Contrary to popular belief, you don't need a main bad guy to have a good campaign! It can be more like a TV show (think Star Trek or Doctor Who) where the characters face off against different enemies every time.
That said, if you really want a villain to string all your dungeons together, you might have a mad wizard who builds dungeons full of monsters and treasure as a game, and decides the adventurers are so good at it he invites them to try to kill him in his own stronghold. Or perhaps all the dungeons belong to an evil orc lord, housing different monsters he's recruited into his army, and to stop him, the characters must take him down.
Soooo basically the campaign is about [these] adventures, AKA the players, and they are trying to find a lost temple, which most people believe is a myth, but the adventures believe [it] is real, and the world has like "safe bubbles" I guess of like, cities, and outside/between the cities, it's just kind of a jungle.
Well for that I don't see that a big-bad is necessary. But, if you want a regular opponent for them to fight against, perhaps there's a rival who is looking for the temple and wants to find it first, so he'a always trying to steal their research or hire folks to get in the party's way.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Soooo basically the campaign is about [these] adventures, AKA the players, and they are trying to find a lost temple, which most people believe is a myth, but the adventures believe [it] is real, and the world has like "safe bubbles" I guess of like, cities, and outside/between the cities, it's just kind of a jungle.
At that point, you don’t need a traditional BBE because the whole wilderness in general is the BBE. Instead of a “person vs person” storyline it could be a “person vs nature” storyline like Old Man and the Sea.
Well for that I don't see that a big-bad is necessary. But, if you want a regular opponent for them to fight against, perhaps there's a rival who is looking for the temple and wants to find it first, so he'a always trying to steal their research or hire folks to get in the party's way.
That's a much better example than I was thinking of tbh. I was thinking of the scorpion king I believe it was with a few groups looking for a temple.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
While I agree with the others that you don’t need a Big Bad to have a great adventure, there are many different options you could choose for having some sort of big monster to have to fight or at least confront.
The simple way to go would be to have some big creature living in the temple, calling it home. An ancient dragon, (Green or Black for thematics but another could do), a powerful elemental, maybe a creature that was once worshipped as a god in this temple by ancient people and is now alone in the remains of their seat of power. Maybe it’s a small civilization of Lizardfolk, Yuan-Ti or some other monstrous race making their home there, isolated from the more civilized societies.
The conflict could be a simple as this is the creature(s) home and you are intruding. Maybe they are evil and doing dark and sinister things, or this is a sacred place to them and they will protect it at all cost. Maybe they could be negotiated with if the party is willing to do so. Maybe there is something very dangerous in the temple, a powerful artifact, ancient text that could lead to some catastrophic event if read and followed, or an ancient creature sealed away that could destroy the whole world and beyond. The denizens of the temple could be guarding over the temple to keep such powers from escaping or being used. Or maybe they are trying to unlock these powers for their own use.
Maybe the creatures that guard the temple and jungles around them aren’t even fully alive or in control of their situation. Maybe the ancients that created these temples also created powerful constructs or bound powerful monsters to guard their secrets and their home. Maybe these people have long since died out leaving only their guardians to watch over a now dead society forever bound to attack all who intrude. Maybe the whole area around the temple is under powerful illusion magic with a level of sentience all its own, it’s goal to keep all out for reasons no one can fathom.
Uh, like I said, I need help figuring out a bad guy, so yeah
Contrary to popular belief, you don't need a main bad guy to have a good campaign! It can be more like a TV show (think Star Trek or Doctor Who) where the characters face off against different enemies every time.
That said, if you really want a villain to string all your dungeons together, you might have a mad wizard who builds dungeons full of monsters and treasure as a game, and decides the adventurers are so good at it he invites them to try to kill him in his own stronghold. Or perhaps all the dungeons belong to an evil orc lord, housing different monsters he's recruited into his army, and to stop him, the characters must take him down.
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
Kewl, thanks
The main bad guy is the villain that survives an encounter or two with the PCs.
Well tell us more about your campaign and world.
Soooo basically the campaign is about [these] adventures, AKA the players, and they are trying to find a lost temple, which most people believe is a myth, but the adventures believe [it] is real, and the world has like "safe bubbles" I guess of like, cities, and outside/between the cities, it's just kind of a jungle.
Well for that I don't see that a big-bad is necessary. But, if you want a regular opponent for them to fight against, perhaps there's a rival who is looking for the temple and wants to find it first, so he'a always trying to steal their research or hire folks to get in the party's way.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
At that point, you don’t need a traditional BBE because the whole wilderness in general is the BBE. Instead of a “person vs person” storyline it could be a “person vs nature” storyline like Old Man and the Sea.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
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Like Belloq in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
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Content Troubleshooting
That's a much better example than I was thinking of tbh. I was thinking of the scorpion king I believe it was with a few groups looking for a temple.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
The example I picked is probably equivalent with yours, but the movie is waayyy better. 😉
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
While I agree with the others that you don’t need a Big Bad to have a great adventure, there are many different options you could choose for having some sort of big monster to have to fight or at least confront.
The simple way to go would be to have some big creature living in the temple, calling it home. An ancient dragon, (Green or Black for thematics but another could do), a powerful elemental, maybe a creature that was once worshipped as a god in this temple by ancient people and is now alone in the remains of their seat of power. Maybe it’s a small civilization of Lizardfolk, Yuan-Ti or some other monstrous race making their home there, isolated from the more civilized societies.
The conflict could be a simple as this is the creature(s) home and you are intruding. Maybe they are evil and doing dark and sinister things, or this is a sacred place to them and they will protect it at all cost. Maybe they could be negotiated with if the party is willing to do so. Maybe there is something very dangerous in the temple, a powerful artifact, ancient text that could lead to some catastrophic event if read and followed, or an ancient creature sealed away that could destroy the whole world and beyond. The denizens of the temple could be guarding over the temple to keep such powers from escaping or being used. Or maybe they are trying to unlock these powers for their own use.
Maybe the creatures that guard the temple and jungles around them aren’t even fully alive or in control of their situation. Maybe the ancients that created these temples also created powerful constructs or bound powerful monsters to guard their secrets and their home. Maybe these people have long since died out leaving only their guardians to watch over a now dead society forever bound to attack all who intrude. Maybe the whole area around the temple is under powerful illusion magic with a level of sentience all its own, it’s goal to keep all out for reasons no one can fathom.
Honesty there are a lot of fun options.
"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup."
Characters for Tenebris Sine Fine
RoughCoronet's Greater Wills