I’m running a sandbox campaign, and up until now, I hadn’t picked out my BBEG. Evil is not my forte. I’m better with BGHGs (big good hero guys) and BCNGs (big chaotic neutral guys). But I’ve had a Beholder show up at two combats where the players ran away. And I’ve let one of the PCs know that a Beholder is prophesied to kill him.
So I think all I have left to do is have some more intimidating reports of a Beholder, and design a final boss combat around him, possibly with extra spells or minions or both.
Or that beholder could be a red herring, while actually there’s a different beholder who is the real problem. Or a human who wears a robe of eyes and is called “The Beholder.”
It seems like you have things well in hand, just throwing out ideas if you want a twist.
Or that beholder could be a red herring, while actually there’s a different beholder who is the real problem. Or a human who wears a robe of eyes and is called “The Beholder.”
It seems like you have things well in hand, just throwing out ideas if you want a twist.
I welcome these ideas and invite more from everyone.
I think a good BBEG for a sandbox campaign is someone like Baron Zemo. For the first several levels, the PCs are just bouncing around doing things. Some of those things might be morally gray and sooner or later there is going to be collateral damage or some other negative consequence of the PCs actions that cause NPCs to suffer. This works best if the PCs are aware of the suffering they have caused and feel at least a little bit guilty about it, even if they feel they made the best choice they could.
Unbeknownst to them, one of those wronged NPCs holds a grudge and has the means to act on it. They believe that heroes cause more suffering than they prevent and must be stopped. They undermine PC allies, trying to turn them against the party. They rally other groups that have been defeated/were wronged by the PCs. They are a direct consequence of the PCs actions, and to an extent they will know they had this coming.
One of the issues with a sandbox is that it's harder to weave in your BBEG to the story when you don't have control of the story (aside from just having the party randomly bump into it wherever they go, which starts to feel forced). This way you let the story create the BBEG, giving it deeper ties to the party's previous actions.
I think a good BBEG for a sandbox campaign is someone like Baron Zemo. For the first several levels, the PCs are just bouncing around doing things. Some of those things might be morally gray and sooner or later there is going to be collateral damage or some other negative consequence of the PCs actions that cause NPCs to suffer. This works best if the PCs are aware of the suffering they have caused and feel at least a little bit guilty about it, even if they feel they made the best choice they could.
Unbeknownst to them, one of those wronged NPCs holds a grudge and has the means to act on it. They believe that heroes cause more suffering than they prevent and must be stopped. They undermine PC allies, trying to turn them against the party. They rally other groups that have been defeated/were wronged by the PCs. They are a direct consequence of the PCs actions, and to an extent they will know they had this coming.
One of the issues with a sandbox is that it's harder to weave in your BBEG to the story when you don't have control of the story (aside from just having the party randomly bump into it wherever they go, which starts to feel forced). This way you let the story create the BBEG, giving it deeper ties to the party's previous actions.
Well, from levels 1 to 6, they never met him, but they met him twice at level 7. I can probably work in some lore for them to discover that retroactively proves he's behind a bunch of the other events they've already encountered.
Volos guide to monsters has very good villain creation resources for many monsters (including beholders) so if you have that book use the tables and lore in it to turn it into a BBEG
Any BBEG worth the title should have minions. Creatures of varying levels of toughness and expandability that roam the lands bearing the villain's mark and doing their bidding (think Saruman with his uruk-hai emblazoned with the white hand). When the players square off against the villain, they won't always be fighting against the villain themselves, but sometimes just their minions as the players seek to disrupt the BBEG's plans.
That's the other thing your BBEG should have: a plan.
If dragons are involved, then perhaps an Adult or Young dragon that is also part of the scheme could be your BBEG.
They have encountered an ice phoenix and a fire phoenix, which use the stats of young white dragon and adult red dragon respectively in my campaign. They tried to run from the ice phoenix and did run from the fire phoenix. And they're soon to encounter 3 ice phoenixes, and might run again (I don't know if they can beat them). But the phoenixes haven't really felt iconic. Their tactics are instinctual and beast-like: defend my nest. They don't speak. I have established that there is a different, more powerful kind of phoenix called and Elder Phoenix. And the players don't know yet, but they speak. So they could be the BBEG. But it depends what plot choices the players make. The phoenixes are probably on the opposite side of the grand cosmic battle from the Beholder. So it will depend which side the players take.
