Unless you want the PCs to be able to find a clever solution (I vote in favor of a clever solution, personally), make sure to specify that the victim and duplicate share everything done to them, including healing.
What happens if the players don't believe the priests?
What happens if the PCs steal the potion?
What happens if the PCs go after the ingredients?
What happens if the PCs don't find out about the duplicate? What happens if they let the duplicate die?
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"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
To solve your first timing problem, just set the ring to function based on an outside stimuli. If you need to wait until the party is in a crowded city to spring the clone, just have the ring only function during the light of the full blood moon or something. Then, when the party goes out drinking one night in town, describe how the moon is all full and red, an auspicious omen of things to come. Then have the character pass out from drinking or something in a back alley and/or for some reason black out and wake up in their bed at the inn the next day. After that, just go with your plan of the clone doing all the bad stuff and being caught.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
Unless you want the PCs to be able to find a clever solution (I vote in favor of a clever solution, personally), make sure to specify that the victim and duplicate share everything done to them, including healing.
What happens if the players don't believe the priests?
What happens if the PCs steal the potion?
What happens if the PCs go after the ingredients?
What happens if the PCs don't find out about the duplicate? What happens if they let the duplicate die?
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
Tooltips (Help/aid)
To solve your first timing problem, just set the ring to function based on an outside stimuli. If you need to wait until the party is in a crowded city to spring the clone, just have the ring only function during the light of the full blood moon or something. Then, when the party goes out drinking one night in town, describe how the moon is all full and red, an auspicious omen of things to come. Then have the character pass out from drinking or something in a back alley and/or for some reason black out and wake up in their bed at the inn the next day. After that, just go with your plan of the clone doing all the bad stuff and being caught.