I have this idea for a adventure involving a vampire as the main boss that is a corrupt merchant. I have the initial encounter to start the adventure as an auction where one of his vampire spawn (also a corrupt merchant) causes Animated Armor and Flying Swords to attack. After that, I'm not sure how to continue with the story. I also wants this to be a major villain that spans many adventures. Any ideas would be helpful.
Have him use his riches to start subjugating towns and cities, making vampire spawn impostors. Maybe he is “generously” contributing money to an orphanage, which is really a slave den that he uses to train young children to be an elite force to destroy the adventurers. Use the Rival rules in the DMG (in downtime) for things he might do/ how to make him.
If you create your villain with a medium-to-long term goal, then the story pretty much writes it'self.
He wants to accomplish _____________.
He has these resources _________.
He prefers the tactics of __________, he will use these tactics if hard pressed: _____________, he will never use these tactics: _____________
He knows these things about the current situation: ______________.
If you can fill in all those blanks, then you just have to ask yourself: Given what he knows, the resources he has on hand, and his personality, what tactic will he try next to move himself closer to his goal? How will that impact the party? What will motivate them to block what he is attempting to do?
He tries to do something. The Party tries to stop him. He may-or-may-not succeed, in which case he'll move on to the next step - or the Party might stop him, in which case he'll change his tactics to try and move himself closer to his goal. What he does, and what the Party does, may change some of the answers in the blanks.
e.g. - just some ideas off the top of my head. Steal or ignore them as you wish.
He's a former corrupt merchant, now turned Vampire ( how? what's his background story? ).
His goal is to set up a power base in the local county - turning it into a mini Vampire nation, with himself ruling.
To that end, his long term goal is to convert local community and government leaders into Vampires - or to assassinate them and replace them with his thralls.
He has a small collection of vampire spawn, and enthralled humans - for now, but one of his sub-goals is to expand this power base of servants.
Because of his corrupt merchant background, he has a decent amount of wealth to bring to bear.
He is proud, arrogant, and prone to temper - so he tends to use violent tactics, but will use subterfuge and guile if he doesn't feel he is powerful enough to enact his next move. He will never use negotiation and compromise except under duress.
His current move is to assassinate a community leader / former merchant rival in order to remove future opposition ( and for revenge ), by having one of his spawn ( another merchant ) use the Armor & Sword at an upcoming auction ( his rival is a collector of Arcane weapons ).
The Party will witness the attack. Depending on what they do, the attacked merchant may hire them to get to the bottom of who did this. Perhaps the master vampire will move against the Party if they get involved. Perhaps the Party will find clues which begin to point toward the Vampire Conspiracy.
Whatever the Party does, have the Vampire master plan his next move in reaction to what they are doing.
Then it's just move and counter-move, back and forth between the Vampire Master and the Party.
You can have all sorts of other power players get involved - each with their own agenda and profile, as above - everyone acting to move closer to their goals, and acting in reaction to the action of other power players.
Best of luck!
By the way - I really like Tarrasque123's idea of him corrupting the orphanage for his own end. I wonder if the Party will stop him...
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I don't know why, but the idea sounds really appealing to me.
You could call them 'Cripta Nostra'(our crypt) or something.
The idea of them using an orphanage as a front for something sinister is pretty mafia-like too.
Possibly the reason players keep on encountering him and his cronies is because, though they might have killed one of him, leadership of the family immediately passes to one of his thralls which, though before it was just a mindless pawn, when its master dies it 'awakens' gaining intelligence and an agenda, transferred over from its dead master. In this way, he has a near infinite amount of clones, and will keep on gaining more, as those he has infected will go on to infect yet more. Almost like a sort of pyramid scheme of evil undeadiness!
The way the players could eventually defeat him once and for all is with some sort of ancient and powerful spell, which will kill whoever it is cast upon, and then all of its spawn, and then all of their spawn, and so on and so forth. That way, the players will have to face him to cast the spell, and not just one of his minions(he always inhabits the eldest of his spawn when he dies, so he can continue being considered the 'father' of the mafia).
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"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
I have this idea for a adventure involving a vampire as the main boss that is a corrupt merchant. I have the initial encounter to start the adventure as an auction where one of his vampire spawn (also a corrupt merchant) causes Animated Armor and Flying Swords to attack. After that, I'm not sure how to continue with the story. I also wants this to be a major villain that spans many adventures. Any ideas would be helpful.
Finish Him!!!
Have him use his riches to start subjugating towns and cities, making vampire spawn impostors. Maybe he is “generously” contributing money to an orphanage, which is really a slave den that he uses to train young children to be an elite force to destroy the adventurers. Use the Rival rules in the DMG (in downtime) for things he might do/ how to make him.
I stole my pfp from this person: https://mobile.twitter.com/xelart1/status/1177312449575432193
If you create your villain with a medium-to-long term goal, then the story pretty much writes it'self.
He wants to accomplish _____________.
He has these resources _________.
He prefers the tactics of __________, he will use these tactics if hard pressed: _____________, he will never use these tactics: _____________
He knows these things about the current situation: ______________.
If you can fill in all those blanks, then you just have to ask yourself: Given what he knows, the resources he has on hand, and his personality, what tactic will he try next to move himself closer to his goal? How will that impact the party? What will motivate them to block what he is attempting to do?
He tries to do something. The Party tries to stop him. He may-or-may-not succeed, in which case he'll move on to the next step - or the Party might stop him, in which case he'll change his tactics to try and move himself closer to his goal. What he does, and what the Party does, may change some of the answers in the blanks.
e.g. - just some ideas off the top of my head. Steal or ignore them as you wish.
You can have all sorts of other power players get involved - each with their own agenda and profile, as above - everyone acting to move closer to their goals, and acting in reaction to the action of other power players.
Best of luck!
By the way - I really like Tarrasque123's idea of him corrupting the orphanage for his own end. I wonder if the Party will stop him...
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
Two words: Vampire Mafia.
I don't know why, but the idea sounds really appealing to me.
You could call them 'Cripta Nostra'(our crypt) or something.
The idea of them using an orphanage as a front for something sinister is pretty mafia-like too.
Possibly the reason players keep on encountering him and his cronies is because, though they might have killed one of him, leadership of the family immediately passes to one of his thralls which, though before it was just a mindless pawn, when its master dies it 'awakens' gaining intelligence and an agenda, transferred over from its dead master. In this way, he has a near infinite amount of clones, and will keep on gaining more, as those he has infected will go on to infect yet more. Almost like a sort of pyramid scheme of evil undeadiness!
The way the players could eventually defeat him once and for all is with some sort of ancient and powerful spell, which will kill whoever it is cast upon, and then all of its spawn, and then all of their spawn, and so on and so forth. That way, the players will have to face him to cast the spell, and not just one of his minions(he always inhabits the eldest of his spawn when he dies, so he can continue being considered the 'father' of the mafia).
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
I appreciate everyone’s help, and it has inspired me, thank you
Finish Him!!!