Let's brew a BBEG! [3.5]

[sengmeng]

I'm currently running a campaign for my son who's nine, and I have a couple of goals: keep it simple in most ways, but get him to really think about the nature of evil. So I was thinking that the eventual campaign defining villain will be a bog standard evil overlord who unites all the evil creatures, but I want to then emphasize how odd that is. So, the Big Bad should have some sort of protection from evil and ability to command evil creatures. That's all I've decided for now, so whoever has an idea for the rest of his (or her) stats/build/items, brew away! I was vaguely thinking the immunity/control should come from an evil artifact or pair of artifacts.

TL;DR version: brew me me a way for an evil creature to be completely protected from other evil creatures and command them.


Edit: so far I've come up with this for him:

Regalia of EVIL
This magic crown takes up the headband/helmet slot. It appears to be a simple band of black metal with bones mounted in it. It does not change the AC bonus of a suit of armor whose helmet it replaces. The wearer of the crown gains many undead immunities and the Lichloved Vile feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. The wearer is immune to level drain, death effects, negative energy, Constitution damage, disease, and gains fortification 50% (negates sneak attack damage and a critical hit's extra damage 50% of the time). The wearer also gains the ability to rebuke undead as a cleric of 15th level plus any actual cleric levels or effective cleric levels he has, except he commands any undead that would have been rebuked. The crown gives the wearer a +4 profane bonus to Diplomacy and Intimidate checks against free-willed undead. Good creatures who put on the crown gain a negative level, and it cannot be negated or removed in any way except by taking off the crown. This never results in actual level loss.
The Scepter of Command functions as a +1 unholy flaming light mace. It appears like a black metal royal scepter, with a flat surface with a raised symbol on top of the "head." In conjunction with the flaming quality, this symbol can be used to brand creatures. The brand gives the "victim" resistance 10 to all energy damage, DR 10/good, and the Vile feats Willing Deformity and Evil Brand, plus one additional Vile feat from among those that have Willing Deformity as a prerequisite, chosen randomly. They are also subject to an effect like the command spell with a DC 16 will save, which the wielder of the scepter can use as a free action and can use on all creatures with the brand within 100 feet. The wielder must give all creatures the same command. The DC increases to 20 if the command is "kneel." The wielder can also choose to deal 1d6 vile damage to any number of the branded creatures as a free action once per round. This ability has no range limit. The branding ritual must be done to a willing or helpless subject, takes a full-round action, provokes an attack of opportunity, and deals 1d6 fire damage to the victim. The brand only takes effect if the creature suffers the fire damage. The wielder can also brand themselves to gain the benefits and is not subject to the downsides.
This +4 full plate is fashioned to make the wearer appear to be a demon. The helmet is shaped to look like a horned demon head, and its wearer looks out of the open, tooth-filled mouth. The gauntlets are shaped as filth-dripping claws that strike as +1 weapons and deal 1d10 points of damage, giving the wearer two claw attacks at their highest Base Attack Bonus as a full attack, or allowing them to attack with a one-handed weapon and one claw, with the claw attack at -5. Those struck by the claw are afflicted as if by a contagion spell (Fortitude DC 14 negates). The two-weapon fighting feat foes not modify the the penalty for attacking with a weapon and the claw. The wearer also gains DR 50/Good, and Spell Resistance 50 against spells cast by evil creatures, spells with the evil descriptor, and spell-like abilities of evil creatures. The wearer of the Overlord's Plate gains a negative level if they are not evil, and it cannot be negated or removed in any way except by taking off the armor. This never results in actual level loss.

[Beelzebub1111]

Sahuagin make great BBEGs and are often overlooked. Perhaps they have a deal with a costal orcish tribe, giving them sunken gold in exchange for extending the influence of their dark god on land.

[Debihuman]

BBEG should be able to dominate/subjugate/intimidate other evil dudes into his schemes. Patsies, cohorts, minions and the like would slavishly follow him. He's not a jerk and treats his underlings well but also has a big stick should they fall out of line. It's the you catch more flies with honey than vinegar adage. That said, he's still EVIL and has bad intentions toward anyone who gets in his way. What is his goal? Is he trying to usurp power from a more legitimate ruler? Is he looking to increase personal wealth or a weapon of particular power? Greed for power, wealth and status often is the underlying reason for becoming a BBEG in the first place.

Sociopaths and psychopaths make great villains (this might prove helpful: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wicked-deeds/201401/how-tell-sociopath-psychopath).

