PC as the mouthpiece of the villains

[Spore]

Greetings playground,

I am not sure when or if I will continue my campaign but if I'll do it I have the following predicament. The party freshly levelled up to 3rd level. Our party's oracle was kidnapped (the player was absent so I had to improvise) and I want the plot to involve some Lovecraftian horrors working under an evil Kraken god from the bottom of the sea. They want to infiltrate the nations close to the sea and weaken their troops and defenses in order to make them suspectible for an attack. The ultimate goal is to drown the nations below the bottom of the sea.

Now I want the captured Oracle to be released again. They'll have her hair for nigh impossible to fail scrying attempts. And I want some dark vibes from her, basically "cutscening" some vital information in. The heroes should be tricked into involving themselves into the conflict between merchants and established nobility. Really the cultists don't care for which side the heroes work. The conflict itself is rewarding enough.

What I don't want the group to do is isolate her character. She is the only noble (in a group full of commoners) and she was the only one captured which would make at least the Magus and the Bard realize who dangerous her involvement can be if the right spells were cast. Is this a smart idea? Can I conceal any ongoing enchantments? Are there subtle spells that do what I want? Scrying is basically an auto success, along with a Geas and a Sending spell (the Geas just forces her to repeat the Sending spell out loud to the group) and a Major Curse that activates when she tries to remove the Geas.

But I feel those are heavy restraints. Her father is rich and the group is somewhat focussed on material wealth (with the exception of the Magus), you think you can do this more subtly? Is there a way to ensure them keeping her in the group? The player has come to me with concerns that being the only noble in the group makes him an somewhat an outcast. And I will be forced to write up some reasons why she has to travel with her companions in a trade ship to fight pirates (because I promised the players some pirate and ship adventures).

[vorpalvolta]

What else motivates the characters besides money?

If money is their primary concern, I'd just present it as a business opportunity.

[Fouredged Sword]

Is she the first born of her family? Normally the heir is the person who gains ALL the inheritance and all the other siblings become petty nobility and live off the generosity of their elder sibling. Maybe she has an older brother who is the heir. Maybe a mysterious adviser has found his way into her father's court and into the trust of her father and her brother. Maybe he whispers words that have lead her father and brother to consider forcing her to be independent. Why split the family money when there is a trade war to win? Better to have the unneeded child support herself and keep the family strong.

[Spore]

What else motivates the characters besides money?

If money is their primary concern, I'd just present it as a business opportunity.

It's the second session I don't really know yet. The Bard was sold into slavery so maybe she wants freedom for slaves and revenge onto her slavers. She has worked in something about water rights in the desert but that's hardly important because even if the nation would drown their deserts would not have access to water. The Ranger has a lover who works for a local noble. The Magus has his own workshop with a business partner. And the Summoner is really interested in just leaving the place because she has to work as a waitress and is getting constantly hit on by drunk sailors.


Is she the first born of her family?

She is the only child of her parents and thus very appreciated (one would say spoiled only child).

[Fouredged Sword]

She is the only child of her parents and thus very appreciated (one would say spoiled only child).

Evil stepmother maybe, with her own heir she favors? You want to give the noble a reason to go out and act like she doesn't have sure money waiting for her at home. The easiest way to do so, in my mind, is to make the money unsure.

Ideas, off the top of my head.

Rival heir
Rival nobles gain significant advantage over her family
Economic disaster strike family
Bastard child (of father) makes claim to inheritance

[Thealtruistorc]

It's the second session I don't really know yet. The Bard was sold into slavery so maybe she wants freedom for slaves and revenge onto her slavers. She has worked in something about water rights in the desert but that's hardly important because even if the nation would drown their deserts would not have access to water. The Ranger has a lover who works for a local noble. The Magus has his own workshop with a business partner. And the Summoner is really interested in just leaving the place because she has to work as a waitress and is getting constantly hit on by drunk sailors.

She is the only child of her parents and thus very appreciated (one would say spoiled only child).

How about this?

Adrianna was a girl who has always had things her way. Everybody obeyed her orders and loved doing whatever she demanded, this including her two fabulously wealthy and powerful parents. However, things took a dark turn when her curse developed, and a group of mysterious men serving some entity known as the glutinous king kidnapped her. She doesn't remember anything that happened to her during her three years with them (at least, that is what everyone tells her), but ever since that day she has manifested terrifying alterations of the world around her that have left many horrified. Her father has continued to love and dote on her throughout these dark times, because in spite of what has happened Adrianna is still his daughter. However, the many who swear loyalty to Adrianna's family would be disgusted should they ever learn what the girl is capable of, as well as where he powers could potentially stem from. As a result, she was cast out of the family until she could find a way to remove her curse and reclaim her honor and rightful title.

She has taken to the seas, chasing after a man said to have the power to cure any ill. Meanwhile, the glutinous king has plans for the girl. Elaborate, dangerous plans...

[avr]

If the important part is the cutscened info, maybe make it instead that the oracle can sometimes read some info from the big bad's mind after a link was accidentally forged between them. The party will want to keep such a resource around.

You might want to impose a cost like fatigue for the next day (non-removable) to stop them spamming it.

[Spore]

@ Fouredged Sword

I've already planned this. Although I wanted to employ impending bankruptcy onto her. The Inquisition will find (planted) evidence that her father works for a terrorist organization and will not seize the family fortune at this exact moment. The parents are politically too important to let them investigate these links themselves (plus they're effectively hostages now) and the heroes would have a much higher chances of getting into said organization. Finding evidence that her father is innocent, or more likely - help the Inquisition so far that they will drop the charges.

By the end of act 1, I want them to either join the rebels that fight for a more fair kingdom where nobility does not grant unfair advantages or the royal guard who needs an established order to not be invaded by the foreign warmongering nation. (There's an assassin guild who swore loyalty to the king in turn for favors, and they assassinate all generals who plan to invade said country so no one dares to formulate that plan).

@ Thealtruistorc

Maybe I can impose a sub plot based around that. We have a fondness for short "character sidequests" and this offers nice tidbits (gameplay wise I will probably give her a way to suppress her curse in key moments). If nothing else comes around the others will get a free least dragon mark (and if the time comes they will upgrade). Just to make them stick with their characters.

@ avr

The feedback sounds good but I am not quite happy with the ramifications. They need her for the info but this still doesn't mean they have to cooperate. For all I know they could force her to make that feedback 1/day and then put her into a cell below deck untill they need her spell slots for healing. Doubly so because the Ranger is NE. The CN Bard will probably protest because she knows the pains of confinement but it'll really depend on the choices of the CN summoner and the LN magus.

I was thinking about some kind of spirit link (again, possibly using the healer Theal talked about) that gives them the ability to add their will saves together against divination attempts if they are all standing close to each other (of course with every player missing the save will drop) The penalty of possessing her hair is be removed. Alternatively she can give up a part of herself and be target of a permanent nondetection spell. (probably DC 20). Typically a reduction of max HP would be okay but I really want them to help her: "There is great strength in unity."

A quick number's check. Added up they will probably have a +11 mod on will saves (tendency upwards) vs. a DC 20 Scrying without a -10 penalty. -> 45% success (the seer will be 9th or 10th level with a spellcasting mod of around +5, maybe a few spell foci on divination/scrying).
The mind shielding offers a DC 20 caster level check vs. the 10+roll from the healer's permanencied Mind Shielding.

Advantages to the first one: It grows with the heroes. And it cannot be dispelled for which I will specifically get an encounter to them just to dispel the mind shield and vanish. Would you feel that a beneficial curse (with the disadvantage of them suffering a geas-like penalty when they spent more than 7 days apart) feels too railroady?