Building Memorable Rivals
Want to make your D&D world feel more alive? Rival adventuring parties are the secret sauce. In this post, I’ll walk you through creating a fully fleshed-out rival NPC group using the Foe Foundry generator - complete with backstory, hooks, and statblocks.
Foe Foundry's Rival NPCs Toolkit
Foe Foundry lets you summon unforgettable NPC statblocks instantly. But an epic statblock is only half the equation. One of the most interesting ways to use Foe Foundry's unique NPC statblocks (like a Thug Overboss or a Knight of the Realm) is to have the NPC team up with others to create a Rival Adventuring Party.
I built The Ultimate Guide to Rival Adventuring Parties to give you the tools to easily create fun, interesting, and memorable rivals that your players will love to hate, or maybe even hate to love.
- Pre-made Rival Parties with easy-to-use Rival Introductions
- Rival Adventure Hooks ranging from wagers to team-ups to integrate rivals directly into your campaign
- Ways to Link Rivals to your campaign's Villains
- Rival Party Statblocks that you can fully customize with the Foe Foundry Generator
Whether you're running a sandbox, prepping for a one-shot, or building a campaign arc around a single enemy, these tables make it easy and fun to summon your own rival adventurers.
Summon your own Rival NPC Adventurers
Let's Try It Out
Let's create a Rival NPC group that we can instantly drop into our campaigns:
Rolling Up the Rivals
Let's start by rolling on the tables and create a rival adventuring party that we can introduce relatively early in the campaign, when the party is level 3 or so.
| Element | Roll | Choice |
|---|---|---|
| Rival Party | 4 | Demon Hammers, goal to slay a fabled monster, wield cursed hammers containing fragments of slain fiends |
| Rival Introduction | 5 | Rival party is meeting with an important NPC right before or after the PCs |
| Previous Connection to PCs | 4 | One of the PCs once drank the rival’s leader under the table, or vice versa |
| Rival Adventure Hook | 2 | Competition - the rivals have been hired to complete the same task and the race is on. Who will get the job done first? |
| Linking Rival NPCs with Campaign Villains | 6 | Double Agents - The Rivals discover that they are working for the Villain and are considering switching sides |
Interpreting the Rolls
I'm immediately inspired by these rolls to create a "race to kill the monster" adventure arc. Given that the Demon Hammers specialize in taking down fiends, it makes sense for the monster in question to be a fiend. Let's pick something interesting like a Vrock as our monster for this arc.
I also love the setup where the rivals are meeting an important NPC right before the PCs. I think this is a great way to frame their introduction. The PCs can arrive in town and meet with the contact who will tell them about the Vrock they've been hired to hunt down and slay, only to find out that the Demon Hammers, their competition, are already there.
The drinking challenge is also a fun and easy way to create an instant connection to the new NPCs. In this case, let's say that one of the Demon Hunters once drank one of the PCs under the table. I would pick the PC who is the most outgoing and engaging as the target of this connection to maximize the hook.
The double agent angle is interesting as well. Let's say that the Demon Hammers have been hired, unknowingly, by one of the campaign's Villains to slay the Vrock. Eventually, they can discover that they've been working for the villain the whole time and are in too deep, and may even seek out the PCs for advice on what to do.
Final Product: The Race to Slay the Vrock
The PCs arrive in the frontier town of Lurtra, a wealthy wine-growing region that has been troubled of late. A foul Vrock has been defiling the local vineyards, causing untold havoc. The PCs have been hired by a wealthy absentee vintner to slay the fiend, for the promised reward of 1000g.
Arrving in the town, the PCs meet up with their contact, Sister Elia, at the local temple. To the PC's surprise, they're not alone. The Demon Hammers are already here, getting a briefing. Sir Jordan, their grizzled leader, turns to the party and says "You're interrupting our briefing". A tall, muscled orc claps her arm on the knight's shoulder and turns to the party - "Boldrak, is that you? I'm surprised you can show your face around these parts after I drank you under the table last year! So you're our competition to take down this foul Vrock, eh?"
Demon Hammers Example Statblocks
Here are example statblocks for the Demon Hammers, pulled from the Foe Foundry Monster Generator, ready to drop in to your campaign.
We'll use the level 5 rival party composition. Since this is a group of demon slayers, we'll tweak the leader statblock from the table and change it from a Thug Overboss to a Knight.
| Rival | Role | Statblock | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sir Jordan | Leader | Knight | Swore an oath to hunt down every fiend on the continent after his family was slain |
| Big Mamsy | Brute | Orc Reaver | In love with her demon-slaying hammer |
| Crimsona | Ambusher | Spy | Obsessed with rooting out demonic corruption in the local elites |
| Brother Heith | Support | Priest | Cousin to Sister Elia, local to region |
| Gristle | Pet | Dire Wolf | Loyal guardian of Big Mamsy |
Leader
The Demon Hammers are led by Sir Jordan, a grizzled middle-aged Knight who swore an oath of retribution to hunt down every fiend on the continent after his family was slain by demons years ago.
Knight
Summoned with Foe FoundryMedium Humanoid (Knight)
AC 18 (Plate Armor) Initiative +0 (10)
HP 65 (10d8 + 20)
Speed 30 ft.
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 18 | +4 | +4 |
| Dex | 10 | +0 | +0 |
| Con | 14 | +2 | +4 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 10 | +0 | +0 |
| Wis | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| Cha | 14 | +2 | +2 |
Skills Athletics +8
Immunities Frightened
Senses Passive Perception 11
Languages Common
CR 3 (700 XP; PB +2)
Traits
Zone of Control. Any creature that attempts to Disengage from the knight must make a DC 12 Strength save or have their speed reduced to 0 until the end of their next turn.
