Page 125 - Xanathar's Guide To Everything

Assets. Think about the resources the rival can mar-
CREATING A RIVAL shal. Does the character have enough money to pay
In essence, a rival is a somewhat specialized NPC. You bribes or to hire a small gang of mercenaries? Does
can use chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to the rival hold sway over any guilds, temples, or other
build a new NPC for this purpose, or pick one from your groups? Make a list of the rival’s assets, and consider
current cast of supporting characters and embellish that how they can be used.
NPC as described below. Plans. The foundation of a rival’s presence in the
It’s possible for the characters to have two or three ri-
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 time you
resolve one or more workweeks of downtime, pick one
good; conflicts with those rivals might be social or politi— of the ways a rival’s plans might be advanced and intro-
cal, rather than manifesting as direct attacks.
The best rivals have a connection with their adver— duce it into play.
Think about how a rival might operate in order to
saries on a personal level. Find links in the characters’ bring specific plans to fruition, and jot down three or
backstories or the events of recent adventures that four kinds of actions the rival might undertake. Some
explain what sparked the rival’s actions. The best trou-
ble to put the characters in is trouble they created for of these might be versions of the downtime activities
described later in this section, but these are more often
themselves. 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.
dZO Rival Or it might be a background activity that you describe
1 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
Rival adventuring party advantage of such happenings.
Bard who loves a scandal enough to spark one EXAMPLE RIVAL: MARINA RODEMUS
£000m Childhood rival or member ofa rival clan The Rodemus clan was a small but powerful family of
Scorned sibling or parent
traders in the city, but years ago, they pulled up stakes
Merchant who blames the characters for any busi-
ness woes and left town overnight. Marina Rodemus, the youngest
child, has now returned to restore her family’s prestige.
1O Newcomer out to make a mark on the world In truth, the family fled because its members became
11 Sibling or ally ofdefeated enemy afflicted by lycanthropy. They joined a clan of wererats
12 Official seeking to restore a tarnished reputation and delved into smuggling in a distant city, out of fear
13 Deadly foe disguised as a social rival that their secret would be impossible to keep in their
former home. After fighting her way to the top ranks of
14 Fiend seeking to tempt the characters to evil 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.
be revealed Assets. Marina has a small fortune in gold; her abili-
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 shield guardian that
create, give some thought to what that NFC is trying to protects her.
Plans. Marina works to discredit and ruin other mer—
accomplish and what resources and methods the rival chants. Her wererats spy on her opponents and sneak
can bring to bear against the characters. into warehouses, unleashing hordes of rats to spoil
Goals. An effective rival has a clear reason for inter- goods. Marina even victimizes a few of her own ware-
fering with the characters’ lives. Think about what the
rival wants, how and why the characters stand in the houses to avoid suspicion.
If Marina’s plans fail, she has a terrible alternative.
way, and how the conflict could be resolved. Ideally, a Her knowledge of alchemy has enabled her to create a
rival’s goal directly involves the characters or something plague that she will unleash on the city through her rats.
they care about. If she can’t rule, then no one will.

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