Our party's anti-party

[Chester]

Long story short: our party has a "hit" out on us. We're level 7, soon to be level 8. We consist of Human Dread Necromancer, Gnome Rogue/Bard/Unseen Seer, Elf Duskblade, Elf Ranger.

We started with a nice 41 point buy.

The premise: despite some party members who think they're heroes, the party is actually viewed as a "necessary evil" in our city. One city leader wants to put out a "hit" on the party. An enemy group of adventurers (good-aligned) is sent after us.

I'm thinking the party is led by a Paladin of Athena (we play Greek Pantheon). The party should be challenging enough that a viable option could be "get out of dodge" when the hit goes out.

How might you suggest rounding out the enemy party (good-aligned)? Roles, races, stats, equipment, etc. . . feel free to offer minimal suggestions or whatever, I'm just looking for ideas.

[dascarletm]

Long story short: our party has a "hit" out on us. We're level 7, soon to be level 8. We consist of Human Dread Necromancer, Gnome Rogue/Bard/Unseen Seer, Elf Duskblade, Elf Ranger.

We started with a nice 41 point buy.

The premise: despite some party members who think they're heroes, the party is actually viewed as a "necessary evil" in our city. One city leader wants to put out a "hit" on the party. An enemy group of adventurers (good-aligned) is sent after us.

I'm thinking the party is led by a Paladin of Athena (we play Greek Pantheon). The party should be challenging enough that a viable option could be "get out of dodge" when the hit goes out.

How might you suggest rounding out the enemy party (good-aligned)? Roles, races, stats, equipment, etc. . . feel free to offer minimal suggestions or whatever, I'm just looking for ideas.

I assume you are the DM.

First, before I answer your question, let me ask you this:

The city leader sees the group as a necessary evil, correct? Well, what is it necessary for? I'll assume it is along the lines of defending the city against threat X. The party is good at heart, but uses evil means (Dread Necro). So they probably don't randomly screw with the leader's populace. Given these assumptions wouldn't eliminating the party in turn threaten the well-being of the city/himself? If that is true, that isn't to say he wouldn't still put the hit out, but it may influence who he hires.

If he is looking for more of the paragon of good heroes to replace the party, then I think a standard Paladin, Cleric, Rogue/Slayer of Domriel, and... maybe a good aligned ranger? The last one I'm drawing a blank on. Basically they would be similar to each member Paladin-> Duskblade (perhaps make him a sorcadin gish), Cleric -> Dread Necro, Rogue/Slayer -> Unseen seer. The kicker is don't counter the players with their antithesis necessarily. Have the Cleric go turning the necro's minions, have the rogue sneak up on the ranger, have the ranger's antithesis kite/keep out of range the duskblade, and send the gish as the seer. If you are interested I can throw more details for this party, but I confess I will be fairly busy and might have to wait till tomorrow. Though I'm sure other board members would do better than I anyway. The group shouldn't be totally geared towards countering the party, but might tangentially be able to.

If the leader has been/thinks he has been wronged by the group then you'll get another party. This scenario leaves the leader not thinking about who will fill the gap, but just wants revenge. Perhaps something they did happened to cause pain for him, whatever the reason he just wants the best he can get. This group will be well suited for killing the party. They will have abilities specifically to counter them. They arn't going to stick around after the job is done, so the story can use that in the future.

[Chester]

I assume you are the DM.

First, before I answer your question, let me ask you this:

The city leader sees the group as a necessary evil, correct? Well, what is it necessary for? I'll assume it is along the lines of defending the city against threat X. The party is good at heart, but uses evil means (Dread Necro). So they probably don't randomly screw with the leader's populace. Given these assumptions wouldn't eliminating the party in turn threaten the well-being of the city/himself? If that is true, that isn't to say he wouldn't still put the hit out, but it may influence who he hires.

If he is looking for more of the paragon of good heroes to replace the party, then I think a standard Paladin, Cleric, Rogue/Slayer of Domriel, and... maybe a good aligned ranger? The last one I'm drawing a blank on. Basically they would be similar to each member Paladin-> Duskblade (perhaps make him a sorcadin gish), Cleric -> Dread Necro, Rogue/Slayer -> Unseen seer. The kicker is don't counter the players with their antithesis necessarily. Have the Cleric go turning the necro's minions, have the rogue sneak up on the ranger, have the ranger's antithesis kite/keep out of range the duskblade, and send the gish as the seer. If you are interested I can throw more details for this party, but I confess I will be fairly busy and might have to wait till tomorrow. Though I'm sure other board members would do better than I anyway. The group shouldn't be totally geared towards countering the party, but might tangentially be able to.

