Making a Great Villian - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Making a Great Villian

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Nov 08, 2003 16:37:13 I'm taking some steps to create a fun villian to thwart my PCs, and eventually in later levels come to a dramatic conclusion with.

My PCs are a Wizard orientated party, set directly after the War of Souls, they're helping to reform the Conclave, and so I've organized a series of quests to find special keys that unlock the towers.

I was wondering who would be a good villian, any ideas?
#2
carteeg
Nov 08, 2003 17:45:51 One thing I've always discovered in the creation of a good villian is: Don't make it just one person. Sure, you can have one 'big bad' behind everything, but having a number of interesting secondary villians that work (or not work) underneath the main bad guy helps in adding variation to the confrontations as time goes on while still having a relative consistancy.

This does make the creation of the enemy much much more difficult, but it allows you to put more ideas that wouldn't fit in just one person into a number of different characters.

But for something more specific, maybe you could have a number of sorcerers which do not want the Conclave to come back in power (in a reformed manner or not) set out to either keep the old towers locked or possibly even bring them into their own power. [A Tower of Primal Sorcery?]

Also, if they are looking to reform the Conclave, Dalamar himself make take some subtle and not-so-subtle actions to discredit or undermind the PCs who wish to alter things in what is 'His' Conclave. [I think it's safe to say he would (quietly?) view it as such.] That or he may want the PCs to open the Tower of Nightlund back up and retrieve things he can't get to since he is forbidden from the above said Tower.

I've discovered that any base random idea for a villain can work so long as great developement is put into the enemy construction later. I hoped I've given a little bit of help though.

Good luck and tell us how it goes.

Edit: Me had bad grammar.
#3
zombiegleemax
Nov 08, 2003 17:56:21 The idea to reopen Nightlund to retrieve things is great, Dalamar is actually the driving force behind my PCs, getting them to do these things while keeping a close eye on them.
#4
zombiegleemax
Nov 09, 2003 18:56:55 My great villain was an accident. Most of the players are playing elves, and have stayed at Sanction, and their first mission was from the mystics - to try and clear out the ruins of the Temple of the Heart/One God. There was a half-elven cleric of Chemosh down there. I gave him a simple enough story, motives and so on. He even has a good reason to be down there, but because he worships an evil god, he isn't allowed anywhere as home, even the catacombs running underneath Sanction. Poor fellow.

So when they finally got there (after having found the cursed sword - that one of the elves now wields - he'll be an NPC soon, muahahahaha, and having found the imp and all his traps - my favourite being a pit trap. They fall down it. Jump across to the other side and WHAM! They hit the wall. Illusiory corridor. If they'd kept a map they would have realised, but the Solamnic knights following their chalk trail were doing that...) and have the big showdown witht he evil cleric, they're so bashed up they can't fight him. So they run away.

Of course, I had to play him realistically, so when they go down the next day, he's gone.

And then he came along with a magical Wig of Disguise, posing as a local miller, trapped them down in the catacombs again... and into the lair of a 'wizard' (read 'lich' with a healthy respect for what oil of timelessness can do for you when you're dead) and his zombie army.

Now, because of these two things, they're blaming an outbreak of some random disease on him, linking him with a zombie army, while all the time the Solamnics are looking on with a mixture of disgust and contempt, because they keep looking like inept fools. I'm having lots of fun with my campaign.

Now the villain is a bit more fleshed out, and my collection of ancient Dragon magazines has helped a lot with that. From what I've seen of Dragon since 2nd edition, it's not got any better. There used to be loads of articles about making realistic villains and so on - now it seems there are just loads of prestige classes and extra rules, and adverts for MORE pointless supplements, rather than reviews of other systems and games.

Anyway, most of the articles revolve around giving him a background, agenda, reason to bring in the PCs, and a reason why, despite their power, they can't kill the PCs immediately. Or failing that, why they won't kill ALL of them. I'm going to have to, at some point, kidnap one of the PCs for torturing, and have the diabolical plans explained.

My villain is half-elven, Arabis Loneleaf, although he doesn't know of the surname, grew up quickly in Neraka, surrounded by humans who never liked him. He begged as a child, and got scraps. Growing up to be bitter towards anyone who was better off than himself was easy enough, especially the Dark Knights who would beat and curse him. When he developed a rotting disease that was slowly eating through the flesh of his face, his ghastly visage did nothing to gain the food or coins he begged for. The mystics he sought out would do nothing for him, although he was loath to admit it was because they couldn't rather than because it was him. When the War of Souls swept past his hiding place, and the gods returned, he prayed for two things; a cure and revenge.

