Eberron NPC Levels [Archive] - Wizards Community

Eberron NPC Levels [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
JackBurton
06-26-05, 05:15 PM I noticed that compared to the Forgotten Realms, the NPCs are pretty low level. There seem to be fewer big personalties like Elminister, Simbul, and Khelban. I think this is fine, I plan on starting everyone 1st level of course. But just curious what happens when parties start to hit the epic levels. Are there going to be supplements for those later levels? Have people had to adjust NPC levels of some leaders to make the campaign challenging for experienced players?
Tek
06-26-05, 05:25 PM The PC's are meant to be the Heroes in Eberron, this is why there are so few higher level NPC's. Villians, however, are not quite the same. There will always be villans to challenge the PC's. the Lords of Dust encounters can be epic, along with many of the other 'evil' organizations. Its just that PC's won't find other epic level NPC's to help them out, since you know, PC's should be always the heroes.

Sorry, no Elminister to save you if you mess up.
ieattrollsforbreakfast
06-26-05, 05:39 PM Also, epic levels aren't really neccessary in an Eberron game. Many people play epic levels to get to the 'save the world' scenarios that in other settings don't make sense sub 20th level. In Eberron, once you hit 12th level you are among the most powerful characters working for good, so you are the only hope. Epic adventure is what Eberron is about, but it doesn't have to be high level.
Oh, and there are plenty of 'big' personalities, just not high level allies. As Tek says, the emphasis is entirely on the PCs.
JackBurton
06-26-05, 08:17 PM Also, epic levels aren't really neccessary in an Eberron game. Many people play epic levels to get to the 'save the world' scenarios that in other settings don't make sense sub 20th level. In Eberron, once you hit 12th level you are among the most powerful characters working for good, so you are the only hope. Epic adventure is what Eberron is about, but it doesn't have to be high level.
Oh, and there are plenty of 'big' personalities, just not high level allies. As Tek says, the emphasis is entirely on the PCs.

I do like that the heroes are the center and I can see the logic in having them become the more powerful characters. It does remove a lot of the deus ex stuff that people are tempted with in campaign worlds where archmages are plentiful. I guess it just seems odd to me in a magic-rich world that most of the leaders cap out at 9th or 10th. I suppose once they get to a certain point of wealth and prestige, their pursuits wax more political..
Von Ether
06-26-05, 08:27 PM I do like that the heroes are the center and I can see the logic in having them become the more powerful characters. It does remove a lot of the deus ex stuff that people are tempted with in campaign worlds where archmages are plentiful. I guess it just seems odd to me in a magic-rich world that most of the leaders cap out at 9th or 10th. I suppose once they get to a certain point of wealth and prestige, their pursuits wax more political..

High Adventure/Low-Levels is the motto of Eberron. But there are 20th level evil villians in the core book. At the very least, I see the set up allowing for epic level games at 16th level without needing additional rules.

At the very least, I have my players already trained to quick dragging bodies around for Raise Dead since they know the only ones to do it will be them at later levels.
Hellcow
06-26-05, 08:59 PM I guess it just seems odd to me in a magic-rich world that most of the leaders cap out at 9th or 10th. I suppose once they get to a certain point of wealth and prestige, their pursuits wax more political..
In creating Eberron, the idea behind low-level NPCs is that level advancement is NOT the same for PCs and NPCs. The ability for PCs to advance as quickly as they do and to rise to the levels that they do is one aspect of what makes them heroes. In Lords of the Rings, most of the Rohirrim have spent their entire lives fighting orcs. Those orcs may have spent THEIR entire lives fighting the soldiers of Gondor and Rohan. But neither orc nor soldier is a match for Aragorn, because Aragorn is the sort of hero legends are made of. It's not just a matter of punching a clock: it's an inner potential that makes you stand out from the crowd.

As a result, a grizzled veteran of the Last War can still be a 2nd level warrior, because that's just plain all he's got in him. Your PC may outmatch him in a few adventures, as soon as you hit 2nd level. Because you SHOULD: you're the hero.

With that said, different people have different limits. The redcloaks are the elite fighting force of Breland; you may be the big hero, but they've got songs about their exploits, so they are up there. King Boranel is an important starring character, so he's pretty good - but he's still probably gone as far as he's going to go. He starts out better than you, but you'll pull ahead in time.

