A recent discussion got me thinking about BBEGs - namely, who they are in each AP. First off, to avoid confusion, I define a BBEG as the primary antagonist who drives the PCs actions, and who is ultimately defeated in a climactic battle. (Does anyone else define them differently?)
Most of the APs have obvious BBEGs...
Other APs... not so obvious.
Council of Thieves: The only reason I'd call this one debatable is deciding whether or not there are two BBEGs. Eccardian is obviously the primary villain here, but his sister Chamady may also deserve the title.
Serpent's Skull: I think the safe bet is Vyr-Azul, because he's the mastermind and the cause for almost all the unpleasantness in Serpent's Skull. However, Ydersius is also a candidate. Without Ydersius, there would be no Vyr-Azul after all, and the climactic battle of the AP is against both Vyr-Azul and his god's avatar.
Jade Regent: This is a tough one. On one hand you have the Jade Regent himself, for whom the AP is named. However, in many ways, he's just a puppet of his grandfather Anamurumon. There's even hints that the Jade Regent is aware of his subordinate position, which leads me to call Anamurumon the true BBEG. But I'm not sure on this one.
Skull and Shackles: This is the most difficult AP to call so far. And while we don't have the sixth installment yet, I think the BBEG is either Harrigan, Druvalia Thrune, or perhaps even Kerdak Bonefist. Harrigan is a good bet because the PCs will hate his guts from the very start, but he ultimately dies in the 5th adventure and is discovered to be a puppet. Druvalia is the puppet master, and the greatest threat to the Shackles' freedom. Or is the greatest threat Kerdak, the lackadaisical ruler? Also, Kerdak looks like he'll be the final fight.
I might even argue that Skull and Shackles doesn't have a BBEG. Speaking of which...
Shattered Star: I only mention the upcoming AP because I've read that it won't have a BBEG. Or rather, unlike previous APs, the BBEG will be ancillary to the PC's quest of reuniting the Sihedron Star.
