Hey folks, I'm planning a campaign involving a cult that kidnaps people and then returns them to their normal lives, only a bit wrong; they turn out eventually to be sleeper agents and start a riot that starts a civil war.
I'd like help on two things:
1) I feel like I've heard this same plot before (the cult kidnap and return thing) in something created by Paizo...but I can't for the life of me think what it is. Can anyone help?
2) What spells or other abilities would actually make this viable? I mean, stuff like modify memory would help, but what would make someone engage in a specific course of action based on a specific stimulus, e.g. killing the nearest sentient being upon hearing a ringing bell? Any suggestions would be fine, I haven't considered anything beyond this simple plot point yet and am in the exploratory phase of building my overarching plot. And if there's nothing obvious and I have to come up with my own spells/rituals, that's cool too.
Thanks in advance!
1) I feel like I've heard this same plot before (the cult kidnap and return thing) in something created by Paizo...but I can't for the life of me think what it is. Can anyone help?I could be very wrong, but wasn't this part of Lucretia's plan in Turtleback Ferry?
I get the feeling that derro were involved in the story I'm thinking about (which would make sense given the subject-matter), but I can dredge up little else in my memory.
I blame sleep deprivation brought on by small children. : \
2) What spells or other abilities would actually make this viable? I mean, stuff like modify memory would help, but what would make someone engage in a specific course of action based on a specific stimulus, e.g. killing the nearest sentient being upon hearing a ringing bell? Any suggestions would be fine, I haven't considered anything beyond this simple plot point yet and am in the exploratory phase of building my overarching plot. And if there's nothing obvious and I have to come up with my own spells/rituals, that's cool too.
Thanks in advance!
Gaes: Kill the nearest sentient being upon hearing a ringing bell?
Not sure.
Brainwashing. It can be done through various methods. Have them listen to Bustin Jieber the bad bard that has some kind of facination effect.
Geas would probably work. With something included like "Before you tell anybody, kill yourself" on top of all the other commands, it would explain some oddness from the people. It would need a damnably strong spellcaster though to last any period of time.
I also think dominate person should be justifiable. A non-magical option would be some sort of mind parasite, though I dont know if there are any creatures in pathfinder that would fit the bill. Then again, if you're willing to not use magic, the brainwashing could be justifiable.
For question 2: Hypnosis? Fascinate? I do a lot of low-to-mid level adventures so these are my go-to brainscrubbers. Also for clerics: Suggestion for spur-of-the-moment puppetry.
Then again, there's good old-fashioned horrifying torture. For this reason, I recommend bugbears get used in the cult.
After the riot a cult member's body is examined. A litany of pain is written on their flesh; scars on top of scars resulting from a variety of weapons, implements, fire and acid and whatever else you can thing of.
Later on cultists are encountered, partnered with a bugbear. The thing moves with stealth, deals brutal damage, and perhaps inflicts a D6 of precision damage or maybe Bleed as well, showing it's torturing skill. During this encounter you should play up the bugbear enjoying the smell of their fear after it demoralizes with Intimidate or relishing the pain it's inflicting through taunts and expletives.
Finally when they actually bust in on one of the cult lairs, set up a couple rooms like scenes out of nightmares. If you've got squeamish players tone it down, but if they're mature really give it to them like a scene from a horror film. In the middle ages they had some pretty terrifying tortures and there should be some cultists/bugbears who simply can't leave their work unfinished in these areas even though the PCs are there.
Imagine if you will: a poison crafted from Lamia spittle to sap the will of the kidnapped, coupled with prolonged isolation and torture, and finally add in spells like Hypnosis or Dominate Person. When they are returned to their lives these poor souls seem normal but also jump at shadows, seem constantly annoyed by certain smells or flashes of light, or perhaps even are caught worshiping the evil heresy or having flashbacks. Truly gripping stuff if you can roleplay it right.