Then you have villains like the Lord of Blades and Erandis d'Vol, or reaccuring rivals like Halas Martain (ECS p 253). The Lord of Blades starts out ahead of you and he should STAY ahead of you, rising as you do and always just a little ahead, his schemes becoming ever more deadly. Martain is about at your level and stays at about your level. These threats remain constant - The Fantastic Four may learn new tricks, but Doctor Doom is always a challenge.

And then you have organizations like the Lords of Dust. In the begining, you'll only run into their duped thugs. Then you may encounter their actual lower-level agents, 7 HD raksasha and zakya. But as you rise in level you can encounter the Council of Ashtakala - rakshasa with 10-20 character levels added to their natural power. And when you're CRAZY powerful - well, then it's time for one of the rajahs to break loose.

So, there's always options. Most of the people of Eberron are average, and they aren't going to become heroes or challenge you. But there are a few remarkable people out there besides you - and villains who may not even notice you until you're ready to put up a fight.

(With that said, I like the 6-12 range, myself; I'm inclined to slow down experience gain at this range to give people a little more time to experience the world at this level. Certainly the characters of City of Towers will be staying in this range longer than the RAW might otherwise indicate.)
(Psi)SeveredHead
06-26-05, 09:48 PM This question comes up repeatedly on the Eberron boards.

There are few high-level good-aligned NPCs. There are many high-level ones, such as the Lords of Dust.

Furthermore, BBEGs are supposed to gain levels with the PCs. So, if the Lord of Blades is 12th-level and the PCs are 1st-level, by the time they reach 10th-level, good old Lords of Blades is 21st-level (and epic).
JackBurton
06-27-05, 12:04 AM In creating Eberron, the idea behind low-level NPCs is that level advancement is NOT the same for PCs and NPCs. The ability for PCs to advance as quickly as they do and to rise to the levels that they do is one aspect of what makes them heroes. In Lords of the Rings, most of the Rohirrim have spent their entire lives fighting orcs. Those orcs may have spent THEIR entire lives fighting the soldiers of Gondor and Rohan. But neither orc nor soldier is a match for Aragorn, because Aragorn is the sort of hero legends are made of. It's not just a matter of punching a clock: it's an inner potential that makes you stand out from the crowd.

As a result, a grizzled veteran of the Last War can still be a 2nd level warrior, because that's just plain all he's got in him. Your PC may outmatch him in a few adventures, as soon as you hit 2nd level. Because you SHOULD: you're the hero.

With that said, different people have different limits. The redcloaks are the elite fighting force of Breland; you may be the big hero, but they've got songs about their exploits, so they are up there. King Boranel is an important starring character, so he's pretty good - but he's still probably gone as far as he's going to go. He starts out better than you, but you'll pull ahead in time.

Then you have villains like the Lord of Blades and Erandis d'Vol, or reaccuring rivals like Halas Martain (ECS p 253). The Lord of Blades starts out ahead of you and he should STAY ahead of you, rising as you do and always just a little ahead, his schemes becoming ever more deadly. Martain is about at your level and stays at about your level. These threats remain constant - The Fantastic Four may learn new tricks, but Doctor Doom is always a challenge.

And then you have organizations like the Lords of Dust. In the begining, you'll only run into their duped thugs. Then you may encounter their actual lower-level agents, 7 HD raksasha and zakya. But as you rise in level you can encounter the Council of Ashtakala - rakshasa with 10-20 character levels added to their natural power. And when you're CRAZY powerful - well, then it's time for one of the rajahs to break loose.

So, there's always options. Most of the people of Eberron are average, and they aren't going to become heroes or challenge you. But there are a few remarkable people out there besides you - and villains who may not even notice you until you're ready to put up a fight.

(With that said, I like the 6-12 range, myself; I'm inclined to slow down experience gain at this range to give people a little more time to experience the world at this level. Certainly the characters of City of Towers will be staying in this range longer than the RAW might otherwise indicate.)

Keith, very much appreciate the response! I'm continually impressed by this community! Thanks also for the tips. I suppose what I was looking for was a way to always keep the 'awe' factor going..that there were always more things for them to strive for in terms of role models but also people to fear in terms of powerful enemies- but as you pointed out there are plenty of villains for them to keep them on their toes. The idea that the party becomes the go-to adventures around 10th level is a solid one. I'm looking forward to starting my Eberron campaign next Saturday! [I'm starting a pirate themed campaign off the Lhazaar Principalities where the party must stage a revolt on a prison ship headed for Dreadhold]
aelryinth
06-27-05, 12:15 AM Ye Lord of Blades isn't supposed to stay ten levels ahead of the party...that starts becoming very hard and extremely dangerous. Staying ahead of them personally and having waves of loyal warforged to throw at them with dire schemes is more then good enough...especially if he gets some of the high level warforged toys.

