why not have a guy who takes profit from assassinations, thievery and stuff(a crime lord) who is helping the party mainly because if they don't then either the world is destroyed or a guy takes over a region(both would have a significant effect on their business) BUT he would usually have to be payed off a bit to get certain information... he becomes a bit of a villain and friend of the party simultaneously as a result (messing with him can lead to thieves and assassins going after the party).
it's important to note, though, that with that suggestion, the players don't know the direct threat for a while... they are following breadcrumbs where every encounter or dungeon gives them a bit of information as to what is going on beyond the small threat they just thwarted. you will also need to do a lot of prep-work as a DM and make sure you have the breadcrumbs well placed. i do not recommend this for novice or intermediate DMs.
if I can be so bold as to add about scaling threat among the tiers... I usually, if I want to make the players feel like they are achieving something epic, have the adventure involve threats the BBEG has set in motion of that level - even if that villain doesn't meet the players directly until epic. This could also give you ideas for seeds building up to your big reveal of just what the threat is.
why not have a guy who takes profit from assassinations, thievery and stuff(a crime lord) who is helping the party mainly because if they don't then either the world is destroyed or a guy takes over a region(both would have a significant effect on their business) BUT he would usually have to be payed off a bit to get certain information... he becomes a bit of a villain and friend of the party simultaneously as a result (messing with him can lead to thieves and assassins going after the party).
doombybbr 5 months ago
it's important to note, though, that with that suggestion, the players don't know the direct threat for a while... they are following breadcrumbs where every encounter or dungeon gives them a bit of information as to what is going on beyond the small threat they just thwarted. you will also need to do a lot of prep-work as a DM and make sure you have the breadcrumbs well placed. i do not recommend this for novice or intermediate DMs.
williamcardno 7 months ago
if I can be so bold as to add about scaling threat among the tiers... I usually, if I want to make the players feel like they are achieving something epic, have the adventure involve threats the BBEG has set in motion of that level - even if that villain doesn't meet the players directly until epic. This could also give you ideas for seeds building up to your big reveal of just what the threat is.
williamcardno 7 months ago
I like how well all these ideas apply to films (not exclusively fantasy), video games and books. Nice to hear these smart guys :)
kid29a 1 year ago