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kkortekaas
2011-08-10, 10:36 AM
Howdy folks,
I've got a decent concept for a villain that I need some assistance fleshing out, we're currently using the Iron Heroes rule set in the Forgotten Realms for play (it's a modified 3.5 Edition System) but that shouldn't matter too much because I can probably work with whatever suggestions you have.

Here's the scenario, my players encountered a Young Green Dragon in the woods of Cormanthor who through his kobold tribe, beat the ever loving crud out of my party so that when they encountered him (they refused to backtrack) they were at a severe disadvantage.

The Dragon offered to spare their lives, if they'd be willing to act as agents in the Chess type game that the Dragons play (I can't recall the name off hand). Anyways, the dragon requested that the players remove an agent of a rival red dragon from play, and since none of the players speak draconic, his common translation was "retrieve the stone man" which the players took to understand as a statue.

I'd like to have the "Stone Man" be an NPC who has a magical Stone Hand, but he is either an above board merchant or person of nobility, or a criminal that operates a network.

The players are currently in Cormanthor, and I've let slip that the "Stone Man" operates out of the mountains to the West (these could either be the Thunderpeaks (making the city of Tiverton a good option) but I could use the Storm Horns in Cormyr as an option as well.

Any and all help would be appreciated.

sharona
2011-08-10, 10:33 PM
Not knowing what the stone hand is supposed to do/be for ... here are some thoughts. Some would result in the hand being relatively well-known, others could be more easily hidden or simply less obvious.

Is it attached to a person permanently, or not? Someone who for some reason wants something other than a utility-hook type thing replacing his missing hand?

Is it fixed / rigid or a fully usable hand, simply made of stone? If the latter, that's gonna be interesting to try and keep secret, and it begs for backstory.

Above-board merchant - He's a stonemason, stoneworker, carver, artist of some type. The hand is an example of his work, perhaps part of a statue?

Another merchant with a bit of silly attached - the stone hand is a tabletop prop for displaying goods for sale: rings, jewelry, gloves, bracelets ...

Is it magical? Perhaps owned by a caster who somehow uses it for ranged touch spells?

Is it a real hand now turned to stone? Trophy of someone's kill or adventuring days? Or relic - rumored to belong to a previous uber-powerful person?

Another possible petrified hand use - it used to be a regular hand attached to a thief, but he got caught. Now it serves the same "Don't even think of it" threat as skulls on a pike.

Is it just an affectation carried around by someone?

Many of the above could be turned into dual identities, people who operate both on the up-and-up and in criminal networks or behind the scenes doing stuff for the dragon. The stonemason/carver, for example, could be someone who's done skilled forgeries on the side, fenced stolen statutes (or simply done appraisals for them and helped find discrete buyers). The person who uses it in lieu of a hook for their missing hand could have a dummy version that they "forget" and leave behind in various places, have cultivated a reputation for being forgetful - yet does it deliberately because until it's returned it gives them an object they are intimately familiar with to use as object of Clairaudience or location/scrying of some type.

Thyrian
2011-08-10, 11:09 PM
Go with your magical stone hand! It could be so damn awesome e.g. an earth elemental infection the red dragon 'gifted' to his chess piece. The stone hand is gradually spreading and consuming the man's body over time, gradually being consumed and turned into an earth elemental. In the mean time the hand grants him various stone related powers- the catch being the more he uses it the faster the infection spreads! But I'm sure you can think of better ideas, anyway stick with a magical stone hand!!

Also you're probably right about using Thunderpeaks, gives them a nice city to 'retreat' to in the spare moments (hahaha).

Crossblade
2011-08-10, 11:10 PM
Off the top of my head, there's the Half-Golem template or the Green Star Adept PrC. Either one of those could be powerful people in multiple ways.

kkortekaas
2011-08-12, 07:40 AM
Thanks guys, I'll keep ya postede on how it works out.