just wrapped up a campaign, so let's have a villain threadpost and discuss those campaign-drivers who the players will struggle for months or even years against
Tell us about your BBEG, OP. What was s/he like?
>>93185985System was 3.5. Evil snake high priestess committing to bringing a banished ancient monster god (to monsters, their Prometheus) back to the world. The duskblade (like an arcane paladin) relentlessly flirted with her and won her heart, despite both being committed to fighitng for what they believed in on opposite sides. In the final battle, she had contingent resurrection spells (mechanically, a Pact of Return). The rogue finally finished her off a third time, and she exploded from all that stored divine magic.Was a really fun game!
How do you guys run your villains? Do they have a set number of encounters with the PCs or do you just give them a general plan and improvise from there, leaving more agency to the players?
>>93185602Secondary antagonist is an underworld demigod who I'm actually cooking up satyr followers for right now (pic related is my basis)Anyone got ideas for "classes" or variant names I can give Orphic cultist satyrs? I'm coming up with stuff like Skirmisher, Ravager, Brute-- but I want to emphasize brutality, savagery, and occultism, rather than an organized, militant force.So far I've got, in order:> Flutist, ???, Brute> Heavy(?), Skirmisher(?), Ravager(?), Hunter> Merchant, Elite, Chief/Priest, Enchantress(?)
>>93193070More to the topic though, said demigod is my take on Zagreus, son of Hades and Persephone. He's temping for Prometheus by fucking with the party, often lethally. He's a psychopath with no emotions who can't be killed (at least permanently), but for all his intelligence he's actually pretty inexperienced.He's not even really in charge of the Satyrs, they're more like fanatics.
I essentially took Cerberus from Mass Effect but put it into a fantasy world and made it a group of Wizards. They still did messed up experiments and all, for the "greater" good and whatnot. To prepare humanity against planar outsiders and evil deities. Their version of the illusive man was an archmage who found a memory crystal from the ancient god-war, when the golden age of the setting ended in fire and flame.
my BBEG is a ressurected orc warcheif who was gifted with more intelligence by a coven of evil/chaotic gods to unite all monster races and take over the realm from the good races.
>>93190485Second one, the best villains are ones that players hear about and build up before the final, ultimate encounter. Especially because if they get encountered early there’s a very good chance they’ll die, and then no more campaign.
Running a science fantasy game with a trio of main villains who conquered the world, ruling it as equals for 400 years. All have slightly different end goals, but their main priority is mataining their grip on power. Don't need to worry about the PCs killing one of them early, because that just means the other two get more focus instead.>Devil Big BadCEO of major law firm. Magic expert of the group, and probably the most devious man on the planet. Despite wanting to capture the PCs, is trying to habour a mutual respect with them because he thinks he might be able to turn them over to his side. Brains behinds the whole evil empire, wishes he could rule alone but recognises that he needs the others. PCs are only a threat to the empire because of a secret plan of his gone wrong.>Robot Big BadThe original robot, also a big pyramid thing. Obviously, robotics expert of the group. Operates from the shadows, most people have only heard rumours of its existence. Can remotely possess robots and rebuild their bodies into combat forms, often killing the possessed bots in the process. Shows up without warning to try and kill the PCs, but a flaw in its programming means it must always answer questions truthfully for a few moments after bodyhopping.>Alien Big BadPresident of the World and famous hero. Secretly a time traveller who set up all the crises he earned his reputation by fixing. Has rigged every election for the past 300-ish years. Absolute asshole with no redeeming qualites, but remains popular with the masses because they think he's funny and he occasionally saves the world. Plans tend to backfire due to shortsightedness.
>>93185602My BBEGs are usually either "weak but dangerous guy, ultimately a slave to his own passions and ineptitude" or "primordial force that's evil by definition and has absolutely no redeeming qualities", they are both fun in their own way
>>93185602The Overarching Antagonist is going to be the organiser and promoter of the big race for mcguffins the players are on, as he knows that the macguffin will unlock basically El Dorado, and wants to use that wealth to carve out his own fiefdom, free of Feds and Humans.There are also secondary antagonists in the form of Hobgoblins who want El Dorado because they're spics, Paladins who want El Dorado because they killed the original spics, and Gnolls who want El Dorado because the OG Gnoll god stole and broke apart its key.
I always let my players decide the antagonist through their interactions with the npcs.
>>93185602In my last campaign, the BBEG was a powerful wizard (and the long-lost father of a PC) who had been possessed as part of a deal with a demon known as "The Dragon" to get revenge on the empire that had killed his wife and child (or so he'd thought).It was my first long-form campaign, so I figured I'd go with something a bit more classic and unoriginal. Still landed with the players, so worked for me!I used AI for the pic. If I can't find any good pics online and I don't have the time/willpower to resort to scribbling in MS paint I'll usually resort to it. Does a pretty good job usually, especially for tokens.
