Ghostfolly’s Gloves

Ghostfolly’s Gloves are a pair of fi ne gloves crafted from studded leather. The garments are long, covering the wearer’s entire forearm, and they were made from the skin of a great hart.

Nonlegacy Game Statistics: Gloves of protection +1;

Cost 2,035 gp; Weight —. Omen: The gloves always stylishly match whatever you’re wearing, and they don’t leave marks on anything you touch. HISTORY

Ghostfolly’s Gloves were originally the valued possession of a half-elf socialite named Elkarion Swift, who was well known for wearing her studded leather gloves to every social function she attended. Indeed, people began to think that either she couldn’t take them off or her hands were horribly scarred. Elkarion light heartedly defl ected these rumors, making any inquiries about the gloves seem like invasions of her privacy, which mortifi ed the questioner while amusing witnesses of the exchange. (DC 15) Elkarion took great pains to accessorize her wardrobe with the bold leather gloves. In fact, she was so successful that new fashions began to emulate her style. Eventually, every wealthy woman was wearing studded gloves with her fi nest outfi ts. Nobody bothered to question the fashion after it became trendy. Thus, Elkarion was able to successfully defl ect attention away from the real purpose of Ghostfolly’s Gloves—to aid her in

The wearer of Ghostfolly’s Gloves is superbly garbed for missions of infi ltration spying on the most infl uential leaders of the coastal borderlands. (DC 20; Test of Tenaciousness) Elkarion was the agent of a resistance cell made up of citizens from a nearby nation. Ever since the coastal people had conquered Elkarion’s homeland and enslaved her fellow citizens, the half-elf had used her exotic heritage and beauty to become the primary source of information for the resistance. During this time, Elkarion was invited to parties in the homes of countless military decision-makers. Inside these places, she gathered what intelligence she could and conveyed the information back to her own commander. The more Elkarion engaged in this espionage, the more chances she took, eventually awakening the innate abilities of Ghostfolly’s Gloves. (DC 25; Unbarring the Barrier) For a decade, the information Elkarion provided to the underground resistance allowed them to ambush, sabotage, and weaken the military infrastructure of their conquerors. Elkarion had become a spy of the highest order, but not without relying heavily on Ghostfolly’s Gloves to advance her cause. Unfortunately, the rebellion was too successful. Word spread to hostile neighboring kingdoms that the coastal borderlands were feeble. The attack came by sea. Elkarion’s people were used as the front line of defense, while the aristocracy fl ed like cowards. The half-elf spy was devastated. Not only were the coastal borderlands defeated, but her people were slaughtered defending them. Despite all she had done, Elkarion blamed herself for the loss and took her own life. The whereabouts of her gloves have long been a mystery. (DC 30; Mind Against Mechanism) LEGACY RITUALS

Three rituals are required to unlock all the abilities of Ghostfolly’s Gloves. Test of Tenaciousness: You have to take something from three different strangers, without them noticing, using Sleight of Hand. If even one of these Sleight of Hand checks fails, or a creature notices even one attempt, the ritual is unsuccessful. Cost: 3,700 gp. Feat Granted: Least Legacy (Ghost folly’s Gloves). Unbarring the Barrier: You must successfully open an average lock

Illus. by D. Crabapple

Table 3–24: Ghostfolly’s Gloves

——————— Personal Costs ——————— Wielder Attack Skill Check Hit Point Skill Point Level Penalty Penalty Loss Loss Abilities

5th — — — — Aura of normalcy, cat’s claws 6th –1 — 2 4 — 7th — –1 — — Gloves of protection +2 8th — — — — Palms of holding 9th — — — 2 Snatch the key at will 10th — — 2 — Sleep touch 11th — — — — Gloves of protection +3 12th — — — 2 Automatic writing 13th –2 — — — — 14th — — 2 — Gloves of protection +4 15th — — — 2 Cat’s claws +1 16th — –2 — — Catfall 17th — — — — Gloves of protection +5 18th — — 2 2 Forgetful touch 19th — –3 — 2 Incinerate evidence 1/day 20th — — — 2 Phantom touch

(Open Lock DC 25). The task must be accomplished without a set of thieves’ tools and in a place where you are clearly trespassing. Cost: 12,000 gp. Feat Granted:

Lesser Legacy (Ghostfolly’s Gloves). Mind Against Mechanism: You are required to use a Disable Device check to figure out and bypass a difficult trap (DC 20 or higher—you must beat the

DC by 10). Cost: 40,000 gp. Feat Granted: Greater Legacy (Ghostfolly’s Gloves). WEARER REQUIREMENTS

Most wearers of Ghostfolly’s Gloves are bards or rogues, although any character specializing in espionage might consider wearing them.

