Hivemind IC plot suggestions - MY PLAYERS OUT!

[Wolfspirit]

Re: The next bit

The way I see it, there are 3 main possibilities for the fate of the Wizard.

1) He dies. Heck wizards aren't known for their HPs. Unless they get really luck with their attack rolls, that should be difficult however. As soon as he starts getting damage, he should try to get out and gaseous form/ escape if possible.

Some repricusions of this are that he's probably got some friends, or at least acquaintances that are probably going to be looking into his death. If nothing else the landlord is probably going to figure something is amiss eventually. Note that this is probably moot anyways depending on how much noise they make, if there's enough of a battle the watch itself might show up.

2) He's captured. Do your PCs actually have any way of subduing him other than taking him to negative HP and binding him up? This might be rather tough to ocuur. If he's captured, expect him to be interogated. Things to have prepared if that's how things are headed are pieces of information like how he smuggled things in, what his research is, stuff like that. You can probably delay some with that just from the time it would take to break him.

Same reprecusions as above, except they might be in less trouble with the law if they turn him in. If they keep him, it might look REALLY bad for them.

3) He escapes/ is let go. Escaping is the more likely of the two. Congradulations, they've got an irate mage on their hands, who will probably try to take them down if possible. Doubly so if they get his research or magic supplies. If he escapes, he might try to ambush the group again as the leave, or at an opportune spot.

Other than those three options of the status of the mage, there's also whether or not they report this to others.

The paladin could quite possibly report it to the watch or something. Heck, they found a smuggler that's doing some nasty experiments, if he's got any superiors in the area he'll probably alert them.

So, you probably ought to get a rough idea of how he was smuggling (you might want to give the players a chance to let them know that some of his stuff wouldn't be obtainable through normal channels), what all is in his lab, and how he is seen by the rest of the city. If he's a lone mage that keeps to himself and studies, what happens next will be a lot different than if he's the head of a local mage's guild

Oh, you probably also ought to figure out if any of the players have people that they would report too... I'm not sure if you've said anything about that.

If you've got any more questions let me know. If you get together a spell list / list of items in his possesion, I might be able to think up some sneaky tricks for his confrontation.

 

[Wolfspirit]

Heh, my baddies don't tend to die easily, for the most part they'd much rather run and live than die in a blaze of glory (baring, of course, orcish barbarians. Those guys die messily critting on defenseless gnomes, but that's something else). Sure, it's annoying at the time when all the enemies escape, but that just makes it more satisfiying when they die.

It also makes them more believable, IMHO.

 

[Maldur]

If they kill him , they might be in for some roleplaying trying to act like his still alive, so They can find out who's behind all this.

If he escapes he might be a very good nemesis.

Or you could do both. Let his escape but find a way the party need to pretend his still around ( drop a clue hes not beyond redemtion, so they now have to fight himon every turn AND try to find a way of saving him.

 

[randomling]

OK, some ideas I've had:

The wizard (whose name is Argun Merrith, for future reference) has been trying to obtain dragon's blood for some time -- preferably mixed into an "Elixir of Dragon's Heart", an alchemical draught necessary for the transformation into a half-dragon. However, his sources (not sure who yet) have let him down over and over, and, tired of haemorraghing gold on a lost cause, he has turned to more desperate measures.

Merrith has contacts within the thieves' guild and has used them to hire a couple of hobgoblins to find kobolds for him. They are the "delivery" he has been expected and which his apprentice is waiting home for. When he returns, he intended to slit the kobolds' throats, distill their blood and make it into an elixir.

Assuming he escapes:

The trail would probably lead the PCs first to Merrith's lab, if they're smart. It's through a secret door, underground, but Berwan knows where it is. There they'll find Merrith's diary (with a hint about a local inn he met the hobgoblins in) and a book call Ars Draconica -- a tome of arcane lore concerning dragons... possibly with some invoices or correspondence about the smuggling of dragon's blood inside.

I want getting into the lab to be a challenge -- but not just a locked door. Could it have an interesting password? Berwan won't know it, he's only been in there twice in all his apprenticeship and has never been told the password.

Hm, what else?

 

[Nifft]

I wouldn't let them kill the wizard. I'd make sure the wizard is careful enough to notice his hobgoblins are dead, and have him run away before the party even knows he's looking.

After all, the wizard does not know that the players are all 2nd level (just that his apprentice is 2nd level). He'd probably "sacrifice" his apprentice, especially if his apprentice is basically a dupe.

Now the party could run afoul of the "law" (those few corrupt guards who were winking at the Thieves' Guild and Wizard's smuggling).

They've still got to deal with the Guild itself -- or the faction within it that had business arrangements with the foreign enemy. Perhaps they'll find allies who don't want competition from goblin rogues (goblins make DAMN FINE rogues -- plenty of reason for a halfling to fear them -- play it off like racism, but make the players uncomfortable by making it sound logical and justified).

Do they find a way to restore the "fish" to human form? If so, the restored people will testify on the party's behalf.

Just some ideas, -- Nifft

 

[randomling]

Nifft --

I don't think I'm going to be able to get at the BovD for a little while (the guy I know who owns it is on vacation). Can you remember what level liquid pain is? And how the XP is stored (if it can be)? I think the spell he's trying to cast needs, among other expensive components, a large amount of XP which he can't spare... rather than him making the swords. He does pose as a crafter of magic swords (even the apprentice believes his cover) but this is not what he's using the XP for. He wants to make himself into the half-dragon.

If he's 5th level he can only cast 3rd-level spells, see....

How do you restore someone who's polymorphed? Don't you need dispel magic for that...? How else might they restore them?

 

[Nifft]

Liquid Pain is a liquid. One does looks just like one dose of any potion does. It's as easy to transport as any normal liquid.

The spell level might be too high. So give the wizard a Rod of Torment. The rod can, once per day, cast Liquid Pain. If immersed in a dose of liquid pain, the Rod can polymorph one subject into a Tiny animal. Powerful Rod, useless to PCs. The Rod should detect as magical, evil, necromantic and transformative.

To negate this particular Polymorph:
- Dispel Magic
- Break Enchantment
- Polymorph Other
- Restoration

So the party will need to convince someone to cast spells on the fish, all the while avoiding the corrupt guards, vengeful Guild faction and perhaps another servent of the wizard himself.

-- Nifft

PS: nice hat!

 

[randomling]

Glad you like the hat! Me too!

A few questions I had:

How are the PCs going to know the fish are really people? Berwan (the apprentice PC) isn't in on any of this -- he would've run a mile!

How is liquid pain used? Do you use it just like a spell component? Is there any way to dispose of it/return the XP to its rightful owner? They're going to find quite a bit of this stuff in his lab.

And what about this password? A riddle of some kind? Anyone any good at making riddles?

 

[Nifft]

Needles on the doorknob. The password is a drop of human (or whatever race the Wizard is) blood. Note pined to the door says: "MEMO: clean disarming mechanism -- it grows crusty"

There's no way to return the XP to the fish. It's not really XP, it's a day's worth of suffering, which can be substituted for 3 XP. The fish aren't losing anything but their sanity. (Since I don't have my BoVD, let's say the Pain ritual drains 3 points of temporary Wisdom, and requires a Will save vs. DC 10 or the target loses another point permanently.)

I imagine there wouldn't be too much lying around the lab -- every drop has probably gone towards making magic arms or scrolls, or has been used to enhance the Make-Me-A-Dragon ritual. There's really no good use for LP -- but it is a very addictive drug. If anyone drinks it even once, they have a good chance of becoming magically addicted. Don't tell them this, just keep track of it, and later when you get your hands on the BoVD roll a secret save and, should they fail, go straight to withdrawal symptoms.

The fish turn and look at them soulfully. Other NPCs are reluctant to throw the fish away. ("I told guard X to put them in the river, but he said that the fish kept looking at him. He thought they looked so pitiful he just couldn't do it.") The fish should detect as magic, too, of school Transmutation -- that'll probably be the biggest hint.

Happy new year!

-- Nifft

 

[randomling]

Just a quick "thanks" -- I'll be back with more questions and a plot summary tomorrow!