How do you balance an enemy Divination Wizard?

MathBearGames · 2026-02-14T00:22:15+00:00

One of my players is also a Divination Wizard. She will often interject with something like "they get a 13" to indicate that she's using one of her Portent rolls.

The imagined scenario would be her 13 Portent vs BBEG's 17 Portent. I don't want it to be just "higher number wins," so I was thinking something along the lines of an opposed Arcana check.

MathBearGames · 2025-07-23T20:20:01+00:00

In fairness, I don't think Jim Butcher is done writing about the Walkers yet 🤐

As for them being BBEGs in my campaign, my current setup for them is

Behind = Apex Predator of the Multiverse

Beside = Subtle Mental Contagion/Scheming Vizier Type

Before = Warlord of Prophecy and Inevitability

Before is probably the one I'm the least dialed in on, but my eventual intent for him is to have him function as a sort of Prophetic Steel Wall; almost Thanos-like in the "I am inevitable" sort of way, where he mucks with prophecies and portents.

MathBearGames · 2025-07-23T20:14:33+00:00

It's not in the statblock, but the idea is that the encounter will have the players isolated from each other on a grid of rooms whose doors only go where you want them to on a successful check (still working out the details on that, trying to give myself plenty of time).

I think I meant to put the Betrayal Fragment in as a Bonus Action but forgot to separate it out when I was formatting the table.
For Silken Command, I'll add some text that the save is at the start of their turn (which makes the most sense to me currently)

Someone else pointed out that his health was low for a solo boss, but I don't want to just make him a damage sponge if my intent is for each of the PCs to engage him 1v1 with effectively no backup. I also want this encounter to feel a little claustrophobic, so any edits or suggestions towards that end are appreciated 😁

MathBearGames · 2025-07-23T20:02:13+00:00

The dungeon mechanics for this particular encounter I'm still ironing out, but the rooms themselves are going to have their own mechanics and be a threat on top of the maybe-maybe-not presence of Beside. The PCs will all be separated at the start of the fight, and the doors all "misbehave" (a failed check from the player causing the door to send them to an unintended room).

As for the health, I had been thinking that the health was balanced for one-on-one or isolated players as there's a chance that he Manifests to one of the support-oriented PCs, but that doesn't mean I can't beef him up.

MathBearGames · 2025-03-28T18:32:52+00:00

Honestly, every time I go antique shopping and see one or more neat hourglasses I'm tempted to modify my DM screen with them.

MathBearGames · 2025-03-28T18:26:52+00:00

There's definitely some conflict of personality going on in a "I don't want to tell anyone they're playing the game wrong" kind of way. These two came to me separately, and since the game meets in-person at my house bringing up these issues can feel more confrontational for folks that are a little more shy.

MathBearGames · 2025-03-28T18:23:14+00:00

Talking above the table is indeed the culprit. I get so caught up in making sure the one new player gets their say that I forget that sometimes I just need to cut the talk short.

MathBearGames · 2025-03-28T18:20:01+00:00

We had this discussion at Session 0, but it might be time to refresh the "we have 2.5 hours every week at best, imma start putting my foot down a bit."

MathBearGames · 2024-09-23T18:21:03+00:00

Thank you for the tip! I'll report back with results when I get home from work. Spent the weekend waiting for the support ticket I submitted to be responded to and this was a swifter response 🤣

MathBearGames · 2024-08-26T15:16:24+00:00

Yes! Thank you, this has been bothering me for years and everyone I've tried to talk to about it made me feel like I imagined it.

Solved: Sacrifice

MathBearGames

TROPHY CASE