I've got a big new campaign coming up, and I've hit a bit of a roadblock. I have a starting adventure in mind, and a general idea of the plot, but it seems I've run out of ideas on villains, or at least non-mook ones. Any help?
Party's going to be in the 1st to (probably) 3rd level range over the course of this. They've got an Alchemist, Kineticist, Magus, Oracle, Psychic, Sorcerer, and Vigilante
Villains (at least these initial ones) are military from a super-xenophobic "Kill all non-humans" nation who sent a big spaceship thing crewed with goons to chase after two of the PCs (for being a fox-man and giant bird respectively). The rest of them got caught up in it when those two tried to hide out in their town, and the ship started bombing.
...But 'airship full of soldiers' just describes the mooks. Can't have generic warriors for all your enemies, and I'm at a bit of a loss to what to do with the individual officers, and any other notables (whoever those might be). The party's pretty big, and generally clever (including clever enough to run when necessary), so I'm sure they'd pull through even if, on occasion, I threw them up against some folks who really outclassed them.
Any early-villainous-NPC suggestions?
(...I just realized the new Villain Codex might actually be great here! I don't have it yet, but maybe soon...)
I've got a big new campaign coming up, and I've hit a bit of a roadblock. I have a starting adventure in mind, and a general idea of the plot, but it seems I've run out of ideas on villains, or at least non-mook ones. Any help?
Party's going to be in the 1st to (probably) 3rd level range over the course of this. They've got an Alchemist, Kineticist, Magus, Oracle, Psychic, Sorcerer, and Vigilante
Villains (at least these initial ones) are military from a super-xenophobic "Kill all non-humans" nation who sent a big spaceship thing crewed with goons to chase after two of the PCs (for being a fox-man and giant bird respectively). The rest of them got caught up in it when those two tried to hide out in their town, and the ship started bombing.
...But 'airship full of soldiers' just describes the mooks. Can't have generic warriors for all your enemies, and I'm at a bit of a loss to what to do with the individual officers, and any other notables (whoever those might be). The party's pretty big, and generally clever (including clever enough to run when necessary), so I'm sure they'd pull through even if, on occasion, I threw them up against some folks who really outclassed them.
Any early-villainous-NPC suggestions?
(...I just realized the new Villain Codex might actually be great here! I don't have it yet, but maybe soon...)
Put them up against an Inquisitor. Divine casting, can buff if he/she knows they're coming. Fits the description of zealot on a kill all non-humans mission. Has plenty of tricks up it's sleeve for a variety of adaptive gameplay. And the most fun part of this - Inquisitors can track. If your party is outclassed and runs away, they're now being pursued by a villain hellbent on killing them and able to run them down. That can be terrifying from a PC perspective and a lot of fun to RP.
EDIT: You'd need to power it up, but you could even start with the iconic one here as a base: http://www.pathfindercommunity.net/iconic-characters/imrijka---iconic-inqui sitor/imrijka---iconic-inquisitor-1
What about a doppelgänger with class levels? They have impersonated a human for so long that they have developed a weird identity crisis and hate their montrous origins. They try to prove that they have become truly human by killing any non-human races.
Put them up against an Inquisitor. Divine casting, can buff if he/she knows they're coming. Fits the description of zealot on a kill all non-humans mission. Has plenty of tricks up it's sleeve for a variety of adaptive gameplay. And the most fun part of this - Inquisitors can track. If your party is outclassed and runs away, they're now being pursued by a villain hellbent on killing them and able to run them down. That can be terrifying from a PC perspective and a lot of fun to RP.
Hunh. Y'know, now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever used the Inquisitor class, whether for NPC or PC.
I'll have to rectify that. What you described sounds pretty cool!
(Using Imrijka as a base seems like a strange idea for a 'hates non-humans' character though, so I think I'll probably make my own.)
The Rival Guide has a wide variety of NPCs that are useful for villains. Pathfinder #100 had new NPCs for every adventure path up to that point.
If you're looking for something quick and easy, there are a lot of NPC stats available on the d20pfsrd.
