I need a quick and easy low CR villain

[BisectedBrioche]

Basically I've convinced my flat mates to play D&D, I've drawn out a dungeon but I can't think of a low CR boss to give them (1-3). The BBEG basically kidnapped some local politicions so they can't be anythig mindless, has anyone got any suggestions?

[Zenos]

Basically I've convinced my flat mates to play D&D, I've drawn out a dungeon but I can't think of a low CR boss to give them (1-3). The BBEG basically kidnapped some local politicions so they can't be anythig mindless, has anyone got any suggestions?

Ogre with above average INT and maybe a level in sorcerer or warlock? Or maybe a kobold sorcerer. Or a evil elf wizard. Many possibilities.

[Balkash]

i use http://www.aarg.net/~minam/npc2.cgi
heres what i got.

Name: Barlinn
Alignment: Neutral evil
Gender: Male
Race: Dwarf
Height: 4' 5"
Weight: 186 lbs

Strength: 18 (+4)
Dexterity: 18 (+4)
Constitution: 16 (+3)
Intelligence: 14 (+2)
Wisdom: 12 (+1)
Charisma: 11 (+0)

Hit Points: 4d10+12 (37)
Armor Class: 14 (+4 Dex)
Speed: 20 ft.
Initiative: +8 (+4 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
CR: 4
Total Gear Value: 3,300 gp

Classes:
Fighter 4


Saving Throws:
Fortitude: +7 (+4 Base, +3 Con)
Reflex: +5 (+1 Base, +4 Dex)
Will: +2 (+1 Base, +1 Wis)

Attack Bonuses:
Melee: +8 (+4 Base, +4 Str)
Ranged: +8 (+4 Base, +4 Dex)

Languages:
Common
Dwarven
Giant
Undercommon


Skills Points:
Fighter 28


Skills:
Craft (Armorsmithing) +4 (+2 Int, +2 Racial)
Craft (Blacksmithing) +4 (+2 Int, +2 Racial)
Craft (Stonemasonry) +10 (+6 Rank, +2 Int, +2 Racial)
Craft (Trapmaking) +4 (+2 Int, +2 Racial)
Craft (Weaponsmithing) +4 (+2 Int, +2 Racial)
Handle Animal +7 (+7 Rank)
Hide +4 (+4 Dex)
Intimidate +5 (+5 Rank)
Jump +7 (+3 Rank, +4 Str)
Listen +1 (+1 Wis)
Move Silently +4 (+4 Dex)
Ride +8 (+4 Rank, +4 Dex)
Spot +1 (+1 Wis)
Use Magic Device +1.5 (+1.5 Rank)


Feats:
Blind-Fight
Combat Reflexes
Improved Initiative
Mounted Combat
Power Attack

[Fizban]

Ogre? CR 3, pretty iconic.

Wyrmling chromatic dragon? Looks like all except red are in that range.

[Kioran]

That depends on how deadly you want your boss. I´d say you let him be a lvl 3 Warrior, with maybe 2 lvl 1 Experts thrown in as henchmen. The henchmen can do various stuff, the Warrior can hit but will probably not do terrible damage, and all in all the group might very well defeat them after some fight, without dead Characters. Make him some local gang-leader. Or use a Cleric 2 and give him good gear, maybe 1,5k, as loot for the players.

That is, if you´re first timers. These are all pretty suboptimal, and thus nice and fitting. If you want twinkage, ask the rest of the Forum.

[TheThan]

I'd do an ogre leading a pack of goblins or hobgoblins.

[RTGoodman]

I like goblinoids as low-level enemies, so maybe a pack of goblins with a bugbear leading them? He's CR 2, and then a couple of goblins with a level of Rogue should bring it up nicely.

Also, if you want, you can have them be holding the politicians for ransom, and that way the encounter could be solved by either diplomacy or combat (which will make any bards feel better about themselves).

[Frosty]

I'd say a level 3 Warlock.

[BisectedBrioche]

OK, I've gone for a 2nd level CE cleric with two zombies in the room (he's already cast hide from undead on himself so he won't need to command them) and hostages in a cage at the back. I'll have him wear half plate armour and a darkwood shield and carry a masterwork light mace as treasure.

[Kioran]

OK, I've gone for a 2nd level CE cleric with two zombies in the room (he's already cast hide from undead on himself so he won't need to command them) and hostages in a cage at the back. I'll have him wear half plate armour and a darkwood shield and carry a masterwork light mace as treasure.

Sounds all quite nice. Maybe a cleric of Vecna or Erythnul that went of the rocker, trying to take over. Have him buff himself a little before the fight if the PCs give him warning (resistance + Virtue, while cantrips, can make a difference). I don´t think he´ll last long or outlast the PCs, ut can be reasonably dangerous, especially if you use Inflict light wounds. Not lethal, but certainly dangerous.

