Calemyr
2014-08-26, 10:39 AM
I'm running a pathfinder campaign and (after letting the players do their own thing for a few arcs) I'm about to unveil the big bad evil guy of the campaign - a bard.
I have always believed the bard class is horribly ill-used. Its flexibility, its focus on knowledge over power (martial or magical), and its focus on manipulation over force, all of it add up to an extremely dangerous class when used properly, especially as a villain (who, by virtue of being played by the DM, has access to a greater pool of setting knowledge than a player character would). I want to test that by pitting my group against such a character.
I call him the Joker Bard because I've always considered him a counter to the Batman Wizard. And because of Dark Knight, which encapsulates my idea of the bard nicely: "With just a little gasoline and a few explosives, I've brought Gotham to its knees! And you know the thing about gasoline and explosives? They're cheap." Why use planet shattering spells and undying hordes against the heroes when you can twist their world around them like a noose with just a few words? And words are cheap.
So that's what I'm setting out to do - make a bard the most dangerous opponent in the entire game. What I'm asking you guys is if you have any advice how I could play the role to its fullest. I believe I have the creativity and ingenuity to turn the Joker Bard into a pretty good archvillian, but I want to make him into a darn good archvillain, possibly even living up to his madcap inspiration.
Things I've already been considering:
1) Don't confront the party directly - the bard likely won't win in a fight with the heroes, not without being stupidly over-leveled or using tactics that will disgruntle players, and constant retreats and losses will diminish his threat. The bard will lose more often than not, but if his losses don't cost him anything and he gets something in the process, he's still a threat.
2) Don't use anything personal. My party has casters, but none of them use their abilities as intelligently as, say, a Batman Wizard. Still, they're quite clever so avoid using things that could be magically tracked back to him or that would cost him anything if they were lost.
3) Use magic, charisma, and guile to twist people into your service - including molding some to act as stand-ins for you. Make it so they never know if they've found the real one or not. Magic, charisma, and guile are free, so any resources gained this way are by nature expendable. Expend them as necessary, but not when you don't have something to gain.
4) Use mundane disguises - magical ones are easier and more effective, but magic can see through magic. True sight does not see through a wig and a fake nose.
5) Don't be part of every story arc, that causes villain fatigue. But when an arc involves you, make it serve your greater purpose whether the heroes win or not. Do not show up just to wave at the audience. When the party starts to clue into your involvement in an arc, let that realization be the instant they understand that this mission is going to be a nasty one.
6) (If the players can be trusted to separate meta knowledge from character knowledge) Just because you can't confront the party directly doesn't mean you can't talk to them. If the players can't sense motive for jack, feel free to rub their noses in it and use bardic performance and magic to cover for you if they manage to roll a 20.
7) If forced into a conflict, you are not a combatant. You are a force multiplier. Use your bardic performances to make your allies stronger, use your magic to disorientate the heroes and keep yourself out of the crosshairs.
What am I missing?
I have always believed the bard class is horribly ill-used. Its flexibility, its focus on knowledge over power (martial or magical), and its focus on manipulation over force, all of it add up to an extremely dangerous class when used properly, especially as a villain (who, by virtue of being played by the DM, has access to a greater pool of setting knowledge than a player character would). I want to test that by pitting my group against such a character.
I call him the Joker Bard because I've always considered him a counter to the Batman Wizard. And because of Dark Knight, which encapsulates my idea of the bard nicely: "With just a little gasoline and a few explosives, I've brought Gotham to its knees! And you know the thing about gasoline and explosives? They're cheap." Why use planet shattering spells and undying hordes against the heroes when you can twist their world around them like a noose with just a few words? And words are cheap.
So that's what I'm setting out to do - make a bard the most dangerous opponent in the entire game. What I'm asking you guys is if you have any advice how I could play the role to its fullest. I believe I have the creativity and ingenuity to turn the Joker Bard into a pretty good archvillian, but I want to make him into a darn good archvillain, possibly even living up to his madcap inspiration.
Things I've already been considering:
1) Don't confront the party directly - the bard likely won't win in a fight with the heroes, not without being stupidly over-leveled or using tactics that will disgruntle players, and constant retreats and losses will diminish his threat. The bard will lose more often than not, but if his losses don't cost him anything and he gets something in the process, he's still a threat.
2) Don't use anything personal. My party has casters, but none of them use their abilities as intelligently as, say, a Batman Wizard. Still, they're quite clever so avoid using things that could be magically tracked back to him or that would cost him anything if they were lost.
3) Use magic, charisma, and guile to twist people into your service - including molding some to act as stand-ins for you. Make it so they never know if they've found the real one or not. Magic, charisma, and guile are free, so any resources gained this way are by nature expendable. Expend them as necessary, but not when you don't have something to gain.
4) Use mundane disguises - magical ones are easier and more effective, but magic can see through magic. True sight does not see through a wig and a fake nose.
5) Don't be part of every story arc, that causes villain fatigue. But when an arc involves you, make it serve your greater purpose whether the heroes win or not. Do not show up just to wave at the audience. When the party starts to clue into your involvement in an arc, let that realization be the instant they understand that this mission is going to be a nasty one.
6) (If the players can be trusted to separate meta knowledge from character knowledge) Just because you can't confront the party directly doesn't mean you can't talk to them. If the players can't sense motive for jack, feel free to rub their noses in it and use bardic performance and magic to cover for you if they manage to roll a 20.
7) If forced into a conflict, you are not a combatant. You are a force multiplier. Use your bardic performances to make your allies stronger, use your magic to disorientate the heroes and keep yourself out of the crosshairs.
What am I missing?