Looking for inspiration on how you guys present non-monstrous enemies for higher parties. My current party is 5 level 6-7 players. I like to weave some more “realistic” adversaries for the group in the form of humanoid nobles/crime lords/cults/etc for my parties. This is easy at lower levels but I was wondering how other folks design challenging problems & combat (lets be honest, my party USUALLY solves their problems by sh*t talking the adversary and fighting it) using non-monsters?
i suggest the local big gang maybe a re skin of the bandits and bandit leaders with the bbeg being a dragon soul (here are the stats https://jsigvard.com/dnd/monster.php?m=Dragonsoul) with like a two bandit captains to guard that would be a difficult fight and would give 3,800 exp divided up to the 5 would give them all 760 exp for the final fight and you would of coarse have a dungeon that they would fight other things solve puzzles and get more exp. or perhaps a mini boss for each individual player just have a magical barrier that prevents interference that way they each have a challenge on their own i did that in one of my campaigns and they loved it
i hope that helps
oh and please please please tell me if you do use my idea i love hearing when people use my ideas a total guilty pleasure of mine
My crew is in the middle of a longish campaign I have created. They are currently 7th level (started at 1st). They have angered (to put it mildly) the main cult in the campaign. Said cult has now dispatched a Hex Assassin to hunt them down. They don't know it yet, but are going to get wind that there is said assassin after them (rival group tips off the players). I built that NPC using the PC build, with essentially a 27 point buy. 4 levels of Rogue Assassin, 5 of Hexblade. Expertise in Stealth and Deception. Nine skills, including the two mentioned plus Performance. Given the Assassin subclass' Proficiency of Disguise Kit, plus Poisoner's Kit, this char is fearsome on its first attack, doing an expected value (not maximum) of 90 HP points plus poison. In an urban setting, this NPC will be lethal against 6th-7th level chars. It can get close to anyone it likes, or thanks to Hexblade and Eldritch Smite, do massive damage at range (one time only). Keep in mind, though you have to give up something good (like Thirsting Blade), you could give said NPC the Mask of Many Faces Invocation, which means Disguise Self at will. You tack on a +13 in Deception (Expertise, 20 CHA), and wow, players WILL be fooled. This NPC is also scalable as the players progress. I plan on having the Assassin first try a group poisoning (wine in an inn), followed in a day or so by a alpha strike against one of the players. The group can bring the char back via Revivify, but now they have a serious threat on their hands.
I think you will find that you can create endless NPC's of various types for your players to interact with, and not just in negative ways. They already have had contact with a Paladin (their hometown's Peacekeeper), a Bard, and a very high level Rogue (key member in the top Thieves' Guild in the region). I am sure that once you create the over-arching bad guy/ good guy organizations in your campaign, the NPC's will flow naturally as you flesh out that organization.
Looking for inspiration on how you guys present non-monstrous enemies for higher parties. My current party is 5 level 6-7 players. I like to weave some more “realistic” adversaries for the group in the form of humanoid nobles/crime lords/cults/etc for my parties. This is easy at lower levels but I was wondering how other folks design challenging problems & combat (lets be honest, my party USUALLY solves their problems by sh*t talking the adversary and fighting it) using non-monsters?
i suggest the local big gang maybe a re skin of the bandits and bandit leaders with the bbeg being a dragon soul (here are the stats https://jsigvard.com/dnd/monster.php?m=Dragonsoul) with like a two bandit captains to guard that would be a difficult fight and would give 3,800 exp divided up to the 5 would give them all 760 exp for the final fight and you would of coarse have a dungeon that they would fight other things solve puzzles and get more exp. or perhaps a mini boss for each individual player just have a magical barrier that prevents interference that way they each have a challenge on their own i did that in one of my campaigns and they loved it
i hope that helps
oh and please please please tell me if you do use my idea i love hearing when people use my ideas a total guilty pleasure of mine
Build some enemies like PCs. Comparably leveled NPC adds all kinds of dimension when backed up by regular mooks.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Criminal Organizations
Merchant Guilds
Foreign Dignitaries
Like above, Rival Adventurers. These are fun. The party gets a tip about X dungeon, goes there to find it already looted.
Refugees. Not evil, just desperate.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
My crew is in the middle of a longish campaign I have created. They are currently 7th level (started at 1st). They have angered (to put it mildly) the main cult in the campaign. Said cult has now dispatched a Hex Assassin to hunt them down. They don't know it yet, but are going to get wind that there is said assassin after them (rival group tips off the players). I built that NPC using the PC build, with essentially a 27 point buy. 4 levels of Rogue Assassin, 5 of Hexblade. Expertise in Stealth and Deception. Nine skills, including the two mentioned plus Performance. Given the Assassin subclass' Proficiency of Disguise Kit, plus Poisoner's Kit, this char is fearsome on its first attack, doing an expected value (not maximum) of 90 HP points plus poison. In an urban setting, this NPC will be lethal against 6th-7th level chars. It can get close to anyone it likes, or thanks to Hexblade and Eldritch Smite, do massive damage at range (one time only). Keep in mind, though you have to give up something good (like Thirsting Blade), you could give said NPC the Mask of Many Faces Invocation, which means Disguise Self at will. You tack on a +13 in Deception (Expertise, 20 CHA), and wow, players WILL be fooled. This NPC is also scalable as the players progress. I plan on having the Assassin first try a group poisoning (wine in an inn), followed in a day or so by a alpha strike against one of the players. The group can bring the char back via Revivify, but now they have a serious threat on their hands.
I think you will find that you can create endless NPC's of various types for your players to interact with, and not just in negative ways. They already have had contact with a Paladin (their hometown's Peacekeeper), a Bard, and a very high level Rogue (key member in the top Thieves' Guild in the region). I am sure that once you create the over-arching bad guy/ good guy organizations in your campaign, the NPC's will flow naturally as you flesh out that organization.
Awesome! Thanks everyone!
maybe death domain cleric??