A few scouts for the ship -- maybe cavaliers or rangers on flying mounts? (Warning: flying archers can be DEADLY against low-level parties who have not much in the way of ranged combat abilities.)
An officer who specializes in inspiring his men and supporting them (probably a bard, maybe a cavalier who hands out teamwork feats.) He's a young and inexperienced officer who hasn't thought much about imperial ideology (it's just "the way things are") and might be amenable to conversion to the PC's side if they can think of something.
An oppressed slave who's been pressed into service (maybe a bard, maybe someone with scent or darkvision who's used as a tracker) who hates the Empire and could be rescued by the PCs. Maybe rogue or ranger.
A big ship might have a couple of scholars on it, there to collect information and study the locals. This gives you a chance to save the lives of PCs -- "Scholar Lorn insists this specimen be held captive, not slain!" or reasons for enemies to use nonlethal damage or otherwise try to capture them. Might be any class -- wizard is obvious, but cleric or an NPC expert or noble; they just have rank and it trumps abilities or class levels.) Plus you might get to run a prison break adventure
One officer who is really unfit for his position but has mega asskissing skills -- if the PCs get away, or inflict a defeat, his reports will rewrite history to make him on the good side. Another way to let the PCs escape overwhelming force if necessary. Also they might be able to give him opportunities to look good at the price of some other foe (like, say, the implacable hunter who thinks everyone else on the ship is like him.)
There might be other captives on the ship whom the PCs can make friends with, or maybe help out, or hear about...
Put them up against an Inquisitor. Divine casting, can buff if he/she knows they're coming. Fits the description of zealot on a kill all non-humans mission. Has plenty of tricks up it's sleeve for a variety of adaptive gameplay. And the most fun part of this - Inquisitors can track. If your party is outclassed and runs away, they're now being pursued by a villain hellbent on killing them and able to run them down. That can be terrifying from a PC perspective and a lot of fun to RP.Hunh. Y'know, now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever used the Inquisitor class, whether for NPC or PC.
I'll have to rectify that. What you described sounds pretty cool!
(Using Imrijka as a base seems like a strange idea for a 'hates non-humans' character though, so I think I'll probably make my own.)
Oh, agreed, Imrijka wouldn't work at all. I just meant a starting point for skills/stats/etc.
The Bard that wanted to write and sing about epic ballads. All he ever wanted to do was to be a witness to epic heroics and sing songs about it across the lands. His early adventuring only led to bandits and bugbears. In his frustration he began creating problems in the hope that True Heroes would arise and face the challenges. Now he has a small group of followers that aid him in his quest to be witness to Epic Battles of Good vs Evil and to spin beautiful ballads about it.
Boss: Bard
Top Henchmen: Assorted other classes
Mooks: Bard's "Leadership feat" meat fodder
Diabolist that made a deal for the ability to smite the impure races
The book Orcs by Stan Nicholas had a major fraction of humans lead by a fire breathing preacher that was very very radical anti non-humans. So an evangelist cleric
A huntsman who only hunts sentient beings. Hes not a believer in the cause he merely uses the opportunity to hunt sentient beings
You could always go for a mad scientist. The material mastery discovery for alchemists allows you to use extracts to create magic items, so that would be perfect for a scientist that creates gadgets. The Master Crafstman feat lets them do this as well. Have them use flesh-crafting poisons to enhance minions, with the story reason being that they're failed attempts to create a serum that turns creatures into humans, and as attempts to make humans even better, as they attempt to turn everyone into humans, but just create monsters. The Mad Scientist archetype (obviously) works very well for this, or, alternatively, they could be a Promethean Alchemist, and get a homunculus that they experiment on. And make them laugh...a lot.
Slayers could work well, too. Like Makknus was saying about inquisitors, they can track, and be devoted hunters. Executioners and Deliverers (if they're religious) could work. Bloody Jakes might work, if played right. They'd be a very scary enemy, trying to gaslight nonhumans before moving in for the kill.
Speaking of gaslighting, Gaslighter Mesmerists could show the targets of their stare they're "true form" with the horrid mask ability. Hatemongers work very well for this, as well, being great rabble-rousers who encourage humans to attack nonhumans.