HUGE PROBLEM CR 4 or 5, 19,806 gp and 4 Level 2s

[Angelsboi]

Ok this is the 2nd adventure in my ongoing campaign. The farmer they are trying to find is nowhere to be found but they may just meet up with him in episode 2.

Hes an Expert 2 (farmer)/Psionic 3 (Savant) CR 4.

According to the book he should have 4300 gp. Well i was like, ill give him a psionic weapon.

Hes doing some VERY evil things and the PCs dont know whats going on JUST yet. They are just trying to find out why hes missing and why an old church to some forgotten god is under his abandoned house.

So i give him a +1 Sickle. Fair enough correct? Well i follow the intelligent item theory and got a 01.



So im like COOL! So i roll and its Highest Stat is Intelligence, followed by Charisma and then Wisdom. The stats?

2d6+7 for 2 and 3d6 for one.

Int: 19 Wis: 11 Cha: 14

So this is very intelligent and im looking and going ... "ok this is fitting with my plans.


So i finish it up and it looks like this:

Illitharid
Mind Devourer

Intelligent Sickle +1
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Int: 19 Wis: 11 Cha: 14
Ego: 14
Communication: Common, Illithiad, Draconic, Abyssal, Infernal,
Market Mod: +17,500 gp
Primary Ability: Improved Inititive
Extraordinary Ability: Feeblemind 2/day (Will Negates DC 19)
Purpose: Defeat/Slay Psions
Special Purpose Power: Slay Living (DC 15)


The story behind Old Man Gentry is his ancestors discovered an Olde Gods temple beneath his house and they started to uncover who they really were (Olde Gods were Mind Flayers before the New Gods banished them far away). This one particular Olde God got through to Gentry and now is using him as a pawn. I have no clue how this farmer got this weapon.

Anyway my questions are:

1) Is this wrong?

2) Are my players screwed?

3) Should i continue giving him the other 2000 gp worth of items?

4) If hes Chaotic Neutral, does he get the -1 level?

Im hoping he escapes but you know PCs ....

[edit: Fixed Int]

 

[GWolf]

Opinions

The players arn't screwed as players are hardly ever screwed. it's not wrong, I would give him his other items but all mundane and worth little.

Question: If he is a pison, and the weapons purpose is to slay pisons, how does that work?

Also note, if you feel your players are screwed slighty point them to:

1) Enlist/Find the help of someone strogner then them
2)Make a trap
3) Hunt ofr a tempory magic item to help them.

 

[Angelsboi]

easy. He has become Psionic due to the nature of the God (Mindflayer) and becoming a Illithiadkin (As per Dragon 297).

Mind Flayers are Psionic and they wanna kill everyone. This particular item wants all psionics (except him and its weilder) dead.

 

[coyote6]

So im like COOL! So i roll and its Highest Stat is Intelligence, followed by Charisma and then Wisdom. The stats?

2d6+7 for 2 and 3d6 for one.

Int: 25 Wis: 11 Cha: 14

How did you get Int 25 by rolling 2d6+7? Highest possible roll would be a 19.

As to your questions:

1) "Wrong" how? It's a bit powerful for low level PCs (what level are the PCs? I assume around 2nd-4th level). But, hey, for the seventh session of 3e I ran, I randomly rolled a +2 keen shortsword as gear for a 4th level NPC & kept it, though I decided it was cursed so that it only functioned as +1 weapon. When the 3rd level PCs subsequently defeated said NPC, they naturally kept the sword & had it de-cursed (Player1: "We're in a large city, so that church we just donated the magic sword to probably has a cleric that can cast remove curse, right?" Me: "Uh, 3rd level spell, yeah, they do." Player1: "Cool! How much does it cost to have it cast? [I triple the price] Wow, I've got just enough!" Me: "Uh-oh."). So I'm in no position to throw stones.

2) Are any of them psions? Any psion PCs are probably dead, and there's a good chance that 2 PCs are probably feebleminded. OTOH, an Exp/Psion isn't exactly a combat machine, so the PCs might be able to kill him before he can obliterate too many of 'em. But if the PCs aren't on the ball, though, they might get beat up badly. So I would expect that either the PCs would quickly take the guy out, or they will get pretty thrashed themselves. The sickle's powers are just too tough; it's a hammers-vs.-eggshells situation.