The best way to be immune to the evil of other creatures is to either dazzle them with brilliance or baffle them with Bluff. High Int and Cha are almost essential for the best BBEGs. A willingness to share at least some of his spoils doesn't hurt either as the appearance of generosity can go a long ways in creating utter devotion from one's minions.

Kobolds and goblins are always good fodder. They are loyal (to a point -- usually when faced with torture and/or possibility of death) and aren't necessarily good about keeping their mouths shut (a smart villain knows they won't keep secrets and so plies them with false information so they have something to blab when the good guys come snooping around). Evil guys lie and use dirty tricks. They plan ambushes, they use hit and run techniques. In short, they do not play fair.

I think rather than hitting with a BBEG (and having your son be overwhelmed with just how rotten BBEGs can be), use it as a teachable moment. Let him learn the tactics of evil guys so he can figure out how to defeat them. At the end of it, it still has to be fun for your kid so I think that should be your focus. Honestly, a big ole mystery to solve (ala Scooby Doo) can be fun. It's instantly relatable and it rewards the heroes when BBEG is unmasked. Also, villains who learn to run away tend to live longer. Cowardice is a survival skill.

Do you intend for this villain to be a recurring NPC or just a one-shot?

Debby

[sengmeng]

BBEG should be able to dominate/subjugate/intimidate other evil dudes into his schemes. Patsies, cohorts, minions and the like would slavishly follow him. He's not a jerk and treats his underlings well but also has a big stick should they fall out of line. It's the you catch more flies with honey than vinegar adage. That said, he's still EVIL and has bad intentions toward anyone who gets in his way. What is his goal? Is he trying to usurp power from a more legitimate ruler? Is he looking to increase personal wealth or a weapon of particular power? Greed for power, wealth and status often is the underlying reason for becoming a BBEG in the first place.

Sociopaths and psychopaths make great villains (this might prove helpful: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wicked-deeds/201401/how-tell-sociopath-psychopath).

The best way to be immune to the evil of other creatures is to either dazzle them with brilliance or baffle them with Bluff. High Int and Cha are almost essential for the best BBEGs. A willingness to share at least some of his spoils doesn't hurt either as the appearance of generosity can go a long ways in creating utter devotion from one's minions.

Kobolds and goblins are always good fodder. They are loyal (to a point -- usually when faced with torture and/or possibility of death) and aren't necessarily good about keeping their mouths shut (a smart villain knows they won't keep secrets and so plies them with false information so they have something to blab when the good guys come snooping around). Evil guys lie and use dirty tricks. They plan ambushes, they use hit and run techniques. In short, they do not play fair.

I think rather than hitting with a BBEG (and having your son be overwhelmed with just how rotten BBEGs can be), use it as a teachable moment. Let him learn the tactics of evil guys so he can figure out how to defeat them. At the end of it, it still has to be fun for your kid so I think that should be your focus. Honestly, a big ole mystery to solve (ala Scooby Doo) can be fun. It's instantly relatable and it rewards the heroes when BBEG is unmasked. Also, villains who learn to run away tend to live longer. Cowardice is a survival skill.

Do you intend for this villain to be a recurring NPC or just a one-shot?

Debby

Unfortunately, while I mostly agree with everything you've said, it's not really what I'm looking for. What I had in mind is that he really has some sort of way to be protected from evil, maybe DR 50/Good and SR 50 against spells and effects from evil creatures (probably undead-commanding abilities too) and he's really just evil to the core and intimidates (and otherwise mistreats) evil creatures because they can't harm him. I want him to be so bad that the plot culminates in some of his lieutenants betraying him and asking the heroes for help (that's where I want the complicated lesson on evil to start). I want his motivation to be simple, like stamping out good because good is the only threat against him and then ruling the world. I was also thinking of having a single ultimate evil god in the setting who gets sick of evil not working together and gave the BBEG the item or ability that makes him safe from evil creatures.

So I have most of his backstory and motivation already planned, I just don't have his flavor.

[Beelzebub1111]

The Lord of Dead Leigons prestiege class for the Knight of Dullahan class in my discription fits what you're going for really well. Those that don't get with his program he kills and animates their bodies to fight anyway.

Maybe he crafts a contingent Animate Dead on his soldiers so that when they die, they still serve him.

[sengmeng]

The Lord of Dead Leigons prestiege class for the Knight of Dullahan class in my discription fits what you're going for really well. Those that don't get with his program he kills and animates their bodies to fight anyway.

Maybe he crafts a contingent Animate Dead on his soldiers so that when they die, they still serve him.

That's pretty flavorful. I'll probably keep that in mind, especially the undead-related abilities.

What would a creature need to be nearly unkillable by evil creatures, to the point that his evil minions would need to seek out good heroes to kill their boss?

