Hivemind IC plot suggestions - MY PLAYERS OUT!

[randomling]

OK: a quick plot summary.

The wizard Argun Merrith has, in secret, been trying to take on the characteristics of a dragon for almost two years. Obsessed with all things draconic, he has resorted to evil tactics to bring himself closer to, as he sees it, the most powerful beings in creation. He is insignificant to the Wizards' Guild -- not as powerful as even its lesser-ranked officials, Merrith ekes out a living as a lowly maker of magic swords.

Since he conceived of the plan, Merrith has fed almost all of his cash into attempting to smuggle the Elixir of Dragon's Heart into the city. However, time and again the plans have fallen through, and Merrith resorted to nefarious contacts within the thieves' and wizards' guild: a man who provided him with a rod of torment to help with the cost of the spells necessary to become a half-dragon. He took to hiring thugs to kidnap homeless people and runaway children, polymorphing them into fish, and extracting liquid pain from them on a regular basis...

 

[Creamsteak]

Alright, my specialities are maps and the like, and I can teach you how to do grids for combat and such, so that's where my contribution comes from. I think your plot is well enough developed that I can't give too much input that isn't entirely useless at this point. Had I come earlier I could have been more helpful.

 

[randomling]

Hey creamsteak!

Grids for combat are going to be useful, as are maps. I have a pretty good idea of the shape of the house we're in at the moment, but other things I have a hard time with! I'm not a very spatially-oriented corridor.

And it's not like the plot is done. Or rather, it's not like I'm not going to need more plot hooks. I'd be quite interested in, once the PCs start investigating Merrith's underworld contacts (assuming they do), there being some other nefarious plot they uncover. Something not out of the reach of 2nd level characters, but something that seems big (or at least not small).

What do you think?

 

[Nifft]

Here's how I'd tie them together, via a chronology:

1) Wizard moves to town, discretely seeks underworld contacts.

HOOK: Gather Information could reveal that someone remembers the wizard asking around when he first moved into town.

2) Thieves' Guild (which already has contacts with the Nerezi) learns the wizard's needs, supplies him with a Nerezi Rod of Torment.

3) Guild knows wizard needs victims, and the Guild has from time to time people who it would rather not see again. The wizard and the guild come to an arrangement. The wizard pretends to be collecting exotic fish; in fact, he's called in by the Guild to get rid of people who have outlived their usefulness.

HOOK: rumors of a wizard the Guild calls in when they want someone to disappear. Junior Rogues overhear jokes about "scales of justice" and "sleeps with the fishes" and "he got tanked". Perhaps someone who is (or was) scared for his life talks to the party.

4) Guild has the wizard by his short hairs. They provide him with victims and they know he needs to keep the Rod (which is evidence of high treason). So when the Nerezi tell the Guild they want weapons, the Guild knows who will give them a good price. Since the Guild act as middle man, they get the profit (1/2 weapon price), while all the wizard gets is a kobold-in-a-jar every month. Still, he goes along with the arrangement.

---

Once the party untransform the fish, they're in for a treat. See, each fish was once someone who knew too much -- and each person probably has a tale which will be a decent adventure hook.

-- Nifft

 

[randomling]

Nifft --

I love all that, except the Rod being Nerezi. For one, though they're at war with the Cellsori, they are not per se evil (I don't often go in for evil cultures -- or good ones either really). For two, they're pretty distrustful of arcane magic over there (big on the barbarians and druids). However, I can think of one country in the world that is both evil and into wizardry: they're over the water, they're called Maktai and ownership of such a rod would still be illegal. I mean, liquid pain is most likely illegal, as a spell...

Thank you!!

 

[Nifft]

Sure, if the Thieves' Guild is dealing with the Nerezi, they're probably dealing with the Maktai, too. Let your players fear a Nerezi-Mataki alliance if they find both the origin of the Rod and who is getting the weapons.

-- Nifft

 

[randomling]

So here's our main villain:

Argun Merrith: Human Wiz5; CR 5; Medium-size humanoid (human); HD 5d4+0; hp 19; Init +0; Speed 30ft; AC 11; Atk +2 melee (1d4, dagger); SA Spells; AL LE; SV Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +5, Str 1-, Dex 11, Con 10, Int 19, Wis 13, Cha 14.
Skills: Spellcraft +12, Concentration +12, Knowledge (arcana) +12, Knowledge (local) +12, Knowledge (dragons) +12, Alchemy +12, Scry +12
Feats: Scribe Scroll, Combat Casting, Dodge, Alertness, Craft Magic Arms and Armour
Spellbook: All cantrips, (1st) magic missile, charm person, shield, expeditious retreat, unseen servant, comprehend languages, change self, Nystul's undetectable aura, hold portal, (2nd) mirror image, see invisibility, fog cloud, arcane lock, (3rd) haste, draconicus, gaseous form, dispel magic, hold person, fireball
Spells/day: 4/4/3/2
Prepared: detect magic, prestidigitation, mage hand, detect poison, (1st) magic missile, charm person, shield, expeditious retreat, (2nd) mirror image, see invisibility, fog cloud, (3rd) hold person, draconicus
Items: rod of torment, scroll of gaseous form, scroll of dispel magic, wand of magic missile, bracers of armour +1, cloak of resistance +1, potion of cure moderate wounds, potion of cure serious wounds

EDIT: Added gaseous form, dispel magic, hold person and fireball to the list. And changed one 3rd-level spell to hold person.

 

[Capellan]

Just a quick question - how is he polymorphing people into fish? Did he pay someone? He isn't high enough level to do it himself, and I'm not aware if any of his items would do it. The rod of torment, maybe?

 

[Nifft]

His spellbook should really have Dispel Magic and Gaseous Form in it. No sane wizard would buy a Scroll he could cast and not scribe it. He probably has a scroll of Change Self on him at all times, Just In Case.

If you want to avoid letting the characters have his spellbook, let him know Explosive Runes (3rd level), or a 2nd level spell Lesser Explosive Runes which only does 3d6 damage (but still destroys the spellbook).

-- Nifft

 

[randomling]

I suppose, technically, he's had lots of time to learn news spells, hasn't he? I can add any spell of up to 3rd level I want, I suppose, if I can manage his Spellcraft check. (Let's do it by the book...)

Right, I'm off to my random number generator.

Capellan, yeah, the idea is the rod of torment can polymorph people into little fishies!