GM quest troubles.


Advice


Alright, so I've been GM'ing a small group for quite a while now. We consist of:

Baron Von Murder, Elf Ranger
Myra of Desna, HalfLing Cleric
Chuffy Lickwound, Goblin Bard (mine, and yes from We Be Goblins)

We started at level one; I've brought them through all sorts of adventures. From Orc mining caves where they freed the enslaved Troglodytes (not what I had written down), through a slightly modified version of the We Be Goblins one-shot campaign (I have all the minis so why not), into an abandoned Dwarven hunting lodge and an even-more abandoned minotaur's maze in search of the eight scrolls of Desna.

My quandary is simply that I've built up a bbeg that I've no idea how to fully create without either making him op or a complete pushover. Heisenborc, the evil Half-Orc drug lord.

A visual if that helps: http://static3.paizo.com/image/product/catalog/WZK/WZK70482-25_500.jpeg

I know I want his gear as similar to the miniature as possible.

His second in command, Jessorc (If you hadn't put it together, I'm straight up applying Breaking Bad's Jesse and Walter to these characters), is coming up sooner in the campaign as a lead to the bbeg. I can't find the picture of the mini, but it's the Half-Orc with the crossbow out holding a short sword underneath. I've got him as a level 7 Fighter if that helps build a dynamic.

Any guidance, tips, starting points, whatever. It all helps. It's all much appreciated. Thanks in advance.


Make him OP and make sure your players know that he's OP (demonstrate this in game somehow, such as them witnessing him taking out some they know to be powerful with relative ease).

This will force yor players to find a way to take him down through other means than a direct assault. Maybe they'll have to lay traps and capture him, or catch him in legal shenanigans and have him arrested (once you involve the town guard, you have strength in numbers), or they can simply wait to level up in order to match his power level (thereby making him a recurring villain).

Remember, you don't want every encounter to be at the PCs power level. There should be quite a few below their power level (which they can fight through with ease, making them feel heroic) about an equal amount or slightly more at their power level, a few above their power level (giving them a very difficult challenge), and finally a rare few way above their power level requiring them to hide, run, or finding another means of overcoming the challenge. This general layout of various power level challenges has been a part of D&D since the beginning and is part of what drives 1e nostalgia. It's been generally forgotten since 3e came out, and I see it as especially rare in PF. By bringing it back, you'll grow as a GM and your players will love it. And it'll make your world feel more alive (since these various power level creatures and abilities exist naturally and aren't dependant upon the PCs leveling).


Here a few things you can do to hurt the party:

1) Ray of Evervation, Negative levels are truly devastating.

2) Dominate Person, and have the party in-fight for Heisenorc's amusement

3) Build an encounter designed to party wipe, but have them awake in chains and shackles elsewhere afterwards. It must look authentic, as though they were meant to beat it.

4) Equip Heisenorc and Jessorc with Contingency spells. Stage a preliminary fight, they win at a matching APL where the Bosses teleport out. This robs the party, and makes them hate your boss for being a dirty coward. Then have another fight next session, at a higher level where they finish them.

5) Build Heisenorc with one objective: Smash their gear off their bodies. Improved sunder, an Earthbreaker based weapon, and huge strength. Have Jessorc in the background firing bolts at their now soft bodies.

6) Allow them to discover that these are not orcs, but half orcs that fell in with a bad lot. Heisenorc is just trying to raise money to look after his family after he dies, and Jessorc only wanted to sling some Flayleaf and go to concerts and it all got out of control. Make the party empathise with them and provide a non-combat solution.


And don't fuss too much over that mini. Pathfinder does not even support rotation, so bottlecaps will do.

Even though mini's are awesome.


Oh, the shenanigans have been afoot with Heisenborc already. He's enlarged creatures and walked away as the party struggled to survive. He's been chased into a cave which turned into a trap, collapsing on them, leaving them to fight against a Cyclops (they ran away, then poisoned it so they could kill it). He even had a clone that died in a big city tournament. I'll definitely consider the teleportation angle, as well as the other suggestions. I especially love the sundering idea, haha. That's sure to rile them up even further.

Idk what you mean by "rotation" but I already have the mini (if that's what you mean).


I think they mean 'facing'. 1st and 2nd Ed AD&D had facing. 3rd edition onward do not.

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