What Would an Evil Wizard Really Do?
- Thread starter mmadsen
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![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
Faerl'Elghinn
First Post
Here is how I run my high-level wizard against other players: I tell them what to do. If they don't like it, I make them do it anyway. If they try to resist, I threaten them with death. If they still resist, I turn them into vampires under my control. If I can't at the time, I escape, come back later, and then turn them into vampires under my control. You can do some evil things with the Epic Spell seeds, such as this:
Megadeath
Necromancy [Death]
Spellcraft DC: 75
Components: None
Casting Time: 1 Free Action
Area: 200' Radius Sphere
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes
Cost to Research: 675,000 gp, 27,000 xp, 14 days
This spell sucks the souls from up to 800 HD of living creatures in a 200-foot radius sphere. Living creatures within the area must make a fortitude saving throw or be instantly slain. Their souls rise to the sky in a swirling vortex, exploding in a bright burst of blacklight covering a 1-mile radius. All survivors within this area see a vision of Cyric's Holy Symbol flash before their eyes.
Slay Seed (DC 25), Change from target to 20' radius (+4 DC), Increase area by 1,000% (+40 DC), Quickened Spell (+28 DC), 720 extra HD (+72 DC), No verbal or somatic components (+4 DC), 90d6 Backlash damage (-90 DC)
People don't often tell me no...
Megadeath
Necromancy [Death]
Spellcraft DC: 75
Components: None
Casting Time: 1 Free Action
Area: 200' Radius Sphere
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes
Cost to Research: 675,000 gp, 27,000 xp, 14 days
This spell sucks the souls from up to 800 HD of living creatures in a 200-foot radius sphere. Living creatures within the area must make a fortitude saving throw or be instantly slain. Their souls rise to the sky in a swirling vortex, exploding in a bright burst of blacklight covering a 1-mile radius. All survivors within this area see a vision of Cyric's Holy Symbol flash before their eyes.
Slay Seed (DC 25), Change from target to 20' radius (+4 DC), Increase area by 1,000% (+40 DC), Quickened Spell (+28 DC), 720 extra HD (+72 DC), No verbal or somatic components (+4 DC), 90d6 Backlash damage (-90 DC)
People don't often tell me no...
Exactly.Piratecat said:Ask yourself "how would the PCs destroy the life of someone three or four levels lower than them if they really hated the guy?" Then do the same things to them.
So, how would an evil wizard destroy the life of someone three or four levels lower than him -- if he really hated the guy?
Would one good Scry-Buff-Teleport at 3am (or whenever they do sleep) take out just about anybody?
WizarDru
Adventurer
It really depends on the nature of the spellcaster.
In very general terms?
A Lawful Evil opponent would use the system against the heroes, twisting the knife by turning the system of justice against them. False witnesses, illusions, plots, insinuations would all serve his goal. He woudl destroy their homes, their lives and their roles in society. Tax them, burn their homes, dissolve their social structures...and make sure they understand that the law applies inequally.
A Neutral Evil wizard of greater power would hound them, make them pariahs, and undermine their goals. He would cheat them of victory, turning their successes to ashes in their mouths. He would be unpredictable, adhering to some obscure rules one day, and violating them the next. He would sabotage their efforts, rob them of their confidence and violate their feelings of security and trust. All of this would be done with a distinct lack of passion or heat. Not calculating like the LE villain or gleefully viscious like the CE villain, he merely forwards his own ends.
A Chaotic Evil villian would leave a path of destruction and sow fear all around them. He might revisit past successes and reverse all the good they did, and make sure they knew who had done it, why, and provide revolting details. He would strike without warning, and with malicious glee. He would be random and unpredictable, seeking not just to defeat the heroes, but to crush their spirit, and to prolong their suffering. Where the LE villain would use hostages as a bargaining chip and the NE villian would use them as a tool, the CE villian would use them as a weapon - torturing them, making copies of them or even using them as spell components.
There are lots and lots of ways for a powerful spellcaster to undermine the players...but make sure to do so in moderation and to make sure he gets a serious on-screen comeuppance, or it will be very unsatisfying to the players. Remember to give them little victories along the way.