==+Aelryinth
aelryinth
06-27-05, 12:28 AM Also, as far as levels of the common folk, a good rule of thumb is that they should probably be as tough as those they have to fight often.

Soldiers regularly facing Karnnathi Skels and zombies can probably hit level 3. Those who have to deal with gnolls, probably level 2. Goblins...stick with level 1 or 2 if hobgoblins are involved.

Otherwise you get into massive power imbalance scenarios. One reason the Valenar do so well is they grossly outlevel most of their opposition...but then, they have probably never fought the Red Cloaks on the Cloaks' terms. ;)

===Aelryinth
Psionycx
06-27-05, 01:21 AM Don't forget to bear in mind the larger world beyond Khorvaire in the whole issue.

It is true that average NPC's are not super high level, which I think was an excellent idea considering that settings like Forgotten Realms are so overrun by the twink dreams of the game designers that it's questionable what role PC's have in the setting.

But the base opportunities in Eberron do not rule out high-level adventure down the road. Consider the Inspired as a great example. Some of them, particularly the ones over on Sarlona, may include some extremely powerful individuals who possess not only high levels in classes such as psion or psychic warrior, but who also have their Quori abilities as well. Consider Tirashana, the Inspired operative in Sharn. She's a Telepath 17 plus she has Quori abilities as well! Now consider that there's probably a lot more like her back in Riedra, and that she probably isn't the most powerful of all the Inspired.

Allowing for the Inspired, the Lords of Dust and perhaps even the dragons of Argonssen, and who only knows what's really lurking in Xen'drik. There's actually a lot that a DM has available for later high-level and epic-level adventures. At low- and mid-levels the PC's may be focused on thwarting the schemes of the Dreaming Dark in Sharn for example. High- and Epic-level PC's might want to take on major challenges like actually trying to liberate Riedra or dismantle the Inspired's monoliths.

The good news is that Eberron runs on the assumption that players can and should progress to levels that make such fantastic adventures possible for them, rather than being forever playthings of epic NPC's like they tend to be in FR.
(Psi)SeveredHead
06-27-05, 11:58 AM Also, as far as levels of the common folk, a good rule of thumb is that they should probably be as tough as those they have to fight often.

Soldiers regularly facing Karnnathi Skels and zombies can probably hit level 3. Those who have to deal with gnolls, probably level 2. Goblins...stick with level 1 or 2 if hobgoblins are involved.

Otherwise you get into massive power imbalance scenarios. One reason the Valenar do so well is they grossly outlevel most of their opposition...but then, they have probably never fought the Red Cloaks on the Cloaks' terms. ;)

===Aelryinth

Wouldn't the goblins, gnolls, etc, then gain levels to fight these guards?
Hellcow
06-27-05, 01:20 PM Wouldn't the goblins, gnolls, etc, then gain levels to fight these guards?
It is true that in Eberron, you can't rely on kicking around the goblinoids. I'd say the average Dhakaani hobgoblin soldier is a 2nd-level fighter, which, when combined with his LA, puts him about his 1st-2nd level warrior human counterpart. However, the Heirs of Dhakaan have yet to play a serious role on the battlefields of Khorvaire; currently their internal conflicts are keeping them busy.

The Ghaal'dar certainly can have levels - potentially quite a few, as Lhesh Haruuc shows - but on the average aren't as dangerous as the Dhakaani. The Dhakaani are there to provide an unpleasant surprise to people who say "They're just goblins - how bad can it be?"
a_psh
06-27-05, 07:04 PM As a result, a grizzled veteran of the Last War can still be a 2nd level warrior, because that's just plain all he's got in him. Your PC may outmatch him in a few adventures, as soon as you hit 2nd level. Because you SHOULD: you're the hero.
This sort of plays in nicely with the Draconic Prophecy and the like.

Reminds me of one of my favorite CRPG gaming moments, from Knights of the Old Republic II, where one of the NPCs, as your great big terrible secret is revealed, basically turns to you and says "You didn't think everyone got more powerful from killing people, did you?"

