Any tips on increasing the longevity of a BBEG? Or just a rival NPC?
I'm running a 2nd level campaign, and I want to introduce a party of rivals. My PCs are an alchemist, fighter, and gunslinger.
Since they're low on healing and condition removal magic, or even detect magic, I want to give them an allied church, but with rivals within the church. The rivals will be a party of "brethren"--cleric, inquisitor, monk, paladin, possibly oracle and Order of the Staff cavalier, maybe ranger, evangelical bard, and/or "white" necromancer.
I'm thinking of making the leader-type a Sunder specialist, and the paladin a half-elf Bludgeoner/Enforcer-type.
I'm thinking of the church being LN, so there will be LG good-guy allies/healers/sages, but also LE scoundrels.
But what do you do to keep NPC and PC rivals from killing each other?
The bad guys have the advantage of more planning as the PCs are the one who are usually thrust into the adventure unaware of what is going on. Think about how you would plan an escape. Then think of another one. And another one. Bad guys should alway have at least 3 ways already planned out to accomplish anything.
ALso bad guys usually have the advantage of having minions do their dirty work to keep out of the fighting.
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Toughness and NPC class levels are great ways at low levels to increase hp of a NPC without altering to much the difficulty. For example cleric 4/aristocrat 2 might grant him slight bumb in skills area and hp.
Low level spellcasters are always great. Several lv1-2 clerics or adepts can help out BBEG a lot.
Traps are great when incorporated into encounters.
Thanks!
I'm thinking of using Order of the Staff cavaliers as minions. Heavy Armor + Shields + Toughness sounds fun and easy, plus bonus Teamwork feats. Warrior 1/Adept 1 is CR 1/2, right?
Alchemist Clonemaster. The BBEG that never really dies.
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@SmiloDan
Warrior 1/Adept 1 should be CR 1/2, that's correct. If you plan to use Teamwork feats, Outflank for +4 on flanking or that feat which name I can't recall grants 1d6 precision damage in flank, are simple to use and simple to calculate. You always want things to be as simple as possible when you GM, because it includes less tracking and faster gameplay.
Malag
Take the teamwork feats that increase skills or defenses rather than attacks. There are ones to increase their saves, stealth, perception, AC, etc...
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I wouldn't put a paladin in the opposing party. It is somewhat harder to imagine a paladin that won't push through for a 'firm decision' one way or the other. They aren't usually the type to run away or let others run away to become a threat later. Plus a paladin will be very difficult for the party to stop without killing when he comes after them.
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You can also have RP considerations to keep them alive. Since they are rivals in the same church (if I read you correctly). The clergyman the PC's are working for is lower in rank that the patron of the opposition. So does not want to spend the political capitol to make up for the PC's killing other church members (at least not in any way that can be traced back).
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Common knowledge that the rivals are also not allowed to kill the PC's. They just try to interfere, take the prize first, help the PC's to fail a mission, spread bad rumors about the PC's, etc...
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Have the NPC's be cowards. As soon as they take any damage or come close to failing a save, they run. They use all their spells for defense. Attack from range with poisoned crossbow bolts. (Not poisoned enough to kill, but losing some ability score points will slow them down and make them less likely to succeed.)
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Opposition aren't as excellent but are higher level. Use lower point buy, not as much effort at optimization for killing, and NPC class levels like expert and aristocrat. That will make them harder to kill but not make them much more dangerous to the PC's
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Maybe their patron in the church sees to it that they are better equipped. (Church property so the PC's can't easily claim it.)
Making him survivable works to help a BBG survive and encounter but if you want a really long term BBG you need to avoid allowing an encounter in the first place.
1. Idea 1: introduce the BBG to the party early as an NPC but not necessarily an opponent. He/She/it could be a politician/local noble/guard, etc. Someone with authority that the PC's will have to deal with.
2. Idea 2: make the BBG seem nice. If the PC's develop a relationship with him it makes the later betrayal all the sweeter and the revenge even better.
3. Idea 3: if not nice he should be too powerful to confront. The tax collector is the representative of the local noble or king. He might be a jerk but you can't just kill him. You have to dig up dirt or evidence on him before you can confront him. Likewise the local dragon can't be confronted at 2nd level and he could toy with the PC's for many levels until they are a threat.
4. Idea 4: make the BBG too smart to confront. You know he is the mob boss type. The evidence never quite leads back to him even though the PC's eventually know it is him.
5. When it is finally time to confront the BBG set up encounters designed to allow the BBG to escape. Minions thrown in the way. Lockable secret escape tunnels. Flight at low levels. Weird terrain or weather effects that allow concealment. etc. Even the old Dr. Doom/Saddam trick of having lookalikes can work here.
5. Give the BBG an ability to be slippery or escape. Invisibility at low levels; D-Door and teleport at mid levels; clone or simulacrum at high levels allow BBG's the ability to escape and return time after time.
Nothing is better than a recurring BBG. It is so satisfying once defeated.
Idea number 6: Give the BBG the ability to disguise itself or even change shape. Thus the BBG could actually be multiple NPC's that all deal with the Party, some nice, some not. I have always wanted to use Doppelgangers this way but lots of creatures can change shape or even low level casters.
I like that gaseous form idea.
Idea number 6 (revised): BBG that can change shape or disguise that has multiple identities, some of the identities are real people that are not in the area or just unaware. For example that merchant you have been dealing with for months and just #%*ed you over arrives in town the next day and you find out he has been on a year long caravan to the east. or The tax collector that has been making life difficult for you claims that he has never met you when confronted in his home... and he is telling the truth!
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For pure combat survivability , a defensive monk or paladin. If you take monk of the sacred mountain archetype he has a bonus ac and gets toughness for free at 2nd lev. By 9th try get damage reduction and it increases by 1 every three levels. With proper feats to optimize those defenses, maybe make him an aid another build, defeating him
In combat could be very problematic since he keeps his allies around longer and forces you to deal with him. He won't do much damage back to he pc's but he has minions and peers for that.
A mounted knight/cavalier is nice as well since a ride check can negate an attack a round.
Then there are the suggestions above about disguise and the like. I would have suggested those next for non combat.
I like the idea of using Combat Expertise and Aid Another.
I have an idea for a Malfoy-esque female half-orc or tiefling inquisitor, specializing in disarming and/or summoning. Even the Travel domain might be a good, low-level escape technique.
Or hasted horses.
Hostages. I am sure there is a spell that can make others take your damage for you? Well create a magic item where those wearing the item takes the BBEG's damage. So not only do you give the BBEG more HPs but it will reduce the PC's willingness to attack him at the same time (Hopefully).
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There is a feat that does exactly this for grappling. It is called Body Shield from UC. You need improved unarmed strike and a Bab of +6 but if you went with the monk idea for survivability, (even sohei for the mounted begatioin and bonus movement, lol) then you could have a rather obnoxious villain who should pose many a quandary and make for a rather superb final showdown.
This is a very unmagical party (alchemist, fighter, gunslinger), so even minor magic tricks would be effective against them. Since the rival party will be working for the PCs' primary source of healing, that can be used as a tool to keep them in line....