So, while watching Star Trek: Next Generation, as I was planning a dungeon for my new group, an idea came to me. The Star Trek episode was one of the ones with Q in it, a character I happen to like very much.
I want to introduce a Q like character into my campaign. A god-like being whose not really evil nor good. The idea is to create a recurring NPC who tests the party to feed his curiosity about mortals. Thing is, I don't know how to go about it. Should I create a new race? Is there perhaps an immortal race I could use?
My campaign is going to be a long one, going from levels 1 - 5 in the Beginner Box, switching to core once the party is ready for level 6 and then going from levels 6 - 20, or maybe beyond if possible. So I'm wondering how often should this character show up throughout the campaign.
EDIT:
I love Goblins and a weird side of me wants to make my Q outwardly appear to be a Goblin...
Just make him a being of pure DM Fiat
Thanks. I don't want him to be a villain...at least not outright. He's more like an obstacle or puzzle. I plan to use him mainly in Role Play encounters, or use him to get players into trouble.
I agree--doing this will just make you look like a jerk. If a GM did this in a game I was in, I'd be very unhappy, and I would never do this myself as a GM.
I played a character in a Bushido game that was to be a singleton encounter. He was a test of how 'bushi' the players' were in their heads. The GM continued me in the character and would slip in 'tests' with my night's sheets. I effectively was playing 'Duex mechina' (sp) at those times. Since he was running a very Zen game (he is Japanese) with a bunch of slash 'n' hack D&D folk, he needed a mechanic to get us focused into the night's action. I found out later that he built the entire night's adventure to highlight a principle of either Zen or the Bushi codes.
Remember, this was a game in which an honorable death was more important than mere life. Awesome RP!
It's a temptation isn't it? But as G.O.D. put it, it's annoying to players. Why? It robs them of something called "agency", which is their sense that they're affecting the world around them. If you take that away "POOF! You're in MY world now! Rocks fall and you die!" then there is no game. It's your ego versus their patience. Don't play that game.
Remember, Picard refused to play Q's game. It's how he took the moral high ground, which frustrated and fascinated Q.
Suggestion: Do this in small batches if you really want, but do it as two powerful beings, like a djinn and an efreet are settling a bet with one another over something. They get the players involved as "pawns", but the players find out about the bet, and are able to play one powerful being against the other. It gives the PC's a sense of AGENCY, that they're beating the game, which is what heroes do, right?
Sounds interesting.
It's a cool idea, particularly the goblin aspect. In many cultures, gods were simply ascended mortal heroes/villains and not omnipotent omniscient, which is kind of what Q is more like, but if you can tone it down you may be able to retain that "agency" aspect. I've personally been subverted by over zealous DMs and their in-game god egos and really I just stopped showing up. If I wanted all my actions to be irrelevant, I'd read a book.
But, if the players can subvert the Q, then there you go. In fact, pulling one over the immortal could be very rewarding. Just make sure that the immortal doesn't always win, or always see through the players schemes.
Check out Faiths and Pantheons, or Dieties and Demigods from the previous D&D systems for an idea on how powerful the top dogs are.
And for your players sake, make all of the immortals actions game-mechanic explainable, even if you don't explain the mechanics to your players.
No offense, but I really HATE this idea. The only way I can see it working is if the PCs "win" against G (the Goblin version of Q). Maybe if the G was ridiculously funny. I don't know. I would hate to lose agency. I'm not a big fan of all powerful entities, anyways. They seem like lazy writing.
Here's what I came up with:
When G (Thanks for the name SmiloDan) shows up, it's not to screw over the heroes and would only be in between quests. I'm thinking of playing him as a trickster with god-like powers, so it's not that his goal is to screw over the party, he's more focused on getting them into trouble to see their reactions. He's an Outsider, from a different realm/dimension and they can send him back for a time whenever they overcome whatever mess he decides to get them into. This would explain why he shows up only once every 4 or 5 levels. He might even redeem himself in the end by saving the party at the cost of his life or he could be a high level encounter where the party finds out how to send him back for good.
Examples would be:
Q, to some degree.
Mister Mxyzptlk from DC Comics
Maybe even Bat-Mite, also from DC Comics.