Good antagonist for a 4-11 level campaign?

[Kafana]

I have a continent that somewhat resembles Xen'drik from Eberron. The four greater "organizations" are giants (offspring of titans), ilumians, orcs and humans (refugees from a different continent which arrived two millennia ago to the island).

Now, the orcs are a race which arrived to the surface about eight thousand years ago. Before that they lived underground and for some reason they invaded the surface, took it from the wild elves and other races that lived at the time, and have been mostly battling giants ever since the titans arrived. Now, I have an organization similar to Wayfinder Foundation, and the first act of my campaign should be for the PCs to prove themselves worthy of joining the expedition to the mountain from where the orcs came.

As for the second act, I aim to introduce the old black orcs that still live underground (possibly slaves of someone) and portray them as disciplened fighters with manuvers. Through them I wish to introduce the Tome of Battle to my world. If their campaign is successful, they will collect enough martial lore to introduce the needed training to become a warblade, for example.

Now, I need a good antagonist here. The chaos orcs (surface orcs) fled the underground when a civil world broke out and the chaos side faced extinction. I'm not sure what power source I should have behind the underground black orcs. It could be a master mind aberration like mind flayer, but I wanted something a bit more original.

Deities in my setting are generally scarce. I have about 8 deities per continent, and some even overlap, so a total of about 20 gods so far, though a few of them are dead gods, and I don't really want to introduce another one for the sake of the black orcs (all orcs worship the same god). I suppose that, organized as they are, they don't really need a godly leader, but I still wish to add some level of exotic here.

Any ideas?

[Kol Korran]

An idea comes to mind: The immortals.

The idea is to use the basic concept of the Sorcerer type of Rakshasa and the Zakya Rakshasa, with a few changes:
- Their high DR to good and piercing can be changed to something similar, perhaps a special material who is wielded only by a Martial adept, or perhaps with a ritual? Anyway, somethign specific for the campaign.
- For the sorcerer immortals, you can use lowered levels of spell casting for lower CR, and maybe create different casters by switching the spell list type.
- For fighter immortals you can again use lowered levels or martial skill, and isntead of the fighter progression, you might put martial adept progression.
- I suggest to forgo the shapeshifting ability. Instead I suggest to give them powers that makes them more like spirits/ ghosts and stuff- fear effects, perhaps etherlessness, perhaps invisibility or gaseous form, perhaps some sort of possession (Thus they can infiltrate normal society, but usually they take control over a semi- willing host, a bit like the quori, powering them up). If you want to make them great recurring villains, you can give them some sort of a rejuvenation power, on the likes of the ghost ability, or the Lich Phylactery. This has an effect of making them nearly fearless, since they can always come back. There should be some downside to this though. The party could later quest of a way to stop this. Combined with their High SR and high DR they make fearsome opponents, and versatile ones indeed.

Flavor wise I would imagine their numbers to be fairly low, and not easy to build up. Plus they fear soemthign on the surface (Which the PCs might look up) Or they are long term planners who don't want to reveal their hands too soon. To the black orcs they are the epitome of magic and martial skill, and are truly immortal. I suggest to depict them as looking far from the Rakshasa image. I'm sure you will have a better idea of what that might be in your own world. I'm thinking they are cursed somehow, or contained mostly, and seek a way out/ revenge/ or something. And they are building a great army to do just that!

I hope this helps!

[Kafana]

This is an amazing suggestion, thank you. Any other suggestions (for subplots, or anything really) are still appreciated :)

[John Longarrow]

Organized? EVIL?

Screams Devils.

Have a couple CR 8-10 that have been gated in running the show. Their BOSS is currently stuck on the plane but is sealed into a warded chamber.

Toss in a couple dozen Bone devils as "Muscle" running groups of Orcs.

Have two dozen Imps with 2 levels of beguiler and a couple levels of either fiend of corruption or fiend of possession. They are the eyes and ears for the highers up.

As all of the Devils are immune to fire and very survivable, they should be able to keep an orderly Orc society running along LE lines. Also gives the PCs something that maneuvers become very useful against.

[Shining Wrath]

Lawful underground orcs that drove their chaotic cousins underground?

