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View Full Version : Pathfinder Villain Idea- PEACH



HuskyBoi
2015-08-02, 11:11 PM
Hello all, and good afternoon! I'm running a Pathfinder campaign at the mo, and the players are moving into the higher levels (just hit level 12). At this point, I want to start breaking out some much more challenging and out-of-the-box adventures, and this is one I hit upon. In a world where magic is so widely used, a smart bounty hunter could catch his targets without ever having to leave home...

Here's the idea. A high-level wizard sits in his tower, and catches his 'prey' by a cunning use of a few specific spells.

First, he prepares a gemstone with Arcane Mark (preparation for later), and Trap the Soul (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/t/trap-the-soul) (trigger object version).

The second method is far more insidious, for it tricks the subject into accepting a trigger object inscribed with the final spell word, automatically placing the creature's soul in the trap. To use this method, both the creature's name and the trigger word must be inscribed on the trigger object when the gem is enspelled. A sympathy spell can also be placed on the trigger object. As soon as the subject picks up or accepts the trigger object, its life force is automatically transferred to the gem without the benefit of spell resistance or a save.

Second, he scries on the target, or uses other divination magic to work out where they are.
Third, use Teleport Object to send the gemstone to the general vicinity of the target. Wait for the target's curiosity to pick up the gemstone, thus trapping them inside.
Using Arcane Mark and Instant Summons, return the gemstone to himself. The target is acquired.

Now, if this works as I think it does, it's obviously a very unsporting way to capture people, so I'm not planning it willy-nilly on players and declaring "Haha, I win, oh what a smart DM I am!". Rather, the plan is to make this the centre of a high-level 'murder' mystery, which the players can investigate. If they appear a threat to the wizard, he may attempt to capture them like this- but I'll discuss that with the players before we go there. No-one wants their character suddenly trapped without spell resistance or a save, just because they picked up the wrong treasure. But it's something I'd like to think about integrating.

So what I'd like to ask, friendly users of this forum, is: first of all, have I misunderstood any rules and does this work in the framework of the game? And second, what do we think of this as a part of a campaign?

Rabidmuskrat
2015-08-03, 01:18 AM
It needs a little something more to both make it sporting and sensible. Most bounties would not be satisfied by saying 'Look here, I got the target's soul trapped in this here gem. Check? No you can't check, that would let him out!'

So the Wizard sends a little helper afterwards (Familiar perhaps? Someone he gets in touch with in the area? Geas'd lackey?) to collect the body and possibly even turn in the bounty (can't turn in the bounty if you never leave your home). This allows the party to find some connection to the Wizard, otherwise you are looking at a crime that leaves precious little clues.

As for using it on the party, what I would suggest is that you use it on them ONCE, and only after they have figured out how the Wizard does it so that they are forewarned. If a PC still falls for it, they can play a substitute character until you get the gem back from said Wizard (he might trade it back in exchange for collecting a body/bounty for him if the PCs are nowhere close to confronting him).

Oberon Kenobi
2015-08-03, 02:07 AM
Well, one of my first observations is that if they just hit level 12, this little trick is going to cost the Wizard 13,000 gp a pop (1,000 x HD for the soul gem, plus another 1,000 for the Instant Summons gem that they have to crush; adjust as needed for bounties who are of a different level than the PCs). Who the heck is paying a bounty that's high enough to warrant that kind of investment, and what has the target of the bounty done to earn that kind of price on their head? And if the Wizard can afford to risk this much money on a trick that might not even work, why do they actually need to be bounty-hunting in the first place?

Note: these are not meant to shoot down your idea, they're meant to prompt you to find satisfying answers to these questions. It's a neat idea as a story hook, I'm just not sure how to set up an adventure around it at first blush. How do you engage in a meaningful and proactive way with a foe who can afford to to this sort of thing casually?

