And the long awaited winner of the 3rd Spell Law Story was: Chippermonks
I settled down to read through the stories and was thinking about mentalists and my mind went to the American TV Show. Reading this, I could clearly see Simon Baker playing the role of Esau.
Players love it when a GM is really inventive. You know? When you design an excellent character or plot hook that the players just grab on too.... As a GM, the most ingenutive players I have met used mentalism (often bards or mentalists of of course) and they cause no end of trouble to me....In my mind, mentalism users are those players that like to make my NPCs dance naked in the streets and bend my plot hooks with their little psychic brains!
This particular player and his party were investigating a mysterious plague that wiped out a small village, and as members of the kings army they were assigned to solve this mystery! Esau, the graduate level intern, was a budding young mentalist who was in charge of contacting base with updated reports, as well as act as a liaison between intelligence and this recon squad. The Intelligence bureau had reason to believe an organization known as "the militia of the wind" had been using forbidden magic to release this plague at choice sites, all under the instruction of Dustin Lance, the exiled necromancer.
Searching through the ruins of the village they came across a group of soldiers wearing hardier travel gear then is standard issue. They said they were passing through when they found the village and were investigating on behalf of the Kings Army...The party was not informed of any other squads in this region and were convinced that these men were not who they say they were....
Esau, the graduate level intern, walked forward and held out his hand cheerfully and said "My name is Esau, nice to meet you, captain....?"
The soldier-who-wasn't-a-soldier reached out and clasped hands with the party mentalist whom responded with some name I can hardly remmeber because the next thing that happens is
Esau: I cast question
Me: ....really?
Esau: Yup, I say "Who do you work for?"
I sigh and pray the dice are in my favor, but to no avail! I drop my head on the table and curse his name! "You dirty bastard! you tricked me into letting you touch him! if it weren't for that touch-penalty I would have made it!"
The soldier shouts out "I work for the militia of the wind.....o damn" and the fight ensues, leading to the slaughter of that enemy squad.
Mentalism users are so dirty!
