Some help with a Villain build[3.5 E6]

[Shademan]

righto, I am not a big optimizer. I always go for Roleplay over Roll-play but I want a mechanichally sound villain to face my players, or to be precize, I want a NPC that is allready fluffed out to be crunched out.
So what we're looking at here is a half elf (-2 wis +2cha)lv7 bard (yes he is one level above level 6.) of chaotic evil alignment. sure he is charming and suave, but he is also a sadist and a cannibal.
So any ideas at all are welcome! help me make this guy terryfying.

[Tyndmyr]

I always go for Roleplay over Roll-play

Oh, I hate this phrase so much...

Chaotic evil, charming, suave, sadistic cannibal? That's not fluffed out. That's adjectives attached to him. What does he want? Why is he sadistic? Why is he into cannibalism(and for that matter, does he cannibalize elves, humans, only half elfs, or some mix of the above?) What is his purpose?

Also, drop the level 7 thing. If you're going to play E6, play E6.

[Shademan]

Oh, I hate this phrase so much...

Chaotic evil, charming, suave, sadistic cannibal? That's not fluffed out. That's adjectives attached to him. What does he want? Why is he sadistic? Why is he into cannibalism(and for that matter, does he cannibalize elves, humans, only half elfs, or some mix of the above?) What is his purpose?

Also, drop the level 7 thing. If you're going to play E6, play E6.

no. monsters can be above lv6, and certain villains are beyond normal, human limits. I dont feel much like translating a whole page of notes into english and making it sensible for anyone but me right now, so his fluff will remain in the notebook. Right now he wants to kill and eat the PC's. He cannibalizes any sentient creatures that he finds worthy (needs to be handsome and/or clever or otherwise make him notice them). why he is sadistic? because the pain of others make him all tingly and happy inside.

I'm just after some crunch here

[Keld Denar]

Bards tend to not function well in a vacuum. They are best when they have others to manipulate.

I'd go Bard6/Mindbender1. Mindbender (CArcane) is solid, it gives +2 to fort and will saves (nice), and gives 100' telepathy for mind-booping with your players. It also allows you to pick up Mindsight (Lords of Madness) so that your players can't just invisible up to him and shank him merciliessly. I'd get him some kind of deus-ex style escape option, like a Panic Button from Complete Scoundrel or simply Boots of Big Stepping or Aporter armor or a humble Cape of the Montebank. If you want him to be a recurring villian, he needs to exit-stage-right when his mooks get killed.

Other than that, the usual Inspire Courage optimization stuff helps. Songs of the Heart feat (ECS), Inspirational Boost spell (SpC), and a Badge of Valor (MIC) would get him up to a +4/+4 Inspire Courage. I wouldn't go Dragonfire, as it's likely to kill your PCs in a REAL hurry. For other spells, Charm Person is very manipulative bastardy (and required for Mindbender), Glitterdust is a fun disable, as is Grease, and since he'll be 7th level, he'll even have access to Haste for even more mook manipulation madness!

Don't forget to give him a decent Con score in case your PCs try to avoid the mooks with ranged attacks. Something like the Healing armor enchantment is really useful in case they accidentally drop him, it'll heal him up just enough that he can teleport out.

If you go a little draconic, you can take the Inspire Awe ACF from Dragon Magic. That combined with Imperious Command should buy you a few extra seconds to finish monologueing in case your players have read the Evil Overlord list and decide to surprise attack during the monologue. A well prepared monologuer stops for NO man!

[Shademan]

snip!

I'll look into those.

He'll be in a castle full of soldiers from the nation the PC's nation is at war with. so plenty of people to bend to his will. pluss, he'll have a troupe of monster minions

[Tyndmyr]

why he is sadistic? because the pain of others make him all tingly and happy inside.

That's not a reason. That's an effect. WHY does he feel this way? People don't just decide to take up cannibalism just to see if they like it, after all. How do you find something like this out?

And why is he a bard?

Honestly, if he's charming, typically the best approach begins with suggestion and splitting the party.

[Shademan]

That's not a reason. That's an effect. WHY does he feel this way? People don't just decide to take up cannibalism just to see if they like it, after all. How do you find something like this out?

And why is he a bard?

Honestly, if he's charming, typically the best approach begins with suggestion and splitting the party.

Because the Daeva known to mortals and gods alike as the Netherking whispered dark promises of power, power and more power if only he would go that extra step... just a little blood, you dont even have to kill anyone... if you want more power you will need more blood... go ahead... bite into his neck...get it all. More power? power lies in the flesh... etc
he was slowly driven mad by his own search for complete mastery and power over his art.
There, happy(er)?