Should be a short(1-3 rounds) and brutal fight, but leave the PCs alive (one might be down, but probably not dead) unless they have rotten luck or go toe-to-toe with the Cleric while still injured.

[its_all_ogre]

OK, I've gone for a 2nd level CE cleric with two zombies in the room (he's already cast hide from undead on himself so he won't need to command them) and hostages in a cage at the back. I'll have him wear half plate armour and a darkwood shield and carry a masterwork light mace as treasure.

where did the zombies come from?
for a starting adventure should be ok, but details like zombies that come from nowhere annoy the hell out of me as player and dm.
maybe just me though

[BisectedBrioche]

where did the zombies come from?
for a starting adventure should be ok, but details like zombies that come from nowhere annoy the hell out of me as player and dm.
maybe just me though

Ahem: Cage full of Hostages + Evil Cleric = ?

Can you complete the equation?

[Mephisto]

Ahem: Cage full of Hostages + Evil Cleric = ?

Can you complete the equation?

The point of hostages is that they can be redeemed for cash and prizes, like arcade machine tickets. There's no profit in turning them into zombies.

Now, if the villain had charmed/dominated a few of the hostages to fight for him, that's smart business.

[Necromas]

He's a CE cleric BBEG, he doesn't need a reason to have undead minions.

[BisectedBrioche]

BTW, if anyone wants to see what I have so far;

Layout sketch:

Spoiler

Show

S = Secret room (hidden door)
H = Hidden room (illusionary wall)
||| = stairs

Background: the PCs respond to cries for help from the town hall. They find a gang of kobolds dragging away some unconcious polititions. After they manage to save a couple of them they are offered 50gp to rescue each of the 10 they failed to save plus a bonus (100gp) after all the hostages are dead or rescued. They track the kobolds to a nearby cave.

1. 4 kobolds hidden behind barricade will attack with bows once the PCs enter. Treasure: 50gp
2. Prison with separate cells. One contains a dying human (1 hp left of 21) who will inform the PCs his friend in the next cell has part of a broken key needed to get deeper into the dungeon. The man in the next cell has been killed and raised as a zombie. The living human can be saved.
3. Hidden room, chest trapped with a poisoned needle (CR 1; mechanical; touch trigger; manual reset; Atk +8 ranged (1 plus greenblood oil poison); Search DC 22; Disable Device DC 20). Contains Everburning Torch and 2x Smokesticks.
4. 2 goblins are in this room, if one is defeated then another two will attack from the room behind the hidden door. Goblins have a total of 1000 cp (10gp).
5. 2x Basic arrow traps (CR 1; mechanical; proximity trigger; manual reset; Atk +10 ranged (1d6/×3, arrow); Search DC 20; Disable Device DC 20) set to go off when door is opened. Room contains masterwork longsword.
6. 3 zombies (former hostages in room) one has the second part of the key.
7. When a character comes within 5 ft. they will be ambushed by two kobolds (one armed with a bow, the other with a sword). The room contains a suit of studded leather armour and each kobold has 40gp on them.
8. Upon entering the room the (un-named) boss will be standing there. He will taunt the PCs by dropping the third and final piece of the key ("Here's the key to my dungeons, for all the good it'll do you" or words to that effect) and raise 8 dead kobolds (the same one's he had drag off the hostages) as zombies to attack the PCs (it will be assumed that he created the zombies before hand and used some sort of enchantment to keep them "on ice"). All 3 parts of the key are needed to open the door to stairs C.
9. Wide corridor. Razor wire is stretched along it (CR 1; mechanical; location trigger; no reset; Atk +10 melee (2d6, wire); multiple targets (first target in each of two adjacent 5-ft. squares); Search DC 22; Disable Device DC 15). Once the razor wire trap is set off or disabled then the door to stairs B snaps open (the idea being that the wire's main purpose was to hold the door shut and using it as a trap was an after-thought).
10. Empty room, secret door is opened by solving puzzle in rooms 11 and 12.
11/12. There is a goblin in each room guarding a switch in each room. The switches are placed at X with a series of gears along the wall disappearing at the door to 10. When a switch is pulled the gears will start to move and the secret door will wobble a bit (asuming the PCs are there to see it of course). If both switches are press the door will open.
13. The boss is in thie room with two zombies wandering around and 3 hostages in a cage at the back (10x10ft. in the bottom left corner). See below for stats. The boss has a suit of masterwork half plate, a darkwood shield and a masterwork light mace. The hostages are of course worth 50gp each when rescued (giving a total of 300 if you include the hostage from room 2 and the bonus).

