A new campaign (now with play report)

[Manbearcat]

@Manbearcat Good stuff, particularly like the wing of wyvern or blizzard idea! Would XP ya, but I did too recently.

In my game I've always treated Wyvern as basically a pack of flying Velociraptors (substitute tail stingers for raptor leg shanks). I did this and the PCs were not aware of the situation at the Inn until they arrived on the scene. They had to brave a blizzard during their transit through the mountain paths. Thinking they had finally reached a safe haven after a brutal Travel Skill Challenge, they discovered a stable bereft of horses, blood and gore everywhere...and a dark, winged shadow watching them from the top of the Inn. The Inn was called The Winged Wyvern so in the darkness, they thought it was just a decorative touch. They explored the stables further, following a trail of blood down into the cellar. The stench of death assailed them when they opened the cellar and they soon found the bloated remains of the stable-hand, horrible poison-induced necrosis and decomposition maiming his features. His trusty dog, refusing to leave his master's side, offered them a much weakened wag of the tail.

After they emerged from the stables, finally understanding what the dead man's fate and the lack of horses (but carts, wagons, saddles, bits and bridles galore) portended, a dash across the open space to the Inn commenced where they found the door shut, locked, barricaded and the same for the windows. The sound of something softly lighting down on the heavy porch awning and the PCs froze in terror. The awning didn't hold the weight of the beast and it fell through on top of them...shrapnel of wooden trusses and joists all over (hazard + difficult terrain + Wyvern immobilized until the end of its next turn). After an incredibly dangerous skirmish with the beast and 2 of its hunting partners (this was an L + 5 combat...lethal...and they knew it) the PCs managed to escape into the Inn through a window that was insufficiently barricaded.

Inside was a mess. 3 powerful (anxious and paranoid to boot) factions holed up in their separate rooms and an enormous amount of travelers, merchants and locals holed up in the Common Room like the Super Dome after Hurricane Katrina. They were running low on food with no way to re-provision. All they had in abundance was liquor...and sickness was spreading. It was a volatile powder-keg. It turned out awesome. Feel free to rip that off as the climactic end to your cult plot. Could be a good time for you guys.

 

[Quickleaf]

Great encounter, I love how the silhouette of the wyvern got ignored by the PCs at first
Also, thanks for your replies [MENTION=6696971]Manbearcat[/MENTION] - so much of the recent forum conversation seems to be around D&D Next and edition debate, that fewer folks seem to contribute to each others story/campaign threads. I suppose it's only natural with a new edition on the horizon, but it's nice to see some of us keeping the "Plots & Places" torch going!

So...

I'm working up an investigative skill challenge which I need to be fairly open-ended for a number of PC approaches. Currently, I've got five leads the PCs can pursue:

* Orb of Green Dragonkind - A recent gift to the king by a visiting emissary who fled when the dragon attacked, it can be used to view other wielders of dragon orbs, such as who has got the red dragon orb. This leads the PCs to investigate the current cult leader, Lavont Draugskein, who hailed from a dragon-hunting family in Suleistarn, was found to be a sorcerer by the mages who indoctrinated him, who was then sent undercover in the Cult of the Dragon, and ultimately went rogue and seized control of the cult.

* The Red Dragon - Either a living subdued red dragon can be questioned or it's corpse can be examined. This would provide a geographic clue of some kind, such as the soil from where the dragon last was or where it used to meet the cultists.

* Crime/Money Trail - The cult has several illicit revenue streams, and PCs might be able to track these to their operative in the King's castle. I'll need to develop this further...

* Girl With the Dragon Necklace - There's an orphan girl with a dragon necklace from her late cultist parents; her parents realized the cult was evil and tried to get out of it but we're killed. However, they've taken a clue to their graves which can be exhumed (or Speak with Dead cast).

* Divinations - Not to forget the power an 11th level wizard brings to the table with his rituals, I should have something prepared just in case.

