Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 undrave May 20, 2009 22:45:42	So right now my PCs have been foiling various plans set in motion by an evil Eladrin woman who leads a trade company once belonging to her dead human husband (they say he died of old age and I am still unsure wether it will turn out true, false or inconsequential). At the begining of the game she had a bandit gang and a necromancer working to cut the trade caravans of other companies through banditry and undead pirates. She had provided the Necromancer with the needed knowledge to fully control his undead and provided some magic items to the thieves (items who are now in the PC's posession of course). Next the PC got allied with her main competitor. The main competitor had a deal with a Lizardfolk tribe for safe passage through their swamp, giving him the edge in terms of travel time. Through a band of evil adventurers she wanted to get both side to believe they breached the agreement but the PCs managed to save the Lizardfolk for her troops and restablish the deal. Now I'm having them head over to this big mountain stronghold who control a breach through the mountain range where there will probably an attempt to depose the King that will certainly have some backing from the Eladrin. The problems here is I'm not sure exactly what her ultimate goal will be! Just driving her competition out of buisness sounds way too...pedestrian ya know? I've been DMing for less time than 4e has been out so I'm not that great at the whole 'coming up with interesting motivation' thing... help would be greatly appreciated.
#2 silent_stone May 20, 2009 23:21:10	How about having Evil Eladrin Lady's trade company be actually a covert spy agency? She could be trying to establish sources & intelligence assets (with the trade company as a cover) as a preparatory move for some greater conquest (which might have been the lifelong dream of her dead husband).
#3 mahavira May 20, 2009 23:25:03	1. Politics - the rival trading house is a major supplier to the local government, which she wants to destabilize (perhaps she's an agent of a point of darkness). Possibly her family were rulers of the area hundreds or thousands of years ago and she resents human upstarts acting like they own the place. Or she simply wants to be the power behind the throne (perhaps she's a black widow and the would be usurper is another of her suitors). 2. Revenge - eladrin live a long time, and possibly a previous generation of the other trading house (or the king) wronged her, and like many long lived beings she takes it out on hapless descendants. 3. The other house/king has a family heirloom/magic item that she wants and they won't sell (perhaps buried in the family crypt). By applying pressure, her offer becomes more and more attractive. 4. If she's handing out magic items and necromantic knowledge, it is likely she is an arcanist herself, and possibly the fortress is on a site of power and she wants to clear out meddling locals. 5. Don't underestimate the power of greed. Whether she loves gold for itself or the power it gives her over others, that's a perfectly good motivation for a villain. Not everyone is out to summon Demogorgon.
#4 lord_karsus May 20, 2009 23:25:37	The problems here is I'm not sure exactly what her ultimate goal will be! Just driving her competition out of buisness sounds way too...pedestrian ya know? -Hey, money is money. -Anyway, I don't know if you have it, but Champions of Ruin has a whole bunch of reasons why people might be evil, and evil plothook and motivations and such.
#5 undrave May 20, 2009 23:27:25	That a good point... she's working to destabilize the various city states using the wealth she acquires with her ruthless buisness practices... another idea I had in mind was that she had been exiled from the Feywild and was working toward taking her revenge on the Eladrin court that had kicked her out. Though I'd need to read more on the Feywild.
#6 lord_karsus May 20, 2009 23:29:02	another idea I had in mind was that she had been exiled from the Feywild and was working toward taking her revenge on the Eladrin court that had kicked her out. Though I'd need to read more on the Feywild. -Industrialization of the Plane of Faerie...Think Amazonian strip foresting, but in magical D&D terms...Sounds kinda cool.
#7 arizonagoatee May 20, 2009 23:48:56	I'm not a big fan of the show, but I saw about half of the first season of Weeds. In it, a woman recently widowed turns to selling drugs to make ends meet and keep up her lifestyle. Through the story, she gets deeper and deeper into the trade, making bigger sales, interacting with other dealers, etc. You could have her motivation to be something like that, just to survive as her involvement with the trading world deepens and she becomes more attached to its players out of survival. She's afraid that if she quits or slows down, her competition will eat her alive (maybe literally with those lizardmen running around). This would make a more human and sympathetic villain, which may or may not be what you're looking for. Basically, an enemy that doesn't know how to get out of this world she's found herself in. The party could even help her, if they can somehow win her trust.