BBEG against the Druids

[Elvencloud]

Help me. I love DM'ing, but my issue always comes out to be the same thing. I can't ever come up with a BBEG!

Here's the plot so far- In a Norse campaign, we have a celt in the group (a druid) and he got cursed... by a Tarot Deck of Many Things. The curse made him have to double the amount of xp to level, every level... With a miracle, they removed it, for a price- the Celt is under a Geas/Quest spell to help his Druids cleanse the nature around them.
Problem?

As DM, I'm having difficulty coming up with an adventure for this. Or a BBEG. Or perhaps, I just don't need one. Party is ~5th level.
Any ideas, Playground?

Edit: They're in a celtic environ, right now. Forgot to mention that.

[ExemplarofAvg]

Some zone of corruption in the forest, perhaps there are invaders from another land that have arrived and in their attempt to set up a settlement they are infringing upon the Druids sacred grove. Or there's a monster hunter tracking down a beast sacred to the druids (Spirit of the Land? Can't remember the CR), or possible the beast has gone mad and begun to ravage the landcape.

[Elvencloud]

Some zone of corruption in the forest, perhaps there are invaders from another land that have arrived and in their attempt to set up a settlement they are infringing upon the Druids sacred grove. Or there's a monster hunter tracking down a beast sacred to the druids (Spirit of the Land? Can't remember the CR), or possible the beast has gone mad and begun to ravage the landcape.

Kinda like this idea. But apparently the Spirit of the land is a CR 23 :O
Since the Druid is just learning Wildshape (he's still level four) and wants to go into the Lion of Talasid class... perhaps she can come across a spirit of nature.

[ExemplarofAvg]

Kinda like this idea. But apparently the Spirit of the land is a CR 23 :O
Since the Druid is just learning Wildshape (he's still level four) and wants to go into the Lion of Talasid class... perhaps she can come across a spirit of nature.

Ooh, yeah, like I said I couldn't remember the CR, lol, that might be a little bit high for them. Hmm, "Prove your worthiness to Talisid, defeat the Nemean Lion (Fiendish Lion, or Dire Lion)" I know it' not the right Pantheon but craft it as a Northern Lion or something that has been terrorizing the people, like a man-eating lion."

[PirateLizard]

I almost always use a crazed arsonist starting forest fires for fun. My best friends have pretty much come to expect that a Druid will run into one. Someone last night I was talking to mentioned they once ran into a Kobold...with a necklace of fireballs. Probably something I'll use in the future. :smallbiggrin:

[HalfDragonCube]

I was about to suggest the something with the Blighter PrC, but normal Druids could easily pummel them.

[Rejakor]

Generally I find it easier to start with a threat than a BBEG. So, corruption of forest. Which we'll say is caused by a cult of plague-worshipers, hidden somewhere in the forest. After that, it's easy to make a BBEG.. plague-infested plague god avatar... cultist leader who is a living plague factory and can turn into a disease ooze... lich using the cult for his own reasons... a druid who previously left the forest but returned with this cult to get revenge on the head druid who infected him with a powerful disease (but at the same time showed him 'the light' about diseases being good etc)... blah blah.

I do like a good double whammy BBEG though, one who has an ulterior motive beyond the obvious/isn't who you think it is (i.e. the guy in platemail isn't the BBEG, the prisoner you rescued is.. or the female cult acolyte who you knocked out and took prisoner to 'deprogram'.. or the leader of the 'good' druids)

[Godskook]

Check out this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11215356) for an evil munchkin necromancer cleric. It should be about as perfect a BBEG as anyone could want.:smallbiggrin:

[Winds]

You could use the Celtic idea of a banshee found here...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banshee


Perhaps a Blighter from Complete Divine, with a allied Assassin posing as a banshee before a hit to distract the authorities that would normally stop them?

[hivedragon]

Has anyone seen fern gully?
I think hexxus and the leveler would be what your looking for.

[Elvencloud]

I'm looking at an Druid possessed by the spirit of decay (aka Hexxus). Any really good wildshape forms for an evil druid? Probably a drow druid, from the way my campaign is. (Drow=Dark elf, right? :D)

[ericgrau]

Trash pickup, naturally :P.

There could be clear-cutting loggers. Or a fire wizard with completely unrelated plans but is ticking off the druids through collateral damage. Mages stealing owls and bears to experiment with making you know whats. A voracious yeti like creature running wild and disturbing the natural order. Perhaps someone is messing with dryad oaks for whatever purpose. An invading army is setting up camp in some sacred section of the forest like a fairy clearing or some such. Basically take nature thing, insert people who may or may not hate nature thing or may simply have plans that happen to harm it by coincidence and there you go.

