Bounties & Wanted¶

"The Watch doesn't pay in coin. They pay in something a careful person finds worth more - the benefit of the doubt."

Every town keeps a list of people it wants caught. You can read that list, hunt the names on it, and turn them in - for standing, not silver. And if you've been busy on the wrong side of the law, one of those names might be yours.

At a glance¶


See the list	`wanted`
Turn one in (dead)	Defeat them in combat, then claim the bounty
Turn one in (alive)	`capture <npc>` / `bind <npc>` when they're nearly beaten
Reward	Faction reputation + civic credit - never gold
Issuing factions	Town Guard · Millhaven Council · Frontier Warden
It cuts both ways	Your own crimes can land you on a poster

Reading the board¶

Type wanted to see the active bounties in reach - each entry names the wanted person, summarises their crime, lists the issuing faction, and shows the tier (how badly they're wanted). Notice boards around the towns and frontier outposts carry the same names in-world; the command is just the convenient view.

Why no gold?¶

Bounty claims pay in reputation with the issuing faction plus civic credit - deliberately, not coin. The reward is reputation-laundering: a way to convert "rough person who can handle themselves" into "person the authorities trust." If you want money, rob someone. If you want doors to open, collect bounties.

Tiers and standing¶

Tier	Reputation with the issuing faction
Petty	+8
Serious	+18
Capital	+35

A capital bounty is the standout rep gain of a day; a petty one is just part of a productive afternoon.

Civic credit¶

Separate from reputation, civic credit is a ledger of lawful service bounties, guard work, and the like. It is not a currency you spend directly; it's standing that unlocks perks over time: armoury discounts, "valued by the Watch" recognition at the boards, and invitations to civic feasts on the calendar. Crime burns it; service builds it.

Dead or alive¶

There are two honest ways to collect.

Dead - defeat and claim¶

Beat the wanted target in combat. The kill leaves you holding proof - a trophy or token that the bounty officer recognises. Bring that proof to claim the reward; the evidence is consumed when you turn it in.

Alive - `capture` / `bind`¶

The harder, cleaner option. When a wanted target is nearly beaten - at a sliver of health - you can take them alive instead of finishing them:

The target must actually be on a wanted list (this is a bounty mechanic, not a way to kidnap anyone).
They must be at roughly a quarter health or less.
You must be carrying a rope or a set of cuffs - which the capture consumes.

A live capture marks them taken, and you turn the person in rather than a trophy. Some issuers care about the difference.

You can only claim each bounty once - turn a name in and it clears from your list.

When the name is yours¶

The same system points the other way. Commit serious crimes and the towns post a bounty on you (see Crime & Stealth for how bounty accrues). Carry one and:

Patrols and guards may move against you on sight.
Some NPCs won't deal with you while you're wanted.
The factions whose people you've wronged cooperate - a name that angers the Town Guard isn't safe with the Council either.

You can lower the heat over time (and tearing down a poster about you is its own small, risky act). But the cleanest path is the boring one: stop giving them reasons.