Heroic Stories
Source: Minsc and Boo’s Journal of Villainy, p. 5
When you think of your favorite heroic story, it almost always follows a familiar formula. The hero begins his journey in his hometown, usually threatened by evil. He encounters a mentor figure who helps reveal what must be done to save his hometown (and often the rest of the world). In the end, he comes face to face with a villain that must be overcome. Don’t believe me?
Harry Potter fights to protect Hogwarts, is mentored by Dumbledore and must defeat Voldemort. Frodo begins his journey in the Shire, is recruited by Gandalf and must journey into the heart of Sauron’s land of evil. Luke Skywalker leaves Tatooine to learn how to use the Force from Obi-Wan in order to defeat Darth Vader.
While Dungeons & Dragons has always focused on the heroes, a great mentor, villain and hometown can make a campaign come alive.
Mentors and Group Patron Rules
Dungeons & Dragons has already provided rules on mentors with their excellent write ups on Group Patrons, so we use that term in this book.
Hometowns
Hometowns are where player characters begin the campaign. Hometowns are often a base of operations and the place where the group patron can be found. The campaign villain might also be based out of the hometown. Sometimes the campaign villain even threatens the very existence of the hometown.
Bazaars, Fences and Shops
One of the main uses of a hometown from a gameplay perspective is that it provides player characters with a place to spend gold (and other coin). Over the course of a campaign, player characters often accumulate vast quantities of gold with very few places to spend it. Hometowns give player characters access to bazaars, shops and NPCs that possess contacts for magic items, recipes or treasure maps. Not only does this give player characters a place to use their gold, but it also allows them to customize the kinds of magic items their character is able to obtain.
Robbing or murdering a shop keep for their magic items is pointless as shops don’t keep the magic items or recipes on the premises. Instead they have contacts with powerful NPCs and creatures that have access to the magic items.
Group Patrons
Group patrons give player characters a reason to work together toward a common goal. They are powerful backers who give adventurers a clear purpose. They can also provide rare resources such as magic items, contacts and other hard to find resources.
Themes and Goals
The group patron helps determine the theme of a campaign through the missions that they send the player characters on. All patrons have an overarching ambition that determines what kind of missions they offer. This ambition or cause encourages all the player characters to work together.
Contacts
Each group patron has one or two primary contacts that interact with the player characters.
Missions
The missions that a group patron send the player characters on are great ways to introduce new adventures. It’s up to the players whether or not they want to go on the missions that are set out for them.
Enemies
Each group patron has a list of enemies. In addition to the infernal lords listed in the Random Campaign Villain table, these enemies include other group patrons. The contacts from these enemy group patrons can be used as rivals to the player characters or even as allies of the campaign villain.
Perks
Group patrons offer access to resources not readily available to most people. These resources include magical equipment, secret information and training. Each group patron gives a different set of perks. Most group patrons also give access to magical items for purchase or recipes on how to craft them.
Group Assistance
Each member of the party can grant advantage on an ability check, an attack roll or a saving throw of another member of the party. To grant advantage in this way the character and the chosen target must be able to see or hear each other and neither can be incapacitated. Once a party member grants this advantage that individual can’t do so again until they finish a long rest.
Campaign Villains
Campaign villains are NPCs who oppose the player characters throughout their entire careers. These villains often have a personal connection to either the player characters or their group patron. A campaign villain rarely confronts the player characters directly, instead resorting to henchmen. Only when a campaign nears its end will the player characters finally confront their villain.
Goals
An effective campaign villain has a clear reason for interfering with the characters’ lives. It is usually in clear opposition to the goals of the character’s group patron.
Henchmen and Other Assets
A campaign villain almost always has henchmen that they can send against the player characters. They also likely have access to vast resources, whether that be money, political influence or military power.
Defeating a Henchman
When the players defeat a henchman sent by the campaign villain, their main reward is the magical equipment that most henchmen possess.
A quote from MINSC & BOO!
Me and Boo have talked about the word henchmen. What about henchwomen or henchhalflings?
Perhaps using the word henchpeople would be less offensive. Boo doesnt believe there are any henchhamsters, for what hamster would ever serve evil?
Henchmen Characters
Many henchmen are presented in their own chapter later in this book. In addition, some allies and henchmen for a campaign villain may be drawn from the Group Patron list. The Order of Icarus, Flaming Fist, Raven Circle and Shadow Thieves all make great enemies. These organizations might be secretly manipulated by the campaign villain or even directly controlled.