At level 5 it doesn't even need to be a huge threat. Maybe it's merely a big threat and the druids are a bit shorthanded with other problems to send 5 of their best men to take care of it. And then hey, here comes along a group of guys they just helped who can do it instead.

[ExemplarofAvg]

Has anyone seen fern gully?
I think hexxus and the leveler would be what your looking for.

Such a Good movie. Love the Batty Rap.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1g5Oajn5UE&feature=related
And Toxic Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bu-U4HX5aQ&feature=related
Which leads into your question.


I'm looking at an Druid possessed by the spirit of decay (aka Hexxus). Any really good wildshape forms for an evil druid? Probably a drow druid, from the way my campaign is. (Drow=Dark elf, right? :D)

I'm not sure if it exits, but if it's your campaign homebrew it, Wildshape into an Ooze.. :) Show some Toxic love.

[ExemplarofAvg]

Wildshape Ranger with Master of Many Forms, decent combat, and you can turn into an Ooze, along with many other fun things. Bam you have Hexxus, actually make it a Warforged (Ironwood Body) Wildshape Ranger/Master of Many Forms, and you have a Transformer that Hexxus took over.

[Grendus]

A black dragon. They like to make the pools of water around their dens stagnant and pickle their food in it, and a dragon at the right age category is a real threat even to druids (until they can take the feat to let them wildshape into dragons, then it's all downhill).

[big teej]

Help me. I love DM'ing, but my issue always comes out to be the same thing. I can't ever come up with a BBEG!

Here's the plot so far- In a Norse campaign, we have a celt in the group (a druid) and he got cursed... by a Tarot Deck of Many Things. The curse made him have to double the amount of xp to level, every level... With a miracle, they removed it, for a price- the Celt is under a Geas/Quest spell to help his Druids cleanse the nature around them.
Problem?

As DM, I'm having difficulty coming up with an adventure for this. Or a BBEG. Or perhaps, I just don't need one. Party is ~5th level.
Any ideas, Playground?

Edit: They're in a celtic environ, right now. Forgot to mention that.


in all honesty, this doesn't shriek "bbeg required" to me
granted, it's late, so lemme make sure I"ve got it.

1. party member is cursed
2. party bums a miracle off of Druids(?)
3. party must repay favor by "cleansing forest"

if you feel the need for a climatic uber battle.

blighter. Masters of the Wild, uber anti-druid(nature) prestige class.

failing that, mayhap a beastman* shaman and his herd?

failing that, go with a quasi-real world scenario.

Boars, Boars tear up forests. baaaaaaaaaaaaad.
slap on as many templates as you feel necessary to make them crimes against nature.

just a few thoughts.


*by beastman I mean Goatfolk from MMIII

[HalfDragonCube]

blighter. Masters of the Wild, uber anti-druid(nature) prestige class.

Blighter is in Complete Divine, and normal druids can wipe the floor with them unless they are fairly well-optimised.

[big teej]

Blighter is in Complete Divine, and normal druids can wipe the floor with them unless they are fairly well-optimised.

I work with what I've got :smalltongue: and as of yet, I don't got complete anything


2nd.
plot happens. :smallbiggrin: all it takes is a mild handwave of "the druids can't stand the tortorous existence of the blighter, due to the fact it attacks the very basis of their being.

but I digress.

[Girshtop]

I'd have to say blighter too.

In an evil campaign (we only played one session, sadly) I played a chaotic-evil ex-druid 6/blighter 6, and he was a ton of fun. He wore full plate with a beastskin enchantment from MIC, and as a large skeletal bear, he had damage reduction, immunity to cold, and a crazy AC. He also had a undead dire bat form with a high dexterity that would fly around shooting maximized ray of enfeeblements and maximized poison (20 potential con damage) and had blindsight. Add to that all of the undead animals you could want (animate dead animal class ability - no material cost, usable once per day) in a forest fire (deforestation then a couple blightfires), and you have yourself a druid's worst nightmare.

I know it's a little high level for your campaign, but you can make a ex-druid 6/blighter 3 maybe?

Even if it's not THAT challenging (to you guys who love to make ridiculously powerful characters), it'll still be rewarding for the roleplaying aspect of the druid.

[hangedman1984]

And Toxic Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bu-U4HX5aQ&feature=related


LOVE that song