[Debihuman]

What kind of game are you playing that you would ever need DR/50 good? What level is this? For a 9-year old?

Debby

[johnbragg]

What kind of game are you playing that you would ever need DR/50 good? What level is this? For a 9-year old?

Debby

The DR 50/good is why his minions can't gang up on him and take him down. So they need the Hero and his friends to help them take down the Big Bad.

How about an artifact from an old Empire. Minions who swear fealty through the Imperial Sceptre get bonuses, but the price is that they cannot raise a hand against the bonded Wielder of the Scepter.
(This works well with Beezlebub1011's contingent Animate Dead idea. Flip through the books for a suitable death-knight type undead template, and there you are.)

That way, the evil minions have to choose servitude in the first place, but then they come to regret the bargain later.

[sengmeng]

The DR 50/good is why his minions can't gang up on him and take him down. So they need the Hero and his friends to help them take down the Big Bad.

How about an artifact from an old Empire. Minions who swear fealty through the Imperial Sceptre get bonuses, but the price is that they cannot raise a hand against the bonded Wielder of the Scepter.
(This works well with Beezlebub1011's contingent Animate Dead idea. Flip through the books for a suitable death-knight type undead template, and there you are.)

That way, the evil minions have to choose servitude in the first place, but then they come to regret the bargain later.

Yeah, this.

But to answer the salient questions: he's only level 2 right now, but he's also years from getting to the heart of the conspiracy. He's dealing with goblins who are being bullied into attacking humans by an orc tribe. They're like six degrees of separation from the BBEG. He's not even a whisper to the PC yet. I just want to get some of his details hammered out to guide me in the next step.

[MoleMage]

The DR 50/good is why his minions can't gang up on him and take him down. So they need the Hero and his friends to help them take down the Big Bad.

How about an artifact from an old Empire. Minions who swear fealty through the Imperial Sceptre get bonuses, but the price is that they cannot raise a hand against the bonded Wielder of the Scepter.
(This works well with Beezlebub1011's contingent Animate Dead idea. Flip through the books for a suitable death-knight type undead template, and there you are.)

That way, the evil minions have to choose servitude in the first place, but then they come to regret the bargain later.

You could give the artifact healing powers that automatically bind the life of the healed to the Sceptre. So either they swear fealty and get bonuses, or refuse and his current legions of the sworn beat them within an inch of life, and he heals them, bonding their life to his. Kinda like living undead; they're only up and around because he says so.

[sengmeng]

Ok, how about modifying the DMG's Demon Armor into an artifact.

This +4 full plate is fashioned to make the wearer appear to be a demon. The helmet is shaped to look like a horned demon head, and its wearer looks out of the open, tooth-filled mouth. The gauntlets are shaped as filth-dripping claws that strike as +1 weapons and deal 1d10 points of damage, giving the wearer two claw attacks at their highest Base Attack Bonus as a full attack, or allowing them to attack with a one-handed weapon and one claw, with the claw attack at -5. Those struck by the claw are afflicted as if by a contagion spell (Fortitude DC 14 negates). The two-weapon fighting feat foes not modify the the penalty for attacking with a weapon and the claw. The wearer also gains DR 50/Good, and Spell Resistance 50 against spells cast by evil creatures, spells with the evil descriptor, and spell-like abilities of evil creatures. The wearer of the Overlord's Plate gains a negative level if they are not evil, and it cannot be negated or removed in any way except by taking off the armor. This never results in actual level loss.

Ideas on a weapon? I like the idea of a scepter, especially if it is also essentially a mace.

Heck, let's brew up a whole regalia of evil.

[johnbragg]

Adapting the demon armor works fine. I still say, though, that instead of all the bad guys just following the BBEG because he has the armor and they can't touch him, they accept his Overlordship in some sort of ritual that gives Minions of the OVerlord some sort of crunch benefit.

Free willed undead status is a partial benefit. ("Free will" within the limits of absolute obedience to the Overlord, of course). But that doesn't help Ugg the chieftain of the Blood Ogres here-and-now in his rivalry with Grag the chieftain of the Scar Ogres and Helmak the chieftain of the Skull Ogres. PFSRD has templates, maybe Half-Fiendish or Element-Infused?

[sengmeng]

Adapting the demon armor works fine. I still say, though, that instead of all the bad guys just following the BBEG because he has the armor and they can't touch him, they accept his Overlordship in some sort of ritual that gives Minions of the OVerlord some sort of crunch benefit.