 

[Quickleaf]

Oh, if anyone has any cool ideas for designing (both story & mechanics-wise) a dragon cult leader I'm all ears

He hailed from a prestigious dragon-hunting family of Suleistarn, but was discovered to possess innate draconic sorcery. Suleistarn is a magocracy ruled by wizards who severely control all forms of magic. He was taken and underwent indoctrination as a wizard. He became something of a covert agent and was sent to infiltrate a Dragon Cult to manipulate it against the magocracy's neighbors. However, he came to believe in the cult's philosophies and eventually went rogue and assumed leadership of the cult.

In 4e terms he is a level 14 elite, and his journey would look something like this: dragon-hunter & sorcerer > wizard > trained in infiltration > dragon cult leader

What would such an NPC's outlook and behavior be like?
Are there signature spells you'd expect such a character to have?
What prestige classes/paragon paths could I look to for inspiration?
Other fiction or games which might give a hint of his abilities?

 

[Manbearcat]

In 4e terms he is a level 14 elite, and his journey would look something like this: dragon-hunter & sorcerer > wizard > trained in infiltration > dragon cult leader

Controller (Leader)?

Encounter context?

What would such an NPC's outlook and behavior be like?
Are there signature spells you'd expect such a character to have?
What prestige classes/paragon paths could I look to for inspiration?
Other fiction or games which might give a hint of his abilities?

How about radical, zealous, controlled stoicism but with fiery eyes betraying a burning rage simmering just below the surface. Without mercy in a cool, unconflicted hand.

As to the rest, my primary concerns there would be meta-game (what would be fun, challenging and interesting) and what is genre/archetype relevant. He is there for your PCs to engage with. He is a meta-game tool to facilitate a great setting and a fun game. However, that is accomplished is the way forward.

If I know role and encounter context (as the questions above), I can easily compose an NPC with the information you've provided above.

 

[Quickleaf]

Controller (Leader)?

Encounter context?

Yes, probably a controller (leader). The encounter context is tricky because it's a site-based adventure - a mountainside stronghold overlooking a lake, ruins, and wyvernspires - and the PCs can approach from multiple avenues (direct combat being the least desirable).

In a fight he might be surrounded by lots of dragon cult reavers and dragon cult blood mages (level 11 brutes and controllers/artillery respectively, with half HP and lower damage), possibly a liondrake and other drakes or wyverns, and any of these 3 NPCs: A dragonborn witch (controller 13), a priest of Tiamat (controller (leader) 13), and a berserker bodyguard (soldier/brute 12). However, that's an almost worse case scenario...the composition of those forces and where any fighting takes place depend entirely on the PCs' strategy.

What I'm trying to do is create a very convincing cult leader who isn't CRAZY EVIL, and has a comprehensible and maybe even convincing/sympathetic philosophy. He's very much a NPC with some inherent tensions, which is maybe why it's been challenging for me to pin him down. He is both sorcerer and wizard, a dragon-hunter turned dragon-worshipper, a cult leader and radical thinker, a zealous believer in dragons and yet a pragmatist who can command the very dragon he reveres with an Orb of Dragonkind.

 

[Manbearcat]

My take:

Wyrmlord
Medium natural humanoid, human
Level 14 Elite Controller (Leader) XP 2000
HP 268; Bloodied 134 Initiative +9
AC 28, Fortitude 24, Reflex 26, Will 27 Perception+15
Speed 6 Low-light vision
Resist 5 Cold and Fire
Saving Throws +2; Action Points 1

Traits

Fury of the Wyrmlord (cold, fire) Aura 5
Allies gain resist 5 cold and fire and their attacks gain the fire keyword while in the aura.

Standard Actions

Hand of Burning Winter (cold, fire) - At-Will
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +17 vs. Reflex
Hit: 3d6 + 2 cold and fire damage, and the target is slowed and gains vulnerable 5 fire (save ends both).

Thunderlance (thunder) - At-Will
Attack: Close Burst 5 (one creature); +17 vs. Fortitude
Hit: 3d10 + 6 thunder damage, and the target is pushed 3 squares and knocked prone
Miss: Half damage and the target is pushed 3 squares.

Sorcerous Wizardry - At-Will
Effect: Wyrmlord uses Hand of Burning Winter and Thunderlance, making each attack against a different target.

