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AlanBruce
2016-03-27, 12:15 AM
Greetings! In my current PbP game, the party is deep in an ancient forest dealing with an age old war between Seelie and Unseelie Fey. The Unseelie were banished a thousand years ago, but have returned. How? Nobody knows, but hopefully, the group will find a way eventually to send them back... alive or dead.

Amongst the party, there is a Necropolitan sorceress. She underwent Crucimigration hundreds of years ago and then used the Haunt Shift spell to send her spectral essence into an adamantine armor (basically like Johann Krauss from Hellboy 2).

Being an animated object, she has a bunch of elemental resistances and solid hardness, but because she did not bother to learn the Repair X spells and because there's a bunch of good clerics and everybody else uses positive energy and the nearest town has used their last scrolls to repair a Kolyarut, this sorceress has been badly dented and the strongest ally in the woods against this Unseelie invasion, a Goddess of Life and Healing, hurts the sorceress by merely being in her presence. When asked by the goddess telepathically if she was trapped and wanted to become human again, the Necropolitan panicked and simply said "NO!"

Currently, that goddess is preventing a massive and brutal winter from flash freezing the woods and nearby town... and possibly more by praying atop an ice pillar in the far ends of the woods, within the Unseelie's main castle.

The party knows that going to the castle now would be suicidal and so, has decided to take out the main villain's top, lieutenants spread out in their own domains in the woods, which have begun to change due to the Unseelie presence. They do not know how long the goddess will last, having the brutal frost fall on her rather than on everyone, but they must act fast... or else.

Meanwhile, the sorceress learned that a similar individual to this Goddess lives several weeks away in a valley. He is the polar opposite of this goddess, able to channel Negative Energy and so, she decided to go alone and see him, knowing that her allies would probably not survive a meeting with him.

So now, the sorceress has met in the undead valley filled with all manner of undead, ranging from lowly zombies to vampire lords, a spellsticthed lich and everything in between.

Being undead herself, she has not been approached in a hostile manner and the being that rules over them all - a seemingly human child - has listened to her tale and, although he could not care about this winter, since undead are immune to cold for the most part, has in an unexpected turn of events felt some kinship towards the Goddess far in the woods and so, has accepted to aid the sorceress, not before calling her essence out of her armored and dented body and inscribing his own family seal - a black rose- on her incorporeal chest- a sign that she now belongs to his family.

The armor has been taken by the lich for repairs, and ideally more, as she has used her own magic to fabricate a body made of rock to meet the various factions within the valley. so far, she's met with a vampire lord sorceress who leads a group of necropolitan casters. They have asked her to consider joining them, since they are, within the valley, the most potent arcane power when working together- even more than the lich.

She has now gone to see the vampire's twin sister, a martial type who leads a very large batallion of skeletal and zombie monsters, with four mighty death knights at her beck and call. I cannot see her joining them because, although there is some magic here, it's more martial than anything.

She will eventually go meet with the original dwellers of the valley- stone giants, now turned undead by this child and whom he considers close family and later, the lich himself, who has a cadre of fanatic Nerull cultists and is currently working on her armored body.

My question is- if she makes it out of the valley and returns to aid her allies in the war against the Unseelie, what would be a good boon to give her? The party cleric of Pelor and the paladin suspect she is an undead and in fact, may already know, so they are both itching to turn/smite her. Never mind the party druid, who are known to not tolerate undead, seeing them as a perversion of the natural world.

What extra boon would/should she get if she chooses any of the above mentioned factions as well? Mind you- the party does not have repair X spells and will most likely not be getting them. the cleric will not be preparing Inflict spells (although he could, since it isn't an evil spell, but the whole negative energy and Pelor don't mix fluff takes precedence here.)

I am aware there is an Eberron spell that fixes constructs an animated objects much like Heal, but we aren't using Eberron, so that spell is out.

Any ideas are more than welcome. Thank you in advance.

Gildedragon
2016-03-27, 12:27 AM
For boon: Disguise undead

Though i'd expect her to be able to fix herself with the craft skill (not unlike how warforged can) if you don't have it, that's a good boon

a knowstone with repair spells

Thoughts:
The child is the god
His sigil on your chest... probably going to be a problem
Fighting the unseelie after you've been claimed by them... probably going to be a problem

Godskook
2016-03-27, 12:36 AM
Everyone in the party hates undead for religious reasons in a setting where the gods actually talk. Is it possible that this child-god could petition her pardon from Pelor directly?

AlanBruce
2016-03-27, 12:48 AM
For boon: Disguise undead

Though i'd expect her to be able to fix herself with the craft skill (not unlike how warforged can) if you don't have it, that's a good boon

a knowstone with repair spells

Thoughts:
The child is the god
His sigil on your chest... probably going to be a problem
Fighting the unseelie after you've been claimed by them... probably going to be a problem

The Child is considered a deity by many in the Valley, especially the lich who is a Nerull fanatic and proclaims him his avatar, something the Child finds annoying, since he doesn't know or care about Nerull.

Disguise Undead should not be an issue because I think Haunt Shift turns you into a Haunting Presence (Libris Mortis) and she walks around in a black adamantine suit of armor. Most people would believe there's somebody behind the face plate, but I think detect evil does not ping her as an undead given this situation.

Having said that, she did remove the faceplate to the party when they fought an Unseelie with constant Deathwatch and who claimed that she was "an empty shell", causing the party afterwards to question her. However, the party knows they are outnumbered- only 2 Seelie remain in the Forest and the Fey Realms have not sent reinforcements to help against this War, so any help is much appreciated.

The Black Rose marks her as a member of his family. Nobody in the party has met him or know of his methods so, as a sorceress, she can probably bluff them into saying it's just decor.

