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Returning 35 results for 'Athreos as Campaign Villain'.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Athreos as Campaign Villain Athreos sees his responsibilities as necessary, but doesn’t cherish them. Were there a more efficient way to maintain the cycle of life and death, or to create some sort
of stasis, he might pursue it. Alternatively, wittingly or otherwise, Athreos might allow some less reliable being to take over his labors. Regardless of the circumstances, any change in the River
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Erebos as Campaign Villain The god of death is a natural villain, whether from the beginning of the campaign or after he takes a villainous turn against his former champions. As a campaign villain
, Erebos will try to carry out the worst of his schemes: sowing despair, ending lives before their time, or supplanting Heliod. The campaign might begin with cultists of Erebos committing random murders
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Iroas as Campaign Villain Characters are likely to raise the ire of Iroas because they oppose his followers in battle or defy his ideals. His anger is direct and unsubtle, much like Iroas himself
, involving attacks on people who may seem unrelated to the initial conflict. As a campaign villain, Iroas is most likely driven by his desire to win in battle, to confront Mogis, or to avenge an insult to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Thassa as Campaign Villain Many of Thassa’s schemes begin with some perceived slight, or even a genuine threat, perpetrated by one of the other gods. But Thassa’s acts of intervention are seldom
resurrection, or fight several younger krakens her champions are training. Such a campaign might end with the adventurers convincing other gods to placate Thassa, or paying penance in the form of treasure
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Pharika as Campaign Villain As a campaign villain, Pharika might conduct experiments in mortal resilience and curiosity, tests that unfold over generations. The characters might spoil one of these
threats. As the campaign progresses, Pharika could evolve from antagonist into an unlikely patron. Pharika is also an excellent partner for a range of other divine antagonists, lending her support in
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Mogis as Campaign Villain Left unchecked, Mogis and his followers would destroy all of creation. This situation leads to plenty of campaign hooks and opportunities for the characters to act
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Kruphix as Campaign Villain As a campaign villain, Kruphix is most likely trying to maintain or restore the balance of power among the gods. He doesn’t know the future, and his actions sometimes have
Silence. Just as Kruphix reins in the worst excesses of the other gods, the best chance of foiling Kruphix as a villain lies in the nature of Kruphix himself. A campaign in which Kruphix is a villain
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Phenax as Campaign Villain Regardless of whether Phenax begins the campaign as a villain or turns against his champions during the course of play, he presents himself as a confounding, slippery foe
. As a campaign villain, Phenax might be driven by a desire to incite conflict against his fellow gods, usually to serve his own ends. Although Phenax doesn’t desire rulership over Nyx, he does love to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Nylea as Campaign Villain As a villain, Nylea is most likely driven by transgressions against her realm, whether by mortals or by other gods. She might begin her retaliation by barring all sapient
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Klothys as Campaign Villain As a foe, Klothys might endeavor to reestablish the order of the cosmos that existed before the meddling of Xenagos and Heliod. These corrections start small, manifesting
of Klothys’s tireless followers.
Ultimately, Klothys holds grudges only rarely. The campaign might conclude when the characters identify the moment they strayed from their destined place and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Heliod as Campaign Villain Whether Heliod is a villain from the beginning of the campaign or takes a villainous turn against his former champions, a campaign centered on Heliod’s arrogance and
peevishness brings the worst of the sun god’s qualities into focus. As a campaign villain, Heliod is most likely driven by his desire to assert his rulership over the other gods of the pantheon and his
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Karametra as Campaign Villain The intrinsic wildness of nature is part of Karametra’s being. A campaign that paints Karametra as a villain might explore the ferocity that seethes inside her, a wild
mortal lives, the collective force of mortal belief can reshape the gods’ very nature. As a campaign villain, Karametra might seek to return to her blood-soaked origins, sending her champions to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Ephara as Campaign Villain A campaign with Ephara as the villain might be well suited to a wilderness-based campaign. Many people of the wilds see the patron of cities as inherently villainous—a
. A likely storyline with Ephara as the main villain would involve the characters trying to stop champions of Ephara from establishing a new city or expanding an existing city into the wilderness
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Purphoros as Campaign Villain As a campaign villain, Purphoros is more likely to be driven by his impulses rather than by any coherent plan. He might begin by encouraging his champions to create
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Keranos as Campaign Villain Because Keranos doesn’t readily concern himself with quandaries of good versus evil, it is easy to use him as a villain. The god might be driven by frustration at mortals
an oracle who foretells a great tragedy that involves the characters or someone they care about. As the campaign progresses, Keranos becomes increasingly upset at the actions the characters take to
Monsters
Dungeon Masters: Ravenloft Play-Along Pack
of his treacherous servant, Caradoc, into the Mists. When the Mists parted again, the domain of Sithicus spread before him.
Villain of Two Worlds
Lord Soth features in adventures in both the
Dragonlance and Ravenloft campaign settings. If you want to give Soth a unique relationship to the Domains of Dread, consider these possibilities:
The nature of Soth’s curse creates aspects of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Villain
1 An oracle (see chapter 6) follows omens to find those who have been resurrected, claiming they owe Athreos a debt.
2 A mercenary (gladiator) accuses a community of harboring
greater efficiency in the transition of the doomed into death, such as by impeding medical treatment or wrecking warships destined for hopeless wars. Athreos doesn’t approve of utter cruelty, but
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
loved one, a mentor, or a champion from the Underworld.
