Major NPC (plot) help

[cgodfrey7]

I will be running a live game soon, and want to make sure I have my first major NPC setup correctly.
Here's the plot background summary:
This is set in Tampa, Florida, the PCs are starting at Power Level Feet In The Water (6 refresh 20 skill points)
Female college student is kidnapped, her roommate contacts detective (PC), he will track down rumors leading to Ybor city district with 2 rival Latin/Cuban gangs.  Eventually he checks out an Ice Manufacturing Company, staffed by gang members.  Downstairs is a room with cupboards filled with red seeds, needles and thread, wooden balls covered in runes, “x” pins, herbs, salt, sand, ash, beads, countertops, medical surgery items, disposable gowns, masks, weird smells, gurney.  Hooks on cable from ceiling.  Large vat with liquid, one head held with net and weight floating in middle of vat bath, wooden ball (runes carved on surface of ball) already inside the head.  Head buried in sand in hot rock pit.  Erika is an Ecuadoran head shrinker that has learned to siphon off the life force via ritual sacrifice once a month at the new moon to maintain her youth.  She can also make zombies by attaching a head to a body that is kept preserved on ice.  Erika is the queen of one of the Latin/Cuban gangs.

Erika Mendoza aka Queen Melody (good singing voice while chanting rituals)
High Concept: Sorceress Head Shrinker
Aspect: Live Forever Young (must have new victim once a month to keep young)
Skills: (36 pts)
Alertness 2
Contacts 4
Conviction 4
Deceit 3
Discipline 4
Empathy 3
Intimidation 4
Lore 4
Presence 4
Resources 4
Stunts: (12 Refresh)
Wizard’s Constitution [-0]
Evocation [-3] p180
Thaumaturgy [-3] p181
Lawbreaker First [-2] p182
Lawbreaker Fifth [-2] p182
Refinement [-1] Thaum Control +2
Refinement [-1] Thaum Power +2
Focus Item Thaum Atheme  (offensive/defensive, more reading needed) p278 (combine 2)
Enchanted Item Shield Charm Armor 3 for 4 physical attacks (combined 2)
Focus Item Wand Evoc +1 Offensive Power
Physical OO
Mental OOOO

Will the Forever Young Spell require about 12 shifts to succeed, 3 to overcome physical resistance, 8 for severe consequence (death)?  The sacrifice will be bound, so no dodge or athletics roll will be possible. 

Do I have the correct levels for skills and items?  If the PCs ever confront her directly, Erika will have 2 bodyguards while she casts Evocation spells.  If a bodyguard falls, Erika would cast a Fear spell and leave quickly.  She is physically weak, hence the shield charm.  By the way, can you make a shield charm that has a total of 12 points of damage is can absorb before it stops working?

How would a Fear spell be created, to make the PCs possibly run away or cower, unable to attack?

I am also looking for more ideas as to what her purpose is, gain more power seems so mundane but is all I can think of at this time.

Thanks for all the help. 

[Drashna]

Well, any ritual that kills or otherwise permanently transforms requires that you have enough shifts to take out their stress track (4 assumed), all consequence slots (minor, moderate, severe and extreme, for a total of 20 here, 24 so far), and enough to beat their endurance (assume for for safety), and then another 4 for good measure (if they roll high). That's 32 shifts right there.  However, sacrificing somebody gives you 24 shifts of power, IIRC. Which is part of why black magic requires human sacrifice. It's quick, dirty and very powerful.

As for the Queen, I'd say the focus item for thaumaturgy, make that +2 control for diabolism (can't remember the name specifically), that or Transformation. Means she can do the rituals faster. And the wand, I'd say +1 offensive control for spirit (and you do have to pick an element).  As for the skills... NPCs really should follow the "tree method" too, and she seems to have too many 4s.  Is she that epic of a character? 3 is supposed to be the higher end of human skill/ability, while beyond that is for those that are very very good, or not human. Just something to keep in mind.   Also, resources doesn't need to be that high. That's personal wealth, and organizations have their own wealth rating, and I'd assume she'd use her gang's when appropriate.

Other than that, it looks like a very interesting BBEG.

[Tsunami]

The Forever Young spell is not really a spell that affects the person that dies there.
It's a renewal ritual that is fueled by the ritual murder/sacrifice of a humen.
It affects Erika.
You'll have to beat her own resistance and consequences. We can assume that she would not resist actively, so assume
+/-0 on the resistance roll.

So, that would be:
2 (for stress) +2 for Mild +4 for Moderate +6 for severe +8 for extreme = 22 shifts required to take herself out and renew herself.
That's easily reached by killing someone for power as already mentioned.

In any case, the renewal spell is basically a plot device that needs no stats.
She kills people to suck the life out of them and stay young. Off hand i can't think of only one situation where the technicalities of the spell really come into play. That would be to determine fallout/backlash if the players actually interrupt her while she is casting the spell. But as a GM, i would choose even those to fit the narrative.

[Sanctaphrax]

Concerning your final two questions:

-There is no way that I know of to make an enchanted item that absorbs a certain amount of damage. You can, however, make one that provides a block against attacks or physical armour.
-A fear spell could be handled as either a maneuver, a slightly altered grapple, or an attack on the mental stress track.

