I just tried to post this on the forums, but apparently it didn't work, so sorry to all the mods if this is a repost.
I'm currently DMing The Lost Mine of Phandelver, and my players wanted me to play their enemies intelligently, rather than as the book suggested. As a result (making a long story very short) by the end of the Cragmaw Hideout, we had one player (a gnome) dead, one captured and soon going to be dead, one at 2HP, and one who somehow managed to avoid most of the damage and stay relatively healthy. However, Klarg showed up as the (very) obvious boss of the cave, throwing the dead gnome's head at the remaining players and bullying them into clearing out.
Because of that final encounter, I'm thinking I'm going to bring back Klarg as a recurring villain in the rest of the campaign, becoming stronger each time the players leave the dungeon without killing him. If he survives Tresendar Manor, he'll become the King of the Cragmaw, and if he survives there then he'll be the last line of defense for The Black Spider. Stat blocks for him in each encounter are below. Note that I gave him a higher Challenge Rating than he should have in order to account for the fact that he'll be a recurring villain, and that the encounter in Tresendar Manor has the statistics of a Bugbear Chief with some slight changes.
However, I have some misgivings about this. If the players couldn't even make it to fighting Klarg before, and he gets progressively more powerful, then it could be that the players end up being severely underpowered by the end of the campaign, as the enemies they fail to kill will (usually) be thrown in later, because I prefer the players' actions to have consequences and give the world a more organic feel. On the other hand, giving the players a recurring villain could make the world a lot more interesting and give the players a vested interest in continuing the campaign.
What experiences have you had with recurring villains, not just in 5e but in other editions? Should I include this, or play the campaign in a more by-the-book way?
Klarg (Tresendar Manor)
AC: 17 (chain shirt, shield)
Hit Points: 60 (6d8+12 maximized)
Speed: 30ft.
Ability Scores: Str 17 (+3); Dex 14 (+2); Con 14 (+2); Int 11 (+0); Wis 12 (+1); Cha 11 (+0)
Skills: Intimidation +2, Stealth +6, Survival +3
Senses: Darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 11
Languages: Common, Goblin
Challenge 3 (700XP)
Heart of Hruggek. Klarg has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, stunned, or put to sleep.
Surprise Attack: If Klarg surprises a creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, the target takes an additional 7 (2d6) damage from the attack.
Battleaxe: Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d8+2) slashing damage.
Javelin: Melee or ranged weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft. or range 30/120ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 +2) piercing damage, or 9 (2d6+2) piercing damage in melee.
Klarg is found in Tresendar Manor in addition to the other bugbears. Once one of the other bugbears dies or he is bloodied, Klarg tells the other bugbears to help him escape then he attempts to flee to Cragmaw Castle.
King Klarg (Cragmaw Castle)
AC: 18 (breastplate, shield)
Hit Points: 88 (8d8 + 24 maximized)
Speed: 30ft.
Ability Scores: Str 18 (+4); Dex 15 (+2); Con 16 (+3); Int 11 (+0); Wis 14 (+2); Cha 12 (+1)
Saving Throws: Str +7, Con +6
Skills: Intimidation +4, Stealth +8, Survival +4
Senses: Darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 12
Languages: Common, Goblin
Challenge 5 (1800XP)
Heart of Hruggek. King Klarg has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, stunned, or put to sleep.
Surprise Attack: If King Klarg surprises a creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, the target takes an additional 7 (2d6) damage from the attack.
Bloody Battleaxe: Melee weapon attack: +8 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8+5) slashing damage, or 16 (2d10+5) slashing damage if wielded with both hands.
Javelin: Melee or ranged weapon attack: +7 to hit, reach 5ft. or range 30/120ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 +4) piercing damage, or 11 (2d6+4) piercing damage in melee.
Shield Throw (1/day): Ranged weapon attack: +7 to hit, range 30/120ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4+ 4) bludgeoning damage. Effect: The target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw, falling prone on a failure. King Klarg can then use a bonus action to take the Disengage action, move to the player, and make an attack against the target with the bloody greataxe.
