XDMC 22: Create a Subversive Villain!

Welcome to the twenty-second Expert Dungeon Master Competition! The primary purpose of the Expert Dungeon Master Competitions is threefold:     

• To create a resource for new Dungeon Masters drawing on the vast talent pool of the experienced Dungeon Masters of this forum.
• To create a fun and vibrant competition that is sportsmanlike and friendly.
• To showcase the creativity and talent of Dungeon Masters like you.

The best way to keep informed about the competition is to join the Expert Dungeon Master Competition group. There you can review the rules, archives, and future contest ideas, and get broadcasts telling you when new competitions begin and when results are released!

Required Elements

The topic for this competition is subversive villainy. The contest asks entrants to create an NPC who seeks to manipulate a party of good and lawful good heroes to act in an unheroic manner.

In order to enter this competition, your entry must fulfill the following required elements.  If you do not meet each of these required elements, you will receive a score of zero in Themes:     

• Name: Name the villain.
• Block: Provide a stat block for the villain.
• Character: Describe the villain's personality and motivation.
• Description: Describe the villain's appearance and resources.
• Encounters: Describe one or more scenarios in which the villain tempts the heroes.

Optional Elements

In addition, the entry must include at least one optional element from each of the following three categories.  List the optional elements you intend to include. If you do not, the  judges will credit you only for the optional elements they happen to  notice:

Motivations

1. Conversion: The villain wants to change one or more of the heroes’ goals.
2. Debasement: The villain wants one or more heroes' alignment to change to evil or chaotic evil.
3. Greater Evil: The villain wants the heroes to commit one or more good acts for a greater evil.
4. Greater Good: The villain wants the heroes to commit one or more evil acts for a greater good.
5. Infighting: The villain wants to get at least one hero to attack another hero.
6. Prophecy: The villain wants the heroes to fulfill an evil prophecy or not to fulfill a good one.
7. Revelation: The villain wants the heroes to divulge or uncover information unavailable elsewhere without greater difficulty.
8. Warmongering: The villain wants the heroes to attack one or more innocent NPCs.

Temptations

1. Deception: The villain’s offer includes true but misleading language.
2. Favor: The villain offers to perform one or more favors for one or more heroes.
3. Influence: The villain offers political power.
4. Lore: The villain offers information that cannot be obtained elsewhere without greater difficulty.
5. Power: The villain offers a boon, pact, or other supernatural power.
6. Pleasure: The villain offers pleasure.
7. Restoration: The villain offers to resurrect a hero or remove an affliction or condition.
8. Second Chance: The villain offers to one or more heroes a chance to correct a past mistake.
9. Wealth: The villain offers possession(s) worth at least as much as a magic item of the average party level.

Aftermaths

1. Double-Cross: The villain cannot or will not fulfill any promises made to the heroes.
2. Enemy: The heroes gain the enmity of another NPC at least five levels higher than they.
3. Friendless: The heroes lose one or more powerful allies.
4. Poverty: One or more heroes lose possession(s) worth at least as much as a magic item of the average party level.
5. Promotion: The villain becomes more powerful than the heroes’ target.
6. Sacrifice: One or more heroes is captured, killed, or subject to a condition, curse, affliction, or effect that requires a ritual to remove.
7. Servitude: The villain gains dominance over one or more heroes.
8. Spite: The villain personally loses more than is gained, and anticipated that this would happen.

General Rules

Following are some general rules of the Expert DM Competition.  The complete list of rules is in the  Expert Dungeon Master Competition Group Wiki.     

• Code of Conduct. All entries must comply with the forum's Code of Conduct.
• Contest Duration. Contests usually run for two weeks, beginning with the post announcing the competition. The Coordinator may extend the duration of the contest at his discretion after consulting the other judges for that competition. However, such extensions should be done very rarely.
• Edits Made at Entrants' Own Risk. A judge may download your entry any time after it is submitted. So any edits you make might not be considered by a judge. For this reason, you should submit your entry in as complete a form as possible. Use the preview function liberally. Once winners have been announced, entrants may edit their entries.
• Images Allowed. If you want to use an image in your entry, you must first post it to your profile gallery.
• Multiple Entries Prohibited. Each applicant may only submit one entry during the period in which entries may be submitted. Submitting multiple entries disqualifies all entries. Additional entries may be submitted after the competition closes, but they will not be judged.
• Multi-Post Entries Prohibited. Each entry must be contained within a single post. The judges must ignore any subsequent posts.
• Outside Links Prohibited. Entries may not include material hosted on a website other than the post on which the entry appears.
• Plagiarism and Peer Reviewing Prohibited. All entries must be the original, exclusive work of the applicant. Entries found to be copying the work of another, or that have been posted for review prior to the close of the competition, will be disqualified.

Judges and Schedule

The contest will run from today through Friday, October 1, 2010. All entries must be submitted no later than 12:00 midnight at the end of that day (Eastern Standard Time). The judges of this contest are ClanBattlerage, Fuka, and wrecan, and the coordinator of this contest is wrecan. Good luck and have fun!!

Entry List

1. Veok's Realgar the Magnificent (level 12 elite artillery) Gold Medlaist!
2. Nyarlathotep's Sarnath Kreel (level 13 elite controller) Silver Medalist!
3. Kestralb's Dregzia the Briar Hag (level 5 solo controller) Bronze Medalist!
4. zmortis' Thomas the Poisoner (level 30 assassin)
5. shinobicow's Elzebel the Soul Reaper Cherub (level 3 elite controller)
6. Qube's Maglan (level 8 minion (leader))
7. Shaadow's Duck Duck (level 1 elite brute)
8. Pluisjen's Great Necromnos (level 1 minion)
9. Ankiyavon's Fragment of Acamar (level 3 wondrous item)
10. LordArchaon's Anowon the Ruin Sage (level 15 elite controller)

Supplemental Entries:

• ClanBattlerage's Nightshade (level 28 elite controller)

Coordinator's note: I am aware that the hyperlinks don't currently work. 
I don't know when hyperlinking will be repaired.  I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Sep 16, 2010 -- 11:06AM, goldomark wrote:

Can a "Power" be access to a new feat that only the vilain can teach or is a feat to common or not powerful enough?

Only if the feat grants the recipient a supernatural power (or a boon or a pact).  For example, a Channel Divinity feat that grants a new Channel Divinity power would fit the requirement.

"Boon", "pact" and "power" are all defined terms in the game.

Intriguing... I think I'll throw my hat into the arena for this one.

Incidentally, does the NPC have to be evil or chaotic evil?