Big Bad Boss [Archive] - Wizards Community

Big Bad Boss [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Mastermind_Omega
09-10-06, 09:24 PM Need a boss villain for my 5 player party of lvl16 characters
Shaggy_Shaggs
09-10-06, 09:29 PM That's... really vague.

Define "boss". Are you looking for an end-of-the-dungeon-crawl, powerful beastie? Or more of a string-pulling mastermind to pull together the things they've already gone through? (Latter seems unlikely, that type is generally figured out before the rest is.)

What's the race/class mix of the party? How do they operate in and out of combat?
Piggyfreak6
09-10-06, 11:04 PM Just pick up a PrC book like, Complete Warrior and then use basicly the sample from that book, they usually have a CR of atleast 14.
KurenaiYami
09-10-06, 11:05 PM Drow Vampire Monk.
Mastermind_Omega
09-11-06, 06:51 PM More of a string pulling mastermind, sorry about being so vague.
KurenaiYami
09-11-06, 09:03 PM More of a string pulling mastermind, sorry about being so vague.
A really smart Drow Vampire Monk. Better yet, Battle Dancer. He would have such an evilly high charisma score...
feartheinvinceblehamster
09-11-06, 09:05 PM Liches and Vampires are always old standbys, as are necromancers. Try a home-baked demon or devil, or perhaps a tough fighter.
Hammerhead
09-11-06, 09:57 PM how about an Alhoon (mind flayer lich)
Feriin
09-11-06, 10:10 PM how about an Alhoon (mind flayer lich)

And name him Davey Jones...

Or better yet have a Lich Necromancer with fighter levels, who has a Vampire for a Cohort.
KurenaiYami
09-11-06, 10:23 PM And name him Davey Jones...

Or better yet have a Lich Necromancer with fighter levels, who has a Vampire for a Cohort.
Drow Battle Dancer Vampire for a cohort.
Roivas
09-11-06, 10:29 PM All of these bosses are bad, but they fail to be big. You should make an old blue dragon. Make sure to pick it's spells and feats yourself to customize the beast, and keep him deep under a vast wasteland of a desert.
Or you could go with a Ninja/BattleDancer/Duelist, he could be any race but I'd advise catfolk personally.
Feriin
09-11-06, 10:34 PM An Old Blue Dragon is kinda weak, even when customized.

Go with a Great Wyrm Blue Dragon, advanced 15 virtual age catagories as per the Draconomicon. Then give him the Paragon template from the Epic Handbook.
Roivas
09-11-06, 10:39 PM An Old Blue Dragon is kinda weak, even when customized.

Go with a Great Wyrm Blue Dragon, advanced 15 virtual age catagories as per the Draconomicon. Then give him the Paragon template from the Epic Handbook.

Yeah cause killing your players is always a good idea. He said a good challenge for 4 16th level characters, a CR 18 should be pretty tough. Particularly if the dragon sticks to fighting on it's terms. Use terrain, use burrow, and dispel their protections against electricity, or use the breath weapon substitution spell.
A dragon is only as weak as the GM running it, that's how I killed an old black dragon with one other player at 5th level.
Feriin
09-11-06, 10:51 PM Yeah cause killing your players is always a good idea. He said a good challenge for 4 16th level characters, a CR 18 should be pretty tough..

No, actually he said....

Need a boss villain for my 5 player party of lvl16 characters.

You see he is asking for a Boss villian, My idea is that he (meaning the dragon I mentioned) would be the one calling all the shots. There would be numberious other sub-bosses.

Particularly if the dragon sticks to fighting on it's terms. Use terrain, use burrow, and dispel their protections against electricity, or use the breath weapon substitution spell.

I agree with this.
Loto_GoCeraf
09-11-06, 11:49 PM In my writing, one of the major enemies that the hero encounters (early on, mind you) is a feral human bumped up to the large category. The dude's a pirate, and his weapon of choice is a big anchor attached to a chain that he wraps around his person. His attacks are essentially him launching this giant chunk of metal (enchanted with returning ^_^) and pulling it back whenever he misses. I think when I put it into game terms (I keep such notes for my writing) the weapon dealt 6d6 damage on a successful hit. It was used at a -4 penalty and ignored armor. To dodge it, a successful reflex save that was greater than his attack roll meant you dodged it, except you also added any dodge bonuses to your save. Whenever he missed, the first thing in a line of sight past the hero would be hit by the anchor.