Sargonnas would have nothing to do with such a lowly gutter thing, Morgion was already content to let the disease wend its course, so it was left to Chemosh to tempt him with the promise that dead flesh could bring great power. Within days, he had founded a cult of Chemosh within Neraka, made up of other beggars and lowlifes who were prepared to do something to avenge themselves on those who were better off than them.

Experimenting with their newfound powers, the cult quickly found the dark joy of bringing the dead back to unlife, the ecstasy of ripping a soul from its natural place in the afterlife and forcing it to do their bidding, and accidentally finding out through a miscast spell how to bind the souls back stronger than before, so that with unlife came a kind of sentience. These were stronger, faster, smarter skeletons, and angrier too.

Arabis then received a vision; each member of the cult was to split up, go to different cities, start new cults, and spread this discovery. Those willing to join these cults would be sent to an appointed place at an appointed time. Arabis went to Sanction.

His cult were to meet in the abandoned catacombs underneath the Temple of the One God. Considering the proximity to the all that dispersed divine magic, it would be a fitting place for talk of undeath. Setting up perpetual Desecrate spells (only think of it as Consecrate, but to an evil God) in the area lead to the area feeling evil and smelling of death. When the mystics decided to reclaim the site for a new Temple of the Heart, it would lead to Arabis being displaced, something he was loath to do since he was commanded there by his God. When the first Solamnic Knights came down to investigate, they were killed by a combination of ambush, a summoned imp 'familiar', and Arabis's cult, who suffered heavily. Reanimating the dead knights, Arabis now had effective fighters to defend him. More Solamnic knights came down to investigate the missing ones. They died, having been surprised to find the other knights so easily, before they were cut down where they stood.

The mystics, of course, then put out the call for willing mercenaries to help clear out whatever was now down there, along with a stronger group of Solamnics. So in come the PCs...

I'm having lots of fun with my campaign.

