fleshing out a BBEG

[Flipguarder]

Hi, Im Jon. So I have begun creating a lvl 1-30 campaign for 4e. Its my first campaign, and Im trying to develop a incredible story involving a war between gods. I will probably have my characters lvl every 7-10 encounters and have dozens of settings and encounters already set up (save #s).

My main problem occured when I found out that epic level pcs will be able to go toe-to-toe with dieties. Because my BBEG is not near the power of a diety. So how about this, I describe my npc, and everyone can tell me whats wrong with it. (I know Rakshasa's might not be in this campaign, Ill make the race if need be)


Sylar, a 30th lvl sorcerer rakshasa. obviously no numbers yet

His back story is this. Rakshasas are rare in my world and they lives are much like Dragons. Most are lawful evil, and when I say evil, I mean EEEVIL. Sylar was doing his own thing in life, focusing on controlling gnolls, and other savage humanoids for his own use. One day the Incredibly powerful and old creature known as Pandorym (yes the one from Elder Evils) came to him and made dominated him and made him permanently "insane". He now functions mostly outside his own will as Pandorym's most trusted Follower. He eventually partially broke his domination and developed a split personality that emerges from time to time to thwart or at least slow Pandoryms progress. This split personality shows itself in odd ways, mostly in half-baked but sometimes fruitful attempts to help the PCS and others attempting to battle Pandorym. His goal is not to defeat evil but simply to be himself again.

Any ideas on how to make this character lvl 30-worthy or should I just make him an important lvl 20 or so encounter?


Side notes you may feel free to ignore:

1. My Campaign is exploration-focused where the PCs spend a large part of the campaign scouring the planes to find a trapped Diety, in order to release him. There are mitigating circumstances on how a lvl 18ish group can save a diety.

2. The main plot is that several evil dieties have created an unstable alliance with the newly freed Pandorym for the purpose of brining death and destruction everywhere. They have focused on and succeeded in killing several Gods, and put the main plane, what I call midworld in jeopardy in several ways. This is sometimes solved by Good dieties some of which have developed an alliance to fight back, some of which have gone into hiding. some of the dieties, both good and bad have already died. slowly the PCs will develop the power to thwart their destructive goals time and time again. Obviously because of the power shift at lvl 30 Im going to have to establish an endgame. But thats the gist of it.

3. very little numbers have gone into my campaign sites so far. Those that have have been DCs on traps and structural ideas based on 3.5 saves.

4. this is my first post, help me if I screwed up some how.


thanks in advance.

 

[RichGreen]

Hi,

It's hard to plan out a 4e campaign like you're trying to do without having seen the 4e epic rules. I'm sure you'll be able to make sure rakshasa powerful enough to be a good end boss but you could always have Pandorym be the ultimate BBEG when the PCs are 30th level.

Cheers


Richard

 

[Tangent Loki]

'Pimp my rakshasa'

First he needs his voice. what does he sound like.

Is the mad voice nails on chalkboard, his eyes glint with a light not their won and he moves in a jerky fashion, using his innate resistance to magic to great effect?


it the other cool calm and collected with a voice like a growling lion?

As for a challenge, he does not have to be so challenging in combat to be impressive. Use the gnolls frequently.

A low level gnoll scouting party comes to kill the Pc's and maybe one or two are instructed to save the PC's at any cost.

It's possible that to get to him you will have to fight through a sprawling mountain fastness, with corridors long etched by the blood of ancients. Intricate traps woven trhoutout the design, himself in a throne in the center channeling ancient powers at the whims of his master pandonym.

these corridors are populates with hordes of gnolls. Some altered by foul magics far beyond their more 'normal' kin.

Freqently place antimagic fields throughout the dungeon, which is why he has escpaed detection and even intervention by gods.

(plus anti-magic fields should help knock down casting making hordes of gnoll potnetially very scary.)

make sure there ar eplenty, give some class-levels, this is a world spanning pot is it not.

It is possible whiole under-control that even as they fight him two groups of gnolls have been dispatched, or several armies. to burn and lay waste

the other small groups?

to bring about the end of the world by opening a gate to the lower hells, or inviting hextor or eryhtnuul through to the prime.

the second is supposed to stop the first.

Now the pc's have to race to solve this other problem. but teleport isn't available (anti-magic remember?)

and Your Rahshasa Gil'Thannon the Mad

pulls a level next to his throne and starts the central chamber sealing itself off.

Causing puzzle solving fun to be necessary.

or somthing like that.

but I dont tend to use rakshasa's so much.

also make sure he has something unique.

Like a talking skull of a long dead king or something.

flavor you know?

Flavor.

edit whoops.

you have a name already.

i append Sylar the Black.