Red Widow

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Or perhaps the red widow could actually be presented in the role of the victim in a scenario, whose human alter-ego is threatened because of its beauty. The obvious threat could be a more-powerful monster, who doesn't know of the red widow's own inhuman nature, or who regards her as competition for prey, or who simply couldn't care less if she's human or not.

Perhaps the red widow's human cover-identity is an aspiring actress or singer, who's now being menaced by a nascent greenhag in a similar profession. As the greenhag's Change comes over her, she spitefully murders younger performers whose beauty she herself is losing; at first, events would look just like a hag-hunt, with the red widow hidden in plain sight among the crowd of terrified young lovelies who fear they'll be next. Only near the end, after the hag has been exposed, would clues that there's a second feminine monster at work become evident, as the widow takes great pains to ensure that her own male victims' disappearances are likewise blamed on the hag.

If the PC party's not on the ball, they might kill the hag, miss the additional clues, and move on thinking they've saved the day, leaving the red widow alive and well ... and with a much-reduced field of competitors for potential star-struck suitors.

[wolfgang_fener]

All you need to do is to build a good cover identity to the monster. Give her some skills or a profession. She needs alibis and a simple personal history (but nothing too complicated or the players will be able to guess she's more than the usual passerby). You could also give her another useful role in the PCs qctual quest. Maybe she holds some useful information, maybe the PCs and her share a common ennemy ? Bid your time, make her wise and patient. Strike only once the pc wont expect it anymore.

Maybe she needs the pc to protect her from a crazy bad boy (actually someone trying to avenge the death of his brother) ... MAybe she doens't even plan to feed on the PCs...

Also remember that intelligent monsters sometimes have other interests in life than just feeding .

Anyway, let us know how it turns out in your campaign.

[Ronia Sun]

There are so many wonderful suggestions in this thread that I will refrain from repeating. All I can offer is this good writers' advice: Make your villains as interesting as your heroes. No villain is "all bad" any more than any hero is "all good." Flaws make heroes interesting, and virtues do the same for villains. Perhaps your red widow, while a man-eater in every sense of the world, has a genuine fondness for children, and protects them when she can, or some such thing. Few PCs are going to look at a woman who champions children and think "now there's the villain!"

[The Wannabe]

What about having her as a NPC with the party for a couple of adventures? I did that once with a Quevari.....it was quite awesome to see the effect when he invited his friends home for the Moon Festival.