Klarg has taken control of Cragmaw Castle after defeating King Grol, becoming the new king. If Ripper was not killed in the Cragmaw Hideout, he also fights the players here. When bloodied, King Klarg throws his shield and wields his bloody battleaxe with both hands. The bloody battleaxe grants its wielder a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls with the axe, increasing to +2 when bloodied. If the party is defeated or Snarl and Ripper are killed, he flees to Wave Echo Cave.
King Klarg (Wave Echo Cave)
AC: 18 (breastplate, shield)
Hit Points: 120 (10d8+40 maximized)
Speed: 30ft.
Ability Scores: Str 20 (+5); Dex 17 (+3); Con 18 (+4); Int 11 (+0); Wis 16 (+3); Cha 14 (+2)
Saving Throws: Str +8, Con +7
Skills: Intimidation +5, Stealth +9, Survival +6
Senses: darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 13
Languages: Common, Goblin
Challenge 8 (4000XP)
Heart of Hruggek. King Klarg has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, stunned, or put to sleep.
Surprise Attack: If Klarg surprises a creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, the target takes an additional 10 (3d6) damage from the attack.
Multiattack: Klarg makes two attacks with his bloody battleaxe, or throws two javelins.
Bloody Battleaxe: Melee weapon attack: +9 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8+6) slashing damage, or 17 (2d10+6) damage if wielded with both hands. When bloodied, gain an additional +1 to hit and damage.
Javelin: Melee or ranged weapon attack: +8 to hit, reach 5ft. or range 30/120ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6 +5) piercing damage, or 12 (2d6+5) piercing damage in melee.
Shield Throw: Ranged weapon attack: +8 to hit, range 30/120ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4+ 4) bludgeoning damage. Effect: The target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw, falling prone on a failure. King Klarg can then use a bonus action to take the Disengage action, move to the player, and make an attack against the target with the bloody greataxe.
King Klarg attends The Black Spider in his chamber in Wave Echo Cave. When bloodied, he uses his shield throw and wields his bloody battleaxe with both hands. He will defend The Black Spider with his life. The bloody battleaxe grants its wielder a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls with the axe, increasing to +2 when bloodied.
I'm currently DMing The Lost Mine of Phandelver, and my players wanted me to play their enemies intelligently, rather than as the book suggested. As a result (making a long story very short) by the end of the Cragmaw Hideout, we had one player (a gnome) dead, one captured and soon going to be dead, one at 2HP, and one who somehow managed to avoid most of the damage and stay relatively healthy. However, Klarg showed up as the (very) obvious boss of the cave, throwing the dead gnome's head at the remaining players and bullying them into clearing out.
Because of that final encounter, I'm thinking I'm going to bring back Klarg as a recurring villain in the rest of the campaign, becoming stronger each time the players leave the dungeon without killing him. If he survives Tresendar Manor, he'll become the King of the Cragmaw, and if he survives there then he'll be the last line of defense for The Black Spider. Stat blocks for him in each encounter are below. Note that I gave him a higher Challenge Rating than he should have in order to account for the fact that he'll be a recurring villain, and that the encounter in Tresendar Manor has the statistics of a Bugbear Chief with some slight changes.
However, I have some misgivings about this. If the players couldn't even make it to fighting Klarg before, and he gets progressively more powerful, then it could be that the players end up being severely underpowered by the end of the campaign, as the enemies they fail to kill will (usually) be thrown in later, because I prefer the players' actions to have consequences and give the world a more organic feel. On the other hand, giving the players a recurring villain could make the world a lot more interesting and give the players a vested interest in continuing the campaign.
What experiences have you had with recurring villains, not just in 5e but in other editions? Should I include this, or play the campaign in a more by-the-book way?
Klarg (Tresendar Manor)
AC: 17 (chain shirt, shield)
Hit Points: 60 (6d8+12 maximized)
Speed: 30ft.
Ability Scores: Str 17 (+3); Dex 14 (+2); Con 14 (+2); Int 11 (+0); Wis 12 (+1); Cha 11 (+0)
Skills: Intimidation +2, Stealth +6, Survival +3
Senses: Darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 11
Languages: Common, Goblin
Challenge 3 (700XP)
Heart of Hruggek. Klarg has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, stunned, or put to sleep.
