Best Use of the Femme Fatale NPC

[lisagb]

Me again..ok non-traveller, I ran a Pendragon campaign set in 5thC Cornwall mostly concerned with the goings on in one paticular Cornish clan, (think Soprano's with swords). Had several femme fatale types swanning around.

Firstly there was Sabh the daughter of the clan druid an a prophetess, highly political, hated christians an not everything she did was for the good of the clan.

Secondly Erin wild cat daughter of the clan Chief.
Ooodles of trouble to anyone suiting her, plus the clan Warlord considered first dibs on her.

Third from the depths of the moors were the matriarchal picts ruled by Scena beautiful an deadly never before bested in single combat by a mere man, wielder of the fabled Gwylchallyr, the "Black spear".

Fourth Rhiannon daughter of Lord Moran chief of the local enemy clan.

Finally Ciara mute saxon slave with a mysterious past..what secrets are locked away in her mind, does she really know the where abouts of the lost Cauldron of Olwen?

 

[Liam Devlin]

Lisagb- all good examples, thank you!. Nice thumbsketches btw. I can see transposing several of them into the Future as is (low tech worlds).
Well done, lass. Gentleman? Our lady of the post has picked up this gauntlet(And another rose!), as have several others..
belly up to the bar and share!

 

[MichaelL65]

The last adventure the group I game with was in, we had a "gorgeous knock-out petite blond" who managed to seduce one of our group and hook him on drugs (along with, it turned out, most of the crew of the ship we were on).

She hyped him up on drugs and had him try to kill the guy we were escorting. We flushed her stash and got caught by the crew in the process. Once things were straightened out, a search was made for her, including a full search of everyone as they left the ship - she was never found. Seems she just vanished...

 

[Liam Devlin]

Micheal65 said-"The last adventure the group I game with was in, we had a "gorgeous knock-out petite blond" who managed to seduce one of our group and hook him on drugs (along with, it turned out, most of the crew of the ship we were on).

She hyped him up on drugs and had him try to kill the guy we were escorting. We flushed her stash and got caught by the crew in the process. Once things were straightened out, a search was made for her, including a full search of everyone as they left the ship - she was never found. Seems she just vanished... '
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Yowch! Nasty GM! And she disappeared too. Something of a hook for a leter adventure (like how does one just "vanish" off a ship that size? Good example Micheal!
Next!

 

[Liam Devlin]

Secret Cow Level..I know you're there. Have any examples for aspiring GM's to use? Doesn't have to have happened to YOUR PC, might 've been the fellow next to you...Or at a Convention game session, table next to yours..

 

[Liam Devlin]

Mr Paraquat Johnson? ANything to add to this while you peruse?

 

[Liam Devlin]

MJD? ANy good examples from the UK to share with us?

 

[Shadowdancer]

Originally posted by Liam Devlin:
Mr Paraquat Johnson? ANything to add to this while you peruse?

Stop that, you Zhodani mind-reader.

Actually, I've been away for a couple of days attending the opening weekend of the Texas Renaissance Festival, and I was trying to catch up on all of the threads and postings I've missed since Friday.

Ah, the femme fatale. One of my favorite plot devices as a DM/GM/ref, and my greatest weakness as a player. "La Femme Nikita" is one of my favorite movies, and I loved the TV series, too.

My favorite is the stripper/exotic dancer who turns out to be a master assassin. She works as a dancer at a club her intended victim frequents, or arranges for said victim to receive an invitation to a special party at the club. She gets introduced, flirts with him, gets invited back to his place, maybe stays with him for a few days/weeks. But she doesn't kill him when she's alone with him in bed, oh no. That would be too obvious, and would mark her as an obvious target of suspision and retaliation. She uses this time with the victim to check out his security arrangements and maybe learn his schedule. Then she kills him later, usually from afar with a scoped rifle. More of a challenge that way. Doing it up close and personal, where's the challenge?

I've used the dancer/assassin as both adversary and patron in Traveller, as well as the time the PCs had to help her escape off planet, and she repaid their kindness by framing them for the killing.