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
JackBurton 06-26-05, 05:15 PM	I noticed that compared to the Forgotten Realms, the NPCs are pretty low level. There seem to be fewer big personalties like Elminister, Simbul, and Khelban. I think this is fine, I plan on starting everyone 1st level of course. But just curious what happens when parties start to hit the epic levels. Are there going to be supplements for those later levels? Have people had to adjust NPC levels of some leaders to make the campaign challenging for experienced players?
Tek 06-26-05, 05:25 PM	The PC's are meant to be the Heroes in Eberron, this is why there are so few higher level NPC's. Villians, however, are not quite the same. There will always be villans to challenge the PC's. the Lords of Dust encounters can be epic, along with many of the other 'evil' organizations. Its just that PC's won't find other epic level NPC's to help them out, since you know, PC's should be always the heroes. Sorry, no Elminister to save you if you mess up.
ieattrollsforbreakfast 06-26-05, 05:39 PM	Also, epic levels aren't really neccessary in an Eberron game. Many people play epic levels to get to the 'save the world' scenarios that in other settings don't make sense sub 20th level. In Eberron, once you hit 12th level you are among the most powerful characters working for good, so you are the only hope. Epic adventure is what Eberron is about, but it doesn't have to be high level. Oh, and there are plenty of 'big' personalities, just not high level allies. As Tek says, the emphasis is entirely on the PCs.
JackBurton 06-26-05, 08:17 PM	Also, epic levels aren't really neccessary in an Eberron game. Many people play epic levels to get to the 'save the world' scenarios that in other settings don't make sense sub 20th level. In Eberron, once you hit 12th level you are among the most powerful characters working for good, so you are the only hope. Epic adventure is what Eberron is about, but it doesn't have to be high level. Oh, and there are plenty of 'big' personalities, just not high level allies. As Tek says, the emphasis is entirely on the PCs. I do like that the heroes are the center and I can see the logic in having them become the more powerful characters. It does remove a lot of the deus ex stuff that people are tempted with in campaign worlds where archmages are plentiful. I guess it just seems odd to me in a magic-rich world that most of the leaders cap out at 9th or 10th. I suppose once they get to a certain point of wealth and prestige, their pursuits wax more political..
Von Ether 06-26-05, 08:27 PM	I do like that the heroes are the center and I can see the logic in having them become the more powerful characters. It does remove a lot of the deus ex stuff that people are tempted with in campaign worlds where archmages are plentiful. I guess it just seems odd to me in a magic-rich world that most of the leaders cap out at 9th or 10th. I suppose once they get to a certain point of wealth and prestige, their pursuits wax more political.. High Adventure/Low-Levels is the motto of Eberron. But there are 20th level evil villians in the core book. At the very least, I see the set up allowing for epic level games at 16th level without needing additional rules. At the very least, I have my players already trained to quick dragging bodies around for Raise Dead since they know the only ones to do it will be them at later levels.
Hellcow 06-26-05, 08:59 PM	I guess it just seems odd to me in a magic-rich world that most of the leaders cap out at 9th or 10th. I suppose once they get to a certain point of wealth and prestige, their pursuits wax more political.. In creating Eberron, the idea behind low-level NPCs is that level advancement is NOT the same for PCs and NPCs. The ability for PCs to advance as quickly as they do and to rise to the levels that they do is one aspect of what makes them heroes. In Lords of the Rings, most of the Rohirrim have spent their entire lives fighting orcs. Those orcs may have spent THEIR entire lives fighting the soldiers of Gondor and Rohan. But neither orc nor soldier is a match for Aragorn, because Aragorn is the sort of hero legends are made of. It's not just a matter of punching a clock: it's an inner potential that makes you stand out from the crowd. As a result, a grizzled veteran of the Last War can still be a 2nd level warrior, because that's just plain all he's got in him. Your PC may outmatch him in a few adventures, as soon as you hit 2nd level. Because you SHOULD: you're the hero. With that said, different people have different limits. The redcloaks are the elite fighting force of Breland; you may be the big hero, but they've got songs about their exploits, so they are up there. King Boranel is an important starring character, so he's pretty good - but he's still probably gone as far as he's going to go. He starts out better than you, but you'll pull ahead in time. Then you have villains like the Lord of Blades