Need a monster, or maybe a magic item

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Can anyone recommend a monster that fits the following criteria:

1) Can pass for human or demihuman
2) But has powers that would give your average town guard a reason to call Dr. Van Richten.
3) Could be restrained by a normal jail (Can be strong, but not bar-breaking strong. No walk through walls or turn into Ooze powers.)
4) Kills in a somewhat distinctive or recognizable way.


Could also be some sort of magic item or spell that grants a human some kind of power to kill with. If the spellbook or item were taken away, he could be restrained in a jail. We're looking for a Hannibal Lector-like scenario. (No Toben, though!)

I considered Dhampir, since without blood, he loses many of his powers. But it's too close to a vampire and I don't want to cause confusion with the vampires elsewhere in the adventure. Emordenung is also a possibility, but I want something a bit more violent, less subtle.

Ideas?

[Jester of the FoS]

Werewolf
Wolfwere
Cursed individual (I had a guy cursed to turn into a hulking beast every night after he offended the Vistani. I used the troll stats IIRC)
Ghoul/ Ghast (cloak, young one so only semi-decomposed. They're actually surprisingly smart. Use VRGt Walking Dead to oomf it up if need be)
Beatific golem, one not to deformed
Skin Thief

[NeoTiamat]

A Doppleganger perhaps?

1: It can pass for human or demihuman or justabout anything else (whole point of the creature).

2: Being able to pass for anyone or anything is sufficiently confusing for the city Watch to call for Van Richten.

3: The standard Dread Doppleganger only has a strength of 14. You can of course up it a bit if you choose the elite array of stats, but if you put one in a jail it stays there.

4: This is a bit less easy, since Dopplegangers aren't really spectacularly powerful in terms of combat. Still, you could give it a memorable weapon of some sort. The Arms and Equipment Guide is chock-full of cool weapons. My personal favorite for a shapeshifter would be the War Fan, a deadly weapon that is easily concealed (like a sword-cane, but cooler and for women). Other, less easily concealable but more distinctive looking (and killing) weapons are the Gyrspike, Panther Claw, Manti, or the Claw Bracer.

Especially if you are away from Paridon, a rogue D. Doppleganger who was mist-led to the Core could make for an extremely interesting fight. (VRA), and you have a perfect shapeshifter that kills like a big cat, but is utterly uncathable. The guards call for Doctor Van Richten, thinking they have a Weretiger on the prowl, but the reality is much, much, nastier.

Give the Doppleganger a few levels of rogue for sneak attack and a level or two of fighter for combat and you have a truly lethal opponent.

[Jasper]

I would use an idea from the old BoS series. An old doctor has been treating a wide spead plague in the city slums when he contracts the desease and is slowly eats away at his flesh. Fearfull of death he turned to a stack of old corespondence he had with a young Dr. M. In the letters Dr. M talks of breakthroughs in skin and organ transplants to and from living donors. Knowing he dosn't have long the doctor begins to harvest flesh from his patients and grafts it on to his own.

Quickly running out of living patients and slowly subcoming madness as the plague eats away at his brain and eats away at his flesh the doctor has turned to killing vaigrants and rouge to harvest thier parts. Those who servive that attack now carry the plague and its started to spread throughout the city.

As for stats I would use the half golem (flesh) template from the WOTC site put on a mid level expert.

[Lord_Pruitt]

A Red Widow?

[NeoTiamat]

For that matter, just about any shapechanger in existence?

[Glim]

More 'mundane': Aranea? Barghest?

[Ail]

More 'mundane': Aranea? Barghest?

Why not the classic story of Jekyll and Hyde?

It I recall right, it is a potion that makes him strong

[Drinnik Shoehorn]

A Red Widow?

I also think a Red Widow would work. They're so underused...

[Gwenfloor]

Don't forget about Sprites, Pixies, and other low-level Fey creatures. Goblinoids can be useful, too.

[Brandi]

Create a new being, and base him on Eugene Victor Tooms. (X-Files fans will know just what I'm talking about.)

[Alanik Ray]

Create a new being, and base him on Eugene Victor Tooms. (X-Files fans will know just what I'm talking about.)

That just screams failed power checks!!!

Got to love Tooms.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Thanks for the suggestions, all... Now, I'll knock down all of them.

Werewolf and wolfwere are not bad, but I've done The Evil Eye and Feast of Goblyns already this campaign, and I think I'm wolfwere'd out. Also, I've got some other lycanthropes this adventure, so I want something different.

Cursed human ... maybe.

Ghoul/Ghast... might pass for human in low light in an alley, but not long enough to be convicted, sentenced, and jailed.

Golem... I considered a half-golem. But a full-golem is immune to mind-influencing effects. That's another criteria I didn't mention. The creature needs to be dominated in the adventure. Half-golem would have to be evil to begin with and succeed it's will save to not gain Construct traits.

Skin Theif... again, can't pass in the long-term

Doppleganger. Now that's a good one. I was very close to picking that. Unfortunately, Dopplegangers are immune to sleep and charm. See golem, above.

I remember that doctor from the BoS... Not a bad idea.. just need to make it so that he doesn't NEED to keep grafting, only thinks he does. Because otherwise, he'd die in jail.

Red Widow... I love them, but I was going for a male here. Also, without ingesting fluids on a regular basis, she'd die in jail.

Not every shapechanger works, unfortunately. (See above)

Aranea... definate possibility.
Barghest... Goblin is a bit too weird of a humanoid form.

Jeckyl/Hyde.... possible. I'd prefer not to use an item, but if all else fails.

Fey... Can't see them getting stuck in a jail for long.

Tooms would slip right through the bars, wouldn't he? If memory serves, he once escaped through a food slot in a door.



Soooo.... we're narrowed down to:
Cursed human/Jeckyll and Hyde type
Half-golem with succesful will save. (possibly a spin on the doctor from the BoS)
Aranea

hmmm... need to think on it a bit.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Can anyone recommend a monster that fits the following criteria:

1) Can pass for human or demihuman
2) But has powers that would give your average town guard a reason to call Dr. Van Richten.
3) Could be restrained by a normal jail (Can be strong, but not bar-breaking strong. No walk through walls or turn into Ooze powers.)
4) Kills in a somewhat distinctive or recognizable way.

Where is this taking place? I mean, the guy could just be a psionicist or sorcerer in a hick town...maybe a foreigner, or a caliban (giving the "look" of an inhuman or semi-human creature without any abilities associated with it). Sure, calling van Richten might be overkill, but how's the constable to know?

[Rotipher of the FoS]

How about a "ringer", i.e. an ordinary human who disguises his killings as a monster's handiwork? Players are so accustomed to finding monsters under every bush or conspiracy in Ravenloft, the 'Scooby-Doo' approach really catches them off-guard. Or, if the real monster dominates the "ringer", it might order its charmed patsy to kill in ways that deceive potential hunters as to the true nature of the threat.