Any BBEG worth the title should have minions. Creatures of varying levels of toughness and expandability that roam the lands bearing the villain's mark and doing their bidding (think Saruman with his uruk-hai emblazoned with the white hand). When the players square off against the villain, they won't always be fighting against the villain themselves, but sometimes just their minions as the players seek to disrupt the BBEG's plans.
That's the other thing your BBEG should have: a plan.
Yeah, TBH I had the plan before I had the BBEG. I know what the bad guys are trying to achieve and how they plan to achieve it. I just didn't know who was the face of the bad guys.
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I’m running a sandbox campaign, and up until now, I hadn’t picked out my BBEG. Evil is not my forte. I’m better with BGHGs (big good hero guys) and BCNGs (big chaotic neutral guys). But I’ve had a Beholder show up at two combats where the players ran away. And I’ve let one of the PCs know that a Beholder is prophesied to kill him.
So I think all I have left to do is have some more intimidating reports of a Beholder, and design a final boss combat around him, possibly with extra spells or minions or both.
Or that beholder could be a red herring, while actually there’s a different beholder who is the real problem.
Or a human who wears a robe of eyes and is called “The Beholder.”
It seems like you have things well in hand, just throwing out ideas if you want a twist.
I welcome these ideas and invite more from everyone.
I think a good BBEG for a sandbox campaign is someone like Baron Zemo. For the first several levels, the PCs are just bouncing around doing things. Some of those things might be morally gray and sooner or later there is going to be collateral damage or some other negative consequence of the PCs actions that cause NPCs to suffer. This works best if the PCs are aware of the suffering they have caused and feel at least a little bit guilty about it, even if they feel they made the best choice they could.
Unbeknownst to them, one of those wronged NPCs holds a grudge and has the means to act on it. They believe that heroes cause more suffering than they prevent and must be stopped. They undermine PC allies, trying to turn them against the party. They rally other groups that have been defeated/were wronged by the PCs. They are a direct consequence of the PCs actions, and to an extent they will know they had this coming.
One of the issues with a sandbox is that it's harder to weave in your BBEG to the story when you don't have control of the story (aside from just having the party randomly bump into it wherever they go, which starts to feel forced). This way you let the story create the BBEG, giving it deeper ties to the party's previous actions.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
Is the beholder doing anything nefarious in the region?
Other than existing and being a Beholder, what makes the PCs want to oppose it?
It's part of a drow army that is attacking a city the players are on good terms with.
Or maybe it's leading that army, having teamed up with Mind Flayers to manipulate the leaders of the drow into going to war.
I know the BBEG's overall motivation. Spoiler for my Pillars of the Sky players.
He wants to sow chaos to bring about the escape of Tiamat from imprisonment.
Well, from levels 1 to 6, they never met him, but they met him twice at level 7. I can probably work in some lore for them to discover that retroactively proves he's behind a bunch of the other events they've already encountered.
Volos guide to monsters has very good villain creation resources for many monsters (including beholders) so if you have that book use the tables and lore in it to turn it into a BBEG
If dragons are involved, then perhaps an Adult or Young dragon that is also part of the scheme could be your BBEG.
Any BBEG worth the title should have minions. Creatures of varying levels of toughness and expandability that roam the lands bearing the villain's mark and doing their bidding (think Saruman with his uruk-hai emblazoned with the white hand). When the players square off against the villain, they won't always be fighting against the villain themselves, but sometimes just their minions as the players seek to disrupt the BBEG's plans.
That's the other thing your BBEG should have: a plan.
They have encountered an ice phoenix and a fire phoenix, which use the stats of young white dragon and adult red dragon respectively in my campaign. They tried to run from the ice phoenix and did run from the fire phoenix. And they're soon to encounter 3 ice phoenixes, and might run again (I don't know if they can beat them). But the phoenixes haven't really felt iconic. Their tactics are instinctual and beast-like: defend my nest. They don't speak. I have established that there is a different, more powerful kind of phoenix called and Elder Phoenix. And the players don't know yet, but they speak. So they could be the BBEG. But it depends what plot choices the players make. The phoenixes are probably on the opposite side of the grand cosmic battle from the Beholder. So it will depend which side the players take.
Yeah, TBH I had the plan before I had the BBEG. I know what the bad guys are trying to achieve and how they plan to achieve it. I just didn't know who was the face of the bad guys.