So one of my pc and I are planning on making him the bbeg, we are playing it out kind of like palpatine (star wars) where he will seem normal to everyone until suddenly the penny drops and they find out he is the devious manipulator lurking in the shadows.
Anyway what is the best way of converting a pc (draconic sorcerer) into a bbeg? I'm asking for stats and machanics rather than story tips.
Are you hoping to turn the PC into another type of creature (ex. chromatic dragon or a devil, etc..) or will it still be the stat block of the PC that you're just increasing?
Careful with this. A lot of players don't like it. To you and your buddy, it's a cool plot twist the other players couldn't see coming but maybe for some hints you dropped. To the rest of the players, it's you playing favorites with one of the PCs and making him way more powerful and significant to the campaign than any of their characters.
The one way I have seen this work is if the player is leaving the campaign for good -- say, moving across the country and not able to come back to play. Then you can do a big reveal as that player does the final session, and his character becomes an NPC, and the rest of the players will be OK with it because you're just letting their departing friend go out with a bang.
But otherwise, I have never seen this kind of thing end well. Word to the wise.
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WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
That said, in terms of stats and mechanics. I’m going to assume that after the betrayal, the PC will become an NPC that you will control and will vanish for a while as the player gets a new character and the rest of the party continues to adventure/hunt him down. At that point, the sky is the limit for what you do with them. They can find magic items, uncover forbidden knowledge, cut a deal with a devil, build a fortress with lair actions. Basically do anything any enemy would do.
So im planning on this being the end to the campaign. The campaign is based on the group gathering mcguffins because the bbeg player has said that a cult is trying to gather them to make a ritual (cult is secretly bbeg cult) and then when the players finally confront the cult that's when the bbeg player will slip off to start a counter ritual but he will be at the centre of it all as the bbeg
I'm hoping to improve his stats or at least adjust them so that he would make a good boss fight
Honestly, if it's an end-game thing... a late-game PC is a lot more dynamic than even a high level monster. I'd say if you want to have them become the BBEG, just boost their HP and AC, increase their size. Pick a creature you want them to turn into (like some kind of demon or dragon), then give them access to that creature's Legendary Actions/Resistances and use of their Lair actions.
So im planning on this being the end to the campaign. The campaign is based on the group gathering mcguffins because the bbeg player has said that a cult is trying to gather them to make a ritual (cult is secretly bbeg cult) and then when the players finally confront the cult that's when the bbeg player will slip off to start a counter ritual but he will be at the centre of it all as the bbeg
Again... I have seen this tried and it often does not go over well. As I said, if the player is leaving the group, then people will usually be OK with it because they will see it as a "big send-off." But if you are ending the campaign and everyone is in the same boat (we are all ending it together, none of us will be playing it next week, etc.) you are still in the same situation: the other players will feel like you played favorites. They will feel like they were played the fools. Players do not like being played the fool.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Careful with this. A lot of players don't like it. To you and your buddy, it's a cool plot twist the other players couldn't see coming but maybe for some hints you dropped. To the rest of the players, it's you playing favorites with one of the PCs and making him way more powerful and significant to the campaign than any of their characters.
The one way I have seen this work is if the player is leaving the campaign for good -- say, moving across the country and not able to come back to play. Then you can do a big reveal as that player does the final session, and his character becomes an NPC, and the rest of the players will be OK with it because you're just letting their departing friend go out with a bang.
But otherwise, I have never seen this kind of thing end well. Word to the wise.
So one of my pc and I are planning on making him the bbeg, we are playing it out kind of like palpatine (star wars) where he will seem normal to everyone until suddenly the penny drops and they find out he is the devious manipulator lurking in the shadows.
Anyway what is the best way of converting a pc (draconic sorcerer) into a bbeg? I'm asking for stats and machanics rather than story tips.
Cheers
Are you hoping to turn the PC into another type of creature (ex. chromatic dragon or a devil, etc..) or will it still be the stat block of the PC that you're just increasing?
Careful with this. A lot of players don't like it. To you and your buddy, it's a cool plot twist the other players couldn't see coming but maybe for some hints you dropped. To the rest of the players, it's you playing favorites with one of the PCs and making him way more powerful and significant to the campaign than any of their characters.
The one way I have seen this work is if the player is leaving the campaign for good -- say, moving across the country and not able to come back to play. Then you can do a big reveal as that player does the final session, and his character becomes an NPC, and the rest of the players will be OK with it because you're just letting their departing friend go out with a bang.
But otherwise, I have never seen this kind of thing end well. Word to the wise.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
+1 to biowizards caution.
That said, in terms of stats and mechanics. I’m going to assume that after the betrayal, the PC will become an NPC that you will control and will vanish for a while as the player gets a new character and the rest of the party continues to adventure/hunt him down.
At that point, the sky is the limit for what you do with them. They can find magic items, uncover forbidden knowledge, cut a deal with a devil, build a fortress with lair actions. Basically do anything any enemy would do.
So im planning on this being the end to the campaign. The campaign is based on the group gathering mcguffins because the bbeg player has said that a cult is trying to gather them to make a ritual (cult is secretly bbeg cult) and then when the players finally confront the cult that's when the bbeg player will slip off to start a counter ritual but he will be at the centre of it all as the bbeg
I'm hoping to improve his stats or at least adjust them so that he would make a good boss fight
Honestly, if it's an end-game thing... a late-game PC is a lot more dynamic than even a high level monster. I'd say if you want to have them become the BBEG, just boost their HP and AC, increase their size. Pick a creature you want them to turn into (like some kind of demon or dragon), then give them access to that creature's Legendary Actions/Resistances and use of their Lair actions.
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Again... I have seen this tried and it often does not go over well. As I said, if the player is leaving the group, then people will usually be OK with it because they will see it as a "big send-off." But if you are ending the campaign and everyone is in the same boat (we are all ending it together, none of us will be playing it next week, etc.) you are still in the same situation: the other players will feel like you played favorites. They will feel like they were played the fools. Players do not like being played the fool.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Can a give the Help Action?
+5 to Persuasion Roll.
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I would also like to echo BioWiz’s cautions to you. If you are dead set on going through with it anyway then here is the best advice I can give you:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-H3HUG5kiFE
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y_zl8WWaSyI&t=14s
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