Epic Level Handbook

CHAPTER 6:AN EPICSETTINGdetect poison, flare, ghost sound, light, mage hand, read magic;1st—alarm, comprehend languages, identify, message,Nystul’s undetectable aura; 2nd—detect thoughts, invisibility,misdirection, see invisibility, whispering wind; 3rd—clairaudience/clairvoyance, dispel magic, gentle repose, nondetection;4th—arcane eye, detect scrying, dimension door,polymorph self; 5th—dismissal, hold monster, permanency,wall of force; 6th—contingency, disintegrate, geas/quest;7th—forcecage, simulacrum, spell turning; 8th—clone,mind blank.Rhovaelia is as cunning a great wyrm as they come, andshe utilizes her spells masterfully to maintain her positionof dominance over her minions. In addition, she protectsherself through a variety of arcane means.First, she has a clone hidden away that has a permanentgentle repose cast upon it so that it will not rot. Shedoes not know its true location; it was hidden far awayfrom her current habitat by an underling (sincekilled). Should she ever be slain, she returns in thebody of the clone.Second, she has disguised herself as a falcon familiarto a sorcerer. The sorcerer is actually a simulacrumRhovaelia created of a former adventurer namedDeboath (LN female human Sor16) she slew a longtime ago. She polymorphs herself into the falcon andperches on the simulacrum’s shoulder. Thus, it appearsthat the simulacrum is in charge, and Rhovaelia canobserve and control events through subtlety and cunning.To maintain her guise, the dragon employs mindblank and nondetection.Rhovaelia has a large staff of servants and a slew ofguardians in her lair, hired by the simulacrum. Shemanipulates a few through dominate person. None of thecreatures that work in her lair realize that she is a dragonand that the simulacrum is not really in charge (thoughsome suspect that the falcon is more than it seems).The Unsuspecting DupesFor this classic adventure plot, someone (possibly thecharacters, but not necessarily) gets suckered into doingsomething they wouldn’t have done if they had knownthe true consequences, and the heroes have to help putthings right again.What’s Needed: This adventure seed requires a mastermind.A very high-level political figure with anunfulfilled need is perfect (assuming the need is somethingthe general public has no knowledge of). Theneed could be a favor owed a criminal, an item of greatpower in the hands of a peer and friend, a drug, or retributionagainst an enemy. Regardless of the motive, themastermind often works best if he or she is part of anorganization, preferably one with loose morals. Itdoesn’t always have to be that way, of course; plenty ofcorrupt people have managed to reach positions ofpower in fine organizations. See the sample mastermindin the example below.The mastermind requires followers (or at least hirelings)of some sort to set the whole plan in motion,since he can’t be personally caught fulfilling his needwithout dire consequences to his position. So, he is alsobusy pretending to be someone else. The hirelings arecompetent, like the heroes who are working for thedragon in the earlier example. They should possessmotives of their own. Maybe they see certain benefits toworking for the mastermind that don’t even pertain tothis adventure, but could come into play later.Next, the adventure needs a victim. It could be aspecific individual whom the mastermind is workingagainst. It could also be the public at large. It doesn’teven have to be a wholesome individual; plenty of mastermindshave taken other masterminds down in thisfashion. It’s a time-honored tradition. Whatever thenature of the victim, the mastermind’s motive mustfocus on bringing the victim to a bad end in somemanner. If the victim is a specific individual, then heor she should also be well developed, as detailed as themastermind.Third, you need the unsuspecting dupes. This couldbe the PCs, it could be the victim, or it could be anentirely different set of NPCs. But someone must besuckered into falling right into the mastermind’shands, committing the unthinkable, without realizing ituntil it is too late. It is usually the dupes who enter thestory first, since everything else unfolds around their initialmistaken beliefs.Example: Kidnapping is a classic plot line that canstill work at an epic level. The story is simple: Irorrim,the daughter of a wealthy council member namedKiliun Thelsessen, is taken hostage. A secret ransomdemand is issued: Pass a law that Kiliun finds abhorrent,or Irorrim will pay dearly. The frantic parentenlists the aid of the characters to get the victim backunharmed.At epic levels, most opponents worthy of the playercharacters should have better things to do than kidnappingdaughters of council members. Whatever it is theyhope to gain from the anxious father, they’ve probablyreaped that ten times over just through the course oftheir own adventuring. In this case, a secret underliesthis story. Irorrim is not merely a daughter, but actually atrusted aide to Kiliun. She is also secretly a member ofthe Regulators; without Kiliun’s knowledge, she subtlysteers events in the government. The person who comesto the player characters for help isn’t Kiliun, but insteadLucrimm, also a member of the Regulators and Irorrim’ssecret superior and contact. He approaches the PCs indisguise as Kiliun Thelsessen and begs them to find andrescue his daughter.The truth is, Irorrim has been steadily steering herfather toward a goal known only to the Regulators,something they feel will maintain the status quo in thecity (or kingdom, or guild, depending on your campaign).A separate organization, a clandestine groupreferred to as the Masked from a neighboring nation,288