Your stats for Ms Mendoza need a fair bit of work if they are to fit into the rules. If you like, I can rewrite her. I would just rearrange the skills to fit into a pyramid, correct some typos, and create a section describing her magical abilities. If you would like me to do so, just give me an idea of what she is meant to be capable of.

As for a purpose, I would suggest "not dying". It's a sympathetic motivation that can lead to some very bad things. Plus, it explains why she does this ritual every month. If that seems like it wouldn't provide enough conflict with the players, than you can make the requirements for her survival escalate over time. Perhaps a demon lord has her over a barrel and will kill her unless she INSERT HORRIBLE ACTION HERE.

[cgodfrey7]

Concerning your final two questions:

-There is no way that I know of to make an enchanted item that absorbs a certain amount of damage. You can, however, make one that provides a block against attacks or physical armour.

I would very much like to see one that could block against attacks that can absorb a certain amount of damage, if that is possible.

-A fear spell could be handled as either a maneuver, a slightly altered grapple, or an attack on the mental stress track.

Most likely I would go with the mental stress track approach.  Strongly thinking of giving her the aspect Evil Eye based on her commanding presence and steely stare.

Your stats for Ms Mendoza need a fair bit of work if they are to fit into the rules. If you like, I can rewrite her. I would just rearrange the skills to fit into a pyramid, correct some typos, and create a section describing her magical abilities. If you would like me to do so, just give me an idea of what she is meant to be capable of.

That would be great!  She should be able to thaumatergically (if that's a word) use a spell to sacrifice someone so she can stay young.  She should also be able to make zombies, along with the head shrinking.  Ward spells would be great also.

As for a purpose, I would suggest "not dying". It's a sympathetic motivation that can lead to some very bad things. Plus, it explains why she does this ritual every month. If that seems like it wouldn't provide enough conflict with the players, than you can make the requirements for her survival escalate over time. Perhaps a demon lord has her over a barrel and will kill her unless she INSERT HORRIBLE ACTION HERE.

I like the idea of a small chance of sympathy from the players, so Not Dying sounds excellent, thanks very much.  Also, thanks to everyone that has posted, your feedback is all helping me understand the system better.

[Sanctaphrax]

Erika Mendoza (13 refresh, 40 skill points)

High Concept: Sorceress Head Shrinker
Trouble Aspect: I Don’t Want To Die
Other Aspects: Evil Eye, Queen Melody, Live Forever Young
Skills:
Superb: Lore, Contacts
Great: Conviction, Discipline, Resources
Good: Presence, Intimidation, Deceit
Fair: Alertness, Empathy, Scholarship
Average: Rapport, Endurance, Athletics
Stunts:
Head Shrinker (Lore): May use Lore to create shrunken heads.
The Boss (Contacts): May use Contacts to acquire minions.
Minions (Contacts): May use Contacts to declare presence of minions.
Powers:
Evocation [-3]
Thaumaturgy [-3]
Wizard's Constitution [-0]
Refinement [-2]
Lawbreaker (First) [-2]
Lawbreaker (Fifth) [-2]
Magic:
Evocation (Water, Earth, Spirit):  +1 spirit power
Thaumaturgy: +1 necromancy control, +1 ward complexity, +1 diabolism complexity, +2 necromancy complexity
Foci: Athame (+1 offensive spirit control)
Enchanted Items: Shield Charm (8 shift block against attack or armour 4, 3 uses/session), 1 potion slot (strength 5)
Refresh Total:
-2

[sinker]

Are the stunts really necessary? I would think that creating the shrunken heads is really just an extension of her thaumaturgy, and it seems like the two other stunts are almost the same thing. If you can have minions due to your contacts then I don't see any reason why you couldn't essentially summon them with a declaration.

Also I might do the Fear spell as a maneuver (or a stress attack hopefully resulting in a consequence) that you can then compel.

[Sanctaphrax]

You are right. The stunts are not necessary. And a maneuver to create a compellable aspect would work for a fear spell.

You may be wondering why I gave her stunts that I acknowledge are not necessary. I gave her the Head Shrinker stunt because I didn't think of the shrunken heads as having been created through magic. I thought of it as a "secret technique" of sorts known only to certain shamans. In light of that, it made sense to let her use Lore instead of Cratsmanship to make them. As for The Boss and Minions, those are stunts I made for players who want to have their characters be leaders. I put them on all characters I make that have underlings.

So if you like, feel free to remove the stunts. Bear in mind that without them she has a positive refresh total and therefore free will.

PS: I also ignored the part of the Sorcerer template that says they can only have one Refinement for each of Evocation and Thaumaturgy. So sue me.

[cgodfrey7]

I apologize, but I seem to be missing something very basic.  How does she have a refresh of -2?  From powers alone she is -12, and with the stunts, isn't she at -18?

[Sanctaphrax]

12 refresh worth of powers. 3 refresh worth of stunts. 13 starting refresh. It adds up to -2.

When I say refresh total, I mean total refresh remaining. Not total refresh spent.