Ghostfolly’s Gloves Wielder Requirements

Disable Device 2 ranks Open Lock 2 ranks Sleight of Hand 2 ranks

LEGACY ITEM ABILITIES

All the following are legacy item abilities of Ghostfolly’s Gloves. Aura of Normalcy (Su): Beginning at 5th level, Ghostfolly’s Gloves are under the constant effect of a Nystul’s magic aura spell. Caster level 5th.

Cat’s Claws (Su): At 5th level and higher, you can make a melee attack with Ghostfolly’s Gloves, dealing 1d6 points of slashing damage. You are considered armed as long as you have the gloves on and one hand free, and you are considered proficient with the gloves. When you attain 15th level, the gloves gain a +1 enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls.

Palms of Holding (Su): Starting at 8th level, the palm of each of Ghostfolly’s Gloves opens into an extradimensional space that can hold items up to 1 cubic foot in volume and 10 pounds in weight. When you reach into a palm for a specific item, that item is always on top. Storing or retrieving any item from either glove is a move action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Snatch the Key (Sp): At 9th level and higher, at will by pointing a finger at an object, you can use mage hand as the spell. Caster level 5th.

Sleep Touch (Su): Starting at 10th level, once per day you can subject an opponent to a deep slumber spell if you make successful touch attack against it. The save DC is 14, or 13 + your Charisma modifier, whichever is higher. Caster level 5th. Automatic Writing (Su): When you are 12th level and higher, Ghostfolly’s Gloves can store one page of nonmagical writing or a similarly sized illustration (such as a map) per glove, new information replacing any previously stored data. You store a page by passing a gloved hand over it as a standard action. Each glove can store one such piece of information for an indefinite length of time. The gloves can then be set down and commanded to rewrite or redraw the information they store. You gain a +10 bonus on Forgery checks related to recreating the stored documents. Catfall (Su): Beginning at 16th level, Ghostfolly’s Gloves protect you as the feather fall spell, activated immediately if you fall more than 5 feet. Caster level 5th.

Forgetful Touch (Su): At 18th level and higher, three times per day, you can make a melee touch attack

to subject a creature to the effect of a modify memory spell. The save DC is 16, or 14 + your Charisma modifier, whichever is higher. Caster level 15th.

Incinerate Evidence (Sp): Starting at 19th level, once per day on command, you can use delayed blast fireball as the spell. The save DC is 20, or 17 + your

Charisma modifier, whichever is higher. Caster level 15th.

Phantom Touch (Su): At 20th level and higher, you can create a phase door, as the spell, by touching a surface with one of Ghostfolly’s Gloves. The phase door is 20 feet deep and persists for 1 minute. Caster level 15th. ADVENTURE SEED (EL 7)

A pale half-elf woman appears to the characters while they walk through the city on a foggy night. Her long hair blows in a nonexistent wind. She appears translucent and speaks in a distant, hollow voice. “That’s not how they should be used,” she rasps. The phantom then points to the second story of an adjacent house, where an ominous figure moves around in the dark near a window—a cat burglar. Anybody watching the apparition sees her fade away, while those who were not looking think she simply disappears. Inspection shows evidence that the house’s door has been forcibly entered. If the town guards are alerted, the burglar escapes across the rooftops.

Skills Appraise +5, Balance +11, Bluff +10, Climb +10,

Diplomacy +1, Disable Device +10, Disguise –1 (+1 acting), Hide +12, Intimidate +2, Jump +12, Listen +7, Move Silently +12, Open Lock +10, Sleight of

Hand +10, Spot +7, Tumble +14 Possessions combat gear plus masterwork studded leather, masterwork buckler, Ghostfolly’s Gloves, 4 masterwork daggers, masterwork thieves’ tools Aura of Normalcy (Su) Ghostfolly’s Gloves register as though they were nonmagical.