Aspect of the Dragon (fear, psychic) - Recharge when first bloodied
Attack: Close burst 5 (enemies in the burst); +17 vs. Will
Hit: 4d10 + 11 fear and psychic damage, and the target is pushed 3 squares and dazed until the end of its next turn.
Miss: Half damage and the target is pushed 3 squares.
Effect: Wyrmlord flies 6 squares and gains fly speed 6 until the end of his next turn.


Minor Actions

Bulwark the Faithful - Recharge 5, 6
Effect: One ally in Fury of the Wyrmlord Aura gains 10 Temporary Hit Points.

Triggered Actions

Draconic Mantle - Encounter
Trigger: Wyrmlord is hit by an attack
Effect (Immediate Interrupt): Wyrmlord gains a + 4 bonus to all defenses until the end of its his next turn.

Skills: Arcana +17, Intimidate +18, Stealth +15
Str 10 (+7) Dex 14 (+9) Wis 16 (+10)
Con 15 (+9) Int 22 (+13) Cha 23 (+13)


As far as his disposition goes, you'll have to deliver most of the context based on what creates a fun and dynamic antagonist for your campaign. What I will say is that if you worship dragons (presuming that he isn't just a benign priest of Bahamut...which would make no sense), it is almost impossible to imagine a modulated tone. A radical revolutionary is just about the only way to go here. Given that, I would say he is either:

- stone, cold nuts, and has delusions of grandeur. His forays into the nigh-immortal power of dragon-kind has stained his consciousness. Following that, his mind is steeped in visions, omens and all the rest. In the vain of any good fanatical zealout, everything he sees confirms his bias and anything antithetical to that is utterly cognitively dissonant to him...and incurs his wrath.

- extraordinary shrewd and pragmatic. Everything he does is well considered and calculated. He has witnessed up close the petulant nature of human-kind, always squabbling over scraps, the perfected art of being preoccupied by a pettiness that no other creature that is supposed to be possessed of intelligence could hope to surpass. The end of their reign is all but written. He sees the nigh-ominipotency of dragons and the inevitability of their coming ascension (and accordingly, civilizaton's inevitable demise). Having the "dragon within" and being possessed by such keen insight allows him the foresight to know which side to be on when the conflict commenses.

It sounds like you want to go with the second one. If you want hiim to have some human tension then you're going to have to use something of context with his background that makes sense. However, its going to be difficult to have that manifest in a way that makes a lot of sense for the radical nature of a dragon-worshipping, apoclyptic cult leader.

Perhaps he once was possessed with a more human, empathic disposition. Perhaps it will manifest upon his death. But it is locked away deeply such that no remnant outwardly remains. If you want to give him something to make him "more human", perhaps give him a locket from his mother that he keeps tucked away...some treasured token from his life before he became the thrall of his current self.

 

[Quickleaf]

My take:

Wow! Thanks Once I'm able to XP you again I most certainly will.

I'll definitely adapt some of your ideas, like the aura of resistance-granting and giving him some limited flight ability.

- extraordinary shrewd and pragmatic. Everything he does is well considered and calculated. He has witnessed up close the petulant nature of human-kind, always squabbling over scraps, the perfected art of being preoccupied by a pettiness that no other creature that is supposed to be possessed of intelligence could hope to surpass. The end of their reign is all but written. He sees the nigh-ominipotency of dragons and the inevitability of their coming ascension (and accordingly, civilizaton's inevitable demise). Having the "dragon within" and being possessed by such keen insight allows him the foresight to know which side to be on when the conflict commenses.

That's frickin perfect! He is convinced humanity is killing themselves and ushering in an inevitable collapse of society. So he's lost his faith in mankind, which explains why is so merciless, and in his mind he is pursuing the only reasonable course: a return to rule by dragons. So the "Wyrmlord" is sort of the wake up call to arms, and he used the Orb of Red Dragonkind to get dragons "off the bench" so to speak, and begin ushering in a new age.

Awesome!

 

[Manbearcat]

I'll definitely adapt some of your ideas, like the aura of resistance-granting and giving him some limited flight ability.