Regarding the party: don't do this to a PC at all. Period. This isn't even something that I would offer out of character as a possibility to a player (which is a process I am generally okay with). Because it doesn't matter how much 'warning' they get, or how onboard the player is with the idea; once it happens, they as a player have literally nothing to do until the rest of the party comes and rescues them (aside from maybe controlling an NPC puppet, but is that really fun?). They get put on ice for the entire rest of the adventure. Even for players who relish having their characters screwed over, that's going to be the opposite of fun.

HuskyBoi
2015-08-03, 03:46 AM
So the Wizard sends a little helper afterwards (Familiar perhaps? Someone he gets in touch with in the area? Geas'd lackey?) to collect the body and possibly even turn in the bounty (can't turn in the bounty if you never leave your home). This allows the party to find some connection to the Wizard, otherwise you are looking at a crime that leaves precious little clues.

Great idea. He would need a way to communicate that he had at least collected the bounty, so a lackey makes sense- and as you say, provides a 'weak point' in the plan for the investigation to start.


As for using it on the party, what I would suggest is that you use it on them ONCE, and only after they have figured out how the Wizard does it so that they are forewarned. If a PC still falls for it, they can play a substitute character until you get the gem back from said Wizard (he might trade it back in exchange for collecting a body/bounty for him if the PCs are nowhere close to confronting him).

That was exactly the plan- not to spring it on an unsuspecting party (because that would be hugely unsporting), but to wait until they had it figured out and then give it a shot- with them playing a substitute character. But only if they agree to it.



Well, one of my first observations is that if they just hit level 12, this little trick is going to cost the Wizard 13,000 gp a pop (1,000 x HD for the soul gem, plus another 1,000 for the Instant Summons gem that they have to crush; adjust as needed for bounties who are of a different level than the PCs). Who the heck is paying a bounty that's high enough to warrant that kind of investment, and what has the target of the bounty done to earn that kind of price on their head? And if the Wizard can afford to risk this much money on a trick that might not even work, why do they actually need to be bounty-hunting in the first place?

Note: these are not meant to shoot down your idea, they're meant to prompt you to find satisfying answers to these questions. It's a neat idea as a story hook, I'm just not sure how to set up an adventure around it at first blush. How do you engage in a meaningful and proactive way with a foe who can afford to to this sort of thing casually?

It's a very fair point. I suppose once NPCs get to a certain level, monetary costs become kind of abitrary, so maybe the wizard has more cost-effective ways of bringing in most of his targets, and reserves this for special interest cases- it could be a kind of 'premium service', the selling point being that the kidnapping is borderline untraceable. I suppose the answer is that the wizard doesn't do this 'casually', it's an extreme measure. But yes, that is certainly a point to think about, thankyou.


Regarding the party: don't do this to a PC at all. Period. This isn't even something that I would offer out of character as a possibility to a player (which is a process I am generally okay with). Because it doesn't matter how much 'warning' they get, or how onboard the player is with the idea; once it happens, they as a player have literally nothing to do until the rest of the - party comes and rescues them (aside from maybe controlling an NPC puppet, but is that really fun?). They get put on ice for the entire rest of the adventure. Even for players who relish having their characters screwed over, that's going to be the opposite of fun.

Thankyou, I will bear it in mind. Like I say, I wouldn't do it without heavy forewarning and discussion with the player, and the offer that they could run another character (not an NPC, unless they really wanted to) in the meanwhile. Preferably, the time spent captured would also be small. But yes, it's definitely not something to do lightly!

Thanks for the feedback guys! This is definitely an idea that needs a lot of developing before I can go on with it. Mercifully, I have plenty of time to do that- Trap the Soul is 8th level, so a wizard capable of casting it won't be a fair NPC to pit the players against for several levels.

EDIT:
@Rabidmuskrat- also, your first paragraph has given me an idea for a much lower-level character: a low-level wizard who apes this trick with bluff and prestidigitation, but who can do nothing of the sort. The line "No, you can't check, that would set him free!" is exactly the kind of excuse such a character would use! Obviously this would be a minor side character, not a main antagonist.