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Shinizak
2009-10-04, 07:02 PM
I've never been good with this, when do you stat up the BBEG in your games? I am thinking ahead for my next game and started to stat up my BBEG, but felt hollow about his abilities and motives while doing it. Is there a time when you begin to think about his stats later or do you just go ahead and stat him up during story creation?

Bonus mode: Tell me about your favorite BBEG's, tactics, and motives.

Dragon Elite
2009-10-04, 07:07 PM
A trapmaker that enslaves spellcasters for his traps. Favorite tactic: Jump backwardrs, up onto a ladder. PCs walk forward, fall into a pit. :smallbiggrin:

Darcand
2009-10-04, 07:14 PM
Loosely stat up your BBEG the first time he appears in person, even if the PCs aren't meant to fight him, you might just be surprised.

Afterwards feel free to change his stats (including class levels) whenever you see fit, provided you keep the same sort of theme. The players will never know.

Zaydos
2009-10-04, 07:38 PM
I stated up my BBEG the first time the PCs encountered him, but they had started the campaign at 12th level. They fought him the first time they met him, but his contingent teleport got him away. They might never have killed him except finally his own deity told him "kill them or die trying." He leveled up with the PCs always staying just above them. The next BBEG for that campaign (which ended because of college) never got stated out since he was a funky ghost that would never fight the PCs until he possessed a host (turning the host into a gestalt warlock//wizard//fighter of some sort and yes I know that breaks the rules).

Favorite Tactics: Being an ulitharid cerebromancer and using SR, combined with universal energy resistance to pretty much negate any magic that could be used to damage him, insane saves (Finger of Death from the mage had about a 1 in 10 chance of working), contingency, pre-buffs (including clerical), plus over-sized half-farspawn umberhulks with anger management issues and insane loyalty. That and energy ball (electric was his choice for background reasons).

Domigorgon
2009-10-04, 07:40 PM
I upgrade my BBEG to match the PCs every now and then. I once had this wizard in the outset, but he eventually turned out to be a cleric at level 5, and by the time the PCs finally confronted him battle-wise, he was cleric 8 blackguard 2, I think.

Of course, if the BBEG is sufficiently ahead of the PCs (say, like, 10 levels or more) and you're saving him for later, it's not really necessary to stat him. They lose, or he avoids them, easily.

sambo.
2009-10-04, 08:11 PM
i once, quite literally, rolled up my BBEG at the same time as the players were creating their characters.

he was a recurring baddy throughout the campaign, until they finally killed him (i was astounded it took them so long tbh, he wasn't that tough).

Korivan
2009-10-04, 10:52 PM
2nd edition.
Mr. Giggles. Level 30 lich Wizard, riding an ancient Shadow Bone Dragon named "Fluffy", with a battalion of levetating Super Skeleton Soldiers (homebrew, a few more HD, better saves, speed, AC, magic gear, some more immunities) harness to Fluffy. This BBEG was used in only two occasions.
1) The PC's epic battle
2) When it was time for bed.

ok, truth be told we never had an epic battle with fluffy......:smalltongue:

Altair_the_Vexed
2009-10-05, 06:02 AM
I tend to record BBEGs as Race/Class/Level, where level is usually "PCs+x", so that the BBEG advances as the PCs advance.

I generally set out only a few things out for him/her, like signature moves or items. One character who's bugged the mid-level party I GM for at the moment has been an adversary since they were 1st level - and playing different characters - mostly due to her ability to Dimension Door away, which has increasaed to Teleport as she gained levels.

If I intend for the PCs to encounter the BBEG at all, even in a fleeting glimpse before he/she escapes, I make a full character sheet, based on the outline I've made before.
For BBEGs with high INT, I tend to make a list of signature spells and powers that is less than their powers / spells per day - then add a list of options that exceeds what they ought to have available, with a note of how many selections I can make from those options. I reckon that a genius is smarter than me, and would have prepared better, especially if they have access to divinations.

__________

Favourite BBEG? The Arch Lich-Lord Nagash. He was a ruler of a demiplane of undead, and tweaker of politics on the prime. When we, the LG and NG party encountered him finally, he offered us tea and scones and was very polite and chatty - "Dreadfully dull, being surrounded by ghosts, you know."
His tale of how he rose to power was so enthralling and full of world-view breaking concepts that we just listened and talked, rather than trying to kill him (which seemed futile, even given our high level of power). The 36th level cleric of the party was driven mad by the religious revelations from Nagash. We just backed away, fought our way out through his undead hordes, and escaped back to the prime.
Next quest we did was to fix the damage our mad cleric had begun doing - "All life is sin, and must be purged! The only sinlessness is in death!" - all because Nagash offered us scones.

jokey665
2009-10-05, 08:40 AM
Stat him up for the first time the players encounter him, just in case. Adjust when necessary, usually on PC-leveling.