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Arch-Villains in your game?
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<blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 7215160" data-attributes="member: 29398"><p>Thanks. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> </p><p>I'll chuck an exception on this: unless the villain is at the time so far superior in power that virtually any attempt by the PCs to fight it will end in a very quick or even one-shot TPK...and this is made obvious to all quite early in proceedings.</p><p></p><p>This allows you to introduce a villain very early in the campaign but still keep it in reserve for later when it matters.</p><p></p><p>Well, my crew kinda know they've got all that coming at some point.</p><p></p><p>Saith was a side villain. His story has been woven through the campaign all along but finishing him off by no means ends the campaign - instead it kinda just swats aside a distraction. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>The real villains (that the PCs/players know about) are the mind flayers, who have somehow over the long term managed to (directly in a few cases, indirectly in very very many) corrupt a large amount of elven society, to the point that elves are now seen as "the enemy" by all sorts of people-races-monsters-etc. as they slowly - and in some cases not so slowly - expand their territory. The mind flayers are backed by something, and it's already known they (or their backers) have quite some time ago quietly imprisoned one of the elvish gods* and in effect replaced him with an imposter.</p><p></p><p>* - never mind the imprisoned god was the only lawful deity the elves have...</p><p></p><p>So yeah, this thing still has legs. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>And best of all, I can have the party meet all kinds of mind flayers and corrupt elves and so forth and still not have to worry about "the BBEG" going down, as (maybe) there is no single identifyable BBEG at all.</p><p></p><p>Lan-"what's fun - and grist for endless adventuring - is how the advancing elves are slowly driving the ordinary everyday monsters ahead of them into civilized lands as an unrecruited vanguard"-efan</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lanefan, post: 7215160, member: 29398"] Thanks. :) I'll chuck an exception on this: unless the villain is at the time so far superior in power that virtually any attempt by the PCs to fight it will end in a very quick or even one-shot TPK...and this is made obvious to all quite early in proceedings. This allows you to introduce a villain very early in the campaign but still keep it in reserve for later when it matters. Well, my crew kinda know they've got all that coming at some point. Saith was a side villain. His story has been woven through the campaign all along but finishing him off by no means ends the campaign - instead it kinda just swats aside a distraction. :) The real villains (that the PCs/players know about) are the mind flayers, who have somehow over the long term managed to (directly in a few cases, indirectly in very very many) corrupt a large amount of elven society, to the point that elves are now seen as "the enemy" by all sorts of people-races-monsters-etc. as they slowly - and in some cases not so slowly - expand their territory. The mind flayers are backed by something, and it's already known they (or their backers) have quite some time ago quietly imprisoned one of the elvish gods* and in effect replaced him with an imposter. * - never mind the imprisoned god was the only lawful deity the elves have... So yeah, this thing still has legs. :) And best of all, I can have the party meet all kinds of mind flayers and corrupt elves and so forth and still not have to worry about "the BBEG" going down, as (maybe) there is no single identifyable BBEG at all. Lan-"what's fun - and grist for endless adventuring - is how the advancing elves are slowly driving the ordinary everyday monsters ahead of them into civilized lands as an unrecruited vanguard"-efan [/QUOTE]
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