and Erandis d'Vol, or reaccuring rivals like Halas Martain (ECS p 253). The Lord of Blades starts out ahead of you and he should STAY ahead of you, rising as you do and always just a little ahead, his schemes becoming ever more deadly. Martain is about at your level and stays at about your level. These threats remain constant - The Fantastic Four may learn new tricks, but Doctor Doom is always a challenge. And then you have organizations like the Lords of Dust. In the begining, you'll only run into their duped thugs. Then you may encounter their actual lower-level agents, 7 HD raksasha and zakya. But as you rise in level you can encounter the Council of Ashtakala - rakshasa with 10-20 character levels added to their natural power. And when you're CRAZY powerful - well, then it's time for one of the rajahs to break loose. So, there's always options. Most of the people of Eberron are average, and they aren't going to become heroes or challenge you. But there are a few remarkable people out there besides you - and villains who may not even notice you until you're ready to put up a fight. (With that said, I like the 6-12 range, myself; I'm inclined to slow down experience gain at this range to give people a little more time to experience the world at this level. Certainly the characters of City of Towers will be staying in this range longer than the RAW might otherwise indicate.)
(Psi)SeveredHead 06-26-05, 09:48 PM	This question comes up repeatedly on the Eberron boards. There are few high-level good-aligned NPCs. There are many high-level ones, such as the Lords of Dust. Furthermore, BBEGs are supposed to gain levels with the PCs. So, if the Lord of Blades is 12th-level and the PCs are 1st-level, by the time they reach 10th-level, good old Lords of Blades is 21st-level (and epic).
JackBurton 06-27-05, 12:04 AM	In creating Eberron, the idea behind low-level NPCs is that level advancement is NOT the same for PCs and NPCs. The ability for PCs to advance as quickly as they do and to rise to the levels that they do is one aspect of what makes them heroes. In Lords of the Rings, most of the Rohirrim have spent their entire lives fighting orcs. Those orcs may have spent THEIR entire lives fighting the soldiers of Gondor and Rohan. But neither orc nor soldier is a match for Aragorn, because Aragorn is the sort of hero legends are made of. It's not just a matter of punching a clock: it's an inner potential that makes you stand out from the crowd. As a result, a grizzled veteran of the Last War can still be a 2nd level warrior, because that's just plain all he's got in him. Your PC may outmatch him in a few adventures, as soon as you hit 2nd level. Because you SHOULD: you're the hero. With that said, different people have different limits. The redcloaks are the elite fighting force of Breland; you may be the big hero, but they've got songs about their exploits, so they are up there. King Boranel is an important starring character, so he's pretty good - but he's still probably gone as far as he's going to go. He starts out better than you, but you'll pull ahead in time. Then you have villains like the Lord of Blades and Erandis d'Vol, or reaccuring rivals like Halas Martain (ECS p 253). The Lord of Blades starts out ahead of you and he should STAY ahead of you, rising as you do and always just a little ahead, his schemes becoming ever more deadly. Martain is about at your level and stays at about your level. These threats remain constant - The Fantastic Four may learn new tricks, but Doctor Doom is always a challenge. And then you have organizations like the Lords of Dust. In the begining, you'll only run into their duped thugs. Then you may encounter their actual lower-level agents, 7 HD raksasha and zakya. But as you rise in level you can encounter the Council of Ashtakala - rakshasa with 10-20 character levels added to their natural power. And when you're CRAZY powerful - well, then it's time for one of the rajahs to break loose. So, there's always options. Most of the people of Eberron are average, and they aren't going to become heroes or challenge you. But there are a few remarkable people out there besides you - and villains who may not even notice you until you're ready to put up a fight. (With that said, I like the 6-12 range, myself; I'm inclined to slow down experience gain at this range to give people a little more time to experience the world at this level. Certainly the characters of City of Towers will be staying in this range longer than the RAW might otherwise indicate.) Keith, very much appreciate the response! I'm continually impressed by this community! Thanks also for the tips. I suppose what I was looking for was a way to always keep the 'awe' factor going..that there were always more things for them to strive for in terms of role models but also people to fear in terms of powerful enemies- but as you pointed out there are plenty of villains for them to keep them on their toes. The idea that the party becomes the go-to adventures around 10th level is a solid one. I'm looking forward to starting my Eberron campaign next Saturday! [I'm starting a pirate themed campaign off the Lhazaar Principalities where the party must stage a revolt on a prison ship headed for Dreadhold]