Good deal. The aura is an amalgamation of his dragonblood sorceror heritage, his dragon hunting background and his leader role. If you're going to use it (and only it), you're going to want to create a standard attack or two that afflicts Vulnerable Fire as it provides the "fire" keyword to allies attacks.

 

[Manbearcat]

Reported the above.

 

[Quickleaf]

[MENTION=6696971]Manbearcat[/MENTION] I took your stat block and ran with it using the NPC making guidelines in the DMG, bits stolen from the Dragon Guardian PP and the Evoker Specialization, and my own best judgment about my group. As you suggested, i gave him two ways to impose fire vulnerability. Note that I gave him a ton of resistances - in play I'm thinking there will be an optional puzzle/skill challenge to disable some of those.

I was tempted to give im some kind of summoning power too, but I figure I can handle that with monsters rather than fancy powers.

One thing he is lacking is ways to deal with action denial. Maybe I could tack something onto his flight power that shakes off a condition?

The Wyrmlord
Level 14 Elite Controller (Leader)
Medium natural humanoid

COMBAT
HP 272; Bloodied 136
AC 28, FORT 25, REF 26, WILL 26
Initiative +9
Speed 6
Resist 10 acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder, and poison
Saves +2
Action Points 1

TRAITS

Draconic Evocation Mastery: The Wyrmlord's attacks ignore resistance to any damage type he possesses resistance to.

Guarded Flourish: Whileq the Wyrmlord wields a one-handed melee weapon, his ranged and area attacks don't provoke opportunity attacks.

Fury of the Wyrmlord (Aura 5): Allies in the aura gain the Wyrmlord's resistances and their attacks gain the fire keyword.

STANDARD ACTIONS

Longsword, Flame Tongue (fire) [At-Will]
Melee; +19 vs. AC; 1d8+13 fire damage (+3d8 critical). If this reduces an enemy to 0 HP, all enemies adjacent to that enemy take 8 fire damage.

Rimefire Mantle (cold, fire) [At-Will]
Close Blast 3; +18 vs. Reflex; 1d10+13 cold and fire damage; Effect: the next enemy to hit the Wyrmlord with a melee attack takes 6 cold and fire damage.

Wizard's Lightning (lightning, thunder) [At-Will]
Ranged 20; +18 vs. Reflex; 1d10+13 lightning damage and repeat this attack against another target within range; Miss: enemies adjacent to the target take 6 thunder damage

Wyrmlord's Assault [At-Will]
The Wyrmlord makes two attacks from the three above.

Coruscating Balefire (acid, fire) [Encounter]
Close Blast 3; +18 vs. Reflex; 2d10+13 acid and fire damage, and until the end of the Wyrmlord's next turn the target has vulnerable 5 fire and is marked. If the target makes an attack that doesn't include the Wyrmlord while marked, it takes 12 acid and fire damage.

Visions of Ruin (fear, illusion, psychic, zone) [Daily]
Area Burst 1 within 10; Creates a zone of illusory safety that lasts until no creature is within it; +18 vs. Will; Cannot voluntarily leave the zone or see outside of the zone (save ends), a target forced outside of the zone takes 2d8+13 psychic damage and this effect ends for them; Miss: until end of the Wyrmlord's next turn, target cannot voluntarily leave the zone or see outside of it.

MINOR ACTIONS

Invert Resistance [Daily]
Close Burst 5; enemies lose any resistances and gain vulnerable 5 to those damage types instead (save ends).

TRIGGERED / MOVE ACTIONS

Ascent [Recharge when first bloodied] [Move Action or Immediate Reaction]
Trigger: when a melee attack hits the Wyrmlord
Effect: the Wyrmlord flies 6 squares

STATS, SKILLS, GEAR

Skills: Arcana +18, Insight +18, Intimidate +18, Perception +18

Stats: Str 12, Con 16, Dex 14, Int 22, Wis 16, Cha 23

Alignment: Evil

Languages: Common, Draconic, Suleistarni

Equipment: ring of dragons, orb of red dragonkind, flame tongue longsword +3