Master Lauf's House of Pleasure

[Axelos]

Here's my idea for my next little story in a big D&D campaign:

Okay, my group's PCs are about to reach a large city where a number of prostitutes have recently been murdered viciously. After a bit of investigation, the PC's should begin to suspect that one Master Lauf, who owns one of the brothels in the city, knows something about what's going on.

Okay, to make a long story short: Master Lauf's "employees" are actually undead. Though technically free-willed and capable of communicating, interacting socially, etc., these undead are bound to Master Lauf by a potent charm spell and their own need for survival (he can destroy them at will). Their nature enables them to interact with their customers, but as they do not eat, sleep, etc., Master Lauf figures they don't need any money, and besides, they're his slaves.

My two questions:

1.) Exactly what kind of undead would work best for this? Keep in mind that they need only be fairly weak (vampires would easily get the best of Master Lauf) and yet capable of social interaction (zombies don't make good prostitutes). Physical appearance is irrelevant, as Master Lauf's right-hand man, an illusionist, maintains a constant illusion spell over all the undead in the building that disguises them completely.

2.) Any ideas about how I can keep my players from quickly determining that these women are undead? I have a detect-happy cleric in the party who will probably try detecting for lots of things. I don't think anything will clue her in to detect for undead, but you never know. Fail to plan for a turn of events and that turn of events will probably occur.

I want this to take a while for them to figure out, as I have at least two more plots besides the serial murders that involve this house of undead pleasures.

 

[der_kluge]

What you're wanting is fairly far-fetched. I mean, unless this Master Lauf was a cleric of some considerable power, he wouldn't be able to pull this off.

No undead fits the description you seek except for Liches and Vampires. Either of which would be way too powerful, and definitely not subject to charm.

As an undead, charm are immune to charm, so to have Master Lauf "charm" the undead, any rules-competent player will have a field day with that.

Might a suggest, instead, that you concoct some sort of grievous alchemical potion which actually puts people into a zombie-like state, rather than making them into full-fledged undead.

That way, they can still be his slaves, and still work for free, and would not detect as undead, and would appear to be regular people, aside from the lobotomy-like trance most of them appear to be in all the time.

As a twist, it would be fitting for the PCs to find an antidote to the potion - or maybe some singularly powerful device controls them all, and once destroyed they are free. And then allow all the prostitutes to kill Master Lauf themselves, rather than having the PCs dirty their hands with the deed.

 

[der_kluge]

The other problem, is that I assume the murdered prostitutes are then showing up for work in his brothel? Someone is gonna recognize "Candy" as being a prostitute that was murdered.

You might just have it so that he is murdering prostitutes from the other brothels to eliminate the competition. When asked, prostitutes from the other brothels mention how the murdered prostitutes were asked to work for Master Lauf, and when they refused, they showed up dead.

 

[Axelos]

No undead fits the description you seek except for Liches and Vampires. Either of which would be way too powerful, and definitely not subject to charm.

Well, drat. Now I have to create a new undead creature.

As an undead, charm are immune to charm, so to have Master Lauf "charm" the undead, any rules-competent player will have a field day with that.

Er...I must have taken my stupid pills today. Of course undead are immune to charm. Actually, the more I think about it, that's not even necessary. It's enough that Master Lauf can destroy them at will. They value their own existence, so they do as he says.

Damn, that changes everything though. Not that everything can't change.

Might a suggest, instead, that you concoct some sort of grievous alchemical potion which actually puts people into a zombie-like state, rather than making them into full-fledged undead.

Well, I have reasons for specifically wanting them to be undead. These reasons have to do with their peculiar immunity to diseases, the effects curing spells have on them, etc.

That way, they can still be his slaves, and still work for free, and would not detect as undead, and would appear to be regular people, aside from the lobotomy-like trance most of them appear to be in all the time.

That's all backwards from what I'm trying to achieve. I want weak undead who can act like normal people, not normal people who act like weak undead.

