Help Stating a Villain

[Havic]

I'm running a campaign where the players will be having a showdown with a "big bad" villain. Even though he isn't the main villain of the entire campaign, I want it to be a memorable fight and also a challenging one.

Here's a basic description of the villain:

He's a well-armed, above-average height, intelligent Orc. He can speak fluent Common and he wears a crown made of junk and scavenged materials. He is known as Lord Orgroroth, self-declared king of all Orckind and Goblin kind. Under the direction of his mysterious benefactor, he has used his charisma and commanding presence to gather an army to overthrow the Kingdom of Traadia.

His goal is simple. He wants to rule his own tyrannical nation and conquer everything he sees in his name, bringing glory to his race. To do this, he has sought the aid of powers greater than himself, hence his orders to attack a city with his army.

I plan to have the fight take place in his throne room, likely surrounded by several guards. The party will likely be 5th level by the time they reach this encounter.

Any suggestions as to how I should structure the fight?

[Gus Zagarella]

Have you considered sneaking the players into his war tent during the night? It might be an interesting chance to ambush him while he is alone. Of course, their main challenge will be finishing him off before all of his reinforcements arrive.

[Bruunwald]

Gus Zagarella wrote:

Have you considered sneaking the players into his war tent during the night? It might be an interesting chance to ambush him while he is alone. Of course, their main challenge will be finishing him off before all of his reinforcements arrive.

That only sounds like good villain-making advice if he plans to hand victory to the party.

To the OP:

You can't "structure" too much in the sense of commanding the ebb and flow. But you can prepare (like for instance, keeping his guards ready to shoot crossbows through murder holes in the walls).

Question: If he is attacking a city, how do you plan to have the fight occur in his throne room? Are we talking about the PCs tracking him down to his own HQ after the city is sacked? Or does he take up residence in the city? Does this mean his attack on the city is destined to succeed?

[Thanis Kartaleon]

If you can, take a look at Burnt Offerings, the first adventure path volume (reprised in the Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition).

Spoiler:

They have a similar encounter with a goblin king in his throne room. He has a pet lizard (which he rides), and a host of goblin warriors and adepts to fill out the fight. The throne room is sizeable (I think it was around 25-30 feet on a side), with numerous columns breaking up the area. The goblin warriors (if aware of the impending fight) hide at the top of the columns so they can join the fight in unexpected places.

Make use of difficult terrain (spoils of war littering the throne room), cover from pillars or statues, traps, and enough guards to occupy the PCs as long as you need to.

I would probably make the big bad a 6th level character with the simple advanced template. High Constitution is a must, and capitalizes on his Ferocity ability. Orcs have darkvision and light sensitivity, so the throne room would likely be barely lit, if at all; if the orc is intelligent as you say he would have counter-measures for any light spells his foes may bring to bear.

Intelligent Orcs may choose Dwarven, Giant, Gnoll, Goblin, or Undercommon as bonus languages - having a 'sub-boss' mercenary of a creature that natively speaks one of those languages (or having his guards be of that race) would make for a memorable encounter.

[Kiinyan]

I could see this as an Order of the Dragon type cavalier. He laughs and mocks his enemies. Spend the first few rounds using dazzling display, or even antagonize, while the PCs fight the mooks. Don't have himself involved immediately.

Edit: Also, use tactician. He is a mighty, intelligent foe. He knows he can turn the battle, but also understands even the most unlikely of foes can get a lucky crit. He spends his time supporting his minions until he feels that they can't hold on their own and the situation calls for his involvement.

[laarddrym]

what kiinyan said. that, or he waits for the opportunity to strike at an isolated or hard-pressed PC, knowing that it would likely change the course of the fight.

[Havic]

Bruunwald wrote:

Question: If he is attacking a city, how do you plan to have the fight occur in his throne room? Are we talking about the PCs tracking him down to his own HQ after the city is sacked? Or does he take up residence in the city? Does this mean his attack on the city is destined to succeed?

I probably should have explained that better.

The players discover the plans before the attack and they find some way into his fortress to confront him in his castle.

[Tragic Missile]

It's a pretty sweet concept. You could try making the King a fighter/rogue. He would have the brutal fighting ability mixed with cunning. Dropping sneak attacks with a greatsword!

If he's keen on being a "real king," he could have a court present in his throne room. A mockery of a real king's court with goblins and orcs serving as courtiers (and meat shields during combat). Heck, put in a goblin jester!

I would also suggest a goblin cleric as an advisor and perhaps an ogre barbarian kept as a pet.

Imagine it: The giant doors swing open to reveal a mockery of the King's royal court. A multitude of finely dressed goblins and orcs murmur quietly while a colorful, bell-hatted goblin dances before them. At the far end of the room sits the self-crowned Lord Ogroroth in all his glory, casually chewing the last bit of meat from a bone of unknown origin. To his left is the ever rambling sage known as "Mad Morkuk Sizzlebrains" and to his right, the brutish ogre called "Fido", a heavy chain leading from his collar to the green lord's right hand.

I find that the BBEG only words if the NPC is actually BIG. If not, I prefer to do BBEG with friends. In this case you have a bunch of fodder for the players to swim through, plus a bard, cleric, barbarian and fighter/rogue. The sheer number of NPC's allows the combat to play out fluidly. The boss can easily flank for sneak attacks, the cleric can keep melee at bay with the minions in the room and the ogre can run amok.

Geez, I'm thinking about running this myself now!

[Havic]

Tragic Missile wrote:

It's a pretty sweet concept. You could try making the King a fighter/rogue. He would have the brutal fighting ability mixed with cunning. Dropping sneak attacks with a greatsword!

If he's keen on being a "real king," he could have a court present in his throne room. A mockery of a real king's court with goblins and orcs serving as courtiers (and meat shields during combat). Heck, put in a goblin jester!

I would also suggest a goblin cleric as an advisor and perhaps an ogre barbarian kept as a pet.

Imagine it: The giant doors swing open to reveal a mockery of the King's royal court. A multitude of finely dressed goblins and orcs murmur quietly while a colorful, bell-hatted goblin dances before them. At the far end of the room sits the self-crowned Lord Ogroroth in all his glory, casually chewing the last bit of meat from a bone of unknown origin. To his left is the ever rambling sage known as "Mad Morkuk Sizzlebrains" and to his right, the brutish ogre called "Fido", a heavy chain leading from his collar to the green lord's right hand.

I find that the BBEG only words if the NPC is actually BIG. If not, I prefer to do BBEG with friends. In this case you have a bunch of fodder for the players to swim through, plus a bard, cleric, barbarian and fighter/rogue. The sheer number of NPC's allows the combat to play out fluidly. The boss can easily flank for sneak attacks, the cleric can keep melee at bay with the minions in the room and the ogre can run amok.

Geez, I'm thinking about running this myself now!

That's perfect! Thanks!