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Charmed, I'm sure

The second Wednesday Weird invokes the Charm Other spell:

This spell shows up in several roleplaying games by many different names. Leaving the target charmed by the spellcaster, it can turn an enemy into a friend. Generally, the target will be susceptible to suggestion by the caster and will completely believe anything the caster says.

This effect is not restrained to the fantasy genre. A telepath might gain the same effect through mental powers and one of the most famous examples of this “spell” was in a certain film by George Lucas. “These are not the droids you are looking for.”

Now your job: How does this spell get weird?

This wouldn’t work in the straight D&D sense, but…

The Livid Dragon is a little tavern along one of the main trade routes in the region: gets a lot of merchants, a fair number of adventurers, plenty of problems but plenty of fun. And it’s very profitable for the owner.

It’s also where you spilled a Charm Person potion a couple of weeks ago. An honest mistake on your part; you were going to slip it into that suspected assassin’s drink, but someone bumped your elbow and you wound up wasting the thing. No great loss, since they aren’t that expensive.

Ever since then, your luck has been astounding — in the Livid Dragon. Nowhere else. In the Livid Dragon, there’s always a serving boy when you need one. You generally draw the card you need when you’re playing poker. You’re pretty sure you’re more charming there, judging by the number of people who make amorous advances. The owner forgets to charge you for dinner more often than not.

This wouldn’t be so bad, except that other taverns are getting jealous, and the good fortune you get in the Livid Dragon is balanced by bad fortune everywhere else.

2 Comments

  1. Cool! I like!

    I’m taking it that you mean that the taverns (the buildings) themselves are getting jealous while the building of the Livid Dragon has been charmed to help the PC. Very cool idea.

  2. Yep, pretty much. Or the spirit of the tavern, whether that’s an entity or just a conglomerate of everything inside. Thanks!

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