As a twist, it would be fitting for the PCs to find an antidote to the potion - or maybe some singularly powerful device controls them all, and once destroyed they are free. And then allow all the prostitutes to kill Master Lauf themselves, rather than having the PCs dirty their hands with the deed.

Well, at least we were thinking on the same wavelength here!

I think I should be able to create some kind of special undead for my purposes. The undead are a major component of the campaign, and my intentions for the campaign necessitate many different kinds of undead anyway.

Master Lauf, incidentally, is somewhat powerful. I plan to use him as a recurring villain for a while.

 

[Axelos]

The other problem, is that I assume the murdered prostitutes are then showing up for work in his brothel? Someone is gonna recognize "Candy" as being a prostitute that was murdered.

You might just have it so that he is murdering prostitutes from the other brothels to eliminate the competition. When asked, prostitutes from the other brothels mention how the murdered prostitutes were asked to work for Master Lauf, and when they refused, they showed up dead.

Actually, I was a bit misleading in my first post. While it is true that Master Lauf knows who is responsible for the murders, he is not behind them himself.

I didn't really go into that because my problems weren't related to the murders.

And the murdered prostitutes do not end up working for Lauf as his undead minions. They just end up dead. The important thing is that none of Lauf's minions are in any danger, because Lauf has an arrangement with those responsible for the murders.

Yeah, I realize my whole idea is far-fetched. I have never had to ask for advice about a plot development before. I thought this one up and then decided it might be too difficult to make it work, but then I thought I'd propose it here to see if someone could help me work it out.

 

[GMVictory]

You could always smarten up your zombies so that they can interact normally, even have pesonality. You don't have to change anything else about them. Lauf controls them with an item that acts as a cleric with the ability to rebuke. (Crud, I can't recall off the top of my head if the master/pawn ability of the undead still exists. Because that would work better.)

Rather than have some kind of arrangement with the killer, the killer never strikes at Lauf's place (which will be suspicious by itself) is because Lauf's prostitutes never leave his establishment. Lauf could have a lead on the killer or even know who it is, but doesn't care because it doesn't affect him or his business.

Your detect happy cleric. Detecting evil is no problem, she's in a brothel. Detect magic is explained away by some of the girls/guys as having "enhancements" because you can't stay young forever. Give the employees a small, cheap gem with a false magic aura. They take it out and use it to change their appearance (race, human, non-human, undead, etc), explaining that they cater to a client's preferences.

Hope this helps.

 

[Tewligan]

Why not use ghouls? They're intelligent and fairly weak. Plus, nothing is sexier than a cannibalistic whore.

 

[yennico]

Hello Axelos,
Undead and Prostitution
I had a similar idea.
In another RPG System I created the following brothel.
Perhaps I will re-use this idea in D&D.

The Master, an older member of a long living race has done nearly every thing in his life. He is a spellcaster and can cast in D&D terms: Illusions, Enchantments, Divinations and perhaps Necromancy with a focus on Illusions and Enchantments.

I do not know how powerful the Master in D&D terms must be.
He is powerful in creating very detailed illusions, reading thoughts desires, minds, etc.
Perhaps he can command or create the undeads by a magical item.
The undeads can be skeletons with an improved intelligence, so they can follow complex commands.

Several years ago The Master decided to study the sexual behaviours of humanoids. So he bought a partnership in a brothel and after the death of the owner he secretly runs the brothel. This brothel is a very exquisite brothel with higher fees.

When customers enter this noble brothel they will see Big Fat Mama , a very inattractive fat female. In reality this person is not a human, she is a kind of intelligent undead with a permanent illusion placed on herself by her master. Perhaps a more than normal intelligent ghoul
Who wants to dislieve this illusion ?
She asks about the preference of the customers, collect the money in advance, etc.

There are also bouncers in this room, so making trouble is no good idea.

Also in this room invisible (improved) is The Master. He uses spells to get images of the customers dream girl, their sexual desires, their deepest desires, etc.

