So I’m starting up a new campaign in FR. My group’s first time with 5th. I’m working on a villain that I hope will be a thorn in the PCs’ sides for many adventures. However, her biggest strength is not in raw power, but rather her connections and the fact that many of her actions are perfectly legal (or at least the illegal stuff is hard to pin on her specifically). I have the start of an idea, but I welcome all suggestions. She is very wealthy (royalty or just super rich), is very adept at illusory magic and manipulation, and dislikes outright violence. She wants political or bureaucratic power. I’m leaning towards putting her somewhere in the Unapproachable East, but not Thay. She is smart, shrewd, charming, and not entirely without a heart. Other than that, I got nothing.
Do I put her in charge of a trading coaster? Perhaps a merchants’ guild? Is she a diplomat? A Princess after the throne? No real idea. I’m also trying to figure out how to make her “untouchable” with the law.
My first thought is to not make her obviously evil with their first encounter of her. If she is a person seeking more influence, than she will likely be very manipulative. Perhaps starting by having your players do quests for her and then find that something is very wrong along the way.
As you progress and they become wise to how devious the character is, the "fight" is going to be figuring out how to dismantle her influence to prevent her goals. So basically them figuring out how to make her slip and break the law, or reduce her control to a point she loses influence. This can also help set-up stories for down the line if this villain survives and starts striking deals for revenge.
If you were to go down this road, I would say a leader of a merchants guild that has ambitions of becoming a ruler. Or maybe her interest is to encourage a conflict between to provinces so she can profit from providing weapons and armor?
I'm fairly new to DMing so I don't know how feasible these ideas are, but i hope they help!
Like Son_of-Reier said it best don't make it obvious,.Have her hire the party to do the work for her. maybe she is like Jaffar she wants to be queen but has to get rid of the current rulers, that she is manipulating?
Pretty good ideas. The war-profiting is a bit cliche, but I could do a twist on that. She could be trying the reverse. Stopping two areas fighting to lower the price of arms. Maybe in a bid to buy the company out or bankrupt them. Hmmm...
Building on what Estoy said, manipulation of the current rules is great. My suggestion would be to go older. Think of powerful old women who encourage people into being evil on their own accord. Someone like a classic fairy-tale stepmother. Perhaps she is not the princess, but the princess's mother, or more precisely, the prince's mother-in-law. Her illegal dealings are well-covered because she has access, and can direct the royal forces against her competition. An active interest in law enforcement makes her seem lawful at first, but eventually her ulterior motives are revealed. Minor villains along the way come back as allies, when they betray their former employer. But her daughter will never betray her, presenting another layer of challenge as the heroes move through the story.
I like the idea of an older woman. It’s not often that epic heroes are bested or foiled by little old ladies. I’m trying to shy away from a corrupted or bribed City Watch. Makes it harder for the PCs to get away with simply killing the woman when they find out her scheme. After all, they don’t want to become criminals do they? Loving all these ideas, keep them coming please!
That simple question had me thinking all day and kicking myself for not working it out first. Here is what I have :
she is the distant relative of the old Lords of Nar. As a curse of her heritage, a demon known as Whisper has followed her family for generations. Driving the cursed scion insane or (rarely) paving the way for great and terrible deeds. The villain has done what none of her ancestors have never been able to do, play the demon at its own game. She used it to learn her magic and perfect her skills, and it was satiated with promises of great atrocities. The villain managed to find a way to temporarily bind the demon in a ring. In time she will have the ring and the demon destroyed, but she needs people she knows to be powerful enough to finish the job. Ultimately, she seeks to. Reestablish her namesake and the kingdom of Nar. To that end, she needs land and influence. Being head of a trading guild would give her the funds and provide a cover for the purchase of vast swaths of land. I don’t have a city yet, but it will likely be somewhere in Thesk. I also came to the realization that as a ruler, she wouldn’t be a truly terrible one. A tyrant, yes, but what is good for the city (country) is good for her, and she is the most important person. This will also make it more difficult for the PCs to depose her, if the citizens like her. But at the end of the day, she is evil, she just hides it better.
