[Planescape] Help with Mimirs?

[Carnifex]

Hey all!

A mimir is about to appear in my campaign - check this link to the latest update to my story hour to see how (it's the talking silver skull that the enemy sorceror is holding):

http://www.enworld.org/messageboards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1202&pagenumber=5

Now the thing is, I don't know a massive deal about mimirs, even with all the Planescape products that I own (they don't seem to get mentioned much). I know the basics of them as repositories of knowledge, and I've got the example of the one in Uncaged: Faces of Sigil, but beyond that I have little to go on. Sure, there's Morte from Planescape: Torment but he's not actually a mimir, IIRC? This one that I'm introducing may be Morte-like in some aspects due to its unusual backstory (which I wont divulge here in case one of the players reads it), but I'm hoping you kind people can give me more info on Mimir's in general?

 

[Piratecat]

In general, I would handle it by deciding the "voices" of the 1-8 people who have recorded their experiences in the mimir. You may decide specific information that the mimir knows, or you may roll a knowledge: planes check (giving the mimir a skill of +2-15, depending on who recorded into it.) Then, when the PCs try to use it, roll a skill check; if it succeeds, choose one of the personalities who recorded into it and recount the information as the original person might have recorded it. That includes accent, vocal mannerisms, prejudices, lies, and so on. It's like having 5 NPCs in a can! Keep the PCs guessing; is the information true, or partially misleading, or formerly true but now false? Lots of good fun here.

 

[Carnifex]

Thanks Piratecat! Perhaps the best part of it is the actual personalities who have used it for recording - the characters may be in for some shocks!

Anyone else got any ideas?

 

[I'm A Banana]

Mimirs

Mimirs are actually pretty much covered in one little-used Planescape product: Player's Primer to the Outlands.

The thing is, it came with a CD that had info on a bunch of things the book had info on. And you could play it during the game as the "voice" of the Mimir.

Though Mimirs are mostly depicted as silvery, metallic skulls, the book actually says the default for them is a spinning, silvery disc -- like a CD (this caused me to groan...oy...).

The skulls are cooler, but the book says they could really be any form...block, disk, shaped like little animals...

...anyhoo, when "activated" (usually with a command word) the Mimir floats in the air and anticipates questions.

The thing is that, much like a tape recorder, a Mimir can only
replay what it's heard before. So if you ask a certain Mimir about, say, the secret contents of Tarsheva Longreach's underwear drawer, it could only tell you what other people have said about it. Likewise, a Mimir who has been lurking in the background of Baatorian politics may know a lot about it...but if you pick it up from some hawker at the Bazaar, you may not know that. So if you idly remark about "I wonder what's going on in Baator" you may find out more information than you'd want to...

Basically, they always absorb audial information around them, and replay it whenever someone asks them to. This is how things like Mimir-based interviews get done. Theoretically, you could put a message in it, perhaps using Innuendo to disguise it's true meaning, then have a contact find it and ask it about Vargoullies and get all the (coded) information he needs.

Of course, a Mimir can't mimic the magical effects of sounds...like a harpy's song. Though it will reproduce the haunting melody.

IMC, Mimirs can also be modified to record and replay other things...like video-cameras, even.

But, basically, a Mimir can replay anything it's ever head over the course of it's long life, when asked about it. So some people hand 'em out to the Clueless as sort of nifty and useful souveniers, and as cheap guides.

IIRC, a Mimir is created with the Craft Wonderous Item feat and the 1st-level spell "Message". I'd figure that, despite their place as a magic item, in Sigil, they'd be popular enough to sell for about 15-20 gp a pop...elsewhere they'd probably be quite a bit more expensive. It's relatively simply, but Primes still oggle when they see a levitating skull spountin' everything it's ever heard about the Seven Heavans just 'cause you asked about Paradise.

 

[Carnifex]

Excellent - thanks, Kamikaze Midget! Sadly I lack the Player's Primer to the Outlands - I knew it had info on them in there, just unfortunately don't own the product!

Thanks again!

 

[A2Z]

You can download the tracks from the CD here. I don't know how much they'll help you but they're still fun to listen to. Unfortunatly the Player's Primer to the Outlands isn't available as an ESD yet.