Greetings gamers from all systems, places and timelines.
Every fantasy RPG setting has its share of super-powered beings worthy of legend. And as the DM, it can be extremely tempting to introduce one of these mighty beings directly in the game to establish a presence. But such an NPC can cause numerous problems that easily do more harm than good, even derailing your campaign. For example, if the NPC is a powerful patron who’s overly involved with the characters, and the DM finds themself stuck with a game that has no need for problem-solving since the characters can always ask their special pal for assistance.
On the other hand, if this super NPC is hostile, the characters, will strangely enough, quickly get tired of having their asses handed to them. This is especially true when the supervillain constantly knows all their plans while strolling around protected by layers of indestructible plot armor.
This is why we’ve composed these 5 tips on how to introduce and run extremely powerful NPCs without wrecking the continuity of your game. If done properly, this not only adds a feeling of mystery to your game but also lays out for your players that, while they are cool, they aren’t the coolest things in your universe. At least not yet.
1. Give Them Depth
In a nutshell, the more powerful the NPC you’re placing in your campaign, the more their backstory has to be involved. Nothing kills the vibe of a game like when the main villain has motives that make next to no sense. Now, when you generate an NPC like Gary the innkeeper, naturally the bar is much lower. And while some players might want to dig deeper into this NPC, most won’t expect you to launch into his life story.
If you have a villain who is misunderstood by the audience, then perhaps they weren’t thought out enough to be introduced into the story. Or maybe they are over-thought-out, and some of the players can’t connect all of the dots, which is just as bad. Try and balance giving the NPC a worthy backstory without making it something you will need to take a 3 credit college course to understand.
2. Establish Their Limitations
Now that the players have made an interesting and powerful ally or enemy, something needs to be ironed out. Like, why doesn’t this ultra-powered boss villain just come and crush the characters while they are still low level rather than pulling a Freeza and giving them forever to develop their powers?
Likewise, if the players have a super heavy-hitter ally, why don’t they go squash the party’s nemesis? Because, if you don’t think that question is crossing the players’ minds, you’re fooling yourself. This is why DMs are advised to have answers to both of these questions at the ready when they come up, and they need to be solid.
3. Not Appearing in Every Episode
While this mysterious non-player character might have earth-shattering power, they aren’t the stars of the show, the players are. This type of character shouldn’t be available to the players 24/7. Instead, have the character show up when needed, but not so much that they act like a semi-permanent Get Out of Jail Free card.
If the NPC is a villain, they shouldn’t be all over the players at every turn. Because it gets beat real fast when you’re being hounded by an unbeatable villain who has nothing better to do than stealing your money. Such a character should show up unexpectedly for an “oh shit moment” but save the big confrontation for when it fits your story best.
4. Not the DM PC
One thing that can generate player hate is when the DM creates a super-powered NPC, and they join the party. Not to say DM NPCs can’t be a great asset to the team, especially when they help provide better class diversity. The problem is when the game master is running the entire world and the coolest person in the party, as well. This can leave everyone else feeling like extras on their own show.
This is more tolerable when the party is just starting out if that character is acting as a mentor. But after playing their part in the story, they should move on or go out like a boss like Duncan from Dragon Age.
5. Be Mysterious
While your NPC should have a fully developed backstory, it’s nothing the players should be able to casually discover. Make it something for them to uncover over time and as story events unfold. Such as, if the villain in question has a truly tragic backstory like Darth Vader and isn’t beyond redemption, this is something the party wants to unravel that should require both leg and teamwork.
One method is to write a synopsis of the aspect of the character’s backstory you want the party to uncover and then reveal it to them in pieces as they successfully investigate. In this way, when the party uncovers a legitimate clue, they will find it rewarding and find themselves hungry to solve the mystery and complete this character’s story within your actual story. How many lues you break their story into depends on your group, but I’d use 4 to 6 so the solution isn’t either too simple or outright baffling.
Final Thoughts
When creating a powerful NPC, they should either be loved by the party or the hate they draw should be something that binds the party together. Remember, a master of the universe may not give a goblin snot what a party of 4th level characters are up to, but they can be introduced to add depth In the game and then walk off the stage until later after doing their part.
Just like Galactus from Marvel is awesomely powerful, you couldn’t have him in every issue, nor should you. As soon as someone like that shows up, everything else stops on a dime. Suddenly, no one would care what Doctor Doom is up to when the other guy wants to take a bite out of the planet. That type of story is difficult to maintain in the long term, if not impossible.