I made this npc, he is a person from one of my players backstories. His whole thing is he feels abandoned when he was sent for jail, and the pc didn't save him. He returns under a fake guise, trying to prove that he is the pc's greatest rival. Over time the encounters with this pc will go from inconvenience to down right evil. I was hoping for a Joker feel. Question is how do I do this? Does anyone have any tips on how to run this character? The pc in mind is a rogue who stands up for others, stealing for the poor, and fighting tyrants. Hates racism, and bigotry. What are your guys thoughts to making my npc the greatest rival to this pc?
You’re going for a Joker feel, but I’m picking up more of a Buddy from The Incredibles vibe. I don’t know about Greatest Rival, but you can certainly make a fun story arc out of this.
Minor inconvenience could just start as maybe there’s a collection jar for orphans in the town square, and seemingly unrelated some thugs start a fight with the PCs. After they finish the fight, the charity worker looks around and says “Hey, Someone stole the Orphans’ money!” The thugs were a diversion, with a result that the Rogue would feel bad for allowing.
Maybe later, an NPC they like has evidence planted on them that frames them for a crime and has them sent to jail.
There can be mysterious notes passed to them in taverns, taunting them for their failures.
Jobs they take get sabotaged. Like if they’re trying to intercept a wagon, and it’s supposed to be a pretty straightforward job, when they get the wagon, it’s a decoy, maybe with a note saying “better luck next time, suckers!” Rescues do similar things where they find a small figure with long blonde hair in a cell, but go to release the little girl they came for, and they turn her around only to see a halfling in a wig, bound and gagged.
From that level of taunting, you can go to framing minority groups for crimes, creating civil strife, orchestrating mass prison breaks, creating the type of chaos that makes the rise of tyranny possible, while working with the ruler to help coordinate the consolidation of power. The end of his plans is to make a police state where everyone is one offense away from being a criminal, because when everyone’s a criminal, criminals aren’t the deviants.
edit: vengeance paladin seems like a good class for this guy, only he doesn’t wear armor when acting as a courtier or however the PCs might encounter him outside of a showdown. But can you imagine the fun of recognizing the BBEG in a 1 on 1 meeting, he casts Abjure Enemy, and while you’re frightened and speed is 0, he monologues before disappearing with a “see you soon”
I made this npc, he is a person from one of my players backstories. His whole thing is he feels abandoned when he was sent for jail, and the pc didn't save him. He returns under a fake guise, trying to prove that he is the pc's greatest rival. Over time the encounters with this pc will go from inconvenience to down right evil. I was hoping for a Joker feel. Question is how do I do this? Does anyone have any tips on how to run this character? The pc in mind is a rogue who stands up for others, stealing for the poor, and fighting tyrants. Hates racism, and bigotry. What are your guys thoughts to making my npc the greatest rival to this pc?
You’re going for a Joker feel, but I’m picking up more of a Buddy from The Incredibles vibe. I don’t know about Greatest Rival, but you can certainly make a fun story arc out of this.
Minor inconvenience could just start as maybe there’s a collection jar for orphans in the town square, and seemingly unrelated some thugs start a fight with the PCs. After they finish the fight, the charity worker looks around and says “Hey, Someone stole the Orphans’ money!” The thugs were a diversion, with a result that the Rogue would feel bad for allowing.
Maybe later, an NPC they like has evidence planted on them that frames them for a crime and has them sent to jail.
There can be mysterious notes passed to them in taverns, taunting them for their failures.
Jobs they take get sabotaged. Like if they’re trying to intercept a wagon, and it’s supposed to be a pretty straightforward job, when they get the wagon, it’s a decoy, maybe with a note saying “better luck next time, suckers!” Rescues do similar things where they find a small figure with long blonde hair in a cell, but go to release the little girl they came for, and they turn her around only to see a halfling in a wig, bound and gagged.
From that level of taunting, you can go to framing minority groups for crimes, creating civil strife, orchestrating mass prison breaks, creating the type of chaos that makes the rise of tyranny possible, while working with the ruler to help coordinate the consolidation of power. The end of his plans is to make a police state where everyone is one offense away from being a criminal, because when everyone’s a criminal, criminals aren’t the deviants.
edit: vengeance paladin seems like a good class for this guy, only he doesn’t wear armor when acting as a courtier or however the PCs might encounter him outside of a showdown. But can you imagine the fun of recognizing the BBEG in a 1 on 1 meeting, he casts Abjure Enemy, and while you’re frightened and speed is 0, he monologues before disappearing with a “see you soon”
I made his class a swashbuckler rogue mixed with battlemaster