You should have the same guard come back at the end to arrest the party, like the end of the Holy Grail.

There's always the option of them unknowingly bringing their problem to a corrupt official, and realizing that it's much deeper rooted than just common criminality.

This is about to happen in the next session we play. They are 100% gonna have a run in with the authorities when they sail into port, and it's gonna be up to them on how to deal with it. I would love for them to befriend the knights, but I know at best they'll spend a night in jail, and at worst they'll be hunted down like stray dogs by every Knight in the city. They're learning, though. A month ago I wouldn't even bother brainstorming alternatives, because they'd just fight everyone without thinking and wind up sleeping outside the city, again.

I played a Drow aberrant mind sorcerer where we came across a cult operating in the back room of a tavern and it was guarded by two thugs.

Half our party went in unarmed under the guise of being townsfolk, myself and one other party member entered the tavern shortly after and sat at a table within sight of the thugs.

After a few moments my character looked at the rogue in front of me and said go get the guards. He was like “uhhhhh” I was like tell them there’s been a murder. He was like “what are you doing I don’t understand” I’m like just go. So he leaves. I wait a few more minutes then I telepathically implanted one of the thugs with Enemies abound. It causes the target to perceive everyone as enemies. The person directly in front of of him was the other thug.

He pulled out his sword the other thug was like “Billy? (Or some other name I can’t remember) and he proceeded to gank his buddy, and as the body was sliding off his blade my party member and the town guards burst through the door, and the guards screamed stop! The thug’s attention was drawn to them and he charged them and was subsequently cut down.

The rogue only then realizing what the game plan was screamed out “there’s more of them behind that door killing our friends!” The guards and the rogue burst through the doors and a massive brawl ensued between enthralled townsfolk, cultists and our party where we managed to defeat a significantly higher level encounter than what we should have been able to if we went at it alone and the cultists were forced to flee.

I think using the law to your own ends can be a good thing if it is something your character would do. My Drow Sorc would not have engaged the law unless it was to his benefit. And that’s exactly what he did.

After the session our DM was like wow that was unexpected but also the outcome was really fun. Unfortunately a few sessions later the campaign fell apart, so I never got to find out if the actions would catch up to me or not but it was fun as hell.

Might be worth checking in with the players about what kind of game and setting they want. A game where the players investigate and call in the cavalry could be fun. A refreshing change from the common freelance murder moron mode of play.

Lean into it if you want. Have the PCs make friends with a guard NPC. Maybe do some quests for the guards. Then have the captain of the guards get killed (maybe while responding to a call from the NPCs) and then the NPC guard friend asks for the PCs help making sure that the next captain isn't the obviously corrupt asshole/failson nepobaby/stooge of the big bad.

Alternatively, the captain of the guards dies and the replacement is one of the above people and now the guards are suddenly much more hostile to the party, demanding bribes, refusing to act against nobles breaking the law, or trying to arrest the party to help the big bad's plans.

no more cops in dnd