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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 7022050" data-attributes="member: 20323">Read about "recurring villains in RPGs" on the Internet. A DM's long-term plans are often short-circuited by bloodthirsty players out for revenge. This requires careful planning. In fact, in my 4e DM Cheat Sheet linked in my signature, you can find on the fourth page of that PDF a list of ideas for how to keep a recurring villain alive without resorting to DM fiat/fudging.Have you played 3e? In 3e you'd give a monster a class or class levels. 5e does not work like that for a couple reasons:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Player classes have more fiddly parts than a time-harried DM wants to think about in the midst of actual play at the tabletop.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Player classes, especially spellcasters, tend to be glass cannons easily taken out.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Player classes diminish some of the surprise/thrill/mystery of figuring out what a new monster is capable of.</li> </ul>Instead, look for "signature abilities." These can be certain spells you know you want your BBEG (big bad evil guy) to be able to cast, class features that are easily run & flavorful, certain actions/traits you've seen other monsters in the Monster Manual have, or ideas from your own imagination. For example, you might say "I want him to cast blight and a bunch of other spells!" OK, blight is a 4th-level spell available to 7th-level death clerics, druids, sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards. So you've narrowed it down some. You know his Spellcasting trait is going to give him at least the spellcasting abilities of a 7th-level caster.That depends. At what level do you want your PCs to be when confronting your BBEG actually has a chance of defeating him once and for all? And do you intend for him to be encountered alone or with minions (and if with minions, which ones)?Hmm, "evil nature druid/mage" is not a lot to go on for designing custom abilities. Can you describe the BBEG in a bit more detail? Is he an evil druid of yore looking to sacrifice some maiden to summon his forgotten god? Is he a drow mage looking to blanket the land in endless night for his drow brethren to invade? Is he a fallen cleric corrupted by a possessing demon whose mere presence causes pestilent boils of poison and acid to form in the land, withering plant life for miles?</blockquote>

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