The Boss

Spoiler

Show

Level 2 Human Cleric (domains chaos and death)
Medium Humanoid
HP: 15
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +0
Scores: Con 15, Str 13, Dex 11, Int 11, Cha 14, Wis 16
AC: 10 + 9 (8, Masterwork half plate + 1, darkwood shield)
BAB: +1 (masterwork light mace 1d6+1)

Spells: Death Touch*, Hide from Undead* Cause Fear, Resistance, Guidance, Cure Minor Wounds, Bane, Sheild of Faith, Doom
*already cast/used

Combat

As soon as the door opens he will cast buffs on himself (in the order: Sheild of Faith, Resistance and Guidance). He has already cast Hide From Undead on himself and will not bother to command the two zombies in the room (prefering to just let them distract the PCs). If he is prevented from casting any of his buffs he will do so at the first oppotunity. When the PCs enter the room he will cast bane. Next he will cast Cause Fear on the most dangerous looking PC (i.e. whoever has the most armour). He will then cast doom on the next most powerful member (or the most powerful if he made his save against Cause fear). He will then attack with his mace, healing himself with CMW if he drops to 10 hp. If he drops to 5 hp then he will attmept to open the cage and use one of the hostages with a shield (this will cause him to spend around fumbling around under his armour for the key).

[Voyager_I]

Is your BBEG really going to survive five rounds of preparation from the moment your PC's walk in the room? He's only level two.

[TheOOB]

I find warmages, beguilers, dread necromancers, and duskblades make good villians. Spellcasters are more mysterious and threatening, but a caster with a tightly constrained list is much easier to make quickly. Of course a sorcerer at level 2-4 is easy to make in under 5 minutes too.

[wadledo]

Seems great, though I would (unless you've got a band-aid cleric) add a healy potion or two to the mix somewhere in the dungeon.

[BisectedBrioche]

Is your BBEG really going to survive five rounds of preparation from the moment your PC's walk in the room? He's only level two.

The PCs'll have to solve a puzzle in another room first, I'm hoping that he'll have a couple of rounds to cast his buffs then the last two will be part of his attack pattern. If it doesn't work out I can always change his attack pattern and wing it.

Seems great, though I would (unless you've got a band-aid cleric) add a healy potion or two to the mix somewhere in the dungeon.

I don't know if any of them are going to be playing a cleric. I might just have them get given a healing potion or two as a "down payment" from the questgiver if they don't.

My main goal is to make sure my flat mates enjoy themself enough to play again, so I've tried to include a simple but satifying puzzle (the answer's fairly obvious but they'll be lead to it by visual cues so it'll seem like they had to really think about it) and I've made sure that they will always acheive something rather than just wondering around aimlessly (whatever direction they go in they'll always find something useful within a few rooms).

[GoC]

One problem:
You're toughest fight is the one against 8(!) zombies!
That's CR 6 against 2nd level PCs! And the zombies have a total of 128hp!
By contrast the boss fight is CR 4 against lvl 3 PCs. Up the Cleric to level 3, change his bodyguards to Troglodyte zombies and halve the number of zombies in room 8. Now it's CR 4 vs. level 2 PCs and CR 5 vs. level 3 PCs.

[Kioran]

One problem:
You're toughest fight is the one against 8(!) zombies!
That's CR 6 against 2nd level PCs! And the zombies have a total of 128hp!
By contrast the boss fight is CR 4 against lvl 3 PCs. Up the Cleric to level 3, change his bodyguards to Troglodyte zombies and halve the number of zombies in room 8. Now it's CR 4 vs. level 2 PCs and CR 5 vs. level 3 PCs.

Kobold Zombies are small, and only CR 1/2, so two of them makes a CR of 1, 8 make CR 5 - then take into consideration that they´re weak CR 1/2 Monsters. I could do a simulation with Elite array lvl 2 PCs, but I think they will do okay if they have some sort of healing with them, or even better, a Cleric that can turn them Zombies. They do an average of 1.75 points of damage per attack......
Of course, if you fight them head-on without slashing weapons, turning or Area effect spells, they´ll rip the PCs a new one, but forcing them to attack a few at a time by retreating into a tunnel or other tricks should take care of them. This is the classic example of a "difficult if handled imprudently, but easy if done in the right way" - Encounter.

[GoC]

Kobold Zombies are small, and only CR 1/2, so two of them makes a CR of 1, 8 make CR 5 - then take into consideration that they´re weak CR 1/2 Monsters. I could do a simulation with Elite array lvl 2 PCs, but I think they will do okay if they have some sort of healing with them, or even better, a Cleric that can turn them Zombies. They do an average of 1.75 points of damage per attack......

Four level 2 PCs have a CR of 6 so with a bit of brains they can win over 50% of the time. That's still way to difficult an encounter compared to the final boss. And their not weak by any standard, compare them to an ordinary human warrior to see what I mean.
I think it's wierd that the final battle is a lower CR then a battle fairly early on.