What weaponry are your villains using now?

blackshirt5

First Post
I'm asking because I'm trying to get away from the whole "berserkers use axes, fighters use swords!" gig in my campaign, and I thought this might be a nice way to do it.

I'm looking for good, inventive combos of weaponry, armor, anything, for a campaign. My campaign works on cinematic combat, so anything that's not only cost effective, but also cool would be great.

I'm looking for them not only for major(or minor) villains, but also for soldiers and knights. Do y'all think you could help me out?
 

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I've got a guy who's the 'dark walker'. Imagine someone in a studded leather version of the matrix getup. Now give him a big scythe, in dark greys and blacks to match the rest of his outfit. I went ahead and gave him (or his scythe) the ability to make 'sweeping attacks', which, for a -4 penalty, allow him to target three grid squares in a row. Fighter 5, Sorc 2. not so much an inventive combo, but I hope it helps.
 

IMC lowly soldiers use swords, spears and axes. Powerful NPC fighters use a greater variety; whips, spiked chains, greatswords, greataxes, bastard swords, warhammers, halberds and polearms... Even had a knife thrower.
 

Just a few things from my homebrew (Eldram).

Inquisitor Jamis, an inquisitor sent after one of the PCs for an unlicensed use of magic, uses a musket (as per DMG alternate weapon rules). However, he's got a really nice enchantment on it - probably the most overlooked weapon enchantment ever: Spell Storing. It's crazy when you get hit by some shot, and then pass out (Sleep), or convulse with red welts rising on your bdoy (Shocking Grasp).

Some of the tribal goblinoid tribes in my campaign have a nasty habit of capturing Cocatrices, caging them, and throwing them at enemy troops.

Another tribe, in the Great Forest, uses snakes as whips.

And Tamara, a recently ascended (or descended, as she's quite evil and vengeful) Divine Spirit uses the chains that formerly bound her as weapons. While hers can change length at will, and are a lot like Spawn's (only made of iron), a mundane set of chains could be just as cool.

:D
 

Last squad of duergar they ran into had heavy crossbows with dragon bile on their ammunition. At the bridge over the underground river, they had support guys with +4 flaming, returning cabers. ;)

--Impeesa--
 

A hyper-intelligent psuedonatural athatch....

Right now his main weaponry is other PC's.
Sometimes on the end of chains.
Sometimes even alive!
 

I like the combo of Heavy Lance (or Longspear with Monkey Grip) with Stand Still and Spiked Shield with Improved Shield Bash. It worked well and almost destroyed a few of the players minds when we were up against a phalanx of such Soldiers.
 

The Rank and file:

Gnoll hordes use a variety of bows and axes, although they often seem to end up with weapons such as picks and warhammers after slaying dwarven patrols. Now that the PC's have slain the gnoll's primary weapon supplier, there will probably be a slow tend towards clubs and spears as the supply of steel weapons dribbles away. The gnolls rely primarily on animal hide for armor.

Sabrekin (large Sabre-tooth people with psionic abilities) use spears, and upgraded-for-size punching daggers that are shaped like cats claws. Most have some level of psionic ability, so armor isn't as predominant as Inertial Armor. No-one knows much about the Sabrekin, and although they appear savage the slow realisation that they possess metalworking (or crystal working, which is probably more accurate) skills will sink in.

Gauntian Warriors tend to use a variety of weapons, although there is a preference for those weapons which cause the most pain. Scimitars, Tridents, Flails, Scythes and Dire Flails. Shields aren't popular, and armor is typically no heavier than a Breastplate for the rank and file. Spikes are popular, and the Spiked Gauntlet is a fairly popular backup weapon. Gauntians, for some reason, have never grasped the concept of an army as unified and tend to focus on inspiring terror rather than organised fighting.

I also once had a group of druid-led hobgoblins that focused on Ranger skills, worshipping a demonic snake. Lots of snake-skin leather armor, quarterstaves tipped with snake fangs (which did actually add magic effects sometimes) and precise shot with the shortbow.


Upper Management:

Not all of these have been encountered yet, but they're waiting in the wings:

A Half-orc ranger in studded leather, using a orcish double axe. It's frightening the amount of damage those things can do in one round, and I'm thinking I'll include another one on a heavily armored fighter at some point.

A Fighter specialised in shiruken (or, in his case, throwing knives) whose schtick is getting a horde of blades off in one round. Usually poisoned. Light armor, lots of mobility.

A Monk heading towards a modified Lasher prestige class. His whip dagger is actally a braided length of his own hair, with a long metal spike woven into the tip. Usually poisoned.

A demon-possesed dwarf wearing heavy armor and running around with the Ugrosh. He's slow, but he'll be a terror when carving his way throuth rank and file enemies for the big-bad he serves while the master keeps the PC's occupied.

At one point, a Mages army of goblin assasins will probably show up wearing jet black ninja garb, armed with paired sickles and bola's.

A human warrior with a Longspear, who was originally providing weapons to the gnolls. It's interesting to see how someone with mobility and a longspear can keep themselves repossitioned, and a true level of cruelty would be to create two fighter rogues who flank opponents with reach to gain the sneak attack.
 

spiked chain, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, Expertise, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip. that's a real nasty combination. throw in some Master of Chains levels to make it even worse. :D

reach weapons can be fun. there's a couple that allow trip and disarm attacks, but i can't remember which ones.

if you want to be really nasty, try to get the widest crit range you can on a single weapon. improved critical with a keen scimitar and all that...
 

Keep it simple and interesting.

Give the wizard proficiency with Whip and the feats of Improved trip and Improved Disarm.

If the whip is kept hidden under the cloak, nobody needs to know that the wizard has it until the fighter has lost his sword to the now teleporting wizard.

Bye-Bye Cool sword you just had made in the city for all the gold you had. Then have the wizards henchman wielding the sword in the next encounter with him.

But I digress.

A reach weapon comined with "Combat reflexes", a High Dex score and some sort of protection for missiles. Immagine now all those attaks of opportunity as the party members try to get up to or past him.
 

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