Dealing with formians

[Yomega]

Well I kinda backed myself into a corner I have my players on a mission to take a item in a vault on the central gear of mechanus and I have all ready set the stage that this is the scion queen mothers palace and that she would be home.

The players do have contact with a formian matriarc but she is in jail altho they do have a meeting to see her.

My problem is I have largly established the single minded nature of the formians and the density of there hives at the center so I just cant see them sneeking in they are ecl8 so I cant see them fighting there way in either.

So I would apreciate any advice on how to proceed would be greatly apreciated.

[LTwerewolf]

Formians are very lawful. The players can use that to their advantage and find some way that they can go in to see her based on some technicality in the Formian's laws that allows them to.

[Yomega]

They have the loophole to see the imprisoned formian matriarc but how could they use that to gain accsess to the scion queen mothers vault?

The guys have expressed there displeasure with duex ex mesignas or whatever the word is and want to do it themselfs.

[Chilingsworth]

Well, there's this (http://www.scjohnson.com/en/products/brands/pest-control/raid.aspx).

Serriously, you could have them discover a formula for some formian killing/disabling alchemical weapon, and have them quest for the rare ingrediants before their mission. Of course if the mission is time sensitive, that wont work. But if it isn't time sensitive, such a plan would also allow them the chance to level up alittle bit.

[Crake]

Formians are very lawful. The players can use that to their advantage and find some way that they can go in to see her based on some technicality in the Formian's laws that allows them to.

Lawful doesn't necessarily mean they'll give in to loopholes. In the formian sense, lawful means society before individuality.

[herrhauptmann]

They have the loophole to see the imprisoned formian matriarc but how could they use that to gain accsess to the scion queen mothers vault?

The guys have expressed there displeasure with duex ex mesignas or whatever the word is and want to do it themselfs.

Deus Ex Machina, and that's not what it means.
It's something entirely unrelated happening that makes everything okay in the end. Like a victorian morality story about how important it is for the poor man to stay with his family and love them above all else, even when he's got the opportunity for fun/wealth by abandoning them. Just when it seems the story is over, and he's going to find happiness even when he has nothing but his family, his rich uncle (never been mentioned before) suddenly dies, leaving him all his wealth. So now he's happy, with his family, and has everything.

The loophole could get them to the center gear, rather than fighting their way across half of Mechanus. Or they could find/fake some legit reason to be there.
Once they're near the lair they need, they could suddenly go stealthy and only have to sneak a few miles in, and through a few tunnels.

Of course, don't formian queens have like mindsight/telepathy within 2 miles or something?

[hymer]

Have the formians send them on a quest and give them the item as payment.

[Monodominant]

An imprisoned matriach that has not been stripped of her title could still give permission... this off course would be amended but not every guard knows what has happened in a huge, dense hive...

[Chilingsworth]

Another idea: send them into undermountain to find Halaster's magnifying glass. :smallwink:

[Wookie-ranger]

So all Formians are linked in a big hive-mind.
How is this link formed? Magical, Psionic, ethereal connection, Pheromones etc?

If so let them find/make a suppression device. Some kind of anti-magic/anti-psionic field generator that blocks all communication in and out of the field. You can make it so that it needs spells to work (casting spells into it) and for for xd6 rounds (x=spell level), or just 2x spell level. You could also limit the range of the device. 60ft?
That way they get rid of Formians that are in the way, but there is still a sense of urgency. Can they get rid of all the Formians that they have "blocked" in time before the charge runs out? Does the wizard have enough spells to power the device? Are there Formians that are out of range?

Alternatively:
Formians are insects, related to Earth's ants. Ants use pheromones to communicate and mark trails.
Alchemical perfume? depending on the version you could:
1) Use it like 'alchemists fire' if a formian is hit, they become drowsy and kind of stoned; making it impossible for them to communicate and fight well (-2 attacks and saves for 2d8 rounds?)
2) Use it as a potion. Making any none-Formian appear as a Formian for 2d6 minutes, any Formian that interact with them gets a save vs something to recognize that this is a fake sent.
3) Use it as a sprayer that works as a Charm person (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/charmPerson.htm) spell, that works specifically on formians (and potentially all insects). Making them very susceptible to letting the PCs pass, etc.

[Yomega]

Wow guys this is great thanks so much I can definatly work with that.

And getting a payment for the item is definatly not an option when the item there after is removed the inerta that powers mechanus will stop and the plane will slowly stop spinning its gears (only the scion queen mother actualy knows this)

[Chilingsworth]

Wow guys this is great thanks so much I can definatly work with that.

And getting a payment for the item is definatly not an option when the item there after is removed the inerta that powers mechanus will stop and the plane will slowly stop spinning its gears (only the scion queen mother actualy knows this)

Wait... shouldn't something of that importance be the subject of an Epic-level (or at least high non-epic) adventure? :smallconfused:

[Yomega]

Well it kind of is it is the first of 15 they need to get the adventure will take them into epic

[Chilingsworth]

Well it kind of is it is the first of 15 they need to get the adventure will take them into epic

Oh. I thought you meant that that object's theft alone would stop the gears.

Out of curiosity, why are they trying to stop the gears of Mechanus?

[Yomega]

Stoping the gears is an unfortunate side effect they need tobring an item similar to this from most of the planes or the entire multyverse will be sucked into entropy and fade away