So I’m starting up a new campaign in FR. My group’s first time with 5th. I’m working on a villain that I hope will be a thorn in the PCs’ sides for many adventures. However, her biggest strength is not in raw power, but rather her connections and the fact that many of her actions are perfectly legal (or at least the illegal stuff is hard to pin on her specifically). I have the start of an idea, but I welcome all suggestions. She is very wealthy (royalty or just super rich), is very adept at illusory magic and manipulation, and dislikes outright violence. She wants political or bureaucratic power. I’m leaning towards putting her somewhere in the Unapproachable East, but not Thay. She is smart, shrewd, charming, and not entirely without a heart. Other than that, I got nothing.
Do I put her in charge of a trading coaster? Perhaps a merchants’ guild? Is she a diplomat? A Princess after the throne? No real idea. I’m also trying to figure out how to make her “untouchable” with the law.
A little more info:
My group is composed of 20+ year dnd vets. They know all my tricks and a lot more besides. I’m looking for some new ideas.
I also read a great article a while back about 0-level villains. Great read, but how do I pull it off?
I like the idea!
My first thought is to not make her obviously evil with their first encounter of her. If she is a person seeking more influence, than she will likely be very manipulative. Perhaps starting by having your players do quests for her and then find that something is very wrong along the way.
As you progress and they become wise to how devious the character is, the "fight" is going to be figuring out how to dismantle her influence to prevent her goals. So basically them figuring out how to make her slip and break the law, or reduce her control to a point she loses influence. This can also help set-up stories for down the line if this villain survives and starts striking deals for revenge.
If you were to go down this road, I would say a leader of a merchants guild that has ambitions of becoming a ruler. Or maybe her interest is to encourage a conflict between to provinces so she can profit from providing weapons and armor?
I'm fairly new to DMing so I don't know how feasible these ideas are, but i hope they help!
Like Son_of-Reier said it best don't make it obvious,.Have her hire the party to do the work for her. maybe she is like Jaffar she wants to be queen but has to get rid of the current rulers, that she is manipulating?
Pretty good ideas. The war-profiting is a bit cliche, but I could do a twist on that. She could be trying the reverse. Stopping two areas fighting to lower the price of arms. Maybe in a bid to buy the company out or bankrupt them. Hmmm...
Building on what Estoy said, manipulation of the current rules is great. My suggestion would be to go older. Think of powerful old women who encourage people into being evil on their own accord. Someone like a classic fairy-tale stepmother. Perhaps she is not the princess, but the princess's mother, or more precisely, the prince's mother-in-law. Her illegal dealings are well-covered because she has access, and can direct the royal forces against her competition. An active interest in law enforcement makes her seem lawful at first, but eventually her ulterior motives are revealed. Minor villains along the way come back as allies, when they betray their former employer. But her daughter will never betray her, presenting another layer of challenge as the heroes move through the story.
I like the idea of an older woman. It’s not often that epic heroes are bested or foiled by little old ladies. I’m trying to shy away from a corrupted or bribed City Watch. Makes it harder for the PCs to get away with simply killing the woman when they find out her scheme. After all, they don’t want to become criminals do they? Loving all these ideas, keep them coming please!
Have you thought of why she is craving power in the first place? Any thoughts on a backstory?
That simple question had me thinking all day and kicking myself for not working it out first. Here is what I have :
she is the distant relative of the old Lords of Nar. As a curse of her heritage, a demon known as Whisper has followed her family for generations. Driving the cursed scion insane or (rarely) paving the way for great and terrible deeds. The villain has done what none of her ancestors have never been able to do, play the demon at its own game. She used it to learn her magic and perfect her skills, and it was satiated with promises of great atrocities. The villain managed to find a way to temporarily bind the demon in a ring. In time she will have the ring and the demon destroyed, but she needs people she knows to be powerful enough to finish the job. Ultimately, she seeks to. Reestablish her namesake and the kingdom of Nar. To that end, she needs land and influence. Being head of a trading guild would give her the funds and provide a cover for the purchase of vast swaths of land. I don’t have a city yet, but it will likely be somewhere in Thesk. I also came to the realization that as a ruler, she wouldn’t be a truly terrible one. A tyrant, yes, but what is good for the city (country) is good for her, and she is the most important person. This will also make it more difficult for the PCs to depose her, if the citizens like her. But at the end of the day, she is evil, she just hides it better.