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Biotroll
2009-10-01, 02:54 PM
Hullo there. :smallsmile:

I'm having a bit of trouble with my ideas as DM. I plan to make a party of "bad guys" to make some trouble to my players. However I got stuck and no more ideas are comming to me for quite a time now. What I need is a bit of help in character concepts and maybe even builds. So here is what I have now:

The party of "bad guys" is actually good aligned but works against the players, who actualy do dirty job for the bad guy and don't know about it. This party should consist of three characters:
1)Paladin
2)Monk
3)Cleric
(Ahem. I know it isn't optimal group but it's not needed anyway. I want to stay in one class if possible.)
I was thinking of making them all drow who works for some kind of good god now (maybe Pelor?) and I named this group "Holy Three" but that's where I have ended.:smallredface:

So can you help me a bit? We play old 3.0, core only, and nobody from party is optimizing. Players are playing this characters:
1)Human wizard (blaster mostly)
2)Elf ranger (archery/twf)
3)Human fighter (archery/twohanded fighting)
4)Dwarf fighter (board and axe - lot's of HP and best AC in group)
5)Human rogue (melee based, clasical kleptomaniac)
(Yeah, no healer at all. I plan to give 'em more healing potions and some healing wand to ranger and rogue who has maxed UMD so they can keep up.)

So I'm mainly asking for character concepts (what god should they workship and so on) and for strategy. How to make them survive a fight with group like stated above? They should meet at level 6-8 at first time and about level 10-13 for second and last time. Any character builds for those levels would be welcomed too (bonus points for staying inside core, but not necessary. I will just need some explanations about new feats and so on.)

So, thanks for reading.:smallsmile:
(And if there are mistakes, I'm sorry for them. Writting in english isn't really my strong side. :smallredface::smallbiggrin:)

The Glyphstone
2009-10-01, 04:57 PM
Shield Other will make them a lot more survivable, since you have a Cleric available.

BloodyAngel
2009-10-01, 05:41 PM
If you plan to have a group of only three threaten a group as large as your PC's... it shouldn't be in direct combat. The PC's will have far more actions and too many HP and resources to take down.

I would suggest you go for insanity, and make the holy trio subtle. The cleric is a full caster who can buff his own party up like mad. If you go with Drow, all three of them will have the advantages of darkvison and high dex. Have them track and harry the party (Surely someone in that high-wisdom group can pick up track) and wait until they're vulnerable. If the monk is built for stealth, buff him up and send him into their camp at night. Perhaps only to watch at first... or to steal magic items, or just to see whom would be easiest to pick off. Using his stealth, he can get close to the party quickly... leap out and do as much damage as possible, before using his superior movement rate and mobility to escape... where his divine friends heal him up. The name of the game is attrition. Your PC's lack healing... so the three man group with the cleric can come back again and again and again until they're worn out and hurting... and take them on in a fight that's far more even.

As for specific builds... ask someone better at char op. The monk I would make very stealth and skill focused (Don't dump int!), with items to boost the same. Personally, I'd multi-class him to rogue, but if you want to stick to one class, it can be done. He can still stalk around until he has a clear shot at a fragile PC (low fort), before wailing on them with stunning first, then opening up with a flurry of blows. With a few cleric buffs beforehand, his damage should be decent. The monk will be a driven and pragmatic man who feels the fight should be taken to the enemy, and who is not afraid to put himself at risk to disable his enemies.

The cleric should be hardcore caster and support. None of this "melee priest" nonsense... that's the paladin's job. He considers his job to ensure that no good lives are lost in the fight against evil. He gets a lot of buffs, which he'll swap out for heals in the case that his group is attacked unprepared. The rest of his spells should involve disabling foes for his party to drop. He's no fighter, he's a holy man. Spells like hold person, or Command. Play him a bit like a batman wizard... but in priest form. I picture him as the oldest of the three, and the most wise and seasoned... he has plans and he knows what works. If caught off-guard, his first priority should be to help his party flee so they can return another day with the fight on their terms.

The paladin? Go against type and make him a beatstick. Two-handed weapon with power-attack. You'll need someone to present a hardcore threat, should your group face them. Again, the cleric's buffs make up for his lack of shield, and compensate for the fact that he'll Power attack for full alot. He and the monk flank and stun people, tearing down one foe at a time in melee. His saves are good, and so is his Hp, so he shouldn't be afraid of drawing fire... which he does by being the biggest threat. He likely won't come into the picture unless the group actually manages to follow the monk back from his nightly raids... or he can use his mad-charisma skills and status as a holy man to turn the good folks along the group's path against them. I see him as a passionate firebrand, eagerly seeking to remove his foes from the world in the name of his god. If your monk is split into rogue, he can split into fighter (as full pally is kinda weak) and pick up some extra feats.

Just a few ideas I came up with.

jiriku
2009-10-01, 06:32 PM
BloodyAngel's suggestions are quite good.

Also, do you intend these guys to be recurring villains, or just disposable enemies? Will the players meet them and speak with them in a peaceful setting, or will they only exchange words in the heat of battle? If they're going to hang around, personality, style and motivation become very important, but if they're not going to last, then cool combat maneuvers and panache are what you need.