An Athreos Campaign Early in a campaign, Athreos’s champions likely face dangerous or wayward undead, such as ghouls and ghosts, or monsters
Athreos’s Champions Athreos expects his champions to maintain the balance between the living and the dead, just as he does. Beyond this, his servants take it upon themselves to maintain funerary
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
A Strixhaven Campaign If you run these adventures as a campaign, one villain is behind the chaos on campus: the bullywug Murgaxor Grenshel, a disgruntled former student who attended Strixhaven
campaign, and each adventure provides information about how Murgaxor’s influence corrupts and warps creatures and places on campus. The end of each adventure provides information that foreshadows or sets
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
the course of a campaign. For example, characters on their very first adventure might face a villain who uses the stat block of a Mage Apprentice, only to have that villain escape and return many
Recurring NPCs NPCs who keep showing up over the course of a campaign build the sense that the world of the game is a living, breathing place. Whether these NPCs are allies, patrons, friends, or
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
an abandoned building or tower. If you run horror adventures week after week, try using a villain who turns out to be ordinary, perhaps even silly. Comic relief is a great variation on almost any D&D campaign, though players usually provide it themselves.
Campaign Theme A theme in a campaign, as in a work of literature, expresses the deeper meaning of a story and the fundamental elements of human experience that the story explores. Your campaign
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Underworld Crossing The Tartyx River is dotted with ruined temples of Athreos on either side of its banks that serve as crossing points between the mortal world and the Underworld. Souls of the dead
risk of being eternally pursued by Athreos’s servants. Alternatively, it might be souls rather than riches that tempt adventurers to the Tartyx’s banks. A spirit who died without payment for Athreos
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
Episodes and Serials There are two basic ways to think about how adventures fit together in your campaign: as distinct episodes or as a serialized story. If you’re not sure which type of campaign to
. Episodes An episodic campaign is a campaign in which the component adventures don’t combine to form an overarching story. Episodic adventures are stand-alone quests, and the villains who appear in one
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
can make a recurring villain in your campaign more intriguing by introducing moral ambiguity into the villain’s background, possibly through references to the individual’s experiences during the Last
. 3 The villain is rising to power through entirely legal means, winning popular support (through generous campaign promises) and working within the system. 4 The villain’s schemes are directed at
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things
options for how a Rogue villain can enter your campaign: Impostor. An acquaintance isn’t who they appear to be. This nefarious individual might be using an assumed identity, or the villain could be a
Rogues’ Gallery When a character draws the Rogue card, a new villain’s presence—if not their identity—is revealed to the characters. Who is this villain, and why are they an enemy? Here are a few
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn
. A Forgotten Realms villain doesn’t just invent a new spell—they break the Weave and unleash the Spellplague. When an epic villain goes down, they don’t just die—they crash a flying city into Myth
Drannor. Fantasy roleplaying games boast many iconic epic plots. Perhaps your campaign antagonist wants to ascend to godhood; forge or obtain an Artifact; unleash a long-imprisoned Elder Evil; cause or
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
Darkon Campaign Arc Campaigns set in Darkon likely involve the mystery of the Hour of Ascension. A campaign here might follow this outline: Levels 1–3. The characters arrive in Darkon near Il Aluk
allies and learn of these villains’ methods. Levels 4–15. The characters confront the region’s villain. Rather than fighting the characters, the villain entreats the group to help them establish control
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
Aurum Campaign Themes It’s easy to introduce the Aurum to the characters early in a campaign. Its members are public figures, sometimes eccentric but not necessarily evil. A Concordian could hire the
the power behind a criminal syndicate. Alternatively, an Aurum Concordian can be a behind-the-scenes villain: low-level adventurers could clash with the Concordian’s hired goons as they pursue the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
to a published adventure so that it better suits your campaign and appeals to your players. For example, you can replace the villain of an adventure with one the players have already encountered in
your campaign, or add something to the background of the adventure so that it involves your players’ characters in ways that the adventure’s designer never could have imagined. A published adventure
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn
druid who becomes their mentor (and who you intend the campaign villain to murder by the time the characters reach level 5). By doing this, even humble adventures feel connected to a greater whole
Low-Level Challenges Epic adventure implies adventuring at high level. But most campaigns start at low level, typically level 1 or level 3. How can you make a campaign feel epic from the start? Start
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
, preserving the house’s image and reputation. If the plays a significant, recurring role as a villain in your campaign, the characters’ eventual task will be to prove that these so-called “rogue agents” have actually been taking orders from the top of the house’s leadership.
Dragonmarked House Campaign Themes The dragonmarked houses provide an opportunity for your campaign to explore the role of magic in society and the power of industry in the postwar world. If the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
climactic encounter or planning a whole campaign around these marvelous creatures. The material here builds on what’s in the Dungeon Master’s Guide and the “Dragons” section of the Monster Manual. It’s
divided into five main sections: “Roleplaying Dragons” presents tips and tricks for building a dragon character as complex and distinctive as any other villain, ally, or mysterious figure in your
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
secrets of her inactive dragonmark, the Mark of Death. If she succeeds, she could come to possess unimaginable power. This makes her a formidable villain to drive the action of an entire campaign.
Emerald Claw Campaign Themes At low levels, adventurers can clash with Emerald Claw skeletons and zombies. As the characters grow more capable, the threats escalate. They might have to protect a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
local government or temple.
6 Defeat a champion of another god (most likely Heliod, Erebos, or Iroas).
A Phenax Campaign Phenax fits easily into the role of primary campaign villain. He also
one of the necropoleis in expanding or dealing with various threats. Plots and schemes are Phenax’s lifeblood, suggesting a complex, shifting campaign full of surprises and twists. For example, a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
that arise from the characters’ actions.
You can adjust a published adventure so it better suits your campaign and appeals to your players. For example, you can replace the villain of an adventure
with one the players have already encountered in your campaign, or add details from your campaign setting so the adventure involves your players’ characters in ways that the adventure’s designer never