PC can pay with the proper goods that the guard desires: -30% discount
* if the PC can only pay with goods that will be difficult to fence: +10%
* if the PC can only pay with illegal goods: +20%
* if the guard has no family to protect: -25%
* if the guard was not paid for the last month: -20%
* if the guard was not paid for 3 months: -50%
* if the guard just got a promotion: +10%
* if the guard was already caught failing his duties: +20%
* if the PCs have taken the guard’s family into safety: -30%
* if the guard hates the Shadow (loved one killed, for example): -10%
* if the PCs give the guard a good story to explain his failure to his superiors: -20%


Once the “total” modifier is obtained, you can compute the price that will be enough for the guard to be bribed. Of course this is only for the DM. If the PC wants to guess the price, it will require him to succeed an Appraisal check, with the same DC as the one used to determine whether a specific guard can be bribed.

Once the DM knows the price the guard will want, the “negociation” can begin. Of course, any such thing must be conducted in “coded language” (Bluff checks). If the bargaining takes more than 10 minutes, the negociation fails. I think it is better to role-play it rather than make a Diplomacy or Bluff check to determine how much the PC finally pays.

Remember that the party will gain a significant edge in the negociation if they can provide the guard and his family a safe way to escape the city and join some distant haven. Guards should be specific characters with their own motivations, and this option provides the DM with story hooks for later adventures (escorting the family to a safe place). And the guard himself could become a valued NPC in time, or even be used a as backup character should a PC die, if he accompanies them.

Always keep in mind that if the risk is too big to take, then no matter what price the PCs offer, the guard will always refuse!