Im still new to DMing and dont really know how to make monsters to fight yet
I have a guy i want to use as a multi-part villain, but i can't quite figure out a balance
I made a "general concept" as a PC, but that makes him able to get RINSED in terms of HP and gives him a ****load of abilities that even higher CR encounters arent likely to have. any advice on how to tweak this to get it right?
Always use minions! A Boss gets ruined by PCs if they don't have minions. Give him some sort of environmental advantage too. Lair actions or a simple high ground advantage are good examples.
For some fun, don't actually let the PCs fight the big bad. Having the baddie on top of a distant wall controlling a ballista or pulling levers to activate spike traps and flame jets, all the while some scrubs are being sent at the party. And of course the bad guy gets away while the party are trying to not be killed to death.
As DM you have the ability to avoid having your party and your big bad meeting in a fight until you want to let that happen, your players will forgive you for drawing it out until you feel comfortable with playing the big bad. Get your eye in with a throw away lieutenant or acolyte of the main baddie and square it with your players.
Get a good list of EVIL DUDE quotes. Movie villain quotes work quite well. I used the Sergeant from Full Metal Jacket for one of my Bosses. So awesome. You can also look up insults, like Shakespearean insults and such, they always work well.
Have a second round of minions ready, in case things are going too easy.
Have the boss plan on isolating and downright killing one of the PC's. He should be all out badass. This will make them want to kill them even more.
Anticipate the party's likely strongest tactics, like if they have a bag of devouring, or anything insta-kill, and make sure the baddie can thwart it. The boss should obtain something from the party in order to scry on them.
Meetings can occur where combat is impossible...at a king's feast, etc. where the king thinks they are a friend so they are untouchable by the PC's.
If the baddie is a magic user, have them use a simulacrum so the party will target that first. If they haven't met the baddie, have the baddie be a less obvious opponent hanging back in the encounter, with a strong right hand man playing the baddie.
Bosses always have tricks, traps, and escape routes. They use illusions to dupe the characters into expending spells. If they aren't magical, they employ someone who is. Shapechangers work well too, as the party never knows their true nature.
Another trick I use is to not stat them at all. I just give them whatever they need to beat the party at the time, record it, and make sure they have it later when it gets close to the end and need a writeup.
The character in question is a yuan-ti pureblood, who's essentially gone rogue in pursuit of his own power. But, in his role as a spy, he assumes the guise of a high-society musician (bard class) and almost all his spells are mind-control or retreat based. one plan i have is they'll meet him and he'll flash them with Mass Suggestion and vanish while they're all dancing or playing cards or whatever. actually, thinking about it, he's mechanically kind of similar to a mindflayer. dazzle'em and run, or eat them while they're incapacited
Sounds like a good idea to me. But remember, there is always someone who will roll a nat twenty. Try catching the PCs off guard and impose disadvantage on the roll. It isn't a rule in any of the books, but it increases the odds of success. Also, don't forget that if they meet the snake boi again, they will expect the suggestion route, so having a few back up plans ready is probably a good idea.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Im still new to DMing and dont really know how to make monsters to fight yet
I have a guy i want to use as a multi-part villain, but i can't quite figure out a balance
I made a "general concept" as a PC, but that makes him able to get RINSED in terms of HP and gives him a ****load of abilities that even higher CR encounters arent likely to have.
any advice on how to tweak this to get it right?
Always use minions! A Boss gets ruined by PCs if they don't have minions. Give him some sort of environmental advantage too. Lair actions or a simple high ground advantage are good examples.
For some fun, don't actually let the PCs fight the big bad. Having the baddie on top of a distant wall controlling a ballista or pulling levers to activate spike traps and flame jets, all the while some scrubs are being sent at the party. And of course the bad guy gets away while the party are trying to not be killed to death.
As DM you have the ability to avoid having your party and your big bad meeting in a fight until you want to let that happen, your players will forgive you for drawing it out until you feel comfortable with playing the big bad. Get your eye in with a throw away lieutenant or acolyte of the main baddie and square it with your players.
I hope this helps.
Get a good list of EVIL DUDE quotes. Movie villain quotes work quite well. I used the Sergeant from Full Metal Jacket for one of my Bosses. So awesome. You can also look up insults, like Shakespearean insults and such, they always work well.
Have a second round of minions ready, in case things are going too easy.
Have the boss plan on isolating and downright killing one of the PC's. He should be all out badass. This will make them want to kill them even more.
Anticipate the party's likely strongest tactics, like if they have a bag of devouring, or anything insta-kill, and make sure the baddie can thwart it. The boss should obtain something from the party in order to scry on them.
Meetings can occur where combat is impossible...at a king's feast, etc. where the king thinks they are a friend so they are untouchable by the PC's.
If the baddie is a magic user, have them use a simulacrum so the party will target that first. If they haven't met the baddie, have the baddie be a less obvious opponent hanging back in the encounter, with a strong right hand man playing the baddie.
Bosses always have tricks, traps, and escape routes. They use illusions to dupe the characters into expending spells. If they aren't magical, they employ someone who is. Shapechangers work well too, as the party never knows their true nature.
Another trick I use is to not stat them at all. I just give them whatever they need to beat the party at the time, record it, and make sure they have it later when it gets close to the end and need a writeup.
Good Luck!
The character in question is a yuan-ti pureblood, who's essentially gone rogue in pursuit of his own power. But, in his role as a spy, he assumes the guise of a high-society musician (bard class) and almost all his spells are mind-control or retreat based. one plan i have is they'll meet him and he'll flash them with Mass Suggestion and vanish while they're all dancing or playing cards or whatever.
actually, thinking about it, he's mechanically kind of similar to a mindflayer. dazzle'em and run, or eat them while they're incapacited
so maybe thats enough?
Sounds like a good idea to me. But remember, there is always someone who will roll a nat twenty. Try catching the PCs off guard and impose disadvantage on the roll. It isn't a rule in any of the books, but it increases the odds of success. Also, don't forget that if they meet the snake boi again, they will expect the suggestion route, so having a few back up plans ready is probably a good idea.