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Message: <blockquote data-quote="thastygliax" data-source="post: 5553374" data-attributes="member: 9825">This is especially useful in a campaign that has a strong emphasis on role-playing interactions with NPCs, such as an urban orr political campaign where the challenges are posed by intelligent foes more often than mere monsters. Other adventurers are after the same things the PCs are, resourceful NPCs will recruit henchmen designed to work as an efficient team, and so on.As a rather extreme example of designing rival adventuring bands, here's an adventure idea I've had in my head for years (decades, really) that I have yet to try out (but will someday!): Rumors of an immensely powerful artifact surface in a one of the most dangerous parts of the world, and the PCs are only one of several groups racing to find it before others can claim it for their own nefarious ends. Some are the expected high-level adventuring bands (of heroes and villains both), but the rumors have spread into other planes as well: a handful of archdevils, demon lords, and elemental princes have dispatched strike teams to the area, too. (Alternately, the race takes place on one of those planes, giving one team a home-field advantage.) Add in some quirky personalities and hidden agendas for truly memorable encounters. Between the local dangers and these rival bands, the PCs will almost certainly need to forge unlikely alliances to accomplish their goal--and watch out for treachery from those allies once they have.ETA: Plus, it's just fun to work up interesting character combinations to pit against the PCs. Especially if, like me, you're the DM as often (or more often) than you get to just play. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /></blockquote>

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