D&D 5E Novice Dm help

[Goblinslayer]

Hi guys new to the forum and in need of help.

My d&d group struggled to find a DM that could fit in with our schedules initially so we decided to take it in turn Dming and the time has come for me to take up the mantle.

so we are at level 4 and I really wanted to do a corrupted Forrest story line, I intend to encounter random Forrest creatures and blights being mainly used as henchmen the main issue I have is who/what to use as the main villain. I am open to suggestions I have seen certain daemons but some are far too tough for us ATM.

many thanks

 

[feartheminotaur]

A party of 4th level PCs would be about 400-450 XP each (between Hard and Deadly - about where a boss fight should be), so about 1800 for 4 PCs, which is CR 5.

Fiends like a Barbed Devil or Barlgura would fit, as would a Cambion (which is kind of a cool choice). If you want a lower CR baddie so you can surround it with minions, a CR 4 Gnoll Fang of Yeenoghu or CR 3 Green Hag would fit - both are 'corrupters'.

Maybe use the yuan-ti? They have a good mix of challenge ratings, are forest dwellers, and an Abomination at CR 7 would be a good "final boss" if they reach 5th level before facing them.

 

[Imaculata]

Best to start with a plot, and add the villains and allies afterwards. A corrupted forest is an awesome setting for an adventure, but:

-Why do the players go to this forest?
-Do they know the forest is corrupted before going there?
-Was the forest always corrupted?
-Or, is this corruption of the forest something the players must undo?
-If so, why would anyone want to corrupt a forest?

Sometimes its fun to come up with a plot that at first doesn't seem to revolve around the corrupted forest at all. Maybe the villain wants to acquire something from the forest, but because the forest is corrupted, it is too dangerous for him to do it himself. So, he sends in the players. Maybe the players are told that the item in question can undo the corruption, when in fact it has nothing to do with it.

Maybe the corruption of the forest is just a backdrop for an adventure that is about something entirely different? The corruption of the forest would still be an issue, but the primary plot does not have to revolve around it.

 

[Goblinslayer]

Well to get them to the Forrest I wanted use a fortune teller style Npc, I have plans to use a tarot deck to be that little bit different.
That being said about villain sending them in could be a great way to use the fortune teller as the main villain.


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[Ath'kethin]

For your villain, why not a treant? It seems to fit, and in your corrupted forest idea you could have it be a former guardian of the woods who has fallen from grace. Make it so that as part of its fall, the treant lost its ability to animate trees - that should reduce its overall CR by a bit and make for a memorable bad guy.

If you want to be really, devious, have the treant (pretending to still be the sworn defender of the forest) be the one to hire the PCs to investigate the corruption/plague on the woods. Depending on how dark you want to go with it, once the PCs have found the source of the blight, they could be used as a sacrifice to make it permanent - sealing the forest's doom.

If that's a little too dark for you, perhaps the source of the corruption is a living creature; a fey, maybe, or even a rabbit. Regardless, it is too fats for the treant to catch on its own, so it needs help. In this version, once the treant has the source in its grasp, it can use it to extend the corruption and become more powerful.

And if a treant doesn't work for you in this situation, sub in any normally good forest creature; a satyr, a sprite, whatever.



EDIT: I don't use XP in my games, so XP budgets are not something I factor in coming up with plots/encounters. I don't know how much work it would be to make what I suggested "level appropriate."

 

[General Duf]

Not sure what CR a Treant but you could have a corrupted one, or if its too high might consider upping an Awakened Shrub (CR 2 I think) by pumping some HP or damage and maybe an ability or 2, to serve as the Gulthias (spelling?) tree that controls the Blights. If you go with the treant perhaps there is some artifact or ritual to cleanse it, or if you prefer a more direct approach just plain find a way to kill/drive it off.

 

[akr71]

As Imaculata said, get a framework for the story first. As you have the clues and story pieces fleshed out, it will be much easier to pop in some foes and a villain that make sense.

However, Ettercaps and Giant Spiders in enough numbers will still be a challenge. Maybe some Gnolls/Gnoll Fang of Yeenoghu/Gnoll Pack Lord - reskin the Gnoll Fang with some magic and it could be the source of the corruption? That ties in with some low level Demons... The Mage (NPC) is CR6 which gives you access to more magic, if you think that the PCs will be able to punch above their level.

 

[Cognomen's Cassowary]

Well to get them to the Forrest I wanted use a fortune teller style Npc, I have plans to use a tarot deck to be that little bit different.
That being said about villain sending them in could be a great way to use the fortune teller as the main villain.

Sounds to me like a hag (or a coven thereof.)

 

[Plaguescarred]

Villains could be myconids corrupting peaceful veggies and turning them into voracious blights.

 

[pdzoch]

An easy choice would be to use a hag.

How about a druid gone bad (one who is seeking to covert a forest into a swamp, or something like that)? With a tribe of bullywugs to do his dirty work. Despite the low CR of a bullywug, hordes of them can make for an exciting and challenging fight. A hag could still be part of the encounter mix, possibly as an shaky alliance with the evil druid. Swarms and blights would also fit the scenario.

Player goals would not be limited to simply defeating that BBEG, but also to purify or restore the forest.