Kafana
2014-06-12, 11:33 AM
Not necessarily a monster, but I would prefer if he was a demon or a devil of some kind. Alternatively he could just be a wizard.
Anyway, the creature should be between CR 5 and 8. There doesn't need to be an exact mechanical way to do this, just that the creature fits the bill. Anyway, I have a small hamlet whose residence either fled to the city or died of plague. Those who fled to seek aid returned to find the village residents alive, though pretty weak, so much so that they couldn't work, forcing usually their next of kin to work and send money to their relatives. The residents aren't actually alive, but this creature maintains the illusion so that their next of kin (or anybody who visits them regularly) perceives them as weak, but alive. Since the residents never leave their homes, and when the "provider" brings a friend to tag along, the illusion works in such a way that the guy who is under the illusion always first asks the people he is providing (the dead) if his friend/partner/etc. can come in, and the answer is always no.
The demon/creature is the owner of the inn in the center of the hamlet, which is the only maintained structure, and he tells the story that this village is now mostly abandoned, with a few families still residing here. He uses the money the providers leave (which is a decent sum, since there are several dozen "providers", each one leaving several silver pieces each week) to further enhance his tavern. I didn't yet think about why he would want this, but perhaps I won't need to.
Anyway, the creature should be between CR 5 and 8. There doesn't need to be an exact mechanical way to do this, just that the creature fits the bill. Anyway, I have a small hamlet whose residence either fled to the city or died of plague. Those who fled to seek aid returned to find the village residents alive, though pretty weak, so much so that they couldn't work, forcing usually their next of kin to work and send money to their relatives. The residents aren't actually alive, but this creature maintains the illusion so that their next of kin (or anybody who visits them regularly) perceives them as weak, but alive. Since the residents never leave their homes, and when the "provider" brings a friend to tag along, the illusion works in such a way that the guy who is under the illusion always first asks the people he is providing (the dead) if his friend/partner/etc. can come in, and the answer is always no.
The demon/creature is the owner of the inn in the center of the hamlet, which is the only maintained structure, and he tells the story that this village is now mostly abandoned, with a few families still residing here. He uses the money the providers leave (which is a decent sum, since there are several dozen "providers", each one leaving several silver pieces each week) to further enhance his tavern. I didn't yet think about why he would want this, but perhaps I won't need to.