Actions
Multiattack. The knight makes two Greatsword attacks. It may replace one attack with a use of its Stay in Formation.
Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage. If the attack misses, the target still takes 4 slashing damage.
Stay in Formation (Recharge 5-6). The knight issues a command to all allied creatures within 30 feet. Creatures who can see or hear the knight can use their reaction to move up to half their speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Brute
Big Mamsy, a nomadic Orc Reaver, worked a couple jobs with Sir Jordan and ended up falling in love with her demon-slaying hammer. It just smashes things so well!
Orc Reaver
Summoned with Foe FoundryMedium Humanoid (Orc)
AC 13 (Hide Armor) Initiative +1 (11)
HP 30 (4d8 + 12)
Speed 30 ft.
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 16 | +3 | +3 |
| Dex | 13 | +1 | +1 |
| Con | 16 | +3 | +3 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 7 | -2 | -2 |
| Wis | 8 | -1 | -1 |
| Cha | 10 | +0 | +0 |
Skills Intimidation +2
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 9
Languages Common, Orc
CR 1 (200 XP; PB +2)
Actions
Multiattack. The orc makes two Wicked Greataxe or Javelin attacks.
Wicked Greataxe. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 9 (1d12 + 3) slashing damage. If the attack hits and there is another hostile target within 5 ft then that target also takes 3 slashing damage.
Javelin. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 30/120ft., one target. Hit 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.
Reckless Flurry (Recharge 6). The orc makes a reckless flurry of 3 Wicked Greataxe attacks. It may not hit the same target more than twice with this flurry. Attacks against the orc have advantage until the end of the orc's next turn.
Pet
Gristle is Big Mamsy's faithful Dire Wolf that she raised from a pup.
Dire Wolf
Summoned with Foe FoundryLarge Beast (Wolf)
AC 14 Initiative +2 (12)
HP 30 (4d10 + 8)
Speed 50 ft.
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 15 | +2 | +2 |
| Dex | 15 | +2 | +2 |
| Con | 15 | +2 | +2 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 3 | -4 | -4 |
| Wis | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| Cha | 6 | -2 | -2 |
Skills Stealth +4, Perception +5
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 15
CR 1 (200 XP; PB +2)
Traits
Pack Tactics. The wolf has advantage on attack rolls against a target if at least one of the wolf's allies is within 5 feet and isn't incapacitated.
Actions
Multiattack. The wolf makes two Snapping Jaws attacks.
Snapping Jaws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage. On a hit, if the target is medium or smaller, the target is either Grappled (escape DC 12) or Prone
Bonus Actions
Opportune Bite. The wolf makes a Snapping Jaws attack against a Prone, Grappled, or Restrained creature.
Ambusher
Crimsona the Spy mostly keeps to herself until you really get to know her. She likes to keep her hood up at all times, even when it's a hot day. She's obsessed with keeping tabs on the politics of the nobility and is a bit of a conspiracy theorist, convinced that all the local nobles are under the influence of powerful fiends.
Spy
Summoned with Foe FoundryMedium Humanoid (Spy)
AC 12 Initiative +4 (14)
HP 26 (4d8 + 8)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 10 | +0 | +0 |
| Dex | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| Con | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 13 | +1 | +1 |
| Wis | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| Cha | 12 | +1 | +1 |
Skills SleightOfHand +4, Stealth +4, Investigation +3, Insight +3, Perception +3, Deception +3
Senses Passive Perception 13
Languages Common
CR 1 (200 XP; PB +2)
Actions
Covert Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 7 (2d4 + 2) piercing damage and 5 (2d4) poison damage.
Concealed Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30/120ft., one target. Hit 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage and 7 (2d6) poison damage.
Stealthy Sneak. The spy moves up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks. It can then attempt to Hide.
Spellcasting. The spy casts one of the following spells, using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 11):
1/day each: Charm Person
Bonus Actions
Cunning Action. The spy uses Dash, Disengage, or Hide.
Support
Brother Heith is a native Lurtran Priest and Sister Elia is his cousin. He's happy that his party is helping his hometown deal with this fiendish threat.
Priest
Summoned with Foe FoundryMedium Humanoid (Priest)
AC 15 (Chain Shirt, Shield) Initiative +0 (10)
HP 45 (7d8 + 14)
Speed 30 ft.
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| Dex | 10 | +0 | +0 |
| Con | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 10 | +0 | +0 |
| Wis | 16 | +3 | +3 |
| Cha | 10 | +0 | +0 |
Skills Religion +2, Medicine +5, Perception +5
Senses Passive Perception 15
Languages Common
CR 2 (450 XP; PB +2)
Actions
Multiattack. The priest makes two Mace attacks.
Mace. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 7 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage and 2 (1d4) radiant damage.
Spellcasting. The priest casts one of the following spells, using Wisdom as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 13):
1/day each: Cure Wounds, Detect Evil and Goodc, Lesser Restoration, Dispel Magic
Bonus Actions
Shield Slam. The priest shoves a creature within 5 feet. It must make a DC 13 Strength save or be pushed up to 5 feet and fall Prone.
Warding Bond (1/day). The priest forms a bond with a willing creature within 30 feet. Both the priest and the target gain a +1 bonus to AC and resistance to all damage. Whenever the priest or target takes damage, the other takes the same amount of damage.
I hope this inspires you to create many fun and memorable Rival Adventuring Parties for your campaign! If you found this content helpful or inspiring, consider subscribing to get more free content just like this.
– Cordialgerm