| Kefke |
I've been brainstorming ideas for random adventures to send players on for a while now. One of the ideas that stuck with me, is having the party encounter, or otherwise be put on the trail of a mysterious entertainer who has been gaining popularity in establishments frequented by the upper class. This lovely elven maiden would always arrive for and depart from her shows unobserved, and no one would be able to find out anything about her origins. For all appearances, she would seem to have appeared from nowhere.
Eventually, the party is to discover that she is actually a dwarven outcast (probably a rogue) who has been using magical items to conceal his identity. I thought that a Girdle of Opposite Gender would be good to include in his loot, along with something to boost their charisma, and something to turn them into an elf. However, the idea seems doomed at the first hurdle, since the Girdle of Gender Changing is a one-time permanent effect, whereas I prefer something that lets them slip their "diva kit" into a bag and blend into the crowd to get away.
...and yes, I know that a Hat of Disguise could handle all the appearance changes, but I'd rather not use that. For one thing, having it be so simple would cheapen the surprise, I feel. For another, I consider the Hat to be a very useful item, and since there is always the chance that any item you give an NPC could end up in the hands of the players, I'd rather stick them with something less convenient to use (multiple parts) and more limited application (only lets you become an elf/swap genders/become an elf of the opposite gender).