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View Full Version : DM Help "Dear Brother Evil, I Owe You One Soul" (Way of the Wicked players stay out)



Kimera757
2014-04-18, 04:37 PM
A weird situation came up in my game last session. A PC, specially a pacifist healer, was killed two rounds into combat (eladrin archers focus-fired him while he had a vulnerable 5 all debuff).

The PCs are an evil party, and are 7th-level. (The pacifist actually makes sense.) Sadly, this put them a little below Raise Dead capability (you need to be level 8 in 4e D&D for this). They turned to a group of allies to bring their buddy back from the dead. One of them, an 8th-level evil cleric, did the deed. (Naturally they got him drunk and told him a bunch of lies, in case he betrays them later on. Naturally he taunted them about being more powerful. And naturally enemies attacked during the "welcome back to life" party.)

The problem is that, a couple of sessions from now, the allies are going to turn on them. Really the more powerful cleric should have "flubbed" the ritual and leave the PCs weaker, but everyone wanted the player back into the game. I figure there should be a consequence beyond charging the PCs for the crushed diamonds or mystic salves needed to bring the PC back. I was thinking of giving the evil cleric the ability to control the PC in the upcoming battle. Unfortunately, a pacifist cleric does the PCs a lot more good than the NPCs. Maybe mind control isn't such a great idea. Any pointers? I have about two weeks before this becomes relevant.

(None of the PCs have the skills needed to realize something has gone wrong. Fortunately.)

Calen
2014-04-18, 06:48 PM
What about when facing off with the evil cleric the pacifist can be hit with a spell, perhaps you could say it is the word of completion for a ritual that was cast at the same time as the resurrection.

The spell would allow a saving throw that would shake off the effect of the spell, but not the spell, for 1 round. On the next round the player would have to save again etc. The only way to remove the effect is to kill the evil cleric or "persuade" him/her to remove it.

While under the effect the evil cleric may subvert any one of the player clerics actions every turn. This could range from running the wrong way to healing a different target than intended or just using up a minor action so it can't be used for something else.

I used something similar to this before and it worked out fairly well. I purposely chose to not CHANGE the players standard actions (I would change the targets but not the spell) but that was for a level 1 wizard so YMMV.

Alex12
2014-04-20, 04:14 PM
Hm. Maybe the cleric built in some kind of effect that he can suppress the healer's magic. Like, healer tries to heal his buddy, cleric sees him doing so, thinks "nope" and forces the healer to make some kind of save or the spell is weaker or doesn't work at all.

Kimera757
2014-04-20, 05:02 PM
Hm. Maybe the cleric built in some kind of effect that he can suppress the healer's magic. Like, healer tries to heal his buddy, cleric sees him doing so, thinks "nope" and forces the healer to make some kind of save or the spell is weaker or doesn't work at all.

I was thinking something closer to this. Probably a better idea than changing the target of healing!

Fayd
2014-04-20, 09:06 PM
Depending on the oath of pacifism, perhaps turning his healing effects into harming effects, to mess with his pacifism and drive him mad with guilt and consequences may also fit within the evil cleric's modus operandi. Forcing him to break the oath unwittingly (and thus no actual consequences because of lack of intent and all that, but with all the consequences that the player's mind can come up with) may elicit some interesting responses.

Spore
2014-04-21, 08:18 AM
Depending on the oath of pacifism, perhaps turning his healing effects into harming effects, to mess with his pacifism and drive him mad with guilt and consequences may also fit within the evil cleric's modus operandi. Forcing him to break the oath unwittingly (and thus no actual consequences because of lack of intent and all that, but with all the consequences that the player's mind can come up with) may elicit some interesting responses.

Seconded. Turning healing into harm spells is the first thing my mind would jump to. But be sure to grant him a Will save or anything similar from 4e for every time he tries to heal. Complete mind control without the chance to struggle is boring for the player in question. Adapt the chances to succeed as you see fit.