I don't know if that helps, but I had fun telling his story. Also, in the recitation, I've ironed out a few kinks in his backstory. Well done me.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Nov 08, 2003 16:37:13	I'm taking some steps to create a fun villian to thwart my PCs, and eventually in later levels come to a dramatic conclusion with. My PCs are a Wizard orientated party, set directly after the War of Souls, they're helping to reform the Conclave, and so I've organized a series of quests to find special keys that unlock the towers. I was wondering who would be a good villian, any ideas?
#2 carteeg Nov 08, 2003 17:45:51	One thing I've always discovered in the creation of a good villian is: Don't make it just one person. Sure, you can have one 'big bad' behind everything, but having a number of interesting secondary villians that work (or not work) underneath the main bad guy helps in adding variation to the confrontations as time goes on while still having a relative consistancy. This does make the creation of the enemy much much more difficult, but it allows you to put more ideas that wouldn't fit in just one person into a number of different characters. But for something more specific, maybe you could have a number of sorcerers which do not want the Conclave to come back in power (in a reformed manner or not) set out to either keep the old towers locked or possibly even bring them into their own power. [A Tower of Primal Sorcery?] Also, if they are looking to reform the Conclave, Dalamar himself make take some subtle and not-so-subtle actions to discredit or undermind the PCs who wish to alter things in what is 'His' Conclave. [I think it's safe to say he would (quietly?) view it as such.] That or he may want the PCs to open the Tower of Nightlund back up and retrieve things he can't get to since he is forbidden from the above said Tower. I've discovered that any base random idea for a villain can work so long as great developement is put into the enemy construction later. I hoped I've given a little bit of help though. Good luck and tell us how it goes. Edit: Me had bad grammar.
#3 zombiegleemax Nov 08, 2003 17:56:21	The idea to reopen Nightlund to retrieve things is great, Dalamar is actually the driving force behind my PCs, getting them to do these things while keeping a close eye on them.
#4 zombiegleemax Nov 09, 2003 18:56:55	My great villain was an accident. Most of the players are playing elves, and have stayed at Sanction, and their first mission was from the mystics - to try and clear out the ruins of the Temple of the Heart/One God. There was a half-elven cleric of Chemosh down there. I gave him a simple enough story, motives and so on. He even has a good reason to be down there, but because he worships an evil god, he isn't allowed anywhere as home, even the catacombs running underneath Sanction. Poor fellow. So when they finally got there (after having found the cursed sword - that one of the elves now wields - he'll be an NPC soon, muahahahaha, and having found the imp and all his traps - my favourite being a pit trap. They fall down it. Jump across to the other side and WHAM! They hit the wall. Illusiory corridor. If they'd kept a map they would have realised, but the Solamnic knights following their chalk trail were doing that...) and have the big showdown witht he evil cleric, they're so bashed up they can't fight him. So they run away. Of course, I had to play him realistically, so when they go down the next day, he's gone. And then he came along with a magical Wig of Disguise, posing as a local miller, trapped them down in the catacombs again... and into the lair of a 'wizard' (read 'lich' with a healthy respect for what oil of timelessness can do for you when you're dead) and his zombie army. Now, because of these two things, they're blaming an outbreak of some random disease on him, linking him with a zombie army, while all the time the Solamnics are looking on with a mixture of disgust and contempt, because they keep looking like inept fools. I'm having lots of fun with my campaign. Now the villain is a bit more fleshed out, and my collection of ancient Dragon magazines has helped a lot with that. From what I've seen of Dragon since 2nd edition, it's not got any better. There used to be loads of articles about making realistic villains and so on - now it seems there are just loads of prestige classes and extra rules, and adverts for MORE pointless supplements, rather than reviews of other systems and games. Anyway, most of the articles revolve around giving him a background, agenda, reason to bring in the PCs, and a reason why, despite their power, they can't kill the PCs immediately. Or failing that, why they won't kill ALL of them. I'm going to have to, at some point, kidnap one of the PCs for torturing, and have the diabolical plans explained. My villain is half-elven, Arabis Loneleaf, although he doesn't know of the surname, grew up quickly in Neraka, surrounded by humans who never liked him. He begged as a child, and got scraps. Growing up to be bitter towards anyone who was better off than himself was easy enough, especially the Dark Knights who would beat and curse him. When he developed a rotting disease that was slowly eating through the flesh of his face, his ghastly visage did nothing to gain the food or coins he begged for. The mystics he sought out would do nothing for him, although he was loath to admit it was because they couldn't rather than because it was him. When the War of Souls swept past his hiding place, and the gods returned, he prayed for two things; a cure and revenge. Sargonnas would have nothing to do with such a lowly gutter thing, Morgion was already content to let the disease wend its course, so it was left to Chemosh to tempt him with the promise that dead flesh could bring great power. Within days, he had founded a cult of Chemosh within Neraka, made up of other beggars and lowlifes who were prepared to do something to avenge themselves on those who were better off than them. Experimenting with their newfound powers, the cult quickly found the dark joy of bringing the dead back to unlife, the ecstasy of ripping a soul from its natural place in the afterlife and forcing it to do their bidding, and accidentally finding out through a miscast spell how to bind the souls back stronger than before, so that with unlife came a kind of sentience. These were stronger, faster, smarter skeletons, and angrier too. Arabis then received a vision; each member of the cult was to split up, go to different cities, start new cults, and spread this discovery. Those willing to join these cults would be sent to an appointed place at an appointed time. Arabis went to Sanction. His cult were to meet in the abandoned catacombs underneath the Temple of the One God. Considering the proximity to the all that dispersed divine magic, it would be a fitting place for talk of undeath. Setting up perpetual Desecrate spells (only think of it as Consecrate, but to an evil God) in the area lead to the area feeling evil and smelling of death. When the mystics decided to reclaim the site for a new Temple of the Heart, it would lead to Arabis being displaced, something he was loath to do since he was commanded there by his God. When the first Solamnic Knights came down to investigate, they were killed by a combination of ambush, a summoned imp 'familiar', and Arabis's cult, who suffered heavily. Reanimating the dead knights, Arabis now had effective fighters to defend him. More Solamnic knights came down to investigate the missing ones. They died, having been surprised to find the other knights so easily, before they were cut down where they stood. The mystics, of course, then put out the call for willing mercenaries to help clear out whatever was now down there, along with a stronger group of Solamnics. So in come the PCs... I'm having lots of fun with my campaign. I don't know if that helps, but I had fun telling his story. Also, in the recitation, I've ironed out a few kinks in his backstory. Well done me.