Evil witch adventure

[Mark Hoover 330]

So witches get hexes. One of these is Cauldron, allowing them to make potions. Potions are defined as consumable substances with spells up to level 3 that target a creature or creatures.

What if an evil witch used the spell Share Memory, brewed a bunch of potions, then laced batches of some kind of liquor with said potion? Can anyone give me some suggestions on how an antagonist witch could weaponize this to make themselves a threat in a short, level 1-3 adventure for PF 1e?

My first thought was the witch implants some horrifying memory that affects one patron per batch of beer. So one of the people that drinks a particular brew suddenly has this terrible memory implanted in their mind, like a splinter they can't get rid of, that leads them inexorably to the witch. Only problem is this memory would be a confusing mystery to the drinker.

Another would be an image of some kind of treasure map and instructions. Pretty basic, but it would inspire the imbibers to go looking for some reward, only to fall prey to the witch at the end of their "adventure."

Any other ideas?

[Quixote]

A batch of enchanted applejack...that implants the memory of being cursed... with some kind of amnesia. That the weird witch can supposedly cure.

[gnoams]

I had a character who brewed up batches of contagion beer

[VoodistMonk]

Is there possibly also a well the Witch could be poisoning, as well? The ale at the local pub may be too easy to pinpoint as the source... then, rather than solving any riddles, they track the brew. How is the Witch gaining access to the alcohol in the first place?

Aa for fun spells to poison random drinks with:
Cheetah's Sprint,
Darting Duplicate,
Long Arm,
Aboleth's Lung (it doesn't work this way, but it's hilarious)
Alter Self,
Beastspeak,
Commune with Birds,
Ghostly Disguise,
Lay of the Land,
Minor Dream,
Raven's Flight,
Seducer's Eyes,
Vomit Swarm,
Aura of Cannibalism,
Call the Void,
Draconic Malice,
See Beyond,
Vermin Shape 1...

The idea behind using a wide variety of spells is to make it so nobody trusts no one. Two days Jim had demon arms, Hillary drowned in the middle of the tavern, and Benjamin vomited spiders on Lucy... that's a lot to unwrap, with no clear motive or culprit.

Still, absolutely, have your shared/implanted visions... but also have fun with the other spells on the list. Aura of Cannilbalism/Call the Void/Draconic Malice are all fantastic to drop on random townsfolk...

[Set]

Mark Hoover 330 wrote:

My first thought was the witch implants some horrifying memory that affects one patron per batch of beer. So one of the people that drinks a particular brew suddenly has this terrible memory implanted in their mind, like a splinter they can't get rid of, that leads them inexorably to the witch. Only problem is this memory would be a confusing mystery to the drinker.

You remember a sibling that got sold into slavery. You remember your parents handing them over, in exchange for coin, and swearing you to never mention it again. (Strife! Don't trust your family!)

You remember an annual secret ceremony that you only learned about at a certain age, in which a random out of towner is waylaid and drowned in the well at the center of town, to appease the demon sleeping below it. You remember how the wandering tinker pleaded for his life, and how his legs thrashed as you held him under. Until they didn't. (Dark secrets! The whole town authority is wicked!)

You remember your uncle was tried for witchcraft, and burned at the stake, and the rest of the town swore to never speak his name (or name another child that name) again. You remember he was a kindly man, with a special symbol at his neck, and he would heal injured animals and pass out sweets to children. (The witch crafting this fake memory has an identical symbol, and also carries some sweets, hoping to condition those receiving this fake dream to think of her as some misunderstood kindly soul, falsely maligned by hateful villagers.)

You remember the witch saving your family from sickness in secret (she provided you the cure, but you never told your family where it came from, so nobody can contradict this fake memory), a few winters back, and that you owe her a favor.

You remember as a teen meeting a lovely lass in the woods with a talking fox, and sharing an intimate moment or brief adventure, and then never seeing her again. You remember her fondly, it was a time of magic and mystery, before you had to grow up and give up such fanciful dreams. (The witch crafts this memory to resemble a younger version of herself, so that the person getting this fake memory thinks they used to be friends!)

You remember X person in town did Y horrible thing, but only you saw it / experienced it. (Several of these are crafted, each targeting a different person, and the crimes being the sort that would make the person remembering them hate that person and wish them harm, within the bounds of not upsetting any of the players! Ideally, some inexplicable violence should ensue, as completely innocent people are accosted for horrific, and totally made-up, crimes.)

Your new memory is of a vision of *yourself* doing something horrible, like any of the above, but, looking down at your reflection in the water as you drown the hapless visitor, or whatever, you see the face of another prominent townsfolk. Is this a vision of some dark secret they are keeping, that the gods have shown you so that you can bring them to justice? (Ideally, the witch will plant an item or two in town that corroborates this 'vision,' such as a torn sash that is identical to the one the vision-haver saw themself wearing discarded near the home of the person whose face they saw, or disturbed earth, like a newish grave, out where they saw a body being dumped in said vision).

You remember as a child seeing the witch in the distance across a field. You didn't think she knew you were there, as she was dancing naked, without a care in the world, but then she turned suddenly and waggled a finger at you, as if to scold you, before her form twisted and warped into that of great gold dragon, big enough to eat a horse! (If you ever meet her for real, you might A) think she's a good dragon, if you know enough about dragons to know that golds are usually good, B) just think she's secretly a dragon, and be (justly) terrified of her!)

[Mark Hoover 330]

So I love all the suggestions so far. Set, as always I'm blown away by the detail and touches of darkness in your stuff. Something I'd note though is that I don't know if Share Memory lets you implant FALSE memories, just that it shares a memory you already have.

Also VoodistMonk I like the idea of using multiple spells. I'm trying to keep them to level 1 or 2 as I'm planning the witch to be level 4. She is working with folks in town, trying to sow discord and sorrow to bring down the community that scorned her.

To that point poisoning the well would be both smarter and less traceable. However I also have to work around the human beings playing my game. 4 adult humans in the real world, working jobs, one having kids to deal with and all the distractions/stressors these factors entail, I don't expect them to be magical CSI types.

I figure if the witch keeps the tinctures contained in the liquor she can affect a lot of people while at the same time giving the players a slightly easier point to start the investigation at.

With multiple different spells though I could possibly throw my players for a loop. Think about it: lacing a drink with Mad Hallucination could very well send an innocent townsperson into a crazed frenzy. One minute they're drinking with a buddy, the next the walls are melting and their friend's face ripples like water. If the victim becomes agitated to the point of violence near the PCs, they can't just jump up and murder the poor sap!

Finally, I gotta remember that potions can't have a target of "you" I don't think. I'll watch for level 1 and 2 witch spells, besides Share Memory that target other creatures and see what fun can be had. Ear Piercing Scream for example...