Making Circe

[AlanBruce]

Greetings! I've been running a sea faring campaign and would like to introduce an encounter with the famous sorceress from the Odyssey.

According to Homer, Circe was a nymph or demigoddess (but I would like to stay away from giving her divine ranks). Ideally, a fey. Initial thoughts went to the Sirine (MM2), because of her racial bonuses to charisma.

Circe's MO was to invite Odysseus' crew to a feast- the food would be laced with a batch from her potion and the crew would turn into all manner of animals. I have looked around the rules, but could not find any such potion that could do that.

The other alternative was for her to start tossing Baleful Polymorph at the party and crew, but that would take away the whole subtle approach that she is well known for.

The Party is ECL 13, probably 14 by the time they reach her isle, but other than that, I'm pretty much stumped.

So I ask you, Playground, if you'd have any ideas on how to build this character. The party may not end up killing her, but perhaps they could reach some form of alliance in exchnage for loot, information, or whatever a creature like her would fancy.

The system is 3.5 and the party is very well optimized, having a druid, abjurant champion, bard, conjurer, cleric, and IotSFV.

Thank you very much!

[Telonius]

I'd modify a Rod of Splendor (or Security) to make it a cursed item, the curse being the Baleful Polymorph effect for anybody who eats the food. Otherwise you'd have to do things like make potions effective at past 4th-level, or somehow get her to Craft a Contingent Spell while the victims were present.

[Dornith]

I've always said, the beautiful thing about DnD is how much room you have to improvise If something doesn't exist, invent it!

You could easily just create a "Potion of Polymorph" or something like that. Just do the whole baleful polymorph after they eat the food.

Edit: Remember, you're the DM: the rules and restrictions are really whatever you make them.

[Segev]

Circe is actually most clearly defined as "a sorceress" or "an enchantress," and is probably one of the most iconic inspirations for the Sorcerer class. That said, if you prefer to play up the prepare-and-trigger angle, a wizard might be better. Either Enchantment or Transmutation focused, perhaps. The Pathfinder Enchanter perks would help with the "beautiful and seductive" aspects.

For the food, just make it enchanted directly: the formula for potion costs is the same as that of one-shot items of any sort...including Wondrous ones. One of the problems with D&D's rules in 3e is that there just isn't any reason to take Brew Potion. Potions have more restrictions and no benefits over one-shot wondrous items, which can be made by taking a different feat at the exact same level.

Treat the food as one-shot Baleful Polymorph items your Circe crafted. Market price: 7*4*50 = 1400 gp each.

[John Longarrow]

AlanBruce,
Due to the delay in the effect (They changed over the night IIRC) you may want to have this be a custom magic poison. Something with an onset of 6+1d4 hours, FORT DC 21. Base it off baleful polymorph, but once more they all turn into the same kind of animal.

This makes it a one-shot item, it is rather different than "I cast a spell", and it fits with some of the Hellenic concepts more easily that normal D&D magic.