Uses for a talking doll?

[polymphus]

Hey all,

The party dug up the new Talking Doll from XGtE last night, and I'm wondering what clever possibilities it has. It seems pretty weak and limited to me, but I'm sure I'm missing a trick somewhere.

[Lord8Ball]

I think it could be a unique type of familiar depending on its cr or if it doesn't have any you could do a re flavor crow or something. The idea of a magical floating and talking doll could fit the personality of certain types of characters. I don't have the book yet so I don't know exactly what this thing is, but sure looks like you can get in some fun shenanigans with this thing.

[polymphus]

Oh so, it doesn't have stats or a personality or anything -- it's just a regular inanimate doll, but you can preprogram it to say certain phrases when a specific trigger event happens within 5 feet of it. It's basically a furby. Phrases have a limit of six words each, and it can hold six phrases.

So for example, you can make it say "Oi! Stop that!" whenever the bard starts playing music within 5 feet of it.

[Lord8Ball]

Ideas:
1.(its a bomb)
2.(ominous warning)
3.(alarm system at chokepoint)Use to trigger magic mouths leading wherever you want
4.(Too much noise) Magic mouths everywhere! On every grain of sand
5.(Call golem)
6.(horror themed speakers)If you have watched SAW you'd get the idea.
7.(whats the passphrase)

[lunaticfringe]

Obvious thing would be as a distraction for stealth and luring patrol mooks into ambushes.

Everyone hides and it starts making noise. When a mook investigates...BAM! Suprise bitch! Suprise is pretty potent.

[polymphus]

The current chain I've programmed into it:

1) When thrown on the ground and within 5 feet of somebody, it says "HEY! DOWN HERE!"
2) If 1) is complete and the doll is picked up, it says "I can grant you three wishes!"
3) THEN, if the doll is still being held, it says "Only the peaceful man may benefit."
4) THEN, if the doll is still being held and the holder has visible weapons (including magical foci), it says "you must cast aside your weapons."
5) if the holder throws down all visible weapons, it says "Okay, tell me your wishes."
6) if the holder speaks three wishes, the doll makes a long, drawn-out string of mystical noises.

I've tried to word it so various responses will just reset the chain or take it to a different point -- if they drop the doll, it reverts to 1. If they don't drop their weapons but keep holding it, it stays stuck repeating 4.

[Unoriginal]

Hey all,

The party dug up the new Talking Doll from XGtE last night, and I'm wondering what clever possibilities it has. It seems pretty weak and limited to me, but I'm sure I'm missing a trick somewhere.

It IS pretty weak and limited, on purpose.

But if you have to make people believe you're in a room/some place when you leave, it can be useful.

Also, I guess it could be used to trigger things that use spoken words to activate.

[Arial Black]

Excellent for spies to exchange messages.

Have some of the six phrases be harmless, talking doll-like sentences, in order to fool others into believing it is merely a toy.

Have one or more phrases be triggered by set phrases that only the other spy knows. You've seen those cold-war spy films: "I thought I saw a red swan", "But swans are blue in Moscow", whatever.

The trigger phrase can be as complex and specific as you like, but the phrases programmed into the doll have six words at most, so each of those six words is actually a code-word which the spy then cross-references in his Bumper Book of Classic Code Phrases, and in this way the messages passed can be quite extensive.

The spy can then reprogram the doll with messages back to you and your code book.

Incidentally, similar ideas are the way to make the best use out of spells with 25 word limits, such as magic mouth, sending, and so on.

[Quoz]

"All hail Banjo, God of Puppets"

That is all

[Throne12]

You have is say
1. Will you play with me (trigger if someone other then you comes near it.)
2. Why won't you play with me (trigger when someone starts moving away from it).

Then you can cast the new spell tiny servant? or have a in seen servant carry it around making it look like it's walking or flying.