Building a better BBEG (my players stay out)

[Demons_eye]

In a up coming game The BBEG is a normal man who if RICH. So rich he wants to become a god. The players will have to run around the world to grab/destroy things before he can get them. (rich=infanate money but not geting silly with it)

The BBEG will start with no levels in anthing till a point in the game were he is thrown into a arcane pool and made into a Sorcerer//bard (maybe?).

His right hand man is a duskblade//warblade he found at birth and had him trained in the arts.

1. Game is starting at 10 so what level should a BBEG start at (once he is thrown into the pool I dont plan on the players get but maybe 2 levels befor that)? As said he is rich so what gear should he get?

2. How would you build the duskblade//warblade?

[mr.fizzypop]

Definitely give him a lot of magic weapons, scrolls, and items.
He should have a bit of levels in aristocrat before hand, so he's not completely helpless.

[Demons_eye]

Any ideas on the spells? This will be my first time geting this high in levels.

[lsfreak]

Which kind of rich or you going for - Hollywood consumer, or 19th-century-empire capitalist? The former spends a lot, the latter hardly spends anything (after all, as soon as you buy something it starts losing value).

Also, just want to point out... how would someone with no class levels train a right-hand man? Just wanting to make sure the guy didn't hand-train his protege when he has no training himself.

Don't know enough about warblades/duskblades to help. For the sorcerer, I can see him being heavy into disabling stuff so that he doesn't risk damaging that shiny magic sword the fighter has.

EDIT: Grammar.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

For the guard, I recommend Barbarian 1/Fighter 1/Warblade 10/Crusader 1//Duskblade 7/Arcane PrC 6
That gets you 6th level Warblade maneuvers, 4th level Crusader maneuvers, Rage, Arcane Channel, full BAB, 11d12+2d10 HD and a nice combo of Saves. Not to mention being SAD and being able to key anything off of Concentration.

For the main caster, Sorc/Bard is weaksauce. Sorc/Marshall makes more sense for a leader, but I'd probably go Blaster Sorc//Scout/Rogue. So many d6s.

[Hida Reju]

It depends on if you want your characters to have a real challenge or not.

My recomendation is make the BBEG a gestalt character and make him both a Sorcerer and a Bard at the same time.

This will make the party really work for it.

[lvl 1 fighter]

A BBEG with access to God's Wallet is maybe not the best idea. While the party may be APL 12, he can afford security measures and disposable items that duplicate spells and effects way beyond the ability or resources of the party.

Scrolls and Staffs of your favorite 9th level spells are no problem for this guy. If whatever his heart desires isn't available locally, he can just Planeshift to Sigil (or equivalent mega planer city) and buy or custom order literally anything.

His fortress would have the best magical protections money could buy, with the spells cast at the highest caster level he could afford (i.e. epic).

Just sayin'.

For the bodyguard, I would make him a battlefield control terror. Crusaders are good for that.

[Cheesegear]

1. Game is starting at 10 so what level should a BBEG start at (once he is thrown into the pool I dont plan on the players get but maybe 2 levels befor that)? As said he is rich so what gear should he get?

A BBEG should be (roughly) the level you expect the players to be when they finally fight him, plus the number of players, playing.

So, if I have 5 level 10 Players, my BBEG should be level 15. Adjust (lower) if you plan on him having spellcaster levels.

For you, I really like the Kubota-style kind of villain. Level 8 Aristocrat (or Bard), all other levels in Spymaster (Complete Adventurer). Comes complete with awesomeness and anti-scrying skills. Your players can even meet with him directly and not even know it!

2. How would you build the duskblade//warblade?

Gestalting a Dusk/Warblade would get rather powerful, rather quickly.

Combat Reflexes, Glaive (or Halberd) and Vampiric Touch. Repeat.
True Strike and Power Attack. Repeat. Ray of Enfeeblement wont hurt either.

[Narmoth]

Bracers of defence for the AC (he's not proficient with armour).
Give him items that let's him regenerate hp.
Have spells cast on him with permanency
Give him an incorporeal bodyguard

[krossbow]

One, have him constantly have a bodyguard around who's ONLY job is to cast shield other on him and heal him. Secondly, have a Fighter with a tower shield stand in front of him. In combat play a "dance" game with the fighter and the villain; villain will 5 foot step out from behind total cover and cast a spell with a magic item, after which the fighter will immidiately 5 foot back in front of him to provide total cover for the villian.






Next, make him a pure bard! Dress him in black and give him a fiddle. If your going for a character for whom power is money, then show it with minions! lots and LOTS of minions; minions to hear your tunes and be inspired with the buff (even a +1 hit/damage buff means ALOT when spread around 20 archers)
Not to mention nothing's snazzier than a sharply dressed guys playing a fiddle.


As for what spells to use though, just read up on the batman wizard. Simply have him buy scrolls and do everything a batman wizard would; hell, just pretend he's a wizard who uses money to prepare spells.

[Harperfan7]

Another idea you may want to consider, maybe the BBEG has UMD as a class skill and is obsessed with magic items, and being so rich, can get ahold of some really good ones. He can stay an aristocrat or whatever and still blast the pcs to pieces. If they are 10th+ he'll need something really powerful, like a staff (or maybe double wand wielder, or both).

[Kaihaku]

Why not an Artificer?

Also, there's an epic feat that doubles magical item slot usage, maybe you could bend the rules and give him something along those lines for double the necklaces/what not.

[Demons_eye]

A BBEG with access to God's Wallet is maybe not the best idea. While the party may be APL 12, he can afford security measures and disposable items that duplicate spells and effects way beyond the ability or resources of the party.

He wont kill them, he needs them for the ritual.
AS for the epic item feat, looking into it.

Any more help? I dont know the players classes yet. There are only 2 of them maybe 3. I want to have them work for it.

On another note, while talking to one of the players I told him you can be good or bad just dont kill each other! And I might have seeded the join the bad guy idea! What kind of Big Bad Good Guy should I make?

P.S. thanks everyone so far

[Prometheus]

There is a homebrew class known as the Noble which might be a good figure for how extra wealth transfers into difficulty of an encounter and what kind of abilities he should have. For out-of-combat events, of course, your BBEG would have considerably more resources.

Otherwise Artificer is a good option.