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