Topic: Favorite NPC/Creature combinations

[Spectre771]

I watched Hansel and Gretel last night and it sparked something in my brain for the upcoming campaign I am going to be running. 

"Why did you help me?"
"Trolls serve witches."

This was after I saw all the cool things the witches were doing with their wands.  I got to thinking, "What cool stuff can I do to the group with a couple of witches."  Then I saw "Trolls serve witches" and I started laughing.

The party accidentally attacks a troll and the witch-friend becomes extremely upset and hunts down the party.

The party is attacking what is unbeknownst to them, a witch, and a troll comes in to save her.

It's a combo I never would have thought to use and that got me wondering, what other combos would be fun to send at the party?  What are some of your favorite combinations to throw at parties and why?  What symbiosis do they share that make the combo fun to use against a party?

I've done the goblins with orc taskmasters.   That's an easy one.  I've done the defensive tank with spell caster behind him.  The witches and trolls comment from last night really sparked my imagination.  I wish I had taken RMC-III to work with me today.  I think the Witch profession is in that book.  I do have C&T-1 today and perhaps I'll find some nice combos to mix and match.

I am planning on an assassin's camp which the party believes is just a hunter/tracker campsite.

[intothatdarkness]

The witch is in RMC III.

I've always really liked the chaos warriors and chaos commanders from RMC I, and often pair them with evil spellcasters (who in my game are automatically affiliated with the same power that creates the warriors/commanders). I've also been known to scatter a greater reaver or two in locations (once guarding the baby spoon of a powerful wizard...that led to a very interesting chase when the party looted the grave and accidentally picked up the spoon...).

Most of my combinations are based on my world, so they involve cultural stuff and the like.

[Peter R]

In my Forgotten Realms game the main villains of the piece are the Drow, a race of evil subterranean dark elves. They farm giant spiders for their venom and to use as guards. They also have a subjugated race called the Boogin that act as minions and the lowest guards/thugs under a Drow overseer.

Orcs/Wargs go together. You could always have a Half Orc character with a Warg in tow.

[Peter R]

Necromancers and the Undead? Is that too obvious?

[Spectre771]

Necromancers and the Undead? Is that too obvious?

I see that more as the undead being "familiars" for necromancers.  That's just expected.  However, would a Dark Paladin with a Necromancer/undead work?  The Dark Paladin could "heal" the undead?  That could prove to be interesting.

[Peter R]

How about your necromancer and some of the higher non raised undead. Things like spectres, ghosts and wights? They may have attracted the necromancer to the area or even turned a student of magic to the dark arts?

I suppose that is just a plot device rather than a natural pairing.

[intothatdarkness]

Necromancers and the Undead? Is that too obvious?

In my campaign there tend to be two types of undead: "natural" and created. Only the created versions equate to necromancers.

[Peter R]

Yes, your zombie and skeletons are the man made variety for me.

[Peter R]

I would pair up will of the wisps with powerful undead. The association would be a sybiotic relationship where the will'o'wisp feeds of the scraps from the spectres table.

The will'o'wisp then gives you a good way of luring players into adventures with those undead.

The two creatures together also create an situation where to the skilled character doesn't sound like either creature and adds a bit to the confusion while they work out what is going on.

[Peter R]

I am not so sure about cultural pairings where all trolls serve all witches which is the premise in Hansel & Gretel.

How about Merfolk and Sharks working both ways. Players fight off a shark and raise the ire of the merfolk. Not much use to you in an assassins camp.

What about a Sylph that is followed around by a very large bear who is infatuated by the pretty colours. The Sylph sleeps in the bears fur and helps the bear with its limited weather control. Woe betide anyone who hurts the bear! If the players discover the bear and then the hunters they may try and tell the hunters where to find the bear giving them a reason to interact with the people in the camp.

[Spectre771]

I am not so sure about cultural pairings where all trolls serve all witches which is the premise in Hansel & Gretel.

How about Merfolk and Sharks working both ways. Players fight off a shark and raise the ire of the merfolk. Not much use to you in an assassins camp.

What about a Sylph that is followed around by a very large bear who is infatuated by the pretty colours. The Sylph sleeps in the bears fur and helps the bear with its limited weather control. Woe betide anyone who hurts the bear! If the players discover the bear and then the hunters they may try and tell the hunters where to find the bear giving them a reason to interact with the people in the camp.

I wouldn't make it all trolls for all witches.  I did look through C&T-I and it could only apply to Hill Troll or War Troll, those which can function in sunlight to some degree.  A War Troll wouldn't even apply.  I would treat it as a smaller sub group of Hill Trolls maybe who are friendly with the witches in a small region.  Over the years, the Trolls and Witches have sort of a working friendship perhaps.

I love the idea of the Sylph and the bear!  That is awesome.  The sylph can cast spells while hidden in the fur, the party thinks they are fighting a magical bear.  That's going to be great!  Maybe even have the sylph talk to the party and the think the bear is talking to them.

[Peter R]

You could look at the complete opposite. Imagine a centuries old dispute between the Pechs (page 57) and the Nymphs of a badly placed bridge or damm. The ultimate planning application dispute. The players get caught in the middle and forced to take sides. You could have the original 'offence' go back centuries but neither side prepared to admit they may have been in the wrong or apologise.

If I were to do this I would have it start off as something very amusing. Maybe have one Pech not prepared to speak to the Nymph so telling the players to tell the Nymph... and the Nymph who can hear perfectly well what was just said telling the players to tell the Pech... and so on like 5yrs olds sqabbling but have it slowly spiral into something much more dangerous to the players and vicious. If the players side with one faction then they are making an enemy of an entire magical race or if not the entire race the entire local community. I would make the Nymphs case sound more reasonable. Tell the players that the Pechs built a damm and hundreds of Nymphs died when their water dried up. The players side with the Nymphs and alienate the Pechs. Days later the players are threatened and near them is a tower on an easily defended high point. Yes, it is a Pech built tower. Now they have angry Pechs on the inside and whatever they were fleeing on the outside. If they make peace with the Pechs then the Nymphs feel betrayed.

[Peter R]

There has just got to be a natural pairing for the Gremlin!

I am not sure what yet but I imagine something big and stupid that would not be able to cope with the continuous annoyance. Ogre maybe? Hermits get lice, Ogres get Gremlins. That could seriously upset experienced players playing new characters that think they know Ogres.