The Child has stipulated that, once the Unseelie problem is dealt with, she is to return to the Valley and live there forever. If her body is destroyed (say, by a disintegrate spell), her essence is to return as well immediately to him.

As stated before, she has a bunch of ways to mitigate damage, but not all of them, and with a RSoP in the group that can maximize mass cure spells, she might find herself hurt by friendly fire more than by the enemies they face.

AlanBruce
2016-03-27, 12:50 AM
Everyone in the party hates undead for religious reasons in a setting where the gods actually talk. Is it possible that this child-god could petition her pardon from Pelor directly?

For reasons yet to be explained and discovered, these beings are amnesiac. They have heard of names such as Pelor and Nerull, but they have no idea who they are. the party cleric bowed to the Goddess, believing her to be a herald of Pelor, but she said she does not know who he is.

Divinations to consult with the gods about her have yielded no answers whatsoever.

AlanBruce
2016-03-29, 11:49 PM
I am bumping this thread in the hopes that I can get some creative ideas from all of you.

Please let me know if this is against the rules, so that the thread may be removed. Thank you.

Gildedragon
2016-03-29, 11:59 PM
The Black Rose marks her as a member of his family. Nobody in the party has met him or know of his methods so, as a sorceress, she can probably bluff them into saying it's just decor.
Yeah but the Seelie, who seem with whom the party has aligned themselves, will recognize that. *


The Child has stipulated that, once the Unseelie problem is dealt with, she is to return to the Valley and live there forever. If her body is destroyed (say, by a disintegrate spell), her essence is to return as well immediately to him.
Yyyyeah... a good boon: Your freedom to move as you will, withing the valley and beyond. When a creepy necromancy aligned child-god says something to the effect of "...and we will be friends forever and ever..." I figure skedadling was in order a while back. Asking for the capacity to leave and return to the valley at will might be a wise gift to ask for.


As stated before, she has a bunch of ways to mitigate damage, but not all of them, and with a RSoP in the group that can maximize mass cure spells, she might find herself hurt by friendly fire more than by the enemies they face.
A good boon to ask: Ask to be an incorporeal deathless presence as opposed to an undead one. you can play well with the party then. Actually being a deathless haunt is more akin to the incorporeal ectoplasm in containment suit fella. Going deathless might help against the party animosity. Also then, party members turning you will be a + for you.

Also if you're not evil, let the paladin smite you. they'll waste a use of that and hurt their knuckles upon punching you.

*Siding against the party's side feels... unadviseable. I don't know what sort of game you're in but tread carefully going full party antagonism. I feel that having three members of the party already sorta against you is bad (partly on their count, the PCs ought be able to make their characters rationalize the friendly undead they got tagging along)

AlanBruce
2016-03-30, 12:28 AM
Yeah but the Seelie, who seem with whom the party has aligned themselves, will recognize that.

The Seelie have lived in their forest for thousands of years. They are unaware of a necromantic presence thousands of miles away from their home because this child has no idea such a place exists and has not acted upon it.


Yyyyeah... a good boon: Your freedom to move as you will, withing the valley and beyond. When a creepy necromancy aligned child-god says something to the effect of "...and we will be friends forever and ever..." I figure skedadling was in order a while back. Asking for the capacity to leave and return to the valley at will might be a wise gift to ask for.

This child god is fickle- he has the personality of a teen and changes moods regularly. He has never allowed any undead to leave his valley, something the sorceress is beginning to understand that he does not wish them running rampant and bringing harm to the innocent.

I can see her asking for her to be the first in his family to roam the world freely.


A good boon to ask: Ask to be an incorporeal deathless presence as opposed to an undead one. you can play well with the party then. Actually being a deathless haunt is more akin to the incorporeal ectoplasm in containment suit fella. Going deathless might help against the party animosity. Also then, party members turning you will be a + for you.

It is a good idea, but Deathless, I believe, are Positive Energy undead. The child is all about Negative Energy. Besides, the sorceress likes that body- it's durable and she can only hope the lich working on it can make it even better.


Also if you're not evil, let the paladin smite you. they'll waste a use of that and hurt their knuckles upon punching you.

Thankfully, she's a devout follower of Wee Jas and is Lawful Neutral.


*Siding against the party's side feels... unadviseable. I don't know what sort of game you're in but tread carefully going full party antagonism. I feel that having three members of the party already sorta against you is bad (partly on their count, the PCs ought be able to make their characters rationalize the friendly undead they got tagging along)

The child is, surprisingly, willing to aid the Goddess. Something strange, since both are opposites in almost every way. He will not send his forces to the forest, since many of them, far from his sphere of influence, might go hungry and feral and make the situation worse than it already is.

He is actually quite content to stay in his valley, with his giants, death knights, vampires and many other undead, but it should be interesting the RP scenario that should happen if the party sees her again, with a much stronger negative force emanating from her.

Bronk
2016-03-30, 11:58 AM
It sounds like you want the black rose symbol to be noticeable to the other players, but from you description it sounds like it's just on her chest, which would be inside the armor. You might want to make sure the lich inscribes the symbol on the armor as well.

Maybe... upgrade the adamantine armor so that it's more like a golem? Maybe an adamantine version of a shadesteel golem, so that it gives her a few strength boosts and flight. Plus, have it be under her control, so that she can let it fight in melee while she separates herself and uses magic from her incorporeal form.

Later, she could use that ability after the campaign is over to slip away from the undead child god, leaving the golem to take her place and keep up appearances while she roams the world.

I also like the idea of giving her a knowstone of repair object that was already mentioned. Or, it doesn't sound like anything's stopping her from learning one of the repair spells when she gains her next level...