So I'm homebrewing a short adventure for my players for in between modules, and I'm setting it in Osirion. They'll be going on a pyramid-exploring adventure. When I was reading the Osirion book, it says at one point that there are a bunch of androsphinxes in a mountain range that may know a lot of information about the treasure sites along the coast, which would be where the party is headed.
I thought it might make a neat encounter for them to negotiate with the sphinx to get knowledge of how to get into the site they're trying to investigate. In the same little blurb, it mentions that the sphinxes are pretty haughty and don't hand their knowledge out to just anybody, but there's a particular bit of knowledge they'd love to have and might be willing to trade for.
I'm trying to make up something that the sphinxes might want to know, but so far I'm drawing a blank on good ideas. So: what kinds of things do you think a sphinx might want to know about?
I think they'd like the ability to obtain knowledge more than anything. Maybe a scroll of Scry?
The phone numbers of some gynosphinx hotties?
Anything that a Knowledge skill can answer with a DC of 30 (the "really tough questions" end of the spectrum). Just make up something meaningless that sounds appropriate and make them roll Knowledge checks. History: "Who was the second person to use the Red Sword of Bastilius?" Religion: "Why did the Goddess Chickenora cross the Road of Examplion?" Etc.
EDIT: Keep in mind that you can take 10 on Knowledge checks but not 20 (because retries with Knowledge yield the same results).
Sphinxs typically pick an item of study and become all-obsessed with it. Sometimes that obsession may last for centuries, and in other cases they may pick something new the folloiwng moon.
In short, whatever serves your purposes. You didn't specify what kind of sphinx, but I'm assuming you're thinking about the typical female headed gynosphinx.
Sphinxs typically pick an item of study and become all-obsessed with it. Sometimes that obsession may last for centuries, and in other cases they may pick something new the folloiwng moon.
In short, whatever serves your purposes. You didn't specify what kind of sphinx, but I'm assuming you're thinking about the typical female headed gynosphinx.
The original poster did say androsphinx.
Now to think of some bits of information that a sphinx might be interested in...should be something they can't find out as easily on their own...
Well if someone is feeling frisky, they could always give falsified info...
It's sense motive isnt THAT high.
if the answer to their crap riddle is not 'tancred desmire' or 'a sphinx'
then kill the #$@%^#@& thing and be done with it
"What do adventurers taste like?"
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Heh, that just reminds me of this:
You could also have it barter for access to knowledge, say some books and scrolls stored away in some dangerous place.
The location of a dangerous adversary, or the location of an ancient ruin.
Or knowledge from something that cannot access, say something a certain corpse buried in a human settlement will know, secrets of an organization it cannot directly question. I would definitely use it as a way to throw out a few more hooks and develop the surrounding area.