Before the customers later sees several prostitutes the Master places on dressed normal skeletons with a limited intelligence, illusions of beautiful women. The Master can command these skeletons. The clothing of skeletons looks like real prostitute´s clothing because of illusionary magic.

One of these womans will be a"girl" which nearly looks like the dream woman of the customer, but this "girl" has some "flaws". These "flaws" are because a "girl which looks like the real dream woman of the customer causes only problems: the customer wants her to give up job or wants to marry her, etc.
So the Master uses illusions close to the dream girls image.
Who wants to disbelieve the beauty of these women ?

It will be most certain that the customer chooses his "dream girl" so the master gave the dream girl commands what the "dream girl" has to do with the customer.
The "girl" and the customer go in a room which is shaped by illusions to satifiy the customer´s sexual desire. If the customer´s desire is S/M the room e.g. will be shaped like a dungeon cell.
The master observes this room by magic and if he needs he can enter this room invisible...

He satisfy only the deepest sexual desires of his male and also female customers and they will pay him for this. They always come back. You do not want to disbelieve an illusion which is one of your deepest desires. You do not want to know the truth because this would destroy your illusion.

If the PCs find out about the illusions and undeads and tell this somebody in the city..... No good idea. The Master has good connections to the nobles in the cities. The customers also do not want to believe the PC´s story.

Detect evil: You are in a brothel, normally there will be some kind of evil persons.

Detect magic: A brothel certainly will have some magic potions, or magical trinkets which were gifts from satisfied rich customers, etc...

Detect undead: Why should a cleric cast the spell detect undead in or near the brothel ? In my encounter no obvious undead is involved. There are no obvious clues that undeads are involved, so why should he cast this spell ?

Just my 2 cents
yennico

 

[Bad_English]

About the undead question...

Hows about the master of the establishment having gained the trust and good ( become a usefull pawn) will of a very powerful Liche or Vampire or barely mortal powerfull necromancer. This nercomantic wonder has created a potion that when the victim drinks it the soul is stripped away and goes automatically into a previously prepared artifact like a crystal or a simple stone. The bodies could be commanded to perform, to eat and work tirelessly for the holder of the 'Soul Stone'.

Similar to the classic Zoodoo Zombie which is actually a living person extremely doped up from a powerful ( Neuro) toxic and while in the state of so called possesion suseptable to simple verbal commands. Of course in a fantsy setting ...well that idea could be expanded upon.

The good thing is you would not have to have an illusionist just someone capable of giving commands and riding herd on the bodies. You could also have the usual damsels in distress and when detect undead is cast by the PC's because the soul is elsewhere the workers of Master Lauf's House of Pleasure would technically appear to be undead.

Now my hungover mind is engaging some what I remember a Planar spell that places a soul in a gem and is used for currency. But the specifics illude me.

PEACE

 

[David Argall]

check the sources

To use some details for one ancient adventure...

The prostitutes are simply improved zombies. They can provide the personality commanded by their master. Their looks are provided by a illusionist of about 15th level. [See some of the illusion spells of 6-8th.]
Their control is provided by a cleric of perhaps 10th who creates symbols of control. These are placed on the zombie, making it obedient to whoever has the symbol. [clue for the PC is that the brothel insists the patrons have this symbol] The symbol also gives it some resistance to cleric turning.
The prostitutes are described as from another plane [which means they detect as magic. With the powerful illusion to detect 1st, the party will have problems detecting the lesser symbol. Of course, the brothel guards will object to any casting.] The illusion spells are likely powerful enough to also make sure they detect as outsider.
The prostitutes are being murdered because after they are buried, they are dug up & antimated as zombies, they are skilled at their trade.
The slave zombies are also being sold, at a quite reasonable price, to those with possible secrets. The zombies then become spies for the illusionist and cleric since they have a master control symbol that overrules the lesser control their owners have. Ideas of having a 5th column for an invading army are also possible.

Oh yes, one flaw in their plot. The zombies are slowly turning into ghouls, who will not be controlled, and will be hard to turn. [The command "Eat me" may be unwise.]