aelryinth 06-27-05, 12:15 AM	Ye Lord of Blades isn't supposed to stay ten levels ahead of the party...that starts becoming very hard and extremely dangerous. Staying ahead of them personally and having waves of loyal warforged to throw at them with dire schemes is more then good enough...especially if he gets some of the high level warforged toys. ==+Aelryinth
aelryinth 06-27-05, 12:28 AM	Also, as far as levels of the common folk, a good rule of thumb is that they should probably be as tough as those they have to fight often. Soldiers regularly facing Karnnathi Skels and zombies can probably hit level 3. Those who have to deal with gnolls, probably level 2. Goblins...stick with level 1 or 2 if hobgoblins are involved. Otherwise you get into massive power imbalance scenarios. One reason the Valenar do so well is they grossly outlevel most of their opposition...but then, they have probably never fought the Red Cloaks on the Cloaks' terms. ;) ===Aelryinth
Psionycx 06-27-05, 01:21 AM	Don't forget to bear in mind the larger world beyond Khorvaire in the whole issue. It is true that average NPC's are not super high level, which I think was an excellent idea considering that settings like Forgotten Realms are so overrun by the twink dreams of the game designers that it's questionable what role PC's have in the setting. But the base opportunities in Eberron do not rule out high-level adventure down the road. Consider the Inspired as a great example. Some of them, particularly the ones over on Sarlona, may include some extremely powerful individuals who possess not only high levels in classes such as psion or psychic warrior, but who also have their Quori abilities as well. Consider Tirashana, the Inspired operative in Sharn. She's a Telepath 17 plus she has Quori abilities as well! Now consider that there's probably a lot more like her back in Riedra, and that she probably isn't the most powerful of all the Inspired. Allowing for the Inspired, the Lords of Dust and perhaps even the dragons of Argonssen, and who only knows what's really lurking in Xen'drik. There's actually a lot that a DM has available for later high-level and epic-level adventures. At low- and mid-levels the PC's may be focused on thwarting the schemes of the Dreaming Dark in Sharn for example. High- and Epic-level PC's might want to take on major challenges like actually trying to liberate Riedra or dismantle the Inspired's monoliths. The good news is that Eberron runs on the assumption that players can and should progress to levels that make such fantastic adventures possible for them, rather than being forever playthings of epic NPC's like they tend to be in FR.
(Psi)SeveredHead 06-27-05, 11:58 AM	Also, as far as levels of the common folk, a good rule of thumb is that they should probably be as tough as those they have to fight often. Soldiers regularly facing Karnnathi Skels and zombies can probably hit level 3. Those who have to deal with gnolls, probably level 2. Goblins...stick with level 1 or 2 if hobgoblins are involved. Otherwise you get into massive power imbalance scenarios. One reason the Valenar do so well is they grossly outlevel most of their opposition...but then, they have probably never fought the Red Cloaks on the Cloaks' terms. ;) ===Aelryinth Wouldn't the goblins, gnolls, etc, then gain levels to fight these guards?
Hellcow 06-27-05, 01:20 PM	Wouldn't the goblins, gnolls, etc, then gain levels to fight these guards? It is true that in Eberron, you can't rely on kicking around the goblinoids. I'd say the average Dhakaani hobgoblin soldier is a 2nd-level fighter, which, when combined with his LA, puts him about his 1st-2nd level warrior human counterpart. However, the Heirs of Dhakaan have yet to play a serious role on the battlefields of Khorvaire; currently their internal conflicts are keeping them busy. The Ghaal'dar certainly can have levels - potentially quite a few, as Lhesh Haruuc shows - but on the average aren't as dangerous as the Dhakaani. The Dhakaani are there to provide an unpleasant surprise to people who say "They're just goblins - how bad can it be?"
a_psh 06-27-05, 07:04 PM	As a result, a grizzled veteran of the Last War can still be a 2nd level warrior, because that's just plain all he's got in him. Your PC may outmatch him in a few adventures, as soon as you hit 2nd level. Because you SHOULD: you're the hero. This sort of plays in nicely with the Draconic Prophecy and the like. Reminds me of one of my favorite CRPG gaming moments, from Knights of the Old Republic II, where one of the NPCs, as your great big terrible secret is revealed, basically turns to you and says "You didn't think everyone got more powerful from killing people, did you?"