Surprise Attack: If Klarg surprises a creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, the target takes an additional 7 (2d6) damage from the attack.
Battleaxe: Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d8+2) slashing damage.
Javelin: Melee or ranged weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft. or range 30/120ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 +2) piercing damage, or 9 (2d6+2) piercing damage in melee.
Klarg is found in Tresendar Manor in addition to the other bugbears. Once one of the other bugbears dies or he is bloodied, Klarg tells the other bugbears to help him escape then he attempts to flee to Cragmaw Castle.
King Klarg (Cragmaw Castle)
AC: 18 (breastplate, shield)
Hit Points: 88 (8d8 + 24 maximized)
Speed: 30ft.
Ability Scores: Str 18 (+4); Dex 15 (+2); Con 16 (+3); Int 11 (+0); Wis 14 (+2); Cha 12 (+1)
Saving Throws: Str +7, Con +6
Skills: Intimidation +4, Stealth +8, Survival +4
Senses: Darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 12
Languages: Common, Goblin
Challenge 5 (1800XP)
Heart of Hruggek. King Klarg has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, stunned, or put to sleep.
Surprise Attack: If King Klarg surprises a creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, the target takes an additional 7 (2d6) damage from the attack.
Bloody Battleaxe: Melee weapon attack: +8 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8+5) slashing damage, or 16 (2d10+5) slashing damage if wielded with both hands.
Javelin: Melee or ranged weapon attack: +7 to hit, reach 5ft. or range 30/120ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 +4) piercing damage, or 11 (2d6+4) piercing damage in melee.
Shield Throw (1/day): Ranged weapon attack: +7 to hit, range 30/120ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4+ 4) bludgeoning damage. Effect: The target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw, falling prone on a failure. King Klarg can then use a bonus action to take the Disengage action, move to the player, and make an attack against the target with the bloody greataxe.
Klarg has taken control of Cragmaw Castle after defeating King Grol, becoming the new king. If Ripper was not killed in the Cragmaw Hideout, he also fights the players here. When bloodied, King Klarg throws his shield and wields his bloody battleaxe with both hands. The bloody battleaxe grants its wielder a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls with the axe, increasing to +2 when bloodied. If the party is defeated or Snarl and Ripper are killed, he flees to Wave Echo Cave.
King Klarg (Wave Echo Cave)
AC: 18 (breastplate, shield)
Hit Points: 120 (10d8+40 maximized)
Speed: 30ft.
Ability Scores: Str 20 (+5); Dex 17 (+3); Con 18 (+4); Int 11 (+0); Wis 16 (+3); Cha 14 (+2)
Saving Throws: Str +8, Con +7
Skills: Intimidation +5, Stealth +9, Survival +6
Senses: darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 13
Languages: Common, Goblin
Challenge 8 (4000XP)
Heart of Hruggek. King Klarg has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, stunned, or put to sleep.
Surprise Attack: If Klarg surprises a creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, the target takes an additional 10 (3d6) damage from the attack.
Multiattack: Klarg makes two attacks with his bloody battleaxe, or throws two javelins.
Bloody Battleaxe: Melee weapon attack: +9 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8+6) slashing damage, or 17 (2d10+6) damage if wielded with both hands. When bloodied, gain an additional +1 to hit and damage.
Javelin: Melee or ranged weapon attack: +8 to hit, reach 5ft. or range 30/120ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6 +5) piercing damage, or 12 (2d6+5) piercing damage in melee.
Shield Throw: Ranged weapon attack: +8 to hit, range 30/120ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4+ 4) bludgeoning damage. Effect: The target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw, falling prone on a failure. King Klarg can then use a bonus action to take the Disengage action, move to the player, and make an attack against the target with the bloody greataxe.
King Klarg attends The Black Spider in his chamber in Wave Echo Cave. When bloodied, he uses his shield throw and wields his bloody battleaxe with both hands. He will defend The Black Spider with his life. The bloody battleaxe grants its wielder a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls with the axe, increasing to +2 when bloodied.
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