3) <shrug> Up to you, really. I'd probably just make it mundane (though possibly MW) items, and maybe some potions or other disposable items.

4) From my reading of the SRD, yes, he gets the negative level.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I usually just ignore the rules that states a level x PC should have x amount of items and gold. I just wing it.

 

[Angelsboi]

well hes got craft Universal items. I was thinking some psionic tattoos to buff him up. id like for this guy to escape. And no:

Wodyn: Ranger 1(Monte)/Fighter 1 - Human
Olgar: Cleric 2 (War Cleric) - Dwarf
Alton: Shaman 2 - Dwarf
Belarn - Rogue 2 - Hafling
NPC: Yuusdrail - Sorceress 2 - Kobold

Here are his stats:

“Old Man Gentry”, male human Level 2 (expert)/3 (Psion): CR 4; Size M; HD 2d8+3d4+5; hp 33 (33); Init 1; Spd 30 ft.; AC 11 (Touch 11, Flat-footed 10); Atk +9 (Melee – Sickle 1d6+5 x2 / Dagger 1d4+4 x2), or +3 (Ranged – Dagger 1d4+4 x2 10 ft); AL CN; SV Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +9; Str 18, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 14; Height 6 ft. 4 in.
Languages Spoken: Common, Illithiad
Skills (ranks are bolded): Spot 3 (0), Listen 3 (0), Search 1 (0), Intimidate 4 (0), Bluff 2 (0), Hide 1 (0), Move Silently 1 (0), Animal Empathy 8 (6), Craft (Scarecrows) 6 (5), Diplomacy 5 (3), Gather Info 8 (6), Handle Animal 8 (6), Intuit Direction 5 (2), Knowledge (History) 4 (3), Profession (Farmer) 11 (8), Wilderness Lore 8 (5), Concentration 4 (3), Autohypnosis 6 (3), Knowledge (Religion) 3 (2), Knowledge (Psionics) 4 (3), Psicraft 4 (3); Weapon Focus (sickle), Power Attack, Regional, Resculpt Mind, Craft Universal Item, Luck of Heros
Class Abilities: Profficient with all simple weapons, Metapsionic feat at 1st level, Proffiecient with light armor
Racial Abilities: 1 extra skill point each level, 4 extra skill points at 1st level, 1 extra feat at 1st level
Power Points: 8
Powers Discovered: 0 – Bio-Boost, Natural Armor, (Far Hand), 1 – Lesser Metaphysical Weapon, Combat Precognition, (Biocurrent)
Combat//Defence Modes: Id Insinuation, Psychic Crush, Mind Blank, Tower of Iron Will, Empty Mind, Mental Barrier,
Possessions: +1 Sickle*
Description: Old Man Gentry is a man in his mid to late 30s, wears typical farmer clothes and carries a dagger and a sickle. He has a delirious gleam in his eye and some tattoos. He has the mind of a madman bent on doing what he needs to do.

 

[GuardianLurker]

I think I'll jump in here with one of the great truisms I've learned/encountered/been victim of over, lo, these many years:

Never give an NPC - especially a Hostile NPC - equipment you don't want your players to have.

Somehow, it always ends up in their hands, despite your best plans to the contrary.

Now, if you can count on your PCs removing the item from the game (probably likely in this instance), you're reasonably safe. Depending on your inclinations, this can vary from "drop it off at the temple" to "drop it in Mt. Foom", but the players are unlikely to use it while its around.

If you can't count on the PCs getting rid of it, you've got problems.

BTW, if they sell it, the likely buyer is unlikely to be a good guy, providing all kinds of potential plot hooks for you.

 

[Angelsboi]

ok ill keep it

mwa hahahahahaha

 

[Lord Ben]

Lots of his money is probably wrapped up in the farm itself.

Other then that, change it to x/week instead of x/day and it's a bit more fair. I'd eliminate the special ability and special purpose, or at least change it. Maybe chance feeblemind to hold person or something.

 

[Aven]

id like for this guy to escape.

Then he escapes. You're the DM. It's easy enough to give him a potion of gaseous form or fly or something. mabey a 1-shot medallion of Bigby's teleport me the hell away from murderous pc's