How would you design a Thanos-like character in DnD?

[SquirtleSquad]

So, i'm about to run a campaign where there's this mystical hero from the party's starting town where he saved the town from a ghoul outbreak and ascended to godhood, spreading artifacts across the world. I want to have this drow villain using other drows basically as cannon fodder, while he tried to get all of the artifacts while himself, attempting to also ascend to godhood. How should I play this out?

[Shuruke]

Something you could do is

Each artifact he gets increases his legendary action points and what he can do with legendary actions

It also makes it so each artifact has a once per long rest use of x spell

Meteor swarm
Planar shift
Time stop
And last one
Foresight

Once they gather all of them they can use the 12th level spell mass wish
(Not actually a thing but you get the idea)

[strangebloke]

Spend more time on his minions than on him.

Thanos himself is just a big, high-statted warlord with lots of magic bling and tons of minions. Use the warlord NPC as a base and then give him a throwing greatsword of defense and some other magic gear.

[Great Dragon]

Something you could do is

Each artifact he gets increases his legendary action points and what he can do with legendary actions

It also makes it so each artifact has a once per long rest use of x spell

Meteor swarm
Planar shift
Time stop
And last one
Foresight

I like the extra Legendary options, and spell powers, but increasing the number of Legendary Actions would really put him at O.P. - where the PCs wouldn't have a chance to be able to defeat him.

Spend more time on his minions than on him.

Thanos himself is just a big, high-statted warlord with lots of magic bling and tons of minions. Use the warlord NPC as a base and then give him a throwing greatsword of defense and some other magic gear.

Bolded is good.
Or, you could use Drow House Guard.
With the Drow High Magic feat.

I'd probably start there and make him a Hexblade Patron (with all the Class Powers/Abilities) as well.

Another possibility is using Warlord Conquest Paladin.

Edit

Thanos from the comics? Or from the MCU?

I'm figuring from MCU, since it's more recent.

[GreyBlack]

Thanos from the comics? Or from the MCU?

[Particle_Man]

Have every player roll a die and based on the result write “odd” or “even” on their character sheet in the top right hand corner.

[GreyBlack]

Have every player roll a die and based on the result write “odd” or “even” on their character sheet in the top right hand corner.

Ooh! Here's an idea bouncing from that!

Every player has two characters, the A team or the B team. At the beginning of play, roll a d6 and tell everyone to Each week, you play one team or the other. If Bhanos assembles the Eternity Vambrance, then either the characters with an odd number get destroyed or an even number.* From there, the remnants of Teams A and B have to team up to take down the Big Bad. For extra awesome, have Team A be the good guys and Team B be evil.

*Alternatively, to make it more fair, just do numbers out of a hat.

[TripleD]

Megaman it.

By which I mean, have some NPC give the players a brief description of where the artifacts are and what they do. Then let them choose which ones they want to go after, with the knowledge that they can’t grab them all before the BBEG’s minions grab a few.

[SquirtleSquad]

Megaman it.

By which I mean, have some NPC give the players a brief description of where the artifacts are and what they do. Then let them choose which ones they want to go after, with the knowledge that they can’t grab them all before the BBEG’s minions grab a few.

Was going to have it be a sort of unbelieved rumor in the town and they run into kids pretending to be the hero and they learn the legend from them.

To everyone else, they're level 1 lmao they're already going to basically instantly die from a couple of minions. So far his name is Thad Nose. I've got sandals, A sword, a belt, A circlet, and bracers as the 5 artifacts, not sure what to make them do, though.

[Great Dragon]

I've got sandals, A sword, a belt, A circlet, and bracers as the 5 artifacts, not sure what to make them do, though.

Ideas:

Sandals: Attunement. Wind Walk plus Spider Climb

Sword: "Lifebane" +3 that does 2d6 Necrotic.
Wisdom Save DC 16 or reduce Maximum HP by Necrotic damage.

Belt: Attunement. Giant Strength. Increases Size by one category. Grants Resistence to non-magical physical damage.

Circlet: +2 Int (able to exceed normal 20 limit) Attunement. Wearer can cast Detect Thoughts as a Bonus Action 3 times per long rest. Wearer has the effects of the Alert and Observant feats.

Bracers: Archery plus Arrow Snatching.

[SquirtleSquad]

Ideas:

Sandals: Attunement. Wind Walk plus Spider Climb

Sword: "Lifebane" +3 that does 2d6 Necrotic.
Wisdom Save DC 16 or reduce Maximum HP by Necrotic damage.

Belt: Attunement. Giant Strength. Increases Size by one category. Grants Resistence to non-magical physical damage.

Circlet: +2 Int (able to exceed normal 20 limit) Attunement. Wearer can cast Detect Thoughts as a Bonus Action 3 times per long rest. Wearer has the effects of the Alert and Observant feats.

Bracers: Archery plus Arrow Snatching.

I like those bracers and that sword sounds pretty cool but maybe a little broken. Think ill do haste sandals or something though

[Great Dragon]

that sword sounds pretty cool but maybe a little broken.

Well, I did make it a Legendary Weapon, being on par with the Black Razor.

You could always lower the +X and the Save DC.

[Kyutaru]

I like the extra Legendary options, and spell powers, but increasing the number of Legendary Actions would really put him at O.P. - where the PCs wouldn't have a chance to be able to defeat him.

That's kind of the point of an Infinity Gauntlet Thanos. It took an army of Avengers to defeat him because he could only cast his spells on some of them while another with a readied action is hitting him.

This only works though if the DM isn't abusing Legendaries like some chain-combo skill and actually giving Thanos a breath of air once in a while between his floods of magic.

[Great Dragon]

That's kind of the point of an Infinity Gauntlet Thanos. It took an army of Avengers to defeat him because he could only cast his spells on some of them while another with a readied action is hitting him.

This only works though if the DM isn't abusing Legendaries like some chain-combo skill and actually giving Thanos a breath of air once in a while between his floods of magic.

I could totally see Thanos with all the options each round: Bonus Action Ability/spell;
Action: 1 Ability/spell or 4 Attacks,
Reaction Ability/spell;
plus 3 Legendary Actions.

I suppose that if the Party was more than 5 PCs, then adding extra Legendary Actions could be done, maybe up to the maximum of one Legendary Action per PC.

Since Legendary Actions happen after a PC's turn, the Party would still have a chance to defeat Thanos. (Which is how I saw the Avenger fight against Thanos in the movie go - except for "the Snap")

[Tvtyrant]

I would make it so most of the legendaries don't do damage. One removes all conditions on him, one heals him, one makes a bunch of terrain, one summons a monster to aid, etc. Having him create a ceiling that bats pour out of onto the party or the like, so it feels cinematic.