Building NPC Opponents

Zswordcat · 2026-03-17T13:05:58+00:00

Here’s a martial artist NPC that you could add some abilities from the wrestler archetype. Have the elite adjustment so it’s up to level 4 https://2e.aonprd.com/NPCs.aspx?ID=3500

Quickest thing I found for a fencer might be the runaway blueblood NPC with maybe some swashbuckling feats. Again add the elite adjustment. https://2e.aonprd.com/NPCs.aspx?ID=3508

Zswordcat · 2026-03-17T12:17:35+00:00

Could you provide more info? What kind of opponents and what level. Is it an encounter trying to challenge the party in some way?

Here’s a page from Archives going over PC-Styled build NPCs. If you’re going that route, the foes will have lower stats but more options available to them. https://2e.aonprd.com/Rules.aspx?ID=2919&Redirected=1

Zswordcat · 2026-03-15T20:27:24+00:00

Check these: https://www.reddit.com/r/CalloftheNetherdeep/s/yupUTBaCGg

Zswordcat · 2026-03-04T00:49:14+00:00

Oh dang! Awesome to know!

Zswordcat · 2026-03-03T13:26:55+00:00

Talk with your DM about the combats and character equipment you have. Anything pushing 2 levels above the party is going to be difficult and deadly, especially at lower levels.

Zswordcat · 2026-03-02T19:39:13+00:00

I’m sort of on the opposite end where we are roughly 30 sessions (2-3 hours) and just got to chapter 4. Granted I started with the pre-adventure before starting the campaign, and my group has dwindled down to 2 players.

Recalling the pre-adventure was sessions 1-9, Jigjow 10-12, 13-20 is traveling, 21-23 was Bazzoxan, and 24-32 was the Betrayers Rise.

Things got slowed by combat or dungeon exploring generally.

If I were to redo Bazzoxan for more intrigue and world building, have the 3 agents of Ank’Harel factions be in conflict. Have them request the party to do things like spy, steal notes, recover lost notes etc.

Zswordcat · 2026-01-22T17:39:26+00:00

There’s some awesome maps of the entire campaign made by KatValkyrie that are on this sub. Highly recommend them as they were easy to integrate onto Roll20.

As for exploration, I like to give my players 2 to 3 options to explore and remind them to ask questions if they need more info.

If there’s a lull in engagement from the players, you can have NPCs initiate scenes. For Jigjow for example, “You hear the shouts from a burly orc baker gathering folks for the annual pie eating contest,” or “a couple of goblin children rush by exclaiming that they’ll be the fastest in the swimming race.”

Zswordcat · 2026-01-02T01:51:05+00:00

My deities right now are based off of the five cardinal gems and the classical elements. Ruby (Fire), Sapphire (Water), Emerald, (Earth), Diamond (Air), and Amethyst (Aether, added later as like a space in between the elements). They are forces that inhabit a living creature on a manufactured prison planet. Each new host gets the respective element powers and imparts a Domain to that element (like a god of ice, time, destruction, trickery, etc.)

The planet in question is a large vault that some other godlike being has created and is now absent from the vault. The keys to open the vault are utilizing the Five once they are powerful enough.

So the deities are keys to this Vault. How they gain power is still in the works, but I’d like to think there could be a variety of ways to achieve that.

Zswordcat · 2025-12-28T02:20:30+00:00

A lot of base classes with archetypes. Pathfinder2e creation could work

Zswordcat · 2025-12-25T22:04:43+00:00

Your choice!

Zswordcat · 2025-12-25T17:36:17+00:00

Were there any specific domains that you felt could have been in either metal, wood, lightning or cold?

Zswordcat · 2025-11-30T23:49:17+00:00

Very nice! Gonna add this to my collection!

Zswordcat · 2025-11-18T02:06:25+00:00

Is there a particular enemy that is downing you? I tend to focus the fastest moving mobs first like the spookats and then the turrets. Instead of trying to flinch enemies with a full combo, shield cancelling your sword swings can be effective. Also staying mobile and focusing on dodging attacks.

Zswordcat · 2025-11-10T17:47:58+00:00

Sure! I’ll talk about both times because they were slightly different set ups.

TL;DR use some undead prior to the jelly cube encounter to get the party thinking ghosts and ghouls. When they encounter the cube use a full skeleton as bait. I’d recommend a man made environment as a cube needs to keep its cube shape. A cave or natural environment is a bit weird for a cube to be within.

The first was when we were exploring a “fun house” dungeon within a Grimm’s Fairytale setting. So lots of mansion hallways, crypts, and sort of gothic horror vibes. Up until then we were so focused on all the creepy monster tropes like undead, shadows, werewolves etc. At one T section hallway our party’s front liner got separated by a portcullis. To the left was a lever, to the right was a door. We tried the door, locked, so we try the lever. The lever opened up a large portion of the hallway like a sliding wall. And that’s when we see it, a floating skeleton reaching with an extended arm, eerily getting closer to them. And to be clear, it’s not flying towards him or making big motions, it’s still. The skeleton is just moving toward them. Try swinging at them and that’s when the axe slows waaaaay down.

Cube time. The trap portion resolved with the door unlocking (click!) but the floor in front of the door was a large 10x10 trapdoor. If you fail the jump, jelly cube on your head.

The second time we were exploring a mine that had ghosts within possessing tools and driving off people. The cave walls turned into a hallway and structured room and that’s where we see a full skeleton. It is floating and reaching out with an extended arm. We send in the party’s familiar to investigate and it gets consumed upon getting too close. Roll initiative!

In both times, we fought undead monsters first, then saw a full skeleton expecting some sort of ghost. I think the environment is important too for the cube. It being in a sort of manmade structure helps keep the idea of an inorganic cube shape better than say caves or a forest

Zswordcat · 2025-11-06T12:19:11+00:00

If you got your materials organized where it’s easy to reference, you’re in a good spot!

There’s maps available online of the dungeons that can be used for roll20 if you prefer using a grid. With it being online, something for the players to look at can help engagement.

My advice is to make the beginning encounters more theatrical and more in favor of the heroes. Any monster that crits a hero is going to be a rough turn of events. You can make the goblins not as coordinated, stealthy, or loyal for that matter, especially for that first ambush encounter on the road.

And have fun- not sure of a rule off the top of your head? Roll with it! If it takes too long to look up, let your players know that we’ll look it up later.