on the throne you find!...a kobold.

[Naoki00_]

Yeah I had no idea what to call this thread but..well I'm not entirely sure what to do with a task in front of me..

To explain, I've recently begun a campaign with a new group, all decently seasoned enough in the game and I'm more used to balancing high level parties, and so we've started at Level 14, though the characters are recurring ones. We have a sorcerer, a Barbarian, a Swordsage, a Druid, and a rouge. This team was powerful but also had a lot of utility and the characters all work great off each other, but now I have to create a villain that can intimidate such seasoned fighters, and well I have an idea but as for classes and feats I'm not sure were to go on it!

The villian is a Kobold whom while working as a lackey for the big bad of the original campaign with the characters (they were all level 6 then) and durring his plot to steal the essence of a deity his minion snapped at his latest insult and cracked the guy over the head with a large wrench before the party even got there, interrupting the spell and instead the essence took up a plasma elementalish state of raw chaos...which they killed like bosses. Cut to now years later to find out said minion had done his research and wanted them to kill it, so now it was scattered around the building and beyond which he promptly used his old masters equipment to suck up for himself, becoming a demi-god himself to wreak vengeance on the world for it's constant mistreatment of all things koboldian.

I'm not sure what to make this guy though, he's supposed to be both equally funny, tragic, and menacing in personality and I have that already, but what classes and levels in them or feats and such I have no idea on what to use that would make him believable as a powerful demi-godlike figure, and a credible threat to the party even by himself...no I don't need to hear about Dragonwrought cheese as I've heard that before, but I may use the feat as it might make sense in his character, I won't be saying he'd qualify for epic feats even at venerable.

So guys any ideas?

 

[kitcik]

Pet peeve: It's "rogue" not "rouge."

Have the kobold be a melee-focussed bard.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Hm... when I think Kobold with power (without cheese), I think Sorcerer/Dracolexi with the Greater Draconic Rite of Passage.

I'd also expect a Kobold who's achieved Demi-god status, might have a Dragon ally or even pet. Since Kobolds practically worship Dragons, seeing one as a equal or benieth him is what I'd imagine a powered up Kobold would do.

 

[emoplato]

It sounds like this guy is kind of a grease monkey. Obviously a prime choice would be an artificer and you can have him use all sorts of gadgets. If you want more traditional casting the Complete Arcane has a five level prestige class called an Effigy Master in which you can make construct copies of all sorts of creatures.

 

[Naoki00_]

Hm... when I think Kobold with power (without cheese), I think Sorcerer/Dracolexi with the Greater Draconic Rite of Passage.

I'd also expect a Kobold who's achieved Demi-god status, might have a Dragon ally or even pet. Since Kobolds practically worship Dragons, seeing one as a equal or benieth him is what I'd imagine a powered up Kobold would do.

I have heard about the Rites, though I admit to not being so up to date on what they actually do, and the dragonic servant idea actually seems like a great idea

It sounds like this guy is kind of a grease monkey. Obviously a prime choice would be an artificer and you can have him use all sorts of gadgets. If you want more traditional casting the Complete Arcane has a five level prestige class called an Effigy Master in which you can make construct copies of all sorts of creatures.

hmmm, he is kind of like that, I'll have to check out the effigy master!

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

I have heard about the Rites, though I admit to not being so up to date on what they actually do, and the dragonic servant idea actually seems like a great idea

Draconic Rite of Passage grants a Kobold one use of a level 1 spell per day.

Greater Draconic Rite of Passage grants a Kobold one level of Sorcerer. Since Sorcerers lag 1 level behind Wizards at when they gain access to the next level of spells, this Rite allows a Sorcerer to gain the next level of spells at the same level a Wizard does. It's nifty.

 

[jvdburgt]

How about translating his god-like essence to the one-time-DM's-discretion-exeption of a Kobold Gestallt-character, something like sorcerer/fighter or sorcerer/cleric would be a great option.

Another idea would be to take a look at the Fiendish Codex I (Hordes of the Abyss) and rework one of the "Aspects" (e.g. Aspect of Graz'zt) there.

 

[kingius]

How about keeping him as just a regular Kobold?

The party has to fight his champions and are expecting a terrible and powerful villain but it might make a refreshing change to make the villain a political mover and shaker and not a combat powerhouse. Such a villain would work by manipulating others. Once he became aware of his powerful enemies in the player characters, he would rig the game against them. So for example, he would resort to kidnapping to blackmail the party to change their intention of toppling him. He would bribe individual party members to turn against one another. He would make them think that they've already beaten him. He would leave false trails to his other enemies to make it appear that they are the ones behind the atrocities and not him. In other words... he'd be a devious little devil that would prove to be much harder to remove than a high level tank/mage that must be brought down through combat... especially if killing him is not an option and he must instead be brought to trial...

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

How about keeping him as just a regular Kobold?

The party has to fight his champions and are expecting a terrible and powerful villain but it might make a refreshing change to make the villain a political mover and shaker and not a combat powerhouse. Such a villain would work by manipulating others. Once he became aware of his powerful enemies in the player characters, he would rig the game against them. So for example, he would resort to kidnapping to blackmail the party to change their intention of toppling him. He would bribe individual party members to turn against one another. He would make them think that they've already beaten him. He would leave false trails to his other enemies to make it appear that they are the ones behind the atrocities and not him. In other words... he'd be a devious little devil that would prove to be much harder to remove than a high level tank/mage that must be brought down through combat... especially if killing him is not an option and he must instead be brought to trial...

 

[Jackinthegreen]

Sorry for slightly off topic, but the first thing I thought of when I read the title was "Oh... Let's leave him to finish his business."

And then I thought that a less polite party might go "Perfect opportunity! Kill him while his pants are down!"