Creating "End Of Level Boss" villains

[Reality]

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to calculate the number of points a villain should have with respect to the heroes for those one bad guy versus several good guys scenarios? I don't want to overwhelm a team of heroes but I don't want to make it a cake walk, either. My initial thought was something like this:

 

VP = HP + (10H-1)

 

where VP means Villain's Character Points, HP means Hero's Character Points and (10H-1) means plus 10 Character Points per Hero that the Villain will face past the first.

 

I doubt the above formula is any good. I just wanted to give you and idea of what I'm looking for. I'd appreciate any help.

 

Thanks

[Christopher]

Re: Creating "End Of Level Boss" villains

 

I have no point values for you, but anotehr important thing:

Have his PD/ED lower than normal, but give him damage reduction instead.

That way anybody can contribute to taking him down and it is also way less likely that he get's stunned.

[Hyper-Man]

Re: Creating "End Of Level Boss" villains

 

Total character points is really a horrible measuring stick for combat effectiveness. I seen and even made 700+ point characters that would barely be able to hold their own vs. other 350 point characters.

 

There's really no shortcut that will work better than actually comparing defenses, attacks, stun, CV, etc... as well as actual powers that one side has or lacks.

[torchwolf]

Re: Creating "End Of Level Boss" villains

 

Total character points is really a horrible measuring stick for combat effectiveness. I seen and even made 700+ point characters that would barely be able to hold their own vs. other 350 point characters.

 

There's really no shortcut that will work better than actually comparing defenses, attacks, stun, CV, etc... as well as actual powers that one side has or lacks.

The spreadsheet attached to the post below makes it fairly easy to plug in those values and quickly compare your heroes to the villain.

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/82091-My-character-building-technique-%28How-to-build-Hero-System-Characters%29?p=2125533#post2125533

 

That spreadsheet won't help you with unusual powers and tricky combinations, but should give you an idea of how long your villain will likely keep standing against a bunch of heroes.

The villain should probably be powerful enough to be able to take out a weaker hero with one or two attacks, but of course it all depends on how long you want the fight to last.

 

Hope that's of any help.

[Ice9]

Re: Creating "End Of Level Boss" villains

 

Seconded on Damage Reduction. Also, for a foe that's supposed to be really challenging but ultimately beatable, consider some ablative defenses (not just the Ablative limitation specifically, but the general concept). For example, here's some ideas:

* Experimental Teleporation Belt - Teleportation X", Position Shift, Trigger (zero-phase), X Charges, Burnout

* Surge of Willpower - +X on Breakout Rolls, One Recoverable Charge (recovers when he has a chance to concentrate and refocus).

* Metamorphic Rebirth - Dispel Poison/Disease, Side Effects (takes BODY)

 

This lets you avoid going down to the first exotic attack you face, without completely negating characters that focus on those attacks.

[Reality]

Re: Creating "End Of Level Boss" villains

 

Thanks to all of you for the insights. I'll keep those tips in mind as I prep my villains.

[Arc Esu]

Re: Creating "End Of Level Boss" villains

 

* Surge of Willpower - +X on Breakout Rolls, One Recoverable Charge (recovers when he has a chance to concentrate and refocus).

 

I love this concept, both for "End Boss" villains, but also for heroes. Repped.

[dmjalund]

Re: Creating "End Of Level Boss" villains

 

Also to keep the players on their toes, have attacks that affect multiple people or even attacks with thier own speed.

[Kraven Kor]

Re: Creating "End Of Level Boss" villains

 

Depends on the party and the villain.

 

Total points, as stated, aren't a good measuring stick. Active points in attacks and defense is a much better measure to use, but even then it can be imprecise.

 

I generally build any 'tough' villain as a foil to one of the party members, with enough defensive tricks to at lease survive or frustrate the others. Figure that just 10 or 15 AP of an attack can easily double the amount of effect that gets through defenses, and that 10 or 15 AP more in defenses will generally nullify the weaker attack. So your bosses don't need insanely high attacks or defenses, but they will need something that reduces the likelihood of getting one-shot by a lucky hit. One of my favorites is starting them off with some type of barrier or ablative defense the party has to get through, or a more pressing and tougher 'henchmen' they have to get through first before actually fully engaging the boss, etc.

[Lucius]

Re: Creating "End Of Level Boss" villains

 

A solo villain meant to challenge multiple heroes should have a higher SPD than any of them.

 

I agree with Christopher's suggestion to lower defenses but use Damage Reduction. That's an excellent idea.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary wants SPD 13 and 100% Damage Reduction