Players (in book 2) are super interested in the broken Cubic Gate, and are looking for an NPC to help fix it

[xTheJim]

I'm currently running a game of Hell's Rebels, and my players are in the middle of book 2. During the dungeon delve at the end of book 1, they got their hands on a broken Cubic Gate which was in the basement of Hocum's Fantasmagorum. The adventure guide says that this magic item is completely broken and is worth 3000gp if it's sold (rather than the 82,000gp that a working one would be worth), and it would be the same cost to repair it as it would to create a new one. The guide assumes that the players just sell it and move on.

My players have instead become very interested in whether it can be repaired, or if they can find someone who's more interested in it to chat with. They rolled an absolutely baller Gather Information check (30+) to search for more information, so I'd like to give them something good.

It's a CL 13 item, and requires plane shift to create, which means that an NPC that would be able to repair it would have to be at least a 13th level Sorceror/Wizard/Witch or a 9th level Cleric/Oracle (interestingly plane shift is a 5th level cleric spell and a 7th level wizard spell).

In terms of the NPCs built into the adventure, the only person in Kintargo that could make it is Corinsian Grivener, the high Priest of Asmodeus, who is meant to be introduced as a villain in book three. The most relevant potential ally that I can imagine would be Manticce Kaleekii, the Queen of Delights from the nearby city of Vyre, who's supposed to be introduced in book 3 as well.

I'm thinking I'll give them both of these leads and use it as an opportunity to introduce them early to characters that they'll be having more serious dealings with later.

Any other thoughts, or things that I'm missing?

[roguerouge]

Thank goodness my players didn't latch on to this! Although now I'm wondering what I should have had happen with this particular

Anyway, there's a way to handle this without letting them break the wealth by level guidelines. You could have the buyer be Manticce as a way to introduce her now and better set up the dinner party in book 3. Manticce doesn't strike me as someone who works for a living outside of politics and professional diplomacy, so hiring her would have to be a special arrangement where she would take possession and allow them the use of it. Then, it just so happens to take until book 5 to fix.

If Grivener could fix it, think about why it would be in the basement of the Fantasmagorium with his flunkies, not even the 7th level clerics. Does he not know what it is yet?

I could see the Church of Abadarn purchasing it and sending it out to be repaired and studied until plot demands its return. They would definitely be sharp bargainers as well.

If you don't want them to have use of it, maybe make it clear that anyone who could buy it off them could also simply take it from them, due to the power disparity. That would explain why they pawn it for such a low rate--it's dangerous to try to sell.

[xTheJim]

Good tips! Yeah, I think I'm going to let them know that Grivener exists, and that he COULD fix it... but that it'd be a fairly terrible idea to show it to him, since there's a good chance he'd be aware of where it came from and deduce who they were.

Manticce on the other hand, could get introduced early, although I might not make it known that she's the secretive Queen of Desires. This would also necessitate a time-consuming early visit to Vyre, which might turn them off of the idea for a bit... maybe even until the next book when the time is right for them to head over there anyway.

Some day in half a dozen years when we actually make it to book 6 maybe they can use it to head to Hell anyways :P

[Yakman]

They don't have to get it fixed now. When they get to book 3 as suggested above, there's probably a few people who would be ... interested ... in the object when they get to Vyre. Keep it broken until then.

It might make for an interesting conversation piece at the banquet.

[Artofregicide]

Broadly, it cannot be fixed as written. The last bit of magical energy is lost in the trap that activates.

But I agree that it could make a cool plot hook and way to introduce NPCs.

It depends on why they want it.

If they want the full 41k for selling it to break WBL - I'd just say no. If they want a super cool magic item? It's far less game breaking than you'd think, but it might derail things pretty hard.