Empty House Robbery

This map depicts the home of a wealthy merchant—a home currently being ransacked by a cat burglar. Nobody is home at the moment (the family is out for the evening) but the cat burglar is picking and choosing from the owners’ possessions at her leisure. The stairs to the top floor squeak slightly when stepped on, and Urdine can hear this with a DC 12 Listen check (this includes modifiers for distance and intervening doors). Front Door Urdine has jimmied the door open quietly, forgoing subtlety for speed. She closed it behind her to make her forced entry less obvious, but anyone who bothers to inspect the door can see the damage (no Spot check required). It swings open without making additional noise. Study Urdine has rifled through the desk drawers in here, and they are still open. Guest Room The room has clearly been tossed, with drawers opened and bedclothes spread about. Back Door This door has not been forced, but its latch is open to allow a quick exit.

Urdine, Cat Burglar CR 7

Female human fighter 2/rogue 4 NE Medium humanoid Init +3; Senses Listen +7, Spot +7 Languages Common, Gnome, Undercommon AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 18; uncanny dodge hp 33 (6 HD) Resist evasion Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +1 Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) Melee Ghostfolly’s Gloves +7 (1d6+1) or Ranged mwk dagger +8 (1d4+1 plus poison/19–20) Base Atk +5; Grp +6 Atk Options sneak attack +2d6 Special Actions Improved Feint, Quick Draw Combat Gear 6 potions of cure light wounds, 3 vials of carrion crawler brain juice (DC 13, paralysis 2d4 rounds/none) Abilities Str 12, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 8 SQ aura of normalcy, trapfinding, trap sense +1 Feats Blind-Fight, Combat ExpertiseB, Improved Feint,

Least Legacy (Ghostfolly’s Gloves)B, Quick Draw,

Skill Focus (Bluff), Weapon FinesseB Master Bedroom The bedclothes and drawers here have been rifled. Urdine is currently in a walk-in closet behind the master bedroom, rooting about through the fur coats and other expensive garments. Bedrooms Urdine hasn’t checked out these rooms yet. Their contents are undisturbed.

Tactical Notes

Urdine prefers to escape rather than fi ght if confronted. If the PCs decide to alert the town guard rather than enter the house themselves, the cat burglar can hear the approaching soldiers in plenty of time to exit through an upper-fl oor window and dash across the rooftops. Catching her at that point is diffi cult unless one or more PCs have already climbed to the roofs of adjacent buildings in hopes of trapping her. Even in that situation, Urdine’s superior ability to feint in combat gives her an excellent chance of denying an opponent a Dexterity bonus to AC. This allows her to make a sneak attack with a poisoned dagger, potentially paralyzing that opponent. If the paralysis succeeds, Urdine can make a break for it, tumbling past other pursuers as necessary. Should the party attempt to enter the house clandestinely to trap the burglar within, they can get through the front door without making additional noise. However, Urdine is alert for the possibility of the family returning and makes frequent Listen checks in addition to potentially hearing the characters. If she hears them, she attempts a rooftop escape as described above. If she is cornered while rifl ing through the top-fl oor closet, Urdine can put up a good fi ght. She has the advantage of being in a narrow space, which prevents her from being engaged by more than two opponents (although they can fl ank her). In this situation, she uses the following tactics.

Round 1: If Urdine wins initiative against one or both opponents, she uses Quick Draw to pull out a poisoned dagger. She then throws it at a fl at-footed character. If both are fl at-footed, she attacks the more lightly armored foe. (She hopes both to score a hit more easily and to use poison against a character who is less able to resist it.) She then feints against the other opponent (a move action) if fl at-footed, opening up that character to a sneak attack on the next round. If Urdine loses initiative and survives the initial attacks, she wastes no time in self-defense but instead hurls herself out the window, using Tumble to move safely past opponents and Jump to make a soft landing. She quickly disappears into the alleyways, making pursuit diffi cult unless other party members have been posted to watch for such an escape.

Round 2: If one or both opponents are hindered or helpless because of her actions on round 1, Urdine follows through by making a sneak attack against a character paralyzed by poison or off balance due to a successful feint. She then tumbles out the window as above.