Creating Enemy NPCs

[Skyflare19]

My party, currently all level 3, are playing through a campaign that is somewhat varied, as the DM changes from session to session. This results in a minimum of 6 players, or a maximum of 8. I would like to pose a challenge to the party beyond that of random zombies and goblins. I have planned out an Oathbreaker Paladin, but am uncertain as to how I should level her in comparison to the party. Their first encounter, she was level 5 and was swiftly dispatched by the sorcerer and the warlock, so clearly she needs to be a bit more powerful, but how much? I also have given her a couple of items to decrease the effects of spells used against her. If anyone here can help me, that would be greatly appreciated.

[tomato]

Is this intended to be a tough boss fight, or a long-term campaign villain that recurs several times, or scares the party back?

If the former, I suggest equipping her with spells like Blink and Mirror Image to reduce the chance of getting one-shot by a Scorching Ray/Eldritch Blast combo, if you can.

If the latter, then it might be better to use illusion spells to start off with, let her get couple of words against the party out, and then give them a dummy encounter while she goes to slay the village elder or something equally dastardly. A smart villain will be where the party is not, or will have plans to annihilate the party utterly. Whether those succeed or not is obviously up to you, but make sure the groundwork plans exist to some extent.

[gfishfunk]

Using the DMG, there is a exp. multiplier that shows how much more deadly enemies are when grouped. 1 enemy = no mulitplier, 2-3 is multiplied by 1.5, etc.

For a larger group (+6 people), add 1 to 2 enemies...so 3 enemies = no multiplier, etc.

And then, I would never, never, NEVER have them face off against less than 3 enemies. Even single bosses - give them minions or summons or SOMETHING. Either control spells using saves never go off (trivializing character abilities) because the enemies are too strong, or they do go off and they trivialize the encounter. While that is generally true, it will be very apparent with a +6 player game.

Also, go with more enemies rather than single hard enemies because the burst damage on a major enemy that otherwise has the appropriate xp per the encounter can single-hit KO someone.

Best practices: major villains should have sustained AoE effects that move around, because with a large group of PCs you are definitely forcing movement and hitting folks and providing dynamic stuff.

[Skyflare19]

This is a recurring villain, and this will be her second encounter with the party. She is intentionally leading them into traps in order to mentally break as many of them as she can. Her combat with the party is brief usually. The first time, she was quickly brought to low health by their spells but was teleported out of the room, saving her. This time, she has set a series of traps, including an effect (that a friend of mine suggested) where if a spell is cast in a certain room, the floor will ignite, killing everyone in there instantly, including a three year old boy that she had kidnapped. In this room she will engage in close quarters combat with a poisoned weapon, after having used crown of madness to control a barbarian to attack an ally before the combat initiates.

A smart villain will be where the party is not, or will have plans to annihilate the party utterly.
As for being where the party is not, it is her goal to hunt down one of the party members. She mostly fights indirectly, so the big fight in this place will be against a couple of her undead minions and a ranger that she hired.

Thank you for the suggestions.

[Skyflare19]

Best practices: major villains should have sustained AoE effects that move around, because with a large group of PCs you are definitely forcing movement and hitting folks and providing dynamic stuff.

The problem here is that she is a Oathbreaker paladin, limiting her spellcasting ability. She comes prepared with scrolls and outside help from a deity that is using her, but mostly, she is a close combat paladin. She has Hellish Rebuke and Crown of Madness which I plan to use in the coming encounter, but she lacks any AoE spells. If you can make a suggestion for something that the deity can do to help her, that would be appreciated. I have only DMed a few sessions up to this point, and am fairly limited in my knowledge. It's challenging to find anything that can affect most of the party without it being an instant kill, which I would rather not have happen yet. The best that I can really manage right now are environmental obstacles and preventing spellcasting.