[Tyndmyr]

Blood Magus, Complete Arcane.

[Ganurath]

He needs style. Give him a pipe organ situated behind some mundane or magical defense, so that he can safely play while his minions fight the PCs for him, buffing with bardic music or casting into combat thanks to the Disguise Spell metamagic feat.

Also, he wants to eat them. Have him favor efficiency by having the minions deal fire damage so the PCs come pre-cooked. Magical traps, flaming weapon for the midboss, that sort of thing.

[Shademan]

Blood Magus, Complete Arcane.

thank you.

[Shademan]

He needs style. Give him a pipe organ situated behind some mundane or magical defense, so that he can safely play while his minions fight the PCs for him, buffing with bardic music or casting into combat thanks to the Disguise Spell metamagic feat.

Also, he wants to eat them. Have him favor efficiency by having the minions deal fire damage so the PCs come pre-cooked. Magical traps, flaming weapon for the midboss, that sort of thing.

while I certainly like the idea, I have allready given him an instrument. but somehow i think the players will destroy it... so I'll keep this as a second

[Amnestic]

That's not a reason. That's an effect. WHY does he feel this way?


"He was born with them."

Unless you've got a study that proves that people can't be born with them, that's more than sufficient.

[Tyndmyr]

"He was born with them."

Unless you've got a study that proves that people can't be born with them, that's more than sufficient.

That's like saying "He just is". It's not an explanation of anything, and lends no more insight into the character.

The point is not to prove and or disprove the possibility of an origin, the point is to understand what the character is all about. In this case, you've got a standard "lured to evil by promises of power". Since blood's in the theme, picking a class that's fairly evil-feeling and utilizing blood works. Blood Magus isn't the only way to do that, but it would certainly feel strange if the actual reasons he has power have nothing to do with what he does to gain power.

[Ganurath]

Perhaps he's part of an Erythnul-cult sect or a setting appropriate equivolent. The cannabalism is part of the lifestyle, the lifestyle gives him that affable flair, and the flair gives him his bardic power.

[Amnestic]

That's like saying "He just is". It's not an explanation of anything, and lends no more insight into the character.


And my point was that you can't actually have a "source" for sadism just like you don't have a definitive "source" for any other fetish - sexual or not. Sometimes with people there isn't a big mystery. Sometimes they really were just born like that.

There. That's the "Why" he is sadistic. What he does with it leads to insight to his character; but your question was:


Why is he sadistic?

"How does he express his sadism?" is a better question than what you're asking.

[Shademan]

"How does he express his sadism?" is a better question than what you're asking.


I think forum rules inhibit me from describing this.

@Ganurath: Erythnul is one of the good guys actually.
well... he's a god. he might be a mean and cruel god, but ultimately, he tries to stop the netherking and protect the cosmos from him, like all gods do.

[Ganurath]

Ah, so your bard has fallen in with more of a Tharizdun equivolent; a bad guy so bad the gods gang up on him.

[Shademan]

I run my gpds like a proper pantheon, added two gods, a moon goddess and Zaros, their king. note that every country tend to have their own gods. I just went with the D&D pantheon for the PC's country. think of it as greek or norse mythology. some gods are bastards and others are not, but they are all family, in a way

you can read more at: http://pdfcast.org/pdf/homebrew-1
haha!

[Vknight]

Well I think everyone has given good information.

But as for the sadism. Some people are just that they always have been always will be. People can simply be born off, thep layers don't have to find out why. If they must it can be a reasoning combing some people are just evil and a quest for power.

His end depending on why he became evil and quested for that power should determine how the players should feel.

[Keld Denar]

I'd do the Bard6/Mindbender1 thing, if I was you. Or actually Bard5/Mindbender1/Bard+1 (it kinda matters for feats...kinda, depending on how many extra feats your boss has "purchased" with his XP).

Oh, another fun idea, if you want. He's already kinda got the mind thing going on, pick up Hidden Talent (Dimension Hop) at level 1. Thats 2 PP and a 10' teleport for 1 PP per hop. Then, as part of his wealth, have him visit an Earth Node from Complete Psionic. That gives him 7 PP to play with, or 7 swift action 10' teleports per day. If that doesn't make him hard to pin down, I dunno what will. Simple, elegant, powerful.

[Vknight]

Keld as always you are ruthless deadly and mericeless and truly beautiful creature you are.