Karzoug will be the Demogorgon/Kyuss of this AP, but what about the recurring villain the PCs will love to hate? Will Nualia Tobyn be the one? A succubus playing the poor Aasimar daughter of a dead priest, who is thought to be dead, too?
I'd hope that recurring undying villains would exist or not as part of the story line in question. I'd not be really enamored with this kind of plotline if it was always tacked on out of some kind of perceived feeling that its a requirement that every AP has an undying bad guy in the same way as I'd be less then impressed if every AP focused on a maiden in distress like Lavina. If it serves the story line then its fine. However I think the whole gig were Vanthus kept reappearing as something more powerful then what he was before, forcing the PCs to fight him again and again, while neat, would start to feel horribly contrived if it happened in every AP.
Creative Director
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Recurring villians are tough to pull off in an adventure. You'll note that the only times that Vanthus shows up in Savage Tide, the adventure expects him to be defeated (with the exception of his cameo in "There is no Honor" which is handled with a bit of a cheat). PCs are fantastically good at killing or defeating villains, and as a result we generally don't rely on this construct much in an adventure path. Of the three paths we've done, Vanthus is the only time we've really done much with a recurring villain, for example.
It's MUCH better for recurring villains to rise organically from the adventure. In "Burnt Offerings" there are plenty of bad guys who, if they escape the PCs, can turn into recurring villains. There isn't really a pre-written role for any of them, but a creative GM should be able to easily work them in.
One of the best ideas for this was brought up in the AoW disscussion (I forget by whom). Basically, The Faceless One in TFoE is a simulacrum!
Considering the BBEG Sin Wizards, a simulacrum of one is an option for early encounter (without being too powerful for the party at that level). Who better to use as a go-between/minion?
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32
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It's MUCH better for recurring villains to rise organically from the adventure. In "Burnt Offerings" there are plenty of bad guys who, if they escape the PCs, can turn into recurring villains. There isn't really a pre-written role for any of them, but a creative GM should be able to easily work them in.
Based on the RotR Journal that Mr. Frost is writing, I'm planning on doing what I can to make that little goblin bard a (minor) recurring villain. Obviously not the BBEG, but a nice little thorn in the party's side. I want the PCs to be able to recognize his voice, and have him serve as a rabblerouser and battle leader of sorts for the goblins.
Recurring villians are tough to pull off in an adventure. You'll note that the only times that Vanthus shows up in Savage Tide, the adventure expects him to be defeated (with the exception of his cameo in "There is no Honor" which is handled with a bit of a cheat). PCs are fantastically good at killing or defeating villains, and as a result we generally don't rely on this construct much in an adventure path. Of the three paths we've done, Vanthus is the only time we've really done much with a recurring villain, for example.
It's MUCH better for recurring villains to rise organically from the adventure. In "Burnt Offerings" there are plenty of bad guys who, if they escape the PCs, can turn into recurring villains. There isn't really a pre-written role for any of them, but a creative GM should be able to easily work them in.
Heh. Last night, we just finished the Lotus Dragon's lair from TINH. It's taken four sessions to get this far, and the party now has *three* escaped, recurring villains -- Soller Vark, Vanthus, and Rowyn Kellani.
All three of them will be reappearing. Vanthus and Rowyn where they're expected to recur, and I think I have a couple of places Soller can pop up again.