Help me build a villain (3.5)

[Rofltrollcopter]

If your a player in my campaign, stay out.







Here's a bit of background information. I am running a 3.5 game using the Shadows of the Last War adventure path. My players are semi-optimized, featuring a psion and warmage duo that accounts for 75% of the party's damage output through elemental spells/psi powers, a swordsage, a tanky trip focused crusader, a DMM cleric (without persist), and an artificer. The players have a working knowledge of the MIC and the more powerful items in it.


I have a background and story in mind for the villain already. My pet peeve is that most of the players' efforts within the game go towards optimizing their stats/advantages based on game mechanics. They tend to regard the game world and the npcs as static and unchanging. For example after they attacked a villainous organization and stole information needed for their quest, I made a note of describing that there was a vulture circling the party every time I had a scenery description. They entered an abandoned facility that contained their objective, and an automated security system said that intruders from said aforementioned evil organization were present. The group was surprised that when they exited said facility, that they were ambushed by members from said evil organization.

So I am looking for an antagonist that is challenging not because he has better stats then the party or stronger abilities, but because he makes better use of his environment and the current situation. The end goal would be to show that one can be effective without having the biggest stats, but instead by thinking creatively and using one's surroundings. My vague ideas would be some sort of stealth specialist that would try to take a few potshots at the party, run away and repeat, using attrition to wear the party down. Using marbles to force balance checks, poison, all sorts of underhanded tactics like that. I'm currently thinking Factotum/Warblade for Iajutsu strike shenanigans. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.

[daremetoidareyo]

You need a villain who can interrupt sleep. You got a spell problem that you need to ameliorate, so you need to give this Big bad a way to access divination. Then he needs to hit the PCs hard on day 1. Bring cronies, particularly constructs, and give him multiple ways to escape the situation: 1 magical, 1 mundane. He then returns in the night to molest the PCs sleep. Could be as simple as dimension door, and drop a bunch of shriekers, dimension door away. Repeat a few hours later. The third predawn attack is by hired assassins. Now, all the blown spells are unrecuperated.

I have a no stealing spellbooks rule as a DM. I do not have a "no putting explosive runes in PCs spellbooks rule"

The story needs a time element so the PCs need to press forward with diminished supernatural resources: Some important thing gets killed or destroyed, by the villains hand, if blah blah blah doesn't happen by noon 3 days hence.

Make the BBEG control the environment too. He can choose to abandon a fight whenever he wants. He attempts to specifically choose difficult battle terrains. Actually, it is his silent image that is choosing the battle terrains.

I like your factotum idea. Max out UMD spellcraft and decipher script, and give him a buttload of scrolls. Then make him a secret doppleganger, who only uses this "character" for this mission. Have him attempt to split the party up to pick off the weakest member to replace. The divination will help here too. Then, have his artificer doppleganger brother fill in when he isn't playing that "BBEG character".

Smart villains also kill familiars. Their beefy underlings sunder things. With a motherlovin vengeance. Don't give me that look, you bought a githcraft feycraft item, as if those two ancient traditions could even be blended with maximum effect, and you have a good WBL.

[LurKing]

I'd encourage you to be careful in regards to proving your point about their situational awareness (or lack thereof.) Even if it's totally reasonable in-universe for the enemies of the party to call in a huge horde of reinforcements, to the players that missed the clues it might seem like you, the DM, are out to get the party instead of it being the work of the BBEG. That said, there are definitely ways to try to encourage the behavior you want.

You could have one minion flee from a given combat. Then, if the minion successfully escaped, the next fight against his troops should be really difficult-- ideally even forcing them to retreat. Make sure the players know that retreat is an option though; this sort of thing works much better when the villains are defending something than when they send out a death squad. If the players think they can't escape, they're likely to force a TPK; they know though that troops specifically assigned to defend a given place/object will not pursue them if they run. (Have a character make Martial Lore, or Knowledge history, or something to recognize a given formation as a classic 'will not be baited into leaving priority undefended' formation.)

As an example of a favorable terrain encounter, the fight takes place in a swamp where the water is waist high with very thick trees. That way, the ground is all difficult terrain and if the players take to the air, they have to stay near the surface of the water (or else fly above the treeline and lose line of sight / line of effect.) Trained crocodiles and serpents pose a credible threat in their native environment since they can easily make their way to the party's warmage and psion by swimming unseen or dropping from overhanging branches respectively. There are also three boats that the trained crocodiles pull around. Each boat has an archer and a mage which harass the party with ranged attacks. You could even have two of the mages ready to counterspell stuff like water walking, fly, or freedom of movement after the surprise round, since the chance the party will attempt something of that ilk is nearly guaranteed.

The next scenario works best in an enemy stronghold. Use one of deathtrap room where they are perfectly safe from the pit traps, swinging blades, spurting flames and the like until they attempt to cross. Give them a few moments to start thinking about how they want to get across, then have the BBEG show up at the other end of the chamber atop a raised dais. He pulls a lever, closing the door behind them, and then hits them with something nasty. The party has the fun decision of eating several spells/ranged attacks as they slowly work their way through the room, trying to just sprint through it in a headstrong fashion, or teleporting across. Since the BBEG is above them, they cannot see that the surface he's standing on is covered in Ghoul Glyphs. If a party member teleports onto his platform, have no qualms about performing the coup de grace while they're paralyzed. (For greater cruelty, you can have the nasty spell be Mordenkainen's Disjunction or have the BBEG be under the effects of Anticipate Teleport.) Hopefully this will help your players realize that baddies don't need to optimize heavily if they're prepared. In fact, if the players noticed the hidden fourth option (teleport the whole party away from this insane room of death until they've prepared for it properly) you'll also have proven the point.