Need an idea for a BBEG that will spur the players

[RealMarkP]

At some point in my campaign, the players will delve into a dungeon in search of endless treasure. They will find it, but at the cost of releasing an ancient demigod from his prison. Once released, I'm unsure how to role play the demigod. He is evil and the essence of greed. I don't want him to kill the players, maybe hurt them (not necessarily physically) in a way that will prompt the players to seek him out and put him back into the prison.

What I'm asking is, what would this demigod do to the players that will be memorable and infuriating?

One thought I had was that he would steal their souls in use in some vile creation. But what does it mean to the players to have no soul? Does a demigod have the power to do this?

Anyway, any thoughts are welcome.

[NecessaryWeevil]

Just take their favourite toys.

[Auron3991]

Is there any NPCs they care about? Do your PC's have backstories? There really needs to be more information for me to provide a comprehensive answer.

As some general tips though, don't have the demigod make a personal attack. The PCs are below him, they're not even on his radar of people to hurt. Actually, you could have him try to tempt them with greed initially. When you do make it hurt, make the hurt be a part of collateral damage of one of his plans. Have him mostly ignore them, but have his plans constantly injure those they want to protect. This is a recipe for making them want to hurt him.

[Waker]

Roleplaying him is ultimately gonna have to be a person decision. Is he the patient type? Able to scheme and mastermind his way towards his goal of acquiring everything and everyone? The impatient type? Does he rage and fume at any impediment to his plans? Are there certain things he prizes over others or is he a generalist when it comes to hoarding? Can he appreciate value or is existence enough of a justification for him to take something?
As for encouraging the players to pursue him, there are several avenues to that end. Perhaps releasing this guy is causing economic collapses or famine as he hoards resources (or his mere presence causes others to do so). Is there an item of import that the party needs for some other quest? Turns out this guy just swooped in and appropriated it. He could pull the switcharoo with some royal about to enter a diplomatic (and profitable) marriage and the party needs to expose the fraud.

[Callin]

Greed huh? How about upon the demi gods release he stole a small portion of their lives and now at set intervals be steals more and more. Slowly aging them, very slowly so as to have low impact, but any mortal race effected by this would do their best to stop and reverse it.

[Dormammu]

What I'm asking is, what would this demigod do to the players that will be memorable and infuriating?


In my experience it's not hard to get PCs to seek out revenge. You could take a note from Lev grossman's The Magicians and...

Cast Mass hold person on them with a nice high save. Have the demigod wander around for a round or two, take things out of their packs, mess up their hair. Messily devour an NPC, or if that's too much maybe cut off an ear or something. If anyone makes the save stick them in Resilient sphere or, again with the devouring. The PC's will be furious over not being able to act.

[goto124]

Wouldn't that make the players mad at the DM instead?

[Baroncognito]

Have the BBEG latch onto one of their backs and prod them with tiny little points at the heels of her boots. "More treasure!" She screams as she waves her hat in the air. "Hi-ho, <pc name> away!"

[PseudoPanda]

For most players, just taunting and disappearing is probably enough to create a quest for revenge.

If you're players are good at roleplaying or have developed a decent back story you can have the deity cast an auto-maximized love's pain (BoVD) spell on them to kill whoever is closest to them. Of course there's technically no way to know this has happened right away without a spellcraft roll and it isn't too fitting of your deity's area of expertise.

[JCAll]

He's the essence of greed, have him take their stuff. Killing an NPC is one thing, ganking their loot is a whole different level of hate.

[Mutazoia]

As a "thank you" for freeing him, another demi-god (a guardian set to make sure his greediness remains locked up perhaps) places a curse upon the PC's that makes it impossible for them to obtain any money at all. Any time they get their hands on some cash, something happens and they lose it. They only way to lift the curse is to shove ole sticky fingers back in his box.

As for the demi-god's personality...just for kicks I'd make him a her and make her the textbook definition of the spoiled greedy Loli-Hime type character typical of manga/anime. (Everything is HERS, she wants it NOW and she'll take it no matter what.)

[prufock]

He is evil and the essence of greed. I don't want him to kill the players, maybe hurt them (not necessarily physically) in a way that will prompt the players to seek him out and put him back into the prison.

What I'm asking is, what would this demigod do to the players that will be memorable and infuriating?
http://i.imgur.com/KRUWlH2.gif
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/58/Larfleeze01.jpg/250px-Larfleeze01.jpg


One thought I had was that he would steal their souls in use in some vile creation. But what does it mean to the players to have no soul? Does a demigod have the power to do this?
Divine rank 0? Probably not, no. But I agree with everyone else, take their stuff. Not ALL of it, mind you, since that would be cruel. Take that thing each of them has worked for, poured a lot of WBL into, and gives them the bulk of their power. Have him fight them using those items (make sure he can use all at once, not 4 weapons or 4 pairs of boots). Perhaps make him an artificer, with the Extra Rings feat if he gets a cool ring from each of them. Have him plan to alter their weapons or strip them down to make his own items.

[goto124]

I still don't see how to get the players mad at the BBEG instead of you the DM. Because the latter would be awful.

[Tragak]

I still don't see how to get the players mad at the BBEG instead of you the DM. Because the latter would be awful. That's why I would ask them out-of-game what the BBEG could do that would anger the characters but make the players excited to go after him (as opposed to angering the characters and making the players frustrated when they "have to" go after him).

[goto124]

To be honest, taking away their equipment or, worse, player agency (even for a while) is more likely to make the players turn on their DM. A lot of bad DM stories surround the players losing equipment or agency.

[NevinPL]

Have him mostly ignore them, but have his plans constantly injure those they want to protect. This is a recipe for making them want to hurt him.
This.
Also:

Since I'm re-watching Angel - do to them, what Angelus did to Drusilla, or Buffy. What Faith\Buffy did to Buffy\Faith.
"Break" them (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BreakTheCutie)
Make them work for him, while they think they're working against him (think Tzentch: http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Tzeentch).
Put them in a No-win\impossible choice situation.



...textbook definition of the spoiled greedy Loli-Hime type character typical of manga/anime.
FMA has a guy named Greed, so no need for gender swap.

[Flickerdart]

Don't take their stuff. It's theirs, they'll get mad and rightly so.

Instead, the next time they assault an orcish fortress or whatever, have the orcs using wooden clubs and visibly outdated armour. Make it apparent (through descriptions and clues, or just have an orc tell them if interrogated) that a powerful creature of the demigod's description swept through their fortress and stole every weapon and also everything from the treasury, leaving them with scraps - and the PCs without their anticipated loot.

When the PCs return to the castle of the king who gave them the quest and promised a lavish reward, they see guards wielding wooden clubs...

[Nibbens]

Don't take their stuff. It's theirs, they'll get mad and rightly so.

Instead, the next time they assault an orcish fortress or whatever, have the orcs using wooden clubs and visibly outdated armour. Make it apparent (through descriptions and clues, or just have an orc tell them if interrogated) that a powerful creature of the demigod's description swept through their fortress and stole every weapon and also everything from the treasury, leaving them with scraps - and the PCs without their anticipated loot.

When the PCs return to the castle of the king who gave them the quest and promised a lavish reward, they see guards wielding wooden clubs...

This! LOL.

[VariSami]

Here's a thought, inspired by the original Greed from FMA:

Have the god claim ownership of the PCs on a metaphysical level. This is D&D we are talking about - such an announcement by a divine being is sure to have tangible effects albeit they might not be particularly obvious. Make sure that the players understand that on some level of their being, while they apparently retain their freedom, they belong to this evil god. Make sure that the god gloats its ownership and offers hints at its possible (but never certain) implications such as the final resting place of their souls despite alignment.