dragon-magic-oef

Resources
If you absolutely must have something to accomplish a mission,
such as a map or a description of a target, your cabal
provides it. Beyond that, you are expected to take care of
your own needs. In major cities, the cabal can arrange for you
to buy illegal materials (such as thieves’ tools and poisons)
safely, but at your own expense. The group is not insensitive
to your financial needs, however, and might give you leads on
legitimate opportunities for jobs or treasure, thus ensuring
that you acquire the funds you will need to pull off future
secret missions.
HANDS OF THE WINGED MASTERS
IN THE WORLD
“Myrmith is a great trapfinder—witty, clever, and dependable. I
just wish he wouldn’t wander off so often. Sometimes it takes two
or three days to find him for a new mission.”
—Regdar, fighter
A hand of the winged masters needs a cabal from which to
take orders, and one or more worthwhile dragon rulers to
work for. These need not be particularly complicated (the DM
can use the First Scroll or the Shadow’s Fangs; see Chapter
5), but they should match the character’s interests. A chaotic
good scout should be approached by a group working toward
the common good, while a lawful evil ninja is more likely
to serve a dragon that believes the world must be conquered
and remade in a more orderly manner.
A cabal presents an easy way to interest the character in an
adventure. A note from the organization requesting information
about a particular dungeon or ordering the assassination
of a certain evil wizard pushes the hand, and his companions,
into adventure as easily as do commands from a paladin’s or
cleric’s superiors.
Organization
A dragon-led cabal can organize itself in numerous secret
ways. Typically, a hand of the winged masters knows only
a few other agents and leaders, ensuring that he can’t leak
much to the group’s enemies if he is captured. The hand is
taught passwords and secret signs to identify other members
of the cabal, but if group leaders suspect that the information
has been compromised, they quickly change these codes
and signals. Normally, a hand works without direct aid
from the cabal, receiving orders through a secret method of
communication (perhaps from a barmaid at a favored tavern)
and reporting his results to a different agent. Again, if these
arrangements are compromised, a new cabal member makes
herself known to the hand and institutes a new set of contact
procedures.
NPC Reactions
As long as a hand keeps his cover story intact, others treat him
as if he is exactly what he claims to be. Most hands pose as
adventurers who happen to be expert locksmiths, which gives
them a veneer of legitimacy but often provokes suspicion
from guards and nobles. However, if a hand’s role as a spy
for dragons is discovered, practically everyone immediately
considers him a threat, and thereafter he receives an indifferent
reaction at best.
HANDS OF THE WINGED MASTERS
LORE
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (history) can research
hands of the winged masters to learn more about them. When
a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following,
including the information from lower DCs.
DC 10: Hands of the winged masters are agents for secretive
dragons.
DC 15: Each hand receives orders from a secret cabal and
rarely knows more than one or two other members.
DC 20: Hands are alert, they benefit from arcane spells
more than most, and they act as spies, assassins, or couriers
for their dragon overlords.
Finding a hand of the winged masters is difficult at best. A
DC 20 Gather Information check reveals where to drop off a
request for a meeting. After that, the player characters must
wait to see if a hand shows up or makes contact. Only if the
PCs have some urgent business will the cabal expose even a
junior member of its organization.
HANDS OF THE WINGED MASTERS
IN THE GAME
Before introducing hands of the winged masters into a
campaign world, the DM should decide why one or more
dragons would need a cabal of spies, and then consider the
nature of the group. The Shadow’s Fangs (see page 144) are
one example of a cabal, but it’s possible for a group to serve
a council of dragons, or even drakes of good alignment
that want to keep their involvement in humanoid affairs as
clandestine as possible. Once you have a simple idea for the
cabal, introduce it to the players and see if they’re interested
in working more closely with the secretive group.
A hand of the winged masters appeals most to players who
like rogues, secrets, and ongoing plots. The class is built to
let a PC carry out covert missions and serve hidden agendas
while still having reasons to go on adventures with the rest
of the party. Players who enjoy the idea of medieval spies in
a fantasy setting should find the class intriguing.
Adaptation
Hands of the winged masters are less closely tied to dragons
than most of the other prestige classes in this chapter. They
could easily be transformed into bodyguards for arcane spellcasters,
couriers serving a deity of travel, or simply advanced
spies. Their class features would remain the same, but the DM
would need to restructure the group they work for.
CHAPTER 2
DRAGON
ASPIRANTS
45