In very general terms?
A Lawful Evil opponent would use the system against the heroes, twisting the knife by turning the system of justice against them. False witnesses, illusions, plots, insinuations would all serve his goal. He woudl destroy their homes, their lives and their roles in society. Tax them, burn their homes, dissolve their social structures...and make sure they understand that the law applies inequally.
A Neutral Evil wizard of greater power would hound them, make them pariahs, and undermine their goals. He would cheat them of victory, turning their successes to ashes in their mouths. He would be unpredictable, adhering to some obscure rules one day, and violating them the next. He would sabotage their efforts, rob them of their confidence and violate their feelings of security and trust. All of this would be done with a distinct lack of passion or heat. Not calculating like the LE villain or gleefully viscious like the CE villain, he merely forwards his own ends.
A Chaotic Evil villian would leave a path of destruction and sow fear all around them. He might revisit past successes and reverse all the good they did, and make sure they knew who had done it, why, and provide revolting details. He would strike without warning, and with malicious glee. He would be random and unpredictable, seeking not just to defeat the heroes, but to crush their spirit, and to prolong their suffering. Where the LE villain would use hostages as a bargaining chip and the NE villian would use them as a tool, the CE villian would use them as a weapon - torturing them, making copies of them or even using them as spell components.
There are lots and lots of ways for a powerful spellcaster to undermine the players...but make sure to do so in moderation and to make sure he gets a serious on-screen comeuppance, or it will be very unsatisfying to the players. Remember to give them little victories along the way.
Sigurd
First Post
Depends a lot on Personal Focus
I have always believed that High level Evil is necessarily paranoid and fractured in its outlook. Its the best way of describing the strength of neurtral and good. Most high level, truly evil, personnas spend 1/3 of their time coverring up their deeds and/or protecting from other evil baddies.
For me a lot would depend on how motivated and famililar this evil mage was.
Does he know where the pc's relatives are buried?
Does he know who the PC's rely on for help & information.
Is he wealthy?
Smart necromancers can cause all sorts of real trouble for the PC's.
It would be fun to 'curse' the pc's (or maybe just the strongest) that every monster it killed would raise and attack the ones they love. Unless the PC's are very careful, and take a lot of time, a necromancer could follow the PC's, animate their fallen to attack the local hospital groaning the player name. The necromancer would specifically stay away from the PC's and attack soft targets. See how popular that makes the PC's.
If your world has an assassin's guild contemplate what a bounty of half the value of all the wizard's magic items would be like. Payable only for the head of the strongest character deliverred to a blind middleman.
That doesn't begin to discuss multi part poisons concealed such that no one part is poisonous.
Placing cursed objects in the players path is a whole new topic.
sigurd
players should treasure anonimity and the attention it _doesn't_ get them.
I have always believed that High level Evil is necessarily paranoid and fractured in its outlook. Its the best way of describing the strength of neurtral and good. Most high level, truly evil, personnas spend 1/3 of their time coverring up their deeds and/or protecting from other evil baddies.
For me a lot would depend on how motivated and famililar this evil mage was.
Does he know where the pc's relatives are buried?
Does he know who the PC's rely on for help & information.
Is he wealthy?
Smart necromancers can cause all sorts of real trouble for the PC's.
It would be fun to 'curse' the pc's (or maybe just the strongest) that every monster it killed would raise and attack the ones they love. Unless the PC's are very careful, and take a lot of time, a necromancer could follow the PC's, animate their fallen to attack the local hospital groaning the player name. The necromancer would specifically stay away from the PC's and attack soft targets. See how popular that makes the PC's.
If your world has an assassin's guild contemplate what a bounty of half the value of all the wizard's magic items would be like. Payable only for the head of the strongest character deliverred to a blind middleman.
That doesn't begin to discuss multi part poisons concealed such that no one part is poisonous.
Placing cursed objects in the players path is a whole new topic.
sigurd
players should treasure anonimity and the attention it _doesn't_ get them.
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