Help! I need a dozen Arcane NPCs! [My Players Out!]

[Nifft]

Okay, here's the situation. The PCs are going South, to Antarctica, to awaken a Xixecal in the hopes of jump-starting a local Ice Age, in the hopes that this will reduce the duration of the cloud cover from the extinction-level ocean impact about two months back.

(Sound like your game? GET OUT! Thanks! )







Now, the location that I'm using is a mix of Monte Cook's BoEM-3 "Cavern of Frozen Dreams", with a sunken city ("Maiantis", because Maia was the daughter of Atlas), and a few hideously pseudo-natural sites. The Kaorti will feature, as will some "natural" hazards, relating to the preternatural cold surrounding their target.

The Cavern, sunken city, and tunnels are all about a mile down in the ice. The Xixecal is above these sites, suspended in the ice.

Access to the Cavern is mostly by Portal from the sunken city, though a natural ice chimney exists -- over a mile deep, of course. Thus fresh air. However, people avoid that, due to various hazards. The point is: most of those who are in the Cavern don't know where -- even what plane -- they actually are. And they don't much care.

Anyway, what I'm desperate for are some "cool" (bad pun) NPCs who would have traveled far and wide to reach the Cavern. I'm interested in Wizards who have reason to investigate Ice, or Death, or Dreams, or Secret Knowledge, and other intelligent monsters who may have made their way to the Cavern, but not been compelled to attack & eat the others present. For example, a half-elemental (Ice) Beholder will be present.

There's already a Dragon. Of course.

Some themes I'm considering:
- Guy who makes self-replicating Ice constructs ("Frost Scarabs")
- Guy who's researching how to fight Night Hags "on their own turf" (in dreams)
- Guy who's trying to forge weapons out of magically treated ice
- Guy who, for some reason, has a lot of Ice Kobolds serving him
- Mummy Necromancer (hates Fire, likes that [Fire] spells are impeded here)

... and there the juice runs out. I promise to post the maps -- which are quite involved -- when the PCs have run through this story arc. Thoughts, suggestions, crunch, fluff, fully stat'd out NPCs with cohorts and retinues and secrets and agendas -- I'm very needy!

Thanks, -- N

 

[Jolly Giant]

How about a conjurer/alienist hoping to find a way to summon actual, living nightmares from the plane/realm of dreams? And no, I don't mean the flaming, black horses...

 

[TroyXavier]

Just make sure the mummy is a Sorceror. A mummy sorceror with lots of Necromancy spells is nasty.

 

[Nifft]

Just make sure the mummy is a Sorceror. A mummy sorceror with lots of Necromancy spells is nasty.

Of course! That Int penalty is just too painful for a Wizard. But the Cha boost... well, mummified Wizards become Sorcerers in my world.

Jolly Giant: Excellent idea. Thank you! I've got some dream mechanics ideas, based on Shadow Conjuration -- basically, you can conjure a shadow-critter who's totally real to one person, and who gains an Insight bonus to hit and damage that person, but to everyone else it's only 20% real.

Anyone got more?

Thanks, -- N

 

[JoeGKushner]

What about some type of ice troll adapt?

What books do you have reference to? Frostburn? Frost & Fur? Each of those has a lot of utility in them.

Heck, for something different, go with a psion who hears the calls of dreams and has brought along his psionic bodyguard and scout (psychic warrior and soul knfie) to check things out.

 

[Nifft]

What about some type of ice troll adapt?

What books do you have reference to? Frostburn? Frost & Fur? Each of those has a lot of utility in them.

Ice Troll sounds good, as to my books:
- Core 3.5e books
- MM2
- FF
- MotP (yay!)
- XPH
- Malhavoc's BoEM {1,2,3}

No Frostburn or F&Fur, no MM3, no Complete Arcane.

There aren't many Psions on this world, but there will certainly be a few visitors from a neighbor... Bua-ha-ha!

Thanks! -- N

 

[Pyrex]

Instead of Ice Kobolds, you could try Ice Mephits.

Don't forget the resident abjurer who's there to make sure the Xixecal stays stuffed in his bottle.

Depending on your PC's level, how about a Pseudonatural (MotP) or Greater Pseudonatural (XPH) white dragon?

How about a group of (levelled to suit your game) ghosts: the remains of the group of the adventurers that either a) trapped the Xixecal or b) the last group that attempted to free him.

 

[Jondor_Battlehammer]

The Ice Troll is in MM3.


How about a group of Totem Barbarians, each of a different tribe, who set out on a spirit quest. They ran into each other and discovered that they all had the same vision. They have banded together to find the meaning of the vision together, as the owl clan shaman belives it involves a destiny shared by all their tribes.

Their combined CR would equal the average of the rest of your individual creatures, since the act as one collective creature.

 

[Nifft]

How about a group of Totem Barbarians, each of a different tribe, who set out on a spirit quest.

How's this fit with the Arcane Portal-hopping Secret-Delver angle?

Pyrex: Ice Mephits are certainly indicated. And a Gelugon.

Thanks, -- N