BBEG Build up

[Draig]

Ok so I've been running a pretty steady campaign for the past 6 monthes and the party (levels 10-14) is finally closing in on the big baddie, the only problem is I want to have a few minor tasks and missions for the group so a few of the players level a little more. What are some all purpose monsters/ encounters that would be good for any campaign?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

If the BBEG is aware of the PCs and their impending attack, he may hire bounty hunters or assassins to take them out early, or just scry the battle to learn about their capabilities and tactics.


Have an NPC warn them that the road may be treacherous as there have been reports of kobold ambushes. As they're traveling, have them roll spot checks (extremely low DC). "You think there may be kobolds in the bushes up ahead; you can see their spears sticking up."


It would really help if you'd tell us what level they are and what CR range you had in mind.

[Draig]

It is a group of 4 adventurers, 2 level 11's, a level 10 and a level 14. The CR's I'm looking for I'd like no lower than 9 and no higher than 15. But any encounters would be good maybe to keep a realistic feel to the world. Reminds the party that just because they level doesn't mean the whole world did, and likewise reminds them that there is always a higher level monster.

[Physics_Rook]

Could you also tell us a little more about your players' classes and preferred playstyle.

We could give you excellent political intrigue encounters, but your players may not be amused if they prefer combat. :smallbiggrin:

We also might suggest a great aerial or outerplanes mini-adventure, but if your players can't fly or traverse the hostile environs of the outerplanes, it might not go over well with them.

Knowing a more about your players helps us to suggest more appropriate encounters. :smallcool:

A Teleport Gone Bad
The PCs accidentally teleport straight into the middle of some bad guys making some bad news, cue surprise round for everyone.
Notes:
For some real fun, the PCs 'port into a very large group of bad guys (think 50+). Most of them should be caught completely unprepared for the PCs, taking a few rounds for the shock to ware off before they grab the nearest weapon available to them (which should give the PCs a fighting chance). In addition, most of the baddies should be of relatively low level. The key is make the encounter frantic and overwhelming to the PCs without actually making it downright impossible. A few of the bad guys will probably split the moment they realize the PCs are perfectly willing to kill anyone that threatens them (the job's not worth their lives after all). The bad guys should also be relatively spread out and away from the PCs initially, and in small clusters (they were dividing and splitting off into smaller groups to wreak more havoc, and are perfect for AoE spells). The scary part of the encounter should really be the sheer number of bad guys present that the PCs were completely not expecting to have to deal with.
"A Teleport Gone Bad" might not be appropriate if your players don't teleport, or if you don't hold to the teleport mishap rules.
I like the idea of letting carnage interested players feel like they're really wreaking havoc on their opponents forces (especially right before a major encounter). :smallsmile:

Building a Zoo
The PCs are tasked with tracking down and capturing several different animals and monsters for the zoo. The PCs must track down and bring back the creatures in as pristine a condition as possible. A bonus reward is offered if they also bring back newborn creatures.
Notes:
The reward value is dependent upon the amount of lethal damage dealt to the creature between the PCs encountering it and them bringing it back to the zoo. If the creature has 100 hitpoints and is dealt 50 HP of lethal damage, then the PCs will only receive 50% of the reward money (even if the creature is healed it'll still have scars and whatnot that detract from its value). The PCs could make a heal check against the creature's HitDie to see if they can treat its value as though it hadn't suffered as much lethal damage.
"Building a Zoo" might not be appropriate if your players aren't interested in chasing after hard to catch creatures in the middle of an important questline.
I personally have always felt this was a neat idea, to have players go through a list of all the monsters they've faced and try and capture them. While the monsters themselves might not be as threatening anymore, the added difficulty in their safe capture, containment (both temporary and permanent), and transport should make the encounter fairly challenging. :smallbiggrin:

Guards On Strike
All or most of the guards in a city go on strike for better wages (or something), and as such, every criminal in the city decides to take advantage. The PCs are offered a job as temporary protection for the city and it's citizens while the strike is resolved. The PCs could help negotiate on the guards' behalf, they could sabotage the union's attempts to strike, or they could even try to supplant the striking guards with another force (themselves maybe, or perhaps a group that they train).
Notes:
You can have the strike motivated for any number of reasons. The strike could be due to horrible working conditions that the city has forced the guard into, or it could be a scheme by criminal bosses to take the city's protection out of the picture for short time to pull off high profile crime (stealing an artifact, assassinating an individual, all of the above, ect), or all of the above plus extra.
"Guards On Strike" might not be appropriate if your players aren't interested in a more socially heavy encounter.
This sort of encounter is really better tailored for newer/lower-level characters. The idea is to introduce a lot of the city's major figures and get the players involved/invested in the city's protection. This would be a lead-up to the players using the city as a base of operations, and eventually as a jumping point for a larger-scale campaign adventure.

I intentionally leave these fairly blank and without more specific details, so you or others can tailor them to your party's and campaign's particular needs.

I hope this helps.:smallbiggrin: