Albonor
2007-12-10, 12:41 PM
I am reaching the first third of a campaing I'm Dming (4th one in my setting) and I think my players should now the major players by then. I don't want them facing an important BBEG near the end of the game and wondering "who's that again?". I also am in favor of having a major plotline with "almost as major" ones along the way.
But, since I want to introduce right now who the "players" are, I need good villain ideas now, not next year. I'll give you a list of what I already have a a simple synopsis of the story and I would need your help for a few ideas.
The campain has a national scale, with a few neiboring countries intervening. It is a cosmopolitan nation, with 35% elves (1rst class citizens), 20% half-elves (2nd class), 35% humans (2nd class), 8% gnomes (merchants so disliked but very powerfull families) and 2% halfling and half-orcs(3rd class). the story revolves around the fact that the Blood War is curently on hold since the Devils, upon loosing major ground in an invasion of Hell (conlusion of the 3rd campain!), used a multiverse-shattering ritual to seal transportation by outsiders from plane to plane, except in the case of Summon Monster X, Planar Ally and the like(they get back to where the were the last time before the summon if anyting goes wrong, so no wizard has had to worry about casting magic circle when casting Planar Binding...not that they know why). But a few outsiders were on the material plane at the time, including a powerfull Balor who knew about the ritual. Since then (40 years ago), he rebuilt the Tanar'i cult (the Chain) in the country, eventually laying low and begining his plan: impregnate as many women with half-demon children to raise a small army of powerful half-fiends (not considered outsiders in my case since they were born on the mother's plane) and either use them to destroy and terrorise or, if things go really well, strike at Hell and break the ritual. The Chain is taking in those children and traning them. They also kindnap women for rape and pose as "defenders of freedom against an oppresive and corrupt regime".
But a DMPC, whose mother and sister have died giving birth to half-demons, will gradually start to believe that no power but the devils can hold off the demons and will progressivelly turn to them (who have influence in a secret society called The Dagger). That's about it for the setting and history.
Now, BBEG!
My 1rst "minor" major one has a level 12 elven necromanceress as BBEG, who has a tendency to be prepared for everything. She rules over a secret arcane society who practices forbiden magical research and has quite a few agents in the nation. The society itself is overall neutral but she's clearly NE.
My second minor major BBEG is an elven general, leading the Loyalists (agains the revolution and in favor of a return of the Elven Empire). He will probably be fighter 10/ranger 4 or so, with a few of his soldiers with him (elite guards, level 4, 10-15 of them).
They already know the location of a Old Black Dragon.
In my main storyline, they will encounter minor actors along the way but the main ones will be/have been:
- level 2 half-demon cleric X
- level 5 summoner X
- level 5/5 half-demon fighter/rogue (was meant to flee but wasn't very important and they got LUCKY....) X
- level 8 human cleric and a few (5-10) level 1 cultists.
- level 8/2 half-elf bard/fighter. CR 10 but come-on!
- (got tho fill that gap along the way)
- The conniving Bone Devil (cleric 3, fiend of Blasfemy 6) who's behind the DMPC corruption CR 18 but probably easier than that.
- The Balor himself (got rid of implosion, reduced the save DC by 2 and the sword is a +1 keen, unholy, flaming burst large longsword) CR 20 but the DMPC will help
- The DMPC: Cleric 12 / Ordained Champion 5, LE elf. CR 17 but well prepared.
The party consist of:
level 6 human Bard ( who will turn Paladin at level 8)
level 6 half-orc Druid
level 6 gnome necromancer (neutral, more of a tinkerer) (banned evocation and Abjuration)
level 3 fighter/3 ranger elven soldier.
None of them are, or wish to be, really optimised. Core-only helps for that.
i should bring them to the conclusion around level 16. The most powerful NPC in the country is a level 18 wizard and less than 100 people are over level 10 on a population over one million. The most powerful mortal on the surface of the world is about level 22 while the most powerfull mortal that ever lived was level 35 and completely out of proportion with the rest of the multiverse (Asmodeus is destroyed and was CR 40 at best).
I might accept another player in a few months. I run Core-only except for the prestige class (and everyone must agree around the table on that except for those of my NPCs). Magic his powerful and rare (no: buying magic items, paying a guy to do all the work for you, etc) so the characters will probably make one magic item each and that what I give them for the rest. In that effect, i got rid of all the craft feats except for Scribe Scrolls and Brew Potions.
I feel I could use a few good ideas. So, do I need to give the last BBEG any help? Do you have any cool ideas of a villain I could squeeze in there? Am I missing something? The stats matter a little but I'm mainly looking for concepts that will make my players say "oh crap!..." when they hear about them in-game.
Thanks in advance!
But, since I want to introduce right now who the "players" are, I need good villain ideas now, not next year. I'll give you a list of what I already have a a simple synopsis of the story and I would need your help for a few ideas.
The campain has a national scale, with a few neiboring countries intervening. It is a cosmopolitan nation, with 35% elves (1rst class citizens), 20% half-elves (2nd class), 35% humans (2nd class), 8% gnomes (merchants so disliked but very powerfull families) and 2% halfling and half-orcs(3rd class). the story revolves around the fact that the Blood War is curently on hold since the Devils, upon loosing major ground in an invasion of Hell (conlusion of the 3rd campain!), used a multiverse-shattering ritual to seal transportation by outsiders from plane to plane, except in the case of Summon Monster X, Planar Ally and the like(they get back to where the were the last time before the summon if anyting goes wrong, so no wizard has had to worry about casting magic circle when casting Planar Binding...not that they know why). But a few outsiders were on the material plane at the time, including a powerfull Balor who knew about the ritual. Since then (40 years ago), he rebuilt the Tanar'i cult (the Chain) in the country, eventually laying low and begining his plan: impregnate as many women with half-demon children to raise a small army of powerful half-fiends (not considered outsiders in my case since they were born on the mother's plane) and either use them to destroy and terrorise or, if things go really well, strike at Hell and break the ritual. The Chain is taking in those children and traning them. They also kindnap women for rape and pose as "defenders of freedom against an oppresive and corrupt regime".
But a DMPC, whose mother and sister have died giving birth to half-demons, will gradually start to believe that no power but the devils can hold off the demons and will progressivelly turn to them (who have influence in a secret society called The Dagger). That's about it for the setting and history.
Now, BBEG!
My 1rst "minor" major one has a level 12 elven necromanceress as BBEG, who has a tendency to be prepared for everything. She rules over a secret arcane society who practices forbiden magical research and has quite a few agents in the nation. The society itself is overall neutral but she's clearly NE.
My second minor major BBEG is an elven general, leading the Loyalists (agains the revolution and in favor of a return of the Elven Empire). He will probably be fighter 10/ranger 4 or so, with a few of his soldiers with him (elite guards, level 4, 10-15 of them).
They already know the location of a Old Black Dragon.
In my main storyline, they will encounter minor actors along the way but the main ones will be/have been:
- level 2 half-demon cleric X
- level 5 summoner X
- level 5/5 half-demon fighter/rogue (was meant to flee but wasn't very important and they got LUCKY....) X
- level 8 human cleric and a few (5-10) level 1 cultists.
- level 8/2 half-elf bard/fighter. CR 10 but come-on!
- (got tho fill that gap along the way)
- The conniving Bone Devil (cleric 3, fiend of Blasfemy 6) who's behind the DMPC corruption CR 18 but probably easier than that.
- The Balor himself (got rid of implosion, reduced the save DC by 2 and the sword is a +1 keen, unholy, flaming burst large longsword) CR 20 but the DMPC will help
- The DMPC: Cleric 12 / Ordained Champion 5, LE elf. CR 17 but well prepared.
The party consist of:
level 6 human Bard ( who will turn Paladin at level 8)
level 6 half-orc Druid
level 6 gnome necromancer (neutral, more of a tinkerer) (banned evocation and Abjuration)
level 3 fighter/3 ranger elven soldier.
None of them are, or wish to be, really optimised. Core-only helps for that.
i should bring them to the conclusion around level 16. The most powerful NPC in the country is a level 18 wizard and less than 100 people are over level 10 on a population over one million. The most powerful mortal on the surface of the world is about level 22 while the most powerfull mortal that ever lived was level 35 and completely out of proportion with the rest of the multiverse (Asmodeus is destroyed and was CR 40 at best).
I might accept another player in a few months. I run Core-only except for the prestige class (and everyone must agree around the table on that except for those of my NPCs). Magic his powerful and rare (no: buying magic items, paying a guy to do all the work for you, etc) so the characters will probably make one magic item each and that what I give them for the rest. In that effect, i got rid of all the craft feats except for Scribe Scrolls and Brew Potions.
I feel I could use a few good ideas. So, do I need to give the last BBEG any help? Do you have any cool ideas of a villain I could squeeze in there? Am I missing something? The stats matter a little but I'm mainly looking for concepts that will make my players say "oh crap!..." when they hear about them in-game.
Thanks in advance!