Another femme fatale type I use is the "damsel in distress" who claims people are trying to kill her or kidnap her for some reason, and she needs the PCs to help her escape and/or kill those chasing her. In reality, she's usually stolen something from those in pursuit and they want it back. This can be money, an item, data -- almost anything. Usually she'll seduce one of the PCs and get him to fall in love with her, and offer to help her. Then, once she's safe, she'll run away. Sometimes the PCs pursue her and she becomes a recurring character for them to chase. Other times, she just disappears and they never hear from her again. If they're really lucky, she doesn't frame them for her crime.

As a player, I've been seduced a time or two by long-legged redheads dressed in black leather (the DM really knows how to push my buttons), only to awaken the next morning to find they've stolen my money, my weapons, my transportation and my clothes!

 

[Liam Devlin]

Paraquat Johnson posted-"Stop that, you Zhodani mind-reader."

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Zho? Nahhh, IRIS, Telepath Rank 8. but as you were...
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"Actually, I've been away for a couple of days attending the opening weekend of the Texas Renaissance Festival, and I was trying to catch up on all of the threads and postings I've missed since Friday.'
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Hope you had fun! Spent mine at Drill
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"Ah, the femme fatale. One of my favorite plot devices as a DM/GM/ref, and my greatest weakness as a player. "La Femme Nikita" is one of my favorite movies, and I loved the TV series, too.
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Luv that series. I can relate to both admissions, by the way...romantic devil that I be.
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"My favorite is the stripper/exotic dancer who turns out to be a master assassin. She works as a dancer at a club her intended victim frequents, or arranges for said victim to receive an invitation to a special party at the club. She gets introduced, flirts with him, gets invited back to his place, maybe stays with him for a few days/weeks. But she doesn't kill him when she's alone with him in bed, oh no. That would be too obvious, and would mark her as an obvious target of suspision and retaliation. She uses this time with the victim to check out his security arrangements and maybe learn his schedule. Then she kills him later, usually from afar with a scoped rifle. More of a challenge that way. Doing it up close and personal, where's the challenge?'

I've used the dancer/assassin as both adversary and patron in Traveller, as well as the time the PCs had to help her escape off planet, and she repaid their kindness by framing them for the killing."

Another femme fatale type I use is the "damsel in distress" who claims people are trying to kill her or kidnap her for some reason, and she needs the PCs to help her escape and/or kill those chasing her. In reality, she's usually stolen something from those in pursuit and they want it back. This can be money, an item, data -- almost anything. Usually she'll seduce one of the PCs and get him to fall in love with her, and offer to help her. Then, once she's safe, she'll run away. Sometimes the PCs pursue her and she becomes a recurring character for them to chase. Other times, she just disappears and they never hear from her again. If they're really lucky, she doesn't frame them for her crime.

As a player, I've been seduced a time or two by long-legged redheads dressed in black leather (the DM really knows how to push my buttons), only to awaken the next morning to find they've stolen my money, my weapons, my transportation and my clothes!
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Outstanding examples. Both from player & Ref point of view. See you lurkers out there? Its not hard to do. Thanks for the input PJ. Maybe the wannabe refs will get some pointers from all these (I hope!)
Next!

 

[Secrect Cow Level]

You know, I've never used that plot device in any of my games over all the many years I've played and run games. I guess it boils down to the fact that none of my players would either fall for it or play along in any case. My group tends to play rather mercanary types who seldom do anything for anybody without getting paid for it.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Now thats amazin' lad! You NEVER used it?? Hmmmmm. Well I'll be learnin somthing new everyday here! Never had a female patron femme fatale hire the boys? Wow.

 

[Tarn]

In my current game (D&D 3e while I wait for T20 to come out), I have a serious female trouble maker by the name of Xiaoling. Descibed as short, cute in a really innocent way, the type of girl your mother would be very happy to see you with, and sexy in the doesn't realize it way (And this was when she was naked save for the bat wings and small horns).

This girl to date has impersonated a succubus, stole from a black knight, seduced an archmage, and tricked the party into committing a burglary in Hell (it is a red herring... they don't know this yet).

It *is* a high power game.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Sounds like a Drow lady merchant i ran in my ADD2-e campaign name Ky'rae (FTr/Wz/Rogue). Brains, looks, guts, and a penchant for profit where the risks were high. Dealt in small cargoes with big returns (material components, jewels, spices (rarer in the Underdark the better). Then the good guys caught up with the bad guys, and she was camped between them in a freefor all firefight. Part of the color I added to the Boxed set Underdark campaign. Heck, even the paladin got to dislike her less and less. No love lost with Aboleth either.

