You know that your party is going to something dangerous when your party spends 12k in gold to buy two Elvish devil Masks...
In my game, when the players take a blood oath, they can buy a devil mast. The mask is made by a Elder in a deep trance, each mast is created directly on the buyers face. The process is painful, tearing flesh and leaving the buyer emotional, spiritual and mentally spent. The Oath becomes an intrinsic component of the mask, the essence of the buyer charges the mask offering protections that can help the Oath Takers to complete the quest. Each mask is unique, fits perfectly over the users face, they do not get in the way of combat or block vision. Ancestors help to design and colour the mask. Some are truly horrific while others are seemingly lovely.
Some of the Powers: Each mask has a set of powers, then variations that the GM can add themselves.
Basic Powers only active when worn:
+5 to alertness, sense ambush, observation
+5 stalk/hide
Act as a full helm
Incredibly resilient
Mask will become a blank chunk of wood in the wrong hands.
Additional Powers: (up to 2 that are applicable)
+2 spell adder
additional +5 to a skill (can stake with current bonuses)
keep going but not to crazy.
depending upon the Magic and spirit level you are playing, the Mask can give Players a gentle nudge in the right direction. This is not a compass, but instead a shot gun approach. For example, the player will get a sense that the target is east or north east. But that is where the GPS stops.
My players have a sister, she fell into a trap, fell in love with a bad Paladin and fell. She was a 10th level Mage, 4th level Fighter, and nearly 3 years ago in game time, became a vampire. She manipulated the players, guilted them into taking missions and abandoned them to an apartment complex full of her Undead.
My players have actually been slowly building up their power, but I am cheap. Hell, they even figured out where she is on their own based upon a conversation that they had with her when; she told them that she wanted to take the control of Oncth, the U-Lyshaak towers nearest Getech. But that is still a ways down.
The blood oath will punish those that deny the quest; discomfort, to unpleasantness to pain.
Why am I rambling this, because I haven't used this in years and my one player pulls it out of his hat. I was impressed with what some of my players remember.
