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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 9278010" data-attributes="member: 27780">Dungeon/Polyhedron Issue 95/194: Nov/Dec 2002part 4/10Side Treks - Lust: J. Bradley Schell continues his themed series of side treks loosely based around deadly sins. No sexytimes here though folks, as we’re dealing with a half-fiend satyr who uses his hypnotic piping to get groups of people to fight each other to the death, before killing the victor with his own claws & fangs. These gruesome death scenes in the woods have naturally caused locals to hire people to find out the cause and stop it, but so far, they’ve just become more fuel for his bloodlust. Will the PC’s be able to break the cycle, or will they join the trio of knights currently entertaining him and all hack each other to pieces? Let’s hope at least some of them have high will saves or something to shield them from mind-control in general. If they have something to dispel it on others as well the fight’ll be even easier. So it’s the kind of encounter who’s difficulty will vary widely both due to luck of the first few rolls and the build of the party, with a distinct risk of a TPK at their own hands if they screw up their saves. Quite interesting, since it’s an idea they haven’t done before, and has quite a bit of thought put into potential follow-ups but also one to use with caution, because if some players react badly to a TPK, one caused by mind-control will be even more annoying. Critical Threats: In theory, fiends can be demoted as well as promoted, but you don’t see it as often, particularly if you want to fight the same one multiple times in an adventuring career and have it remain a fair fight. Doing it in backstory, however … So here’s an imp who was once a pit fiend, but was busted back down to the rookie leagues for a particularly egregious screw-up. He still retains a higher int than the average imp, a few wizard levels and a cache of scrolls to save his ass in a pinch, but his former bombast sounds distinctly comical in his squeaky little voice. Because devils love their bureaucratic loopholes even amongst themselves, his higher-ups have left him a fast track option back to his former position by killing 100 good adventurers. The various tricksy antics he’ll try to accomplish this without risking his skin in direct combat will be entertaining to them either way. Whether you’ll encounter him with many still to go, or having already done 90-odd and ready to undergo a mid-combat evolution if he manages to drop some of you is up to the GM. :evil laugh: Another one designed to make a good behind the scenes schemer for multiple encounters before finally regaining his full power for a climactic final confrontation, at which point the PC’s will probably be powerful enough to win anyway, resulting in him dramatically exclaiming that this is impossible as he’s sent back to hell for another roasting by his superiors. Pretty easy to see how to make a good story here, so this one gets my approval.</blockquote>

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