Blackfish
2015-02-03, 03:09 AM
Due to several of my players being on this forum, the following will be vague.
In the urban fantasy campaign I'm currently running, one of the players has stood up to the local wizard Sheriff in a very public way. They're in a small town, so this sort of thing is likely to be solved by violence (ultimately ending with them stomping the wizard Sheriff once they get through his hired help and prepared defenses).
One layer of his hired help is going to be demonic in nature, and I was hoping to get some insight on which of the following options to go with when deciding what to do with these villains for what is ultimately a bit part:
1. Disposable villains. The demons in question are a pair of disposable villains, only named in case the players actually ask or go through a roundabout method of defeating them involving learning their True Names. They'll assist the wizard Sheriff until the players defeat their minions and then them, which might be a bit tough but will no doubt happen pretty quickly. They're just a roadblock.
2. A villain cameo. Earlier in the game, the group managed to drive off a pretty strong demon who will actually be playing a part in plot way, way down the line and who works for a stronger demon yet. He wouldn't be able to actually be on Earth to fight the group, as the disposable villains would, but he would provide some minions to get in the group's way, and would teach them a few things about dimensional permeability and maybe give them a hint toward Hell's relations with Earth.
So what would your advice be? For a bit role that does nothing more than prove that the wizard Sheriff has demons on the payroll be to use disposable villains, mere cannon fodder, or to have a previous foe pop back in to snarl at them and bill for face time that could be cashed in down the road?
Would it be too coincidental for the cameo to occur, when the part could be just as easily filled by entirely nameless minions?
I appreciate any responses, because I'm floundering on something that should be a very small bridge between two different parts of the story.
In the urban fantasy campaign I'm currently running, one of the players has stood up to the local wizard Sheriff in a very public way. They're in a small town, so this sort of thing is likely to be solved by violence (ultimately ending with them stomping the wizard Sheriff once they get through his hired help and prepared defenses).
One layer of his hired help is going to be demonic in nature, and I was hoping to get some insight on which of the following options to go with when deciding what to do with these villains for what is ultimately a bit part:
1. Disposable villains. The demons in question are a pair of disposable villains, only named in case the players actually ask or go through a roundabout method of defeating them involving learning their True Names. They'll assist the wizard Sheriff until the players defeat their minions and then them, which might be a bit tough but will no doubt happen pretty quickly. They're just a roadblock.
2. A villain cameo. Earlier in the game, the group managed to drive off a pretty strong demon who will actually be playing a part in plot way, way down the line and who works for a stronger demon yet. He wouldn't be able to actually be on Earth to fight the group, as the disposable villains would, but he would provide some minions to get in the group's way, and would teach them a few things about dimensional permeability and maybe give them a hint toward Hell's relations with Earth.
So what would your advice be? For a bit role that does nothing more than prove that the wizard Sheriff has demons on the payroll be to use disposable villains, mere cannon fodder, or to have a previous foe pop back in to snarl at them and bill for face time that could be cashed in down the road?
Would it be too coincidental for the cameo to occur, when the part could be just as easily filled by entirely nameless minions?
I appreciate any responses, because I'm floundering on something that should be a very small bridge between two different parts of the story.