>>93185602Have 2 campaigns running>Campaign 1BBEG is a possessed Warrior Rizuko, a foreign mercenary who heard the call of Lucian, a dark god offering her her eternal wish (A happy life she never had with her family) in exchange he would take her body and use it. Lucian for centuries has worked in the shadows of the region to sacrifice souls, putting them into a makeshift Heaven called Eden where their happiest memories repeat forever. With this power he wishes to manifest Eden onto the continent wiping from it all who oppose him. Plenty of minor antagonists, with an evil team (One of my favorite things to make) >Campaign 2BBEG Clementina, demon queen of Pandemonium, collaborating with all demonic pantheons she can she wishes for the continent to become one of demons where they are born with physical forms and no longer bound to their lands below. She is working alongside the cult of the Red Order, mortals that believe in their inevitable victory. This is a massive multicontinental campaign, it has had 40 sessions since January and the players are about 1/4th through plenty of more villians more intimately connected with PCs to come. Highlight reel of other Villains: Alabaster the demonic collaborator, Issac a paladin wishing to overtake the church he is part of, Damiano a mob boss working in the continent's underground, and Kresh a lord challenging one player's play to take upon his role as king.
>>93205310>Previous campaignOnly one other campaign I ran had a major Villain the others mostly had a collection of factions. Terranor, an empress that was thwarted a century before the campaign began. Her plans were that to gain the power to kill the gods of the continent and take their power for her own to rule. Her dungeon remained to be excavated, a 100 layer labyrinth. What was uncovered was that her artifact the Apocrypha let her live in a weakened form(It manifests imagination into reality). Further when she had died she took down the god of time, doing that split time into two, the reality in which she won and lost split. The former seeking to overtake the latter ensuring her victory. In her time there she raised the leader of her cult Cole, who at her final stand betrayed her and the power of her ascension ritual. Cole was the one who actually interacted with the players consistently while Terranor was more or less in the background, I think the party only encountered her briefly twice before the final battle.
The first BBEG I ever made, and probably the strongest, is a Silver Dragon who, after jumpstarting an advanced civilization, went ahead and threw the majority of it into a purgatorial stasis, effectively turning an entire city in it's golden age into her own personal hoard, tucked away in a demiplane, which in turn is tucked away on a magical, semi-cursed island way far off the sword coast. She's generally ambivalent towards the party now, but ultimately she wants to either preserve them in their peak, or convince them to serve her and guard her demiplane for the rest of timeTo her, she grew so sick of the heartbreak of watching humans die of natural causes, their own stupidity, or events totally out of their control was enough that she wanted to keep them in their most beloved prime for as long as possible, no matter what she has to do
>>93185602I love fiery skeletons
>>93185602My favorite villain was a Eldritch horror from another plane that worked for/maybe ran my equivalent of the Combine from Half Life 2. Taking inspiration from the story "the color from outer space" he's influenced would taint people and leave them with wild unnatural colorations and mild deformities. Like a drew villain he had an honor guard of knights, one for each color that has their own unique abilities and he was building a giant magical tower to finalize his control of his new place for the notCombine. The party killed him atop the tower with the power of friendship, it was kino.
>Be me, smartest guy in my village>Kind and considerate to everyone>Through a lifetime of study, I have gleaned that the best course of action is to treat others with kindness and to use whatever skills or talents I have for the betterment of mankind>Devote years of study into what men call "The Arcane".>Humbly, I acknowledge that what I'm actually doing is altering metaphysical components through use of planar elements to create what is essentially "Magic">This scares everyone in my village and terrifies them, so I only ever use it sparingly and to help them>Truth be told, many of the "Spells" I cast are completely mundane in nature>"To cleanse this water, we must first apply heat, that it may exercise any ill spirits...">"By mixing this sap with this clay powder and flour, I can create a bonding agent that will fix your broken plow.">They are still leery of me, and only call on me in times of aid>All except one woman. She is lame in one leg and many call her deformed, but I think she's beautiful.>Every few days she comes to my humble tower and we have dinner together. I asked her if she will marry me, and she said that she will, but wants to have an autumn wedding>One day, some men from the castle came, and were looking for me>They brought me to our local ruler, the Baron>The Baron heard that a wise sorcerer lived in the village and asked if I would offer ideas regarding an upcoming military campaign>He explains that there is a valley near our lands that is overrun with Orcs, and that in this valley there are rumors of a natural gold vein>I'm shocked. The orcs that have lived there are surely dangerous, but they have self regulated and kept to themselves for centuries>I draw up charts and maps that show that while there is a gold vein, that it's not even enough to cover the costs of warfare in the area>The baron ignores me, he's upset that I didn't just tell him what he wanted to hear>A week later we are at war with the orcs[Continued]
>>93209506>The initial battle with the orcs is a failure>On their territory, they can constantly lay an ambush for anyone passing through>The Baron's losses are devastating. Not only do we lose men, but the orc counter-attacks needlessly destroy tons of resources>When people see me in the village now, they claim that the war is my fault. That I somehow advised the baron to do this>Keep to myself. The only person I speak to now is my love>I spend all my waking hours trying to come up with a solution>One day, I suddenly hear screaming outside>"The Orcs have attacked our village!" I thought>Open the door to see that the village is on fire, but it isn't orcs attacking>It is the baron's own men>Starved for resources and forced to fight a battle they cannot win, these men have turned on the homes of the innocent for food and debauchery>Quickly run across town to the house of my beloved>She lies dead on the floor. Her clothes ripped from her body. She was not able to get away due to her lame leg... Two years later>No one dares venture near the ruins of Baron's Hold>It is said that a devilish sorcerer lives there and rules over orcs and beastmen>Anyone who travels near it is said to be captured and used in his vile experiments>At night, you can hear the cries of a woman coming from the broken walls of the keep.
