Page 125 - DnD 5e - Xanathar's Guide to Everything

CREATING A RIVAL Assets. Think about the resources the rival can mar-
Io essence, a rival is a somewhat specialized NPC. You shal. Does the character have enough money to pay
can use chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master's Guide to bribes or to hire a small gang of mercenaries? Does
build a new NPC for this purpose, or pick one from your the rival hold sway over any guilds, temples, or other
current cast of supporting characters and embellish that groups? Make a list of the rival's assets, and consider
NPC as described below. how they can be used.
It's possible for the characters to have two or three ri- Plans . The foundation of a rival's presence in the
vals at a time, each with a separate agenda. At least one campaign is the actions the rival takes or the events that
should be a villain, but the others might be neutral or occur as a result of that character's goals. Each tjme you
good; conflicts with those rivals might be social or politi- resolve one or more workweeks of downtime, pick one
cal, rather than manifesting as direct attacks. of the ways a rival's plans might be advanced and intro-
The best rivals have a connection with their adver- duce it into play.
saries on a personal level. F ind links in the characters' Think about how a rival might operate in order to
backstories or the events of recent adventures that bring specific plans to fruition, and jot down three or
explain what sparked the rival's actions. The best trou- four kinds of actions the rival might undertake. Some
ble to put the characters in is trouble they created for of these might be versions of the downtime activities
themselves. described later in this section, but these are more often
efforts that are specific to the rival.
A rival's action might be a direct attack, such as an as-
EXAMPLE RIVALS
sassination attempt, that you play out during a session.
d20 Rival Or it might be a background activity that you describe
Tax collector who is convinced the characters are as altering the campaign in some way. For example, a
dodging fees rival who wants to increase the prestige of the temple
2 Politician who is concerned that the characters are of a war god might hold a festival with drink, food, and
causing more trouble than they solve gladiatorial games. Even if the characters aren't directly
3 High priest who worries the characters are dimin- involved, the event becomes the talk of the town.
Some elements of a rival's plans might involve
ishing the temple's prestige
events in the world that aren't under the rival's control.
4 Wizard who blames the characters for some recent
Whether such an event can be easily anticipated or not,
troubles
the rival's plans might include contingencies for taking
5 Rival adventuring party advantage of such happenings.
6 Bard who loves a scandal enough to spark one
7 Childhood rival or member of a rival clan EXAMPLE RIVAL: MARINA RODEMUS
The Rodemus clan was a small but powerful family of
8 Scorned sibling or parent traders in the city, but years ago, they pulled up stakes
9 Merchant who blames the characters for any busi·
and left town overnight. Marina Rodemus, the youngest
ness woes
child, has now returned to restore her family's prestige.
10 Newcomer out to make a mark on the world In truth, the family fled because its members became
11 Sibling or ally of defeated enemy afflicted by lycanthropy. They joined a clan ofwererats
12 Official seeking to restore a tarnished reputation and delved into smuggling in a djstant city, out of fear
13 Deadly foe disguised as a social rival that their secret would be impossible to keep in their
14 Fiend seeking to tempt the characters to evil former home. After fighting her way to the top ranks of
the wererat clans, Marina-along with a small army of
15 Spurned romantic interest
followers- has returned to claim her place among the
16 Political opportunist seeking a scapegoat
elite of her home city. She vows that if she doesn't suc-
17 Traitorous noble looking to foment a revolution ceed, she'll leave the city in ruins.
18 Would-be tyrant who brooks no opposition Goals. Marina wants to become the most respected,
19 Exiled noble looking for revenge most important merchant in town-someone to whom
20 Corrupt official worried that recent misdeeds will even the prince must yield.
Assets. Marina has a small fortune in gold; her abili-
be revealed
ties as a wererat, alchemist, and necromancer; a group
To add the right amount of detail to a rival you want to of wererats dedicated to her; and a shleld guardian that
create, give some thought to what that NPC is trying to protects her.
accomplish and what resources and methods the rival Plans. Marina works to discredit and ruin other mer-
can bring to bear against the characters. chants. Her wererats spy on her opponents and sneak
Goals. An effective rival has a clear reason for inter- into warehouses, unleashing hordes of rats to spoil
fering with the characters' lives. Think about what the goods. Marina even victimizes a few of her own ware-
rival wants, how and why the characters stand in the houses to avoid suspicion.
way, and how the conflict could be resolved. Ideally, a If Marina's plans fail, she has a terrible alternative.
rival's goal directly involves the characters or something Her knowledge of alchemy has enabled her to create a
they care about. plague that she will unleash on the city through her rats.
If she can't rule, then no one will.

CHAPTER 2 DUNGEON ~IASTER"S TOOLS