Free willed undead status is a partial benefit. ("Free will" within the limits of absolute obedience to the Overlord, of course). But that doesn't help Ugg the chieftain of the Blood Ogres here-and-now in his rivalry with Grag the chieftain of the Scar Ogres and Helmak the chieftain of the Skull Ogres. PFSRD has templates, maybe Half-Fiendish or Element-Infused?

Ok,I think I got it.

The Scepter of Command functions as a +1 flaming light mace. It appear like a black metal royal scepter, with a flat surface with a raised symbol on top of the "head." In conjunction with the flaming quality, this symbol can be used to brand creatures. The brand gives the "victim" resistance 10 to all energy damage, DR 10/good, and the Vile feats Willing Deformity and Evil Brand, plus one additional Vile feat from among those that have Willing Deformity as a prerequisite, chosen randomly. They are also subject to an effect like the command spell with a DC 16 will save, which the wielder of the scepter can use as a free action and can use on all creatures with the brand within 100 feet. The wielder must give all creatures the same command. The DC increases to 20 if the command is "kneel." The wielder can also choose to deal 1d6 vile damage to any of the branded creatures as a free action once per round. He can affect all the branded creatures, a specific one, or any within the group. This ability has no range limit. The branding ritual must be done to a willing or helpless subject, takes a full-round action, provokes an attack of opportunity, and deals 1d6 fire damage to the victim. The brand only takes effect if the creature suffers the fire damage. The wielder can also brand themselves to gain the benefits and is not subject to the downsides.

I don't think it's too crazy, it would help with Grag of the Scar Ogres (not sure about Helmak, though), and it makes it very hard to oppose the overlord, but leaves a little freedom to betray him. Anyone think of some secondary powers for it?

I'm thinking of a crown for the undead commanding abilities.

[johnbragg]

Ok,I think I got it.

The Scepter of Command functions as a +1 flaming light mace. It appear like a black metal royal scepter, with a flat surface with a raised symbol on top of the "head." In conjunction with the flaming quality, this symbol can be used to brand creatures. The brand gives the "victim" resistance 10 to all energy damage, and DR 10/good. They are also subject to an effect like the command spell with a DC 16 will save, which the wielder of the scepter can use as a free action and can use on all creatures with the brand within 100 feet. The wielder must give all creatures the same command. The DC increases to 20 if the command is "kneel." The wielder can also choose to deal 1d6 vile damage to any of the branded creatures as a free action once per round. He can affect all the branded creatures, a specific one, or any within the group. This ability has no range limit. The branding ritual must be done to a willing or helpless subject, takes a full-round action, provokes an attack of opportunity, and deals 1d6 fire damage to the victim. The brand only takes effect if the creature suffers the fire damage. The wielder can also brand themselves to gain the benefits and is not subject to the downsides.

I don't think it's too crazy, it would help with Grag of the Scar Ogres (not sure about Helmak, though), and it makes it very hard to oppose the overlord, but leaves a little freedom to betray him. Anyone think of some secondary powers for it?

I'm thinking of a crown for the undead commanding abilities.

I like it. If I were running the campaign, I would have the Scepter of Command give a variety of abilities, just to keep the monsters varied. I think you want your Hero to hesitate at least a little when he sees one of the branded minions of the overlord, and he's going to walk through DR 10/good. (Wait--are you applying that as Good, spell or energy subtype, or good-aligned?) PFSRD has about a dozen different solid CR+1 templates, plus just "free level of sorcerer/barbarian/monk/warlock/dragonfire adept".

[sengmeng]

I like it. If I were running the campaign, I would have the Scepter of Command give a variety of abilities, just to keep the monsters varied. I think you want your Hero to hesitate at least a little when he sees one of the branded minions of the overlord, and he's going to walk through DR 10/good. (Wait--are you applying that as Good, spell or energy subtype, or good-aligned?) PFSRD has about a dozen different solid CR+1 templates, plus just "free level of sorcerer/barbarian/monk/warlock/dragonfire adept".

I always assume that DR x/Good means you need a good-aligned weapon. I added to the brand's effects to include the feats Evil Brand (duh), Willing Deformity, and a random additional Deformity feat. So it nets them three Vile feats, which could be huge because I know there's also at least one Vile feat out there which grants a bonus that scales with the number of Vile feats you have. I also like the idea that it warps the victim's body, and has different possibilities for how that takes shape. The two feats add a total of +5 to Intimidate checks against evil creatures, +2 to Diplomacy checks against evil creatures, and a +3 to Intimidate checks against anyone, so it's slightly helpful for evil leaders.

Working on the crown now.

Crown of Undeath added to first post.

So, we have the suit of the evil overlord... who's inside it?