Items for an Erinyes antagonist

[roguerouge]

My player should not look: adventure spoilers!


What magic items would you give an Erinyes Bard 4? (CR-appropriate treasure please!) These creature's the BBEG of a largely political adventure. She's trying to convince Vikings in the far north to go raiding against the party's islands, while the PCs try to convince them to raid the Erinyes' devil-worshiping nation. The Erinyes will have some low-level minions and a fake head diplomat.

She'll be undercover, having charmed one of the Viking chiefs to advance her interests. (She's staying in the charmed chief's tent, mostly, using disguise self, a kit and bulky furs to hide her wings when she needs to go out.)

Her spells: Enthrall, Eagle's Spleandor, Disguise Self, Undetectable Alignment, Comprehend languages.


Shiny XP for the help will be given!


Why she's not simply spamming charm monster: Until the PCs show up, she has no opposition. Only chiefs can speak at the Viking Thing, so all she needs to do is to have her pet chief advance her viewpoint and have her fake diplomat deliver the bribe. Why risk a successful save? Why risk a successful spot to pierce her disguise?

Now, once the PCs show, she'll distract them and get her dupe to start bringing her less powerful chiefs to build up votes and gain allies via her at-will charm ability.

 

[Voadam]

If she has wondrous item creation she can turn her beautiful fur cloak into a cloak of charisma to constantly boost her wiles and influence instead of depending on the short term spell.

 

[Voadam]

Similarly for a ring of mind shielding. (She might have to have someone else make the ring while she provides the spell).

 

[Shin Okada]

You say Erinyes Bard? So she is either not lawful?

Anyway, you seems to let her use spells to disguise. Still, Hat of Disguise, Ring of Chameleon Power, or similar items will be good as she can disguise 24 hr./day. Then, items like Ring of Mind Shielding to complement her disguise. Mask of Lies (Magic Item Compendium) is another good option.

Is it usual in that barbarian culture that a woman is carrying weapons? If not, she needs something to let her conceal weapons. Glove of Storing and/or Wand Bracelet (MIC), maybe?

To choose appropriate magic items, you must first decide what you want her to do. Do you want her to disguise better? Do you want to enhance her charming ability? Do you want to let her fight when her true identity was revealed? Or do you want her to escape?

 

[Alzrius]

Since she's undercover, it's important that her magic items not be obvious as magic items. That eliminates things such as weapons & armor (she may be able to carry those openly in a viking culture, but they're little help for subterfuge), scrolls, potions, rods, staves, and wands. Only wondrous items are left, and many of those aren't subtle enough either.

Consider giving her eyes of doom to use on characters who politically oppose her puppets. Nothing would embarrass a viking chief more than a sudden bout of fear, and being shaken affects almost all of his dice rolls to boot.

If she's spending most of her time in her thrall's tent, she could have one of the magic items that lets her summon an elemental (a bowl, brazier, censer, or stone) stashed in there. Remember, the range of a summon spell and the caster level of the item would make it appear a ways off from where she is. Having an elemental suddenly appear and go on a rampage can be a good distraction if necessary (especially if the vikings are superstitious), and is a suspicion-free way to bump off a foe (until the PCs locate the magic item as evidence against her).

It's a bit expensive, but a mirror of opposition lets her create "evil twins" of those who see it after she speaks the activating command word. She'd have to make sure the original is kept alive (since its death destroys the duplicate), but what better way to replace annoying meddlers than with duplicates, instead of just spamming them with charm monster all the time. And if she's discovered, this can cover her getaway/counterattack.

An orb of storms is a nice magic item for plausible deniability. Controlling the weather is a great "hands off" way to affect things...and when lightning suddenly strikes someone dead out of nowhere, surely the gods themselves must have done it.

Hope those help!

 

[Runestar]

Glamered mithral chainshirt might work, if bracers of armour are too expensive.

I remember a calling weapon property, which lets you summon your weapon to your hand. How much was it again?

 

[Shin Okada]

Called is an armor property and you can find it in MIC. For a weapon, there is Hideaway property but that is not so useful unless the user has high sleight of hand check modifier.

 

[roguerouge]

You say Erinyes Bard? So she is either not lawful?

I honestly don't make much never mind about alignment restrictions, except for Paladin. I don't have a power gamer in this particular game, so it's not an issue.

Anyway, you seems to let her use spells to disguise. Still, Hat of Disguise, Ring of Chameleon Power, or similar items will be good as she can disguise 24 hr./day. Then, items like Ring of Mind Shielding to complement her disguise. Mask of Lies (Magic Item Compendium) is another good option.

Hm. Good items. I'm having the Disguise Self allow her to take the stage at the crucial time. Basically, when the PC comes back alive from the suicide mission they go on to become a chieftain, and thus able to speak at the Viking Thing, she'll need to counter the PC in debate. So, she'll use Disguise Self to appear as her charmed chieftain, tie her bat wings down while wearing heavy furs, and take the stage. There will be a penalty for a cross-gender disguise. It's a huge gamble, as there's rangers and shamans there, but it's desperation time.

Is it usual in that barbarian culture that a woman is carrying weapons? If not, she needs something to let her conceal weapons. Glove of Storing and/or Wand Bracelet (MIC), maybe?

The PC is a woman, and played by a woman. So, I've made them sexist, but in a way that helps her have fun. Basically, Viking women can become "men" by passing the manhood rituals of sailing and basic weapons. As "men" these women can then become warriors, the war tribe leader, or even the chieftain, if they pass the right rituals. Many don't bother, of course, especially since women are desperately important to the economy and long-term survival of clan, but the arctic north is too forbidding to let talent rot.

And Vikings don't believe in weapons control.

To choose appropriate magic items, you must first decide what you want her to do. Do you want her to disguise better? Do you want to enhance her charming ability? Do you want to let her fight when her true identity was revealed? Or do you want her to escape?

I'm not sure, actually. Erinyes have teleportation, telepathy and can spam charm monster. If she's revealed as a devil in front of a gathering of heavily armed barbarians, rangers, and shamans... teleportation is the first thing she'd do if she lives long enough in the first round to use it.

 

[roguerouge]

Glamered +1 mithral chain shirt for 4K is a go. Eyes of Doom are very cool, and have the additional effect of letting her have something to do while she gets overconfident in the debate.

Now, should she have the NPC wealth, which would be 27,000 gp or the Monster Treasure table for EL 12, which would be 9800, or should it be Monster treasure at EL 8 plus NPC level 4 equipment, which would be 7700?

The Mirror of Opposition's been used already in this campaign, unfortunately, so that's out. Good idea though.

The orb of storms is a great idea, but worth way more money than feasible, isn't it?

 

[Shin Okada]

Now, should she have the NPC wealth, which would be 27,000 gp or the Monster Treasure table for EL 12, which would be 9800, or should it be Monster treasure at EL 8 plus NPC level 4 equipment, which would be 7700?

IIRC it has never been clearly declared nor suggested, but in later WotC monster supplements such as MM IV+, and in some later WotC adventure modules, monster NPCs tend to be using NPC wealth table. But instead of using their ECL, using their CR to see the wealth.

I like this method much better, as ECL-based wealth tend to give too much loots for a monster's CR (or encounter level). If you use CR, a CR 10 monster NPC has the same amount of gears as, say a NPC Human Fighter 10 (also CR 10).

Assuming you treat Bard as an unassociated class for Erynyes, she is a CR 10 monster. So I suggest to give her 16,000 gp (as per 10th-level NPC).