PDA

View Full Version : A Lazy yet Power-Hungry Villain



Angry Bob
2010-12-21, 01:53 PM
I'm working on a villain whose main goal is to amass as much power as possible with as little effort as possible. I'm thinking Binder or Warlock for the class, possibly even gestalt both of them. Probably human. The point being that those two classes offer mystical abilities without a great deal of schooling or discipline at the practitioner's option. Also, he'd have a lot of "free" other abilities, such as from selling his soul in an infernal pact and swearing his allegiance to an elder evil for feats.

How much higher would a gestalt Warlock//Binder's level have to be than a non-gestalt but optimized party of four to sweep the floor with them and then get bored and leave(taking into consideration the accomplices listed below)? What other "free" abilities(like soul-selling and elder evil allegiance) can I tack on to make him more powerful?

He's usually encountered with low-level toadies and minions(that can be slaughtered en masse by the PCs), and is accompanied by an archivist assistant and a warblade girlfriend of appropriate level - probably both about his level.

Flickerdart
2010-12-21, 02:03 PM
The best lazy class would be a Dread Necromancer//Psion/Thrallherd, or just a Thrallherd with a Dread Necro thrall if you want maximum lazy.

kyoryu
2010-12-21, 05:03 PM
It probably makes more sense to not worry so much about the villain and its class, but where they're getting the power from.

If they're truly lazy, that means they've most likely entered into some sort of pact for power - they certainly didn't train up the power (of whatever sort) themselves. Even "inborn" power like a sorceror would have would presumably require some level of training and practice to truly maximize it.

If that's the case, then the "villain" is really just a cat's paw - and you can give him whatever powers you want, explained away by "that's what the archfiend gave him." If you want him to be melee, give him demon-forged armor and weapons that do crazy things to make him a threat.

But above that, you've got a great plot hook - why is the "fiend" (or whatever) willing to work with this guy? What's he getting out of it? What are his end goals?

Angry Bob
2010-12-21, 10:21 PM
Well, "Brilliant but lazy". I won't link to the TvTropes page out of concern for your time.

Think Xykon, minus the Sorcerer powers. Xykon's intelligent, but only shows it when explaining exactly why he doesn't have to think too hard. This guy would be based on him.

And again, if built right, how far beyond a party of four optimized(non-gestalt) level 8 or so PCs would a gestalt character have to be to melt them, And then get bored and leave, leaving the PCs alive to fight another day. It'd be the first time they fight him, I don't expect them to win.

Flickerdart
2010-12-21, 11:18 PM
Starmantle Cloak + evasion. Now weapons do diddly squat. Build? What build?

Runestar
2010-12-22, 10:25 AM
How much higher would a gestalt Warlock//Binder's level have to be than a non-gestalt but optimized party of four to sweep the floor with them and then get bored and leave(taking into consideration the accomplices listed below)?

Very high, since both are fairly weak classes in themselves, the cr guidelines for classed npcs is borked anyways and solos tend to fare quite poorly against a party because they lose out in actions.

You may want to give him extra actions, like a choker hellfire warlock with quicken SLA, letting him make up to 3 hellfire blasts/round, with naberious soaking up the con damage. :smallsmile:


Starmantle Cloak + evasion. Now weapons do diddly squat. Build? What build?

Which doesn't work.

Angry Bob
2010-12-22, 10:41 AM
Maybe he could have a unique ability that gave supernatural quickness - hell, a new vestige could do that. "Once per 5 rounds, gain an additional standard or move action."

Ravens_cry
2010-12-22, 10:47 AM
I agree with kyoryu in that lazy but power hungry sounds like someone who makes a deal with a powerful being, possibly not thinking through the implications."Why of Course I will sell my soul over to The-Ender-of-Worlds for limitless power. Interesting name by the way Mr. Ender-of-Worlds."

Maho-Tsukai
2010-12-22, 12:12 PM
While it's not a base class, I once refluffed the Rainbow Servant into a "Chromatic Servant" PrC that's basicly exactly the same as the rainbow servant but set to non-chaotic and non-good instead of non-chaotic and non-evil. If you have not guessed from the name, the class gains it's powers from evil chromatic dragons instead of those feathered serpant things who's names I know but can't spell to save my life. While it dose require SOME form of caster class to get into(As dose Rainbow Servant) I think that getting acssess to the whole cleric list just for being friends with a chromatic dragon is pretty lazy. As for the base caster, use a sorc and just say he dose not need to learn/experiment with his inner magical powers and that he recieved them in the same way he did his "Chromatic Servant" class, by selling himself out to a really old/powerful chromatic dragon. As for the "chromatic servant" class it is identacle to the rainbow servant except detect evil becomes detect good, the non-evil requirement is changed to non-good, the rainbow bird wings become chromatic dragon wings and the deal with the cotals requirement(or however you spell that) is changed to being a deal with an old/powerful chromatic dragon. Other then those things the class is identacle.

However, if you don't want to use such a thing due to having to take a caster base class you can do the ULTIMATE lazy thing and just make this guy any old class and have him optimize the heck out of leadership. After all, how can you get more lazy then just sitting around and sending your flunkies to do all your work?

Popertop
2010-12-22, 11:21 PM
Well, "Brilliant but lazy". I won't link to the TvTropes page out of concern for your time.

Think Xykon, minus the Sorcerer powers. Xykon's intelligent, but only shows it when explaining exactly why he doesn't have to think too hard. This guy would be based on him.

And again, if built right, how far beyond a party of four optimized(non-gestalt) level 8 or so PCs would a gestalt character have to be to melt them, And then get bored and leave, leaving the PCs alive to fight another day. It'd be the first time they fight him, I don't expect them to win.

Brilliant but lazy could make a lot of sense.

I'm lazy as all get out, but I ace tests because I memorize everything the teacher says.

You could also have Super Talented but lazy. Someone who doesn't have to work for the insane skills that they have, including being skilled at magic.
You know, That Guy.

I know I've heard of someone like that in fantasy literature.

Gabe the Bard
2010-12-23, 12:12 AM
The extra abilities could be things that are related to the BBEG's other interests. Xykon is really lazy at most things, like planning a siege, but he gets really excited about other things, like torturing people. Maybe the BBEG has something that he's really into besides amassing power, like scrying on people, you know, just to see what they're up to. Then one of his abilities could be god-like scrying powers, allowing him to scry on even the mind blanked wizard in the anti-scrying shower.

Greenish
2010-12-23, 12:39 AM
I'm seconding thrallherd. Why do something by yourself when you can have others do it for you. A wilder gets cha synergy, and doesn't really require mental discipline like psion. Crank up that charisma, and let your two thralls and scores of believers do the work.

For more silliness, have your thralls be thrallherds, and give your psicrystal Leadership.

Fitz10019
2010-12-23, 11:35 AM
Why do something by yourself when you can have others do it for you.

Right. A lazy villain's motto would be "delegate, delegate" (he's too lazy to say it a third time).