You could do a similar thing to this by having a big, sentient golem swinging around something like a huge axe, in a cavernous room with a bunch of pillars. If he misses one of your PCs, then you could rule that anything within a ten foot arc, beginning on one side and ending on the other, would be struck instead. Once half the pillars in the room were gone... BOOM!

I dunno, I've always had a soft spot for REALLY big villains going against a large group of heroes. Reminds me of Astaroth from Soul Calibur.
(Psi)SeveredHead
09-12-06, 12:02 AM More of a string pulling mastermind, sorry about being so vague.

Use a beholder. Do not use it by itself. Instead, give it some ogre barbarians or other vicious creatures. I suggest having it's CR about 18 (if you can find a good way of doing that without advancing it's Hit Dice, do it) and then give it a bunch of CR 14 classed creatures, including an ogre barbarian, a mage, and a cleric...
Hydryh
09-12-06, 12:15 AM I'm a big fan of Aboleth Wizards, myself, or you could go with the Evil Bard discussed in another thread here.

Heck, even an Expert or Arisocrat if it's strictly a mastermind and not going to be facing the party directly; Lex Luthor manages to make the Epic++ Superman look like a ninny on a fairly regular basis, for example in Lex Luthor: Man of Steel.
Roivas
09-12-06, 12:25 AM I actually built a dungeon around the concept of an expert villian. He was an expert trapmaker who filled had a massive underground complex built to store his treasure he stole from caravans thorughout his life. He then lured adventurers there with tales of riches, and waited at the command center for people to enter. He used listening tubes to determine where adventurers were and sprung traps all over the dungeon with a series of levers.
He wasn't a big string puller, but the players learned to loath him that night. When they finally found him most of them had been softened up by his traps enough that he almost stood a chance.
I so I guess anything can make a dangerous villian, but it was kinda an anti-climax when they burst into the command center and only had to fight an old man that didn't get out much.
speeblefreak
09-12-06, 12:44 AM How about a high-level aristocrat with some good (bad?) connections and a lot of favors to call in?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Mastermind_Omega 09-10-06, 09:24 PM	Need a boss villain for my 5 player party of lvl16 characters
Shaggy_Shaggs 09-10-06, 09:29 PM	That's... really vague. Define "boss". Are you looking for an end-of-the-dungeon-crawl, powerful beastie? Or more of a string-pulling mastermind to pull together the things they've already gone through? (Latter seems unlikely, that type is generally figured out before the rest is.) What's the race/class mix of the party? How do they operate in and out of combat?
Piggyfreak6 09-10-06, 11:04 PM	Just pick up a PrC book like, Complete Warrior and then use basicly the sample from that book, they usually have a CR of atleast 14.
KurenaiYami 09-10-06, 11:05 PM	Drow Vampire Monk.
Mastermind_Omega 09-11-06, 06:51 PM	More of a string pulling mastermind, sorry about being so vague.
KurenaiYami 09-11-06, 09:03 PM	More of a string pulling mastermind, sorry about being so vague. A really smart Drow Vampire Monk. Better yet, Battle Dancer. He would have such an evilly high charisma score...
feartheinvinceblehamster 09-11-06, 09:05 PM	Liches and Vampires are always old standbys, as are necromancers. Try a home-baked demon or devil, or perhaps a tough fighter.
Hammerhead 09-11-06, 09:57 PM	how about an Alhoon (mind flayer lich)
Feriin 09-11-06, 10:10 PM	how about an Alhoon (mind flayer lich) And name him Davey Jones... Or better yet have a Lich Necromancer with fighter levels, who has a Vampire for a Cohort.
KurenaiYami 09-11-06, 10:23 PM	And name him Davey Jones... Or better yet have a Lich Necromancer with fighter levels, who has a Vampire for a Cohort. Drow Battle Dancer Vampire for a cohort.
Roivas 09-11-06, 10:29 PM	All of these bosses are bad, but they fail to be big. You should make an old blue dragon. Make sure to pick it's spells and feats yourself to customize the beast, and keep him deep under a vast wasteland of a desert. Or you could go with a Ninja/BattleDancer/Duelist, he could be any race but I'd advise catfolk personally.
Feriin 09-11-06, 10:34 PM	An Old Blue Dragon is kinda weak, even when customized. Go with a Great Wyrm Blue Dragon, advanced 15 virtual age catagories as per the Draconomicon. Then give him the Paragon template from the Epic Handbook.
Roivas 09-11-06, 10:39 PM	An Old Blue Dragon is kinda weak, even when customized. Go with a Great Wyrm Blue Dragon, advanced 15 virtual age catagories as per the Draconomicon. Then give him the Paragon template from the Epic Handbook. Yeah cause killing your players is always a good idea. He said a good challenge for 4 16th level characters, a CR 18 should be pretty tough. Particularly if the dragon sticks to fighting on it's terms. Use terrain, use burrow, and dispel their protections against electricity, or use the breath weapon substitution spell. A dragon is only as weak as the GM running it, that's how I killed an old black dragon with one other player at 5th level.
Feriin 09-11-06, 10:51 PM	Yeah cause killing your players is always a good idea. He said a good challenge for 4 16th level characters, a CR 18 should be pretty tough.. No, actually he said.... Need a boss villain for my 5 player party of lvl16 characters. You see he is asking for a Boss villian, My idea is that he (meaning the dragon I mentioned) would be the one calling all the shots. There would be numberious other sub-bosses. Particularly if the dragon sticks to fighting on it's terms. Use terrain, use burrow, and dispel their protections against electricity, or use the breath weapon substitution spell. I agree with this.
Loto_GoCeraf 09-11-06, 11:49 PM	In my writing, one of the major enemies that the hero encounters (early on, mind you) is a feral human bumped up to the large category. The dude's a pirate, and his weapon of choice is a big anchor attached to a chain that he wraps around his person. His attacks are essentially him launching this giant chunk of metal (enchanted with returning ^_^) and pulling it back whenever he misses. I think when I put it into game terms (I keep such notes for my writing) the weapon dealt 6d6 damage on a successful hit. It was used at a -4 penalty and ignored armor. To dodge it, a successful reflex save that was greater than his attack roll meant you dodged it, except you also added any dodge bonuses to your save. Whenever he missed, the first thing in a line of sight past the hero would be hit by the anchor. You could do a similar thing to this by having a big, sentient golem swinging around something like a huge axe, in a cavernous room with a bunch of pillars. If he misses one of your PCs, then you could rule that anything within a ten foot arc, beginning on one side and ending on the other, would be struck instead. Once half the pillars in the room were gone... BOOM! I dunno, I've always had a soft spot for REALLY big villains going against a large group of heroes. Reminds me of Astaroth from Soul Calibur.
(Psi)SeveredHead 09-12-06, 12:02 AM	More of a string pulling mastermind, sorry about being so vague. Use a beholder. Do not use it by itself. Instead, give it some ogre barbarians or other vicious creatures. I suggest having it's CR about 18 (if you can find a good way of doing that without advancing it's Hit Dice, do it) and then give it a bunch of CR 14 classed creatures, including an ogre barbarian, a mage, and a cleric...
Hydryh 09-12-06, 12:15 AM	I'm a big fan of Aboleth Wizards, myself, or you could go with the Evil Bard discussed in another thread here. Heck, even an Expert or Arisocrat if it's strictly a mastermind and not going to be facing the party directly; Lex Luthor manages to make the Epic++ Superman look like a ninny on a fairly regular basis, for example in Lex Luthor: Man of Steel.
Roivas 09-12-06, 12:25 AM	I actually built a dungeon around the concept of an expert villian. He was an expert trapmaker who filled had a massive underground complex built to store his treasure he stole from caravans thorughout his life. He then lured adventurers there with tales of riches, and waited at the command center for people to enter. He used listening tubes to determine where adventurers were and sprung traps all over the dungeon with a series of levers. He wasn't a big string puller, but the players learned to loath him that night. When they finally found him most of them had been softened up by his traps enough that he almost stood a chance. I so I guess anything can make a dangerous villian, but it was kinda an anti-climax when they burst into the command center and only had to fight an old man that didn't get out much.
speeblefreak 09-12-06, 12:44 AM	How about a high-level aristocrat with some good (bad?) connections and a lot of favors to call in?