I figured Dr. Doom might make a good one. The tragic face that can't be repaired. His lust for power over others, so his realm would be in constant turmoil of rebelious peasants (i would guess) that he just can't seem to put down.
Kang maybe, of course he's just like a future Dr. Doomstyle villan. Sabretooth might make a good replacement for the lord of Arkandale (at least he can get off the boat).
And of course Paste-Pot Pete.
Magneto - An elf (or other non-human) whose family was enslaved or butchered while attempting to cross Falkovnia grows to be a powerful sorcerer. He launches a campaign of terror first against the Falkovnians and later against all humans, to protect his people from humanity's ill will. All the while, he fails to realize that he is treating humans with the same prejudice and contempt that so wounded him, and that he is gradually becoming that which he hates most.
The Joker - An unpopular failure of a street performer suffers an illness or injury that shatters his mind. His crimes shaped by a twisted and macabre sense of humour, he becomes a feared signature killer.
Lex Luthor - The selfish and arrogant lord of a large town has the populace under his thumb, until a wandering band of heroes saves the town from a supernatural threat. Now, despite the lord's years of guardianship of the town, all the townsfolk's praise and admiration goes to these outsiders, and the lord's ego cannot stand it. He sets all his energies to destroying the heroes and their reputations.
Really I think villains pulled from any sources can fit as long as they are done maturely and well. It all comes down to presentation.
Although... baddies from Super Friends may be a tad harder to squeeze in...
Magneto - An elf (or other non-human) whose family was enslaved or butchered while attempting to cross Falkovnia grows to be a powerful sorcerer. He launches a campaign of terror first against the Falkovnians and later against all humans, to protect his people from humanity's ill will. All the while, he fails to realize that he is treating humans with the same prejudice and contempt that so wounded him, and that he is gradually becoming that which he hates most.
This idea for Magneto is really good. I hadn't thought of it before. I'm going to have to steal it. Thanks.
Poison Ivy: A druid with a twist here.
Harley Quinn: I just like Harley
Two Face: A Great champion of justice(Paladin) wins over his greatest foe, brings him to justice and at the moment of seeing justice, has half of his face horribly disfigured, shattering both his sanity and appearance.
K.
...and to chime in my to cps:
Ghost Rider: not a villain in the first place, but a nevertheless tormented figure. Great stuff for a LE/LN avenger, who has lost his sanity along the way.
The X-Mens' Rogue would make a great Emmorderung(sp?), with her retaining her non-evil status even after the change and having great power, deep emotinal desire but no means of physical contact.
Hey, it's a pretty much overexploited classic, but Dylan Tomas would make a pretty good Allanik Ray/R. Van Richten clone. If anyone hasn't heard about him, he is from an Italian comic book series. He is (although it's not stated for certain) the son of the Devil, and works as a detective for Supernatural cases, much like Clive Barker's Harry D'Amour.
That's all for now, keep thinking everyone!! I just :inlove: this thread!!
Great work!!!
Cheers!!
Well, for a start, who is harley quinn??
The Joker's sometime sidekick and henchbabe. Originally psychiatrist Harleen Quinzell, who had the (mis)fortune to develop an obsession with the Clown Prince of Crime, and snapped, reinventing herself as his sidekick. The Joker despises her and generally treats her like crud... but unusually (at least as much as that applies to the Joker), given how many people he's killed over the years, he's never killed Harley.
Started out in the early '90s Batman animated series, before being introduced into comics continuity around 1999.
Easy enough to slot a Harley-analogue with the (living) Joker-analogue above - perhaps an alienist who gets a little /too/ close to her patient...
Magneto - An elf (or other non-human) whose family was enslaved or butchered while attempting to cross Falkovnia grows to be a powerful sorcerer. He launches a campaign of terror first against the Falkovnians and later against all humans, to protect his people from humanity's ill will. All the while, he fails to realize that he is treating humans with the same prejudice and contempt that so wounded him, and that he is gradually becoming that which he hates most.
I once invented a similar character, although I didn't hink of Magneto at the time:
„Croifuar“ (meaning Coldheart, Elf, Fighter/Mage 14./6.lvl)
He wanted revenge for the death of his family, who died at the Talons hands. He planed to renew the woods of Falkovnia with the blood of Falkovnias humans. It started with humans found impaled on living trees near the Nachtfliegen-Wald. Then nonhuman slaves were freed in great numbers. In the end, Drakov himself decided to lead a portion of his army to Silbervas and reenact the order. He had only barely arrived, when silbervas itself came under siege! "The Land" had bestowed an veritable army to Croifuar,
the Green Wardens (FR-MC), living plant warriors. Supplemented by treants, fairies and the freed nonhumans, Silbervas was taken and Croifuar challenged Drakov to a duell which the Elf actually won. The wounded Drakov, still half-impaled on Croifuars living spear fled the city with it's surviving residents, vowing to retake the city. Sofar he met little succses and Silbervas and the Nachtfliegen-Wald has become a haven to escaped nonhumans but a bane to the Falkovnian who enters it. Silbervas was restructured and trees overgrow the city, strenghtening it's defenses and serving as the new residents homes. Only a few humans were left alive, now serving the new masters of Silbervas as slaves.Croifuar might soon become the Darklord of domain within Falkovnias green heart.
Reminds a little bit of (the fake) Magnetos attack on New York doesn't it?
How Lex Luthor opperates isn't a bad model to base Malochio or Malken on. I've always found Malken more interesting as the Moriarity of the core than as the bad half of Jekyl & Hyde.
-Eric Gorman
Hey, it's a pretty much overexploited classic, but Dylan Tomas would make a pretty good Allanik Ray/R. Van Richten clone. If anyone hasn't heard about him, he is from an Italian comic book series. He is (although it's not stated for certain) the son of the Devil, and works as a detective for Supernatural cases, much like Clive Barker's Harry D'Amour.
It's Dylan DOG, actually...
Ghost Rider: not a villain in the first place, but a nevertheless tormented figure. Great stuff for a LE/LN avenger, who has lost his sanity along the way.
Well, just take away the motorcycle and give him a horse... :D
Well, for a start, who is harley quinn?? Now, as for two face, imo he never was LG or paladin-like to begin with. If you take his depiction in the more "dark knightesque" batman works, he is a fanatic, zealous LN law junkie. His split is with the outmost chaotic CN ever. The stereotype "Law" defender, changing to a completely spontaneous, cyclothymic (sp?) psycho. BUT, this IS RL after all, so a LG/CE split can be assumed. Great idea though