 

[TheColonel]

My first post! It is very difficult to get players to fall for a Femme Fatale when let's face it there is no real world benefit.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Colonel, sir. Welcome to the List! Glad to have peaked your interest. Hmmm. True, the "no real world Interest" angle is there..but the suspension of belief required in any RPG, and storytelling in that matter, is something they have to get or its just paper and dice.
Paint with your words an image they can "see"... smell and touch. (Like the greasey backed up smell of the fresher near the engine room on a S-class scout. A Unique aroma, I assure you.
Go forth, and do great things! Thanks for having the Fortitude to posting too. It gets easier, trust me!

 

[T. Foster]

When you come down to it there's no "real world benefit" to much of ANYTHING that happens in an rpg. I always found it pretty easy to entice PCs into making non-pragmatic choices by a metagame appeal: "sure you guys can turn this mission down and spend the rest of the session safely selling shoes, but that's ridiculously boring. However, if you go on this job, you know there will be at least some fun and excitement, and, come on, do you really think I'd be sending you out there without at least SOME chance you could succeed?"

Emphasizing the experience of the game -- that entertainment for the players is "worth" more than the welfare of their characters -- worked wonders for convincing them to take inordinate risks and is IMO a much better strategy than putting them onto the "plot railroad" and denying even ostensible freedom of choice ("what, kidnapped by pirates again?!").

 

[Liam Devlin]

Mr T Foster writes-"When you come down to it there's no "real world benefit" to much of ANYTHING that happens in an rpg. I always found it pretty easy to entice PCs into making non-pragmatic choices by a metagame appeal: "sure you guys can turn this mission down and spend the rest of the session safely selling shoes, but that's ridiculously boring. However, if you go on this job, you know there will be at least some fun and excitement, and, come on, do you really think I'd be sending you out there without at least SOME chance you could succeed?"

Emphasizing the experience of the game -- that entertainment for the players is "worth" more than the welfare of their characters -- worked wonders for convincing them to take inordinate risks and is IMO a much better strategy than putting them onto the "plot railroad" and denying even ostensible freedom of choice ("what, kidnapped by pirates again?!")."
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Precisely said, T. Foster, well done. Its not the job..its the adventure-the escapism from ho hum daily living that sells these games! Storytelling is an ART form, the femme fatale is but one facet of the jewel. Well done Mr Foster!
Next!

 

[MichaelL65]

Originally posted by Liam Devlin:
Yowch! Nasty GM! And she disappeared too. Something of a hook for a leter adventure (like how does one just "vanish" off a ship that size? Good example Micheal!

Well, the characters don't know this, but the GM told us afterwards that she teleported around while searches were made and just teleported off ship when it landed (I was suspecting something like that already). I also think there was some telepathic suggestions made to make our comrad act so out of character.

We were also promised she would return....

 

[Liam Devlin]

Micheal65-'Well, the characters don't know this, but the GM told us afterwards that she teleported around while searches were made and just teleported off ship when it landed (I was suspecting something like that already). I also think there was some telepathic suggestions made to make our comrad act so out of character.

We were also promised she would return....

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First time with a psion femme fatale. Great story, Micheal. Thanks! Earns you a star! (on yer status).

 

[cgriffen]

Originally posted by phydaux:
For my Merc campaigns, I usually run this all-female merc company called the Death's Head Battalion, aka the Stygian Bitches or the Death's Head Dykes.

I have to say that I absolutely love the sheer, unbridled lack of political correctness in your campaign!

I ran a merc campaign several years back in which the PCs' unit was a company-sized, mixed-gender unit. Some level of fraternization occurred between the troops. I tossed in a few femme fatales in the NPC mix to entice the PCs and add an aura somewhat like that of the film, Starship Troopers (which hadn't come out yet, BTW, so I didn't derive!

) or Joe Haldeman's excellent book, The Forever War.

I also intimated that relationships developed between various NPCs and I believe I may have even had an NPC couple quit the unit to go off and settle down together. Just added bits of realism to give the NPCs a little personality.