DM Rowan
Adventurer
The DM Renaissance is in full swing!
Posts: 96
Favorite D&D Class: Bard/Paladin
Favorite D&D Race: Half Elf
Gender: NB Lesbian
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Post by DM Rowan on Aug 23, 2016 20:51:20 GMT
Recently my players took a one off villain who was kidnapping children and turned him into a giant rescue mission to save all the children from the orcs they had been sold to. While there, the orc in charge of the Slave Market, Housemaster Orpigig, whipped two of them for disobedience. One of my players serves an entity of revenge and swore vengeance against him. They escaped the city last session but now they want to return to kill Orpigig.
My question is, How do I make the fight with Orpigig interesting when I didn't even have him planned when I started the previous session? They'll have to sneak into the city and find his home/place of work, but how do I make combat itself fun and challenging?
If you need anymore information, please ask! My party consists of an eldritch knight, a wizard with the homebrew artificer archetype, a wild magic sorcerer and an arcane trickster, all level 3. They also have with them an NPC Veteran who may or may not be convinced to aide them in the battle, seeing as he's mostly looking out for himself.
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grinningdwarf
Commoner
Posts: 20 
Favorite D&D Class: Fighter
Favorite D&D Race: Dwarf
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Post by grinningdwarf on Aug 25, 2016 4:29:01 GMT
You could give him some player character feats to toughen him up and surprise your players. He might have some Fighter-class feats such as Second Wind or Action Surge. If he's more of a thug, he could have some Rogue-class feats such as Cunning Action or Uncanny Dodge.
You could give him a slavery-based magic item. Maybe a cat o'nine tails that is also a Vicious Weapon (natural 20 to hit does 2d6 extra damage).
Give him a low level spell-slinging partner/protege that the players don't know about unless they scout well. Even then, they probably won't know exactly what he/she can do. And minions. you could give him a bunch of goblin minions.
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Post by lasersniper on Aug 28, 2016 2:37:27 GMT
If this Orpigig lives as a legit citizen in this city then I would build the combat around Orpigig knowing the area. Maybe a couple of makeshift traps. Like dead ends here, loose boards there, weak wall over yonder. If this is his hometown he knows his way around. And doubt he would have some friends who would have his back in a fight against some crazy adventurers. Orpigig can also force a fight on his terms if he hides behind the law.
In the fight however, I would probably buff him up a bit so he can take some hits, defiantly have minions, and make sure to have some strategic terrain and trickery in his favor.
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Post by blakeryan on Aug 28, 2016 22:21:59 GMT
Re more campaign plot - Maybe in this city he is using a disguise and running several orphanages, sponsored by good guy churches, but they don't know about his plan to hold parties there and invite more kids and then send the lot off to the slave dens.
Re more difficult boss fight - he's got a necklace that lets him share/siphon health from others, so he has four kids shackled in his room, and you have to free them in order to hurt him without hurting them, but he has a few minions come in to stop you freeing the kids. A twist on this is the share/siphon effect happens to anyone else who enters the room-wis DC 15 to resist.
maybe he has an amulet or wand that uses debuff spells like ray of enfeeblement, he doesn't want to slay people, he wants to weaken them and send them off to the slave dens.
for something less magical, each round D6 minions enter the room, this happens for 6 rounds.
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Post by donosaur on Sept 2, 2016 18:05:58 GMT
You could keep Orpigig mechanically mundane (give him max orc hit points, tho) and give him a signature weapon (the whip or cat o'nine tails would work nicely), but make him really stand by having him use strategy. He sounds like a guy with minions, or brow beaten employees, but you could also develop him into a lying, cheating guy who always stacks the deck in his favor. Have him use innocent hostages, human shields, have him bribe authorities to fight your party on his behalf, give him secret escape routes to let him get away and fight another day. It will INFURIATE your party that this dumb orc keeps getting the best of them when he's not actually that strong or smart. Just don't overuse any one tactic, otherwise the party may think you're just being unfair.
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