BBEG asks "What to do w/ all these human sacrifices?"

[Milo the Gnome]

So I have a mini-boss for my campaign who happens to have a lot of displaces peasants at his disposal; they're dirt poor npcs and wouldn't be missed. Anything as ostentatious as slavery would attract unwanted attention, and even food is limited, so there's incentive to make these people disappear.

Thing is this mini-boss isn't the religious type, other mini-boss colleagues of his have cornered the market on undead or serving dark gods and I'd like for this guy to stand out. He's secular, but practical.

So how would you handle this? What can be done mechanically with a few hundred lvl 1 commoners ready to be used like cattle?

[Firest Kathon]

They could use them as cheap/free labor, some could do farming (to alleviate the food shortage you mentioned), some could work on the dungeon (or other building(s)).

[the_david]

Cannibalism? That's about the only way I can tell you without letting the gory details squick you out.

[Flickerdart]

A flesh colossus requires 300 human bodies. A flesh golem can be made with six or more - but it's unclear if you can use one body's limbs for multiple golems.

The miniboss can also just sell the commoners to his colleagues.

[Conradine]

Human sacrifices to dark gods or fiends in order to get Dark Craft virtual gold or virtual experience ( Book of the Vile Darkness ). Even if he's not a religious type, all he needs is either a few levels as Wizard / Sorcerer or a spellcaster accomplice.

Then he can build magic items at cost zero or near to zero.

[Geddy2112]

Target practice or scientific experimentation? Hold underground gladiator matches?
Grind them up as fertilizer? Off them because they are more trouble than they are worth.

[Malroth]

Have them fight eachother for XP

[OldTrees1]

Teleport them to some jungle paradise.

[ILM]

Well, selling them to others is always a solution. Tell me there aren't any depraved nobles with excess cash he can get in touch with...

[ExLibrisMortis]

Use them to farm ambrosia or liquid pain?

Use them to charge your consumptive field? Sure, it's not exactly efficient, but if you have them anyway...

Turn them into incorporeal undead, and lock them in the walls of your soon-to-be-besieged fortress? That should give any attackers a nasty surprise!

[Hecuba]

Arrange a a convenient number of Steal Life castings next full moon. If that won't dwindle the headcount fast enough, facilitate the same for some of your allies.

[denthor]

Farming yes

Find the best of the best train them to be his right hand to make the PC s use up resources many 1st levels are a real threat and make emotions (sadness and guilt ) run high

Find the second best to be slave holders to build something.

[Honest Tiefling]

Slavery is untenable, you say? But is it untenable for everyone in the setting, or just him?

Surely a few slaves here and there won't attract much attention, especially if sold to gangsters used to hiding such things to begin with. Such people probably would pay decently enough for a few more slaves.

Heck, even if the man himself isn't religious, doesn't mean he doesn't know of a few religions who won't take a few sacrifices in exchange for money. If he's working with a few of them, why does he bother with useless slaves (assuming that selling them isn't an option), when he could just hand them over to his buddies in exchange for loot or even a few favors later down the road? If you want to distinguish these people, the slaveless guy is going to stand out.

[Vizzerdrix]

100 people is a lot. Start a town someplace and enjoy that sweet tax money. Have them grow opium or something for extra income.

[Milo the Gnome]

Slavery is untenable for everyone in this country. But there are other groups with more lax laws.

Selling to one of his colleagues is entirely possible, but narratively I'm looking for a way to make this guy stand out a bit more.

But how would the consumptive field work?
Which book has rules on ambrosia?



...or I could give him a few levels of Bard and he could turn them into religious fanatics. Slavery is illegal on paper, but if it's 'religious freedom' they can choose to do whatever he says for no pay and it's protected by law. It's hard to kill a mini boss when there's a town full of hoodwinked NPCs willing to take a bullet for him.
(think Clancy Brown from Carnevale meets Prophet's Prey. But, you know, minus the underage wives.)

[Honest Tiefling]

Slavery is untenable for everyone in this country. But there are other groups with more lax laws.