If the leader has been/thinks he has been wronged by the group then you'll get another party. This scenario leaves the leader not thinking about who will fill the gap, but just wants revenge. Perhaps something they did happened to cause pain for him, whatever the reason he just wants the best he can get. This group will be well suited for killing the party. They will have abilities specifically to counter them. They arn't going to stick around after the job is done, so the story can use that in the future.

OK, clarification. I co-DM / rotate, by the way.

Our group is obviously aligned with an evil Dread Necromancer. Our "most good" party member is a True Neutral Duskblade, who fancies himself as a hero but fails to recognize his own selfishness and willingness to participate in "evil" acts.

The city is governed by two Elven factions. One leader is actually working with the Dread Necro to translate ancient undead glyphs (a new language we made that only those with Tomb-Tainted Soul can read). This city leader has ulterior motives. He has agreed to build a keep for the DN, where the DN can conduct his "experiments." The building of the keep raises eyebrows and draws attention.

The leader of the other faction is somewhat noble, but is secretly unhappy with the party's notoriety; he doesn't see it as "The ends justify the means." The group's Duskblade is a member of this faction. The leader of the faction wants to put the hit out. Here's where it gets tricky: he'll interrogate our Duskblade, who is actually quite influential. If the Duskblade is open and honest about the party's motives and intentions, then the leader will probably discuss the role of the other adventurers. This gives the group an advantage and an opportunity to escape. If the Duskblade lies (which he has done for the party before), he won't hear about the enemy party. Thus, our group will not get the benefit of a headstart.

EDIT: It doesn't necessarily have to be the polar opposite party--just an appropriate challenge / threat. (In fact, I was thinking a Cleric . . . he and the Paladin are certainly threats to anything the DN can do.)

[dascarletm]

I see, that changes some things. Instead of hiring a hit, consider having the noble inform an inquisitor like faction in the game. If you don't have any sort of church or anything currently, you could invent a small heterodoxy of an established one. I'm fuzzy on the greek gods, but I'm sure one could fit, or at least be prone to such an interpretation.

I'll make an example modeled off one of my recent encounters.

The Face
Paladin 2/ Battle Sorcerer 4/Abjurant Champion 2 (Figure out a way to get Luminous Armor)

The Support
Cloistered Cleric 3/Church Inquisitor 5

The Assassin

Rogue 5/Slayer of Domiel 3,

The Finder

Ranger 8

The group will see dispatching the DN as a main priority, and those that consort with him (the party and perhaps some NPCs) as good secondary targets. Though the kicker is that it doesn't end with this group. The heterodoxy has multiple inquisitorial squads, and unless their headquarters are located and destroyed they'll eventually keep coming. Also who informed them? :smallwink:

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Leader: Cloistered Cleric 1/ Half-Orc Paragon 1/ Paladin 6 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?275093-its-a-villain-sort-of#5), definitely use Divine Counterspell for Paladin and pick up Divine Defiance and use Cleric turn uses to activate it. Include Inquisition domain, Law Devotion, Knowledge Devotion, and Charging Smite, all the other ACFs and substitution levels are optional. Get Practiced Spellcaster for Cleric to get Divine Defiance at 3rd and Imperious Command at 6th, get Menacing Demeanor from the Otyugh Hole and the Never Outnumbered skill trick. Note that he doesn't have to make a Spellcraft check to counterspell, and it's an immediate action to do it so as long as he's not flat-footed he can counter something.

Support: Gray Elf, Beguiler 8, Vow of Peace/Nonviolence, max skill ranks in social skills and Disable Device and similar. The above inquisitor/leader has the authority to judge guilty and execute any prisoners, so this character's vows usually won't interfere with anything.

Hunter: Killoren, Druid 8, Track, Natural Bond, Natural Spell. Don't use a Fleshraker due to BoED's prohibition on poison, but a 'level -3' companion will still count his full Druid level thanks to Natural Bond. Keep Aspect of the Hunter active, and wild shape into anything that doesn't use poison. He has a Lesser Rod of Extend and a Rod of Bodily Restoration, and uses Luminous Armor on himself, the Paladin, and the Beguiler every day. Stick to preparing crowd controls like Entangle, Kelpstrand, and Sleet/Ice Storm, and make some Bone Talismans (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20040721a) (turning) with Unguent of Timelessness applied in case they run into any undead.

Killer: Thri-Kreen, Monk 1/ Soulknife 2/ Soulbow (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060403a&page=2) 4, note that a Thri-Kreen is CR 1 despite being ECL 4. Give it Sacred Vow and Vow of Poverty, Multiweapon Fighting, and archery feats, and remember that it only takes one hand to fire a Mind Arrow. Everything he makes is sent back to his impoverished tribe.