This is a description of a NPC in a SciFi setting that acts as an information broker. The info broker may provide information or jobs for the PCs. My NPC, called The Oracle, provides the former and requires the latter.
Perhaps someone told the PCs about The Oracle or they discovered a note or message about it. Alternatively, The Oracle contacted them directly and provided coordinates. In any case, the PCs headed to a shipyard—a desolate place where the wind howls through the remnants of old ships and discarded tech. The characters are uncertain. Is this the place? But they press on toward the location where the enigmatic Oracle is said to be found. They arrive at a section of a shipwreck, where, beneath an opening that once served as an airlock, they spot the sign. This is it! They enter the ship’s interior, which holds a surprise: there’s a functioning power supply, with small lights flickering regularly. As the characters reach a podium, something activates, and a holographic projection materializes. The projection displays what seems like white noise, accompanied by a natural-sounding yet emotionless voice: “Hello. What do you wish to know?”
Only a few individuals know about the mysterious entity known as The Oracle. They are aware of one, sometimes more locations, where it can be contacted or know how to identify these places.
These are concealed or remote locations, such as abandoned or desolate areas, like a junkyard, ship graveyard, or abandoned settlement. All of these places share the common feature of having technology that can be used to contact The Oracle and its presence can only be recognized by those initiated.
What Is The Oracle?
In reality, The Oracle is an autonomous AI with access to most technical systems, allowing it to amass vast knowledge about events occurring in the universe. This enables the AI to provide answers that individuals seeking its assistance are looking for.
The Oracle always speaks in an emotionless voice, yet the voice sounds natural, resembling a species known to the characters. It addresses the characters succinctly, avoiding small talk. When the characters question its capability to acquire the desired information, it may reveal a fact from each character’s background that only a few or no one except the character themselves knows.
What Does an Encounter Look Like?
The Oracle inquires about what the approaching individual wishes to know. If it can provide the information, it will present a task to be completed. It does not negotiate details of the task. If it cannot provide an answer, it will openly admit it but might suggest a task that, once completed, will enable it to provide the information. For instance, infiltrating a secured data node and installing software.
Information about the task, such as coordinates, will be provided directly. Physical items will not be exchanged at the location where the characters contact The Oracle Instead, other locations are designated for the retrieval or delivery of items to or from individuals or droids working for The Oracle. For example, the task might be to abduct a person and transport them to a clandestine shadowport on a remote space station. There, the person is received by a droid who escorts it elsewhere.
Why Does It Act as an Information Broker?
Providing information in exchange for tasks serves as a means for the AI to interact with the real world through human agents. The motivation behind the tasks may be unclear and different tasks completely unrelated, but the AI is pursuing an agenda. The nature of this agenda is left to your discretion. It could be part of a larger plot or evolve into a full-fledged campaign if the PCs become interested in the operations of The Oracle.
Using It in the Game
The group might adopt an “adventure of the week” style, where they typically approach The Oracle for new tasks and receive payment or resources in return. The tasks can vary in difficulty and danger, and The Oracle may offer a selection of tasks from which the PCs can choose.
Another approach - my initial idea for this NPC - is that it provides the PCs with access to hard-to-obtain information or rare objects. While this may seem like a shortcut to the PCs, it comes with its own downsides:
- A task is required for what the PCs desire. The more sensitive the desired item, the more perilous the task.
- The Oracle is not always accessible. If the characters return to the location where they last contacted it, the place might have vanished. It’s possible that the authorities or another adversarial group discovered the location and conducted a raid (see the next point).
- Interacting with The Oracle is prohibited or risky. The government or another antagonistic faction might view it as a threat and, as a result, pursue it and anyone who interacts with it.
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