BBEG in question is the evil merchant. Selling lives to the highest bidder to line his own coffers, and not that of his dark patron. Just his own, and he doesn't need a god, good or evil, to make loads of money and spend it. Gold plated enchanted armor for everyone!

Selling to one of his colleagues is entirely possible, but narratively I'm looking for a way to make this guy stand out a bit more.

He could also be the diplomancer, or the one that causes them to work together. He's the one getting the rest to work together. Aw, buddy, what's a few hundred poor souls between friends? Remember tomorrow night is game knight and we've got a paladin from the order you hate so much coming in. The boys all wanna see what you've got whipped up to bloodily murder him. Damien's got 500 gold on him crying like a baby before his untimely demise.

...or I could give him a few levels of Bard and he could turn them into religious fanatics. Slavery is illegal on paper, but if it's 'religious freedom' they can choose to do whatever he says for no pay and it's protected by law. It's hard to kill a mini boss when there's a town full of hoodwinked NPCs willing to take a bullet for him.

One would think that the other religious guys would do this, given that they...Have a religion. That being said, this would be creepy and might distinguish the other guys from him, and not the other way around.

[Milo the Gnome]

One would think that the other religious guys would do this, given that they...Have a religion.

Yeah, but let's face it there's been a million evil cults in these kinds of games. There isn't any moral grey area to them, and PCs never feel bad about killing them outright. They're just more evil spell casters, only with a different spell list and a different set of plot hooks.

Having a character that's knowingly using the nature of religion itself for evil purposes could be kind of interesting.

[Efrate]

Breed them forcibly or otherwise, for future sacrifices/to keep a steady supply, or for that delicate baby flesh demons treat as a delicacy. Or raise said youngins to be a fanatacally loyal force to him that will do anything. Works better if he's a long lived elf or something. Hold said children hostage and force ther parents to"defend" BBEG as a form of insurance.

Some demons, dragons, trolls, devils, and fey could all help make some sweet templated children, then hitler youth them.

That is a lot of bodies to practice grafting, or new poisons and diseases on. Use them to power infernal machines, souls have tons of uses. Train torturers. Feed some undead, or some giant allies. Ghouls and ghasts will glady alliance with someone for some fresh meat. Or a large selection of rotating noms for a friendly vampire.

There is the armor of the dread overlord I think in BoVD or one of the fiendish codexes which needs 4 humanoids to kind of act as HP soaks. Instead of dealing damage to BBEG hits kill those chained to the armor.

Expediationary force to explore the tomb of (insert relevant character here) as mobile trapfinders. Celestial monkies with wasting spell slots!

[ExLibrisMortis]

But how would the consumptive field work?
Which book has rules on ambrosia?

Ambrosia: BoED, liquid pain: BoVD.

Consumptive field is a 4th-level spell. It automatically kills anyone who is dying (-1 hp or less) within an area around the caster. The caster gets +1 CL per kill (up to 1/2 CL), and +2 str and +1d8 temporary hp for each kill (stacks indefinitely). There's also a 7th-level equivalent, which kills anything with 9 hp or less (such as a commoner). Basically, persist the spell when you get up in the morning, walk about the village, people drop dead, you get +200 str, 100d8 temporary hp, and a nice CL boost. Then go kill a dragon, and build a memorial to the commoners from its skull.

[Toilet Cobra]

Could always go the other route- if 300 statless peasants are useless, what about 300 lvl 1 whatevers?

Maybe instead of treating them like cattle waiting to be ground up, he rallies them and appeals to their outrage as a displaced people. Convince them to take up arms (which he provides) and train to take their land back! Of course that day may be a long time coming... and in the meantime, they serve the will of a strong leader who promises them revenge!

Realistically, not all 300 could even qualify as level 1 warriors, but if even 50 are capable of getting a class level it could be a worthwhile endeavor.

[Milo the Gnome]

Infernal Machines, not familiar with them. Where are they listed?
And more importantly how could this be used/abused to amusing effect?