Can you say "Morlock"? I knew you could!

Play them as savage inheritors of a technology they no longer understand well enough to use, with an ancient Living Construct of great power but a metaphorical screw loose as the Uber-boss. The Living Construct would be a level 20 Warblade ... were in not for the fact that some parts have worn out and the "brain" doesn't function as it once did. So you can play this as a L20 Warblade but a check is required every time a maneuver is used or a stance is entered, perhaps a Concentration check with a DC equal to 20 plus the initiator level of the stance or maneuver. Every so often it's going to land an Adamantium Hurricane and wreak havoc, but then it's going to lurch about the room for a round or two.

Stats should be adjusted downward to account for missing and worn out parts. The orcs both revere and fear their demented but potent overlord.

[Kafana]

Organized? EVIL?
Also gives the PCs something that maneuvers become very useful against.

Any suggestions?


Lawful underground orcs that drove their chaotic cousins underground?

Can you say "Morlock"? I knew you could!

Play them as savage inheritors of a technology they no longer understand well enough to use, with an ancient Living Construct of great power but a metaphorical screw loose as the Uber-boss. The Living Construct would be a level 20 Warblade ... were in not for the fact that some parts have worn out and the "brain" doesn't function as it once did. So you can play this as a L20 Warblade but a check is required every time a maneuver is used or a stance is entered, perhaps a Concentration check with a DC equal to 20 plus the initiator level of the stance or maneuver. Every so often it's going to land an Adamantium Hurricane and wreak havoc, but then it's going to lurch about the room for a round or two.

Stats should be adjusted downward to account for missing and worn out parts. The orcs both revere and fear their demented but potent overlord.

Morlocks seem a bit to frail for what I'm looking for. I pretty much need an upgraded version of the orc, more tough. Also, I need at least a small organization controlling the lawful orcs, not just one boss monster.


My idea is to have my campaign play out in 3 acts. The first act will be getting to the destination where they will meet the orcs. The 2nd (which should start at level 6) is actually battling the orcs and at the end finding out about the power behind the black orcs (They should be level 8 or 9 by the end). The 3rd act would be battling the power behind the orcs, and should be the shortest act (the players will gain a level or two, and it will almost exclusively be combat oriented).

[Shining Wrath]

Any suggestions?



Morlocks seem a bit to frail for what I'm looking for. I pretty much need an upgraded version of the orc, more tough. Also, I need at least a small organization controlling the lawful orcs, not just one boss monster.


My idea is to have my campaign play out in 3 acts. The first act will be getting to the destination where they will meet the orcs. The 2nd (which should start at level 6) is actually battling the orcs and at the end finding out about the power behind the black orcs (They should be level 8 or 9 by the end). The 3rd act would be battling the power behind the orcs, and should be the shortest act (the players will gain a level or two, and it will almost exclusively be combat oriented).

What I meant is that the orcs are equivalent to Morlocks. The Uber-boss is the Warblade Warforged-like thing. If you need an intermediate level between the orcs and the boss, then add more "Warforged", all ancient and in need of repairs but no one alive remembers how to craft the necessary parts. The "Warforged" are all members of the various ToB classes but, like the boss, suffer from occasional failures as they decay.

The Uber-boss can have an adviser who is a Master of Nine and who taught all the "Warforged" their skills. He's not evil and grieves over what has become of his students.

[John Longarrow]

For the Big Bad, you may want some minor functionary from Hell that's been dragged here by planar binding.

Said Big Bad is still stuck in his warded circle, even though the original summoner is long dead. I'd go with an Erinyes (CR 8) with a few class levels tossed on.

For general Devils, Kytons would be good. I like Imps with levels to.

The reason Kytons should be a good challenge for an initiator is crusaders get to use healing and strikes that ignore DR to be effective. Warblades get to do about the same.
I'm guessing each character will get only a couple maneuvers of upto about 3rd level if they start in another martial class first.

For the fun part, Imps can be very versitile. 2 levels in Beguiler, Marshal, Warlock (with Practiced Spellcaster), and Ranger (favored Enemy) make for very fun encounters for a party.