I am thinking of making a homebrew campaign with the main villain being a barbarian/pact of the blade warlock on a quest for vengeance against an entire empire and it's king. His backstory is at some point either by the kings men or some other means, his village was destroyed and his bellowing rage reached asmodeous, and in that moment a deal was struck. Every soul who falls to his blade is delivered to the 9 hells, those who surrender join his ranks as lesser warlocks in his growing army. He is marching against the players homeland leaving bloody waste in his wake. Looking for any suggestions.
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Fleshing out the character, just any ideas on what to do with him or how to run it, how might the Pc's first engage this too powerful enemy to set him up as the main villain, things like that.
This is also my first attempt at creating a world and a homebrew campaign, so any advice is good advice.
You will find more help on the Dungeon Masters Only subforum, but here's what assistance I can give.
It seems like devils are going to play an important role in the campaign setting. At low levels, the players might encounter imp spies or a warlock of the fiend. At higher levels, or as the campaign progresses, perhaps the players find legions of bearded devils.
When thinking about the actions of the main villain, keep in mind that devils are lawful in nature and consider how the tension between the barbarian's chaotic rage and the devil's order play out in battle tactics. For the tactics of devils, use How to Play Hobgoblins like Perfect Soldiers as inspiration.
When encountering the villain the first time, you want the villain to feel powerful, nearly unstoppable. But you still want to give the players agency and a feeling of accomplishment. Consider the opening battle from Hoard of the Dragon Queen. Don't have the players face off against the villain, have them come across a town wrecked by the devilish forces or have to save people from a town under attack. If your players insist on fighting them, have them almost die.
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Sounds like you have a lot of moral struggles in there and that's great fodder for a campaign! I think you could try the route of making the main cillian the "noble suffering hero" type. My thoughts would be a character similar to Thanos in the new Avengers. You could have the players make contact with him and just barely escape with the hel/sacrifice of a close friend. After that they can experience dreams and visions from the villian twisting and tempting them to his side and they are convinced to keep it a secret unless they roll high enough. Rage isn't always hot and blind, so make sure to take advantage of the different forms anger takes. It sounds like an amazing idea though! Keep us updated on the progess!
I am thinking of making a homebrew campaign with the main villain being a barbarian/pact of the blade warlock on a quest for vengeance against an entire empire and it's king. His backstory is at some point either by the kings men or some other means, his village was destroyed and his bellowing rage reached asmodeous, and in that moment a deal was struck. Every soul who falls to his blade is delivered to the 9 hells, those who surrender join his ranks as lesser warlocks in his growing army. He is marching against the players homeland leaving bloody waste in his wake. Looking for any suggestions.
What type of advice are you looking for?
Tooltips | Snippet Code | How to Homebrew on D&D Beyond | Subclass Guide | Feature Roadmap
Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Fleshing out the character, just any ideas on what to do with him or how to run it, how might the Pc's first engage this too powerful enemy to set him up as the main villain, things like that.
This is also my first attempt at creating a world and a homebrew campaign, so any advice is good advice.
You will find more help on the Dungeon Masters Only subforum, but here's what assistance I can give.
It seems like devils are going to play an important role in the campaign setting. At low levels, the players might encounter imp spies or a warlock of the fiend. At higher levels, or as the campaign progresses, perhaps the players find legions of bearded devils.
When thinking about the actions of the main villain, keep in mind that devils are lawful in nature and consider how the tension between the barbarian's chaotic rage and the devil's order play out in battle tactics. For the tactics of devils, use How to Play Hobgoblins like Perfect Soldiers as inspiration.
When encountering the villain the first time, you want the villain to feel powerful, nearly unstoppable. But you still want to give the players agency and a feeling of accomplishment. Consider the opening battle from Hoard of the Dragon Queen. Don't have the players face off against the villain, have them come across a town wrecked by the devilish forces or have to save people from a town under attack. If your players insist on fighting them, have them almost die.
For additional information on devils, pick up Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes.
Tooltips | Snippet Code | How to Homebrew on D&D Beyond | Subclass Guide | Feature Roadmap
Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Sounds like you have a lot of moral struggles in there and that's great fodder for a campaign! I think you could try the route of making the main cillian the "noble suffering hero" type. My thoughts would be a character similar to Thanos in the new Avengers. You could have the players make contact with him and just barely escape with the hel/sacrifice of a close friend. After that they can experience dreams and visions from the villian twisting and tempting them to his side and they are convinced to keep it a secret unless they roll high enough. Rage isn't always hot and blind, so make sure to take advantage of the different forms anger takes. It sounds like an amazing idea though! Keep us updated on the progess!