My PCs just defeated Telakin and will soon be examining his abode. I don't know what to do with the device that creates the mind clones. Does it radiate magic? Can they figure out (with either spells or knowledge checks) what it does and how it works? Is it possible for them to move it? If so, how much might it be worth?

My PCs just defeated Telakin and will soon be examining his abode. I don't know what to do with the device that creates the mind clones. Does it radiate magic? Can they figure out (with either spells or knowledge checks) what it does and how it works? Is it possible for them to move it? If so, how much might it be worth?

Lets see:

It seems to be a mostly alchemical/technological device. On that note, it probably would not radiate any magic. If you decide it runs on magic, then it obviously would then radiate.

They could figure out what it does, either with perhaps raw intel checks, any sort of divinations, or possibly knowledge arcana (which often relates to alchemy).

Moving it would require dissasembly to get it out of the room. You would then have to decide if it could be dissasembled without ruining it (many complex devices, once assembled, can not remain functional after dissasembly and reassembly). Even if you decide it can be, it should be treated as multiple (6-10) disable device checks of DC 30 or higher, for wicked complexity.

For what its worth, it might be level appropriate to be worth about 10-20 thousand gold. But consider that it is a distinctly nefarious device, which is potentially mentally damaging to its subjects, and its only purpose is to copy the mind of another, which is rarely for good purposes (exceptions could exist, like preserving the knowledge of a sage after death or such, but generally, not so benevolent). Unless it was sold to someone they knew would not use it nefariously, there may be alignment consequences for good character, much like selling an evil weapon.

I say 'Wierd Science', so no magic aura.

I liken it to the brain canisters of the Mi-Go, from Lovecaft's 'Whisperer in the Darkness'.

OK, so I've held off posting this, but if I don't, I'll burst.

I changed the class levels of Telakin's gang, because they're supposed to be spies, so I gave them a mix of classes, to cover different skills and spell lists. (The fact that this makes them a more viable NPC group is a bonus!) I took out half the dopplers, since I think it's overdoing it, sent half the gang to whack the PCs allies, and recruited some red-shirt sailors for muscle.

One of the dopplers, I made a Bard, and had him impersonate the father of the captured PC. The doppel-PC went AWOL during the fight in the long corridor (slipped through the illusory wall to the mirror-maze).

The PCs come through the maze, to find the doppel-PC wearing the mind-clone helmet, and sitting comfortably, reading. His 'father' introduces himself, apologises for the awful mistake, and tells them they had been attacked by doubles of the PCs the day before, so were extra-paranoid.

I fully expected the PCs to go at him, but they actually sat there, and engaged him in conversation! I had a rough outline of what I could say, but never expected I'd get to use it. I had the stopwatch out, and (after allowing for ooc chat) they spent 40 minutes, being told a steaming heap of BS, about how the Ebon Triad were totally unimportant, and it's all a plot by the Seekers, via the Great Seer of Urnst, to destabilise Greyhawk, ready for invasion.

His organisation worked for the Circle of Eight, and had intercepted Seeker agents, carrying battle-plans, in the form of encoded gems.
These could only be read by a person who possessed one of the 'Enigma Devices' (point at Mind-Clone apparatus). LOL

While this was going on, I made the Dwarf F/C (who had been hit with a Touch of Idiocy) roll some dice, and told her elements of his story fit what she knew of local history. When one of the rolls was a 3, I took her out, and told her those rolls were saves, and she was now Fascinated by the story, and with the device.

We went back in, and he told them that Greysmere (the dwarf city) was also marked for civil war, and that Dourstone's allies were still active. He offered her the chance to learn the identity of these traitors, and she went for it. She climbed on the bench, put the helmet on, and lay back (bonus xp for her, I think!).

At this point, the other PCs, who had been busy berating the doppel-PC for 'getting lost', noticed this, and went 'Whuh?!'.
The Paladin asked her if she was OK with this, she said yes, and he gave her a Prot from Evil anyway.

At this point, the captured PC bursts out of the back room, in his pants and vest, shouting 'KILL HIM!' (He didn't have a hope of slipping his bonds, really, but he rolled a 20, so I let him out at a dramatically appropriate moment to cut them some slack).
The Touch of Idiocy wore off, the Bard realised his control was broken, and all hell breaks loose.
His animated rope snakes round the dwarf, tying her to the bench, the doppel-PC flicks the switch, and drinks his readied potion of Invisibility, and Telakin gets ready to come out blasting.

Aaaannnnd CUT! (till next week)