Hello and welcome to my world building blog!
Today, we will be exploring the minor villains the PCs will be encountering during our adventure of the Ruins of Azamar. We'll be taking examples from the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Design Kit by Harold Johnson and Aaron Allston, published in 1988 by TSR, Inc.
These minor villains are the lieutenants of the master villain in the adventure. We've already established our master villain is an Advanced Agent of Ithaqua. The leader of the cult will be performing a ritual by the time the PCs get to him. Of course, the minor villains will be the obstacles our heroes will encounter before getting to the cult leader. And we can put them pretty much anywhere in our adventure.
The book gives a list of minor villains like The Avenger, The Corrupted Hero, and The Moronic Muscleman. And it also states that "many Master Villains have two Minor Villains..." So, I programmed my random generator to choose two for me.
The first one: The Lovable Rogue
"This character is like the Master Villain of the same name, except that he has no minions of his own and serves at someone else's bidding. However, he's very independent, not always working in his employer's best interests; he often makes fun of the Master Villain's pretensions and may suffer that villain's retaliation because of it.
"It's possible to convert the Rogue to the heroes' cause; if they offer him money, action, adventure, a pardon for past crimes, or even if there's an attractive PC of the opposite sex who appeals to him, he may be tempted over to their side. If he isn't, he'll abandon his employer during the climax, escaping to safety.
"Character Level and Abilities: The Rogue is probably a fighter or thief at a level similar to the average player character level."
The lovable rogue is self-explanatory. An encounter with him/her could be an opportunity for fun role-playing. Will the PCs be able to persuade this rogue to their side? Could he help lead the PCs to the cult leader? How will Sylula Earthdance, the retired halfling archaeologist, feel about this recruitment? The drama!
Our second minor villain is the Misguided Moralist.
"This fellow has been convinced that only by helping the villain achieve the Master Plan can he improve the world. He tends to be encountered all through the adventure's plot, usually escaping from the heroes and taunting them for their wrong thinking. Fortunately, he's no more effective as a villain than he is as a thinker.
"It's very hard to convert him to the heroes' cause; he's too wrapped up in his own cause. It can be done, however, if the heroes can demonstrate that the Master Villain has, say, lied to him.
"Character Level and Abilities: This character is usually a fighter or cleric a few levels less experienced than the average player-character."
To me, the misguided moralist has his wires crossed and thinks that what the cult leader is doing is the right thing to do. He/she thinks that bringing about Ithaqua, the Death-Walker, could be the great reset the world needs. This minor villain might show up early in the adventure as a harbinger, spreading the "word" of a great destruction, but not spilling the beans just yet. I like the idea of him being a cleric of Ithaqua, preaching whatever he can to the masses. A downright religious zealot.
Now that we have out Theme, Goal, Story Hook, Settings, Ally, Master Villain, and Minor Villains established for the Ruins of Azamar, the adventure still needs a plot.
Next week, The Plot!
I hope you enjoyed the read, and until next time, thanks for reading.
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