Henchman idea?

[haakon1]

I'm looking for ideas about a henchman for my game on Saturday. I'm looking for edition neutral ideas, but I'll tell you the technical stuff below, just in case it matters to anyone.

Setting: Greyhawk, Yatil Mountains
Edition: 3.5, borrowing some ideas from AD&D.

The set up is an orc tribe in the Forge of Fury -- the classic 3e adventure about a fallen dwarven mine/fortress.

The henchman (technically, cohort) would be a 5th level character working for the orc's leader.

In my version, the leader is a female orc priestess of Luthic -- the orcish goddess of caves, healing, and female fertility. She's actually N, not evil, as Luthic is an LE/N goddess (originally described in AD&D's Unearthed Arcana). The leader is an Adept 2/Cleric 3/Wizard 1 -- yes, I know that's not a great build, but it suits the character idea I have for a smart generalist spellcaster, the only spellcaster in her tribe, and Wizard gives her access to some good utility spells.

The rest of the tribe (Vile Rune tribe, followers of Luthic) are a mix of LE and a few N. Mostly plain vanilla orc warriors, with one old orc veteran fighter. (Because my setting is AD&D centric, orcs are usually LE, not CE, consistent with AD&D instead of 3e rules.)

Generations ago, orcs conquered this place after a long bloody war with the dwarves. Now, they are pretty much camping on the resource (a good fortress) and hunting, with a little raiding now and then. They've long ago lost most of the fortress to other monsters.

So who is the henchman for the leader? I'm thinking something surprising to find with orcs -- maybe a human female monk, LE or LN, maybe a former prisoners they freed. Staying away from the obvious -- half-orc fighter -- and any other male characters who might try to boss her around from unusual role as a female orc leader, do you have other neat ideas?

 

[GregChristopher]

I would suggest an insane Gnome illusionist who is being kept as a jester of sorts by the Orc chief to spice up long winter nights. He believes he is actually an Orc that has been polymorphed into a Gnome. He believes the world is actually awash in magic which he dispels (his illusion spells) to fix. The illusions thus reflect the way the gnome believes the world actually is.

So he may cast an illusion on some human to make them a Dwarf because he suspects they are not actually human. When they turn into a Dwarf, his beliefs are confirmed. Of course, when the illusion fades he feels that the suppressed magic he was dispelling (i.e. actual life) is coming back, so he casts the spells again and again.

Of course, the dialogue for this guy will need to be top tier. I have to leave that to you.

The fee to hire him represents the lost entertainment value to the Orc chieftain by liberating him of this little fellow.

 

[Quartz]

Half-ogre daughter?

Or how about a half-orc centaur?

 

[Khazan]

The gnome Illusionist is a good suggestion.

I too thought of a gnome, since the locale is the Yatil Mountains, and a jester ...but I thought of a bard. He has either been forced into service recently (captured in a raid or just grabbed while traveling a bit too near the place), or is the lone survivor of some doomed exploring group from years before, and has used his "gift of gab" to keep the orcs from killing him (he could have Orc as one of his chosen languages, and maybe some knowledge of their mythology...or else just a wealth of good stories). If the orcs have settled into a sort of sedentary pace, they might have been looking for a little entertainment anyway, and perhaps he is appreciated for his storytelling ability by the priestess.

 

[Ycore Rixle]

I like Greg's gnome illusionst idea a lot.

For the sake of contribution... do any of the PCs have a long-lost relative? This seems to me an awesome spot for that long-lost relative to turn up. "Wait, what? Uncle Rodrigo? You fell in love with the orc priestess and now you're her... entertainment? By Garl's glittering groin, say it ain't so!"

(Apologies to Eric's grandma if gnomish oaths offend her!)

 

[haakon1]

Thanks folks -- interesting ideas.

"Send in the gnomes" seems to be the consensus, though half-orc centaur is pretty darn interesting to me too. I'm a big centaur fan, and that would be totally unexpected!

Currently, I already have two gnome commoners there as prisoners -- prospectors from the hidden Gnome Vale near the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, who were captured and are being held for ransom.

So a third gnome who was captured with them and turned coat, that's interesting. There's about a 90% chance the PC's will find the prisoners first -- if the prisoners don't know what happened to their former companion, that's good foreshadowing with an unexpected outcome, eh?

I'll have to decide between the insane gnome illusionist (interesting, but perhaps too much) and the gnome bard jester. Maybe more of a gnome bard chronicler, like the wizard in Conan, chronicling this important orcish leader's rise to the orcish equivalent of archmagery!

 

[haakon1]

do any of the PCs have a long-lost relative?

There's a dwarf wizard from the Yatils, and an elf rogue from the nearby Vale of Highfolk. But no gnomes in the party.

Also, a halfling cleric of Thor (hey it's Greyhawk, we mess with it!) from far, far away.

I suppose I could change the whole thing to dwarves, but gnomes does seem better, doesn't it?

 

[Quartz]

I'd forgotten it was the mountains, so I suggest that a half-orc centaur would be inappropriate anyway. But a half-orc bariaur...

 

[haakon1]

Centaurs and mountains don't necessarily disconnect in my mind.

In the Rogue's Gallery (AD&D), there were two examples of PC's (I think from Gygax's home campaign) who had been reincarnated -- one as a Lizardman, the other as a centaur. The centaur was illustrated, patrolling along a narrow mountain path. Coolness.

 

[MortalPlague]

Taking a bit of a different angle...

Gruff, battered human adventurer. He's had his run of fights, taken his scars, and a face that was homely to begin with became downright ugly. Beauty and nice words always win the crowds, so even though it was his bow that kept the goblins from raiding the town four winters ago, the knight who rode into town was given the honors. When the farms were losing sheep to poachers, it was his blade that cut down their leader. But the townsfolk thought he was in with them, just trying to earn a purse by turning coat. Despite ten years of watching over the people, he was run out of town by a mob.

And then the orcs found him. He slayed six when they took him, so he was afforded respect as a mighty warrior. He was brought before their chief, who saw his scars and muscles and found a keen appreciation for them. She made him an offer; join with their band, and fight alongside, in exchange for freedom.

There was no other choice. That night, she took him to her chambers, and for the first time, a woman did not turn away in scorn at his scars; instead, she caressed them, traced them with her fingers. In the tribe, scars are a badge of honor and strength, something the softer humans never could grasp. And in her arms, the grizzled adventurer found acceptance and love.

And so, bound by ties stronger than coin, the grim adventurer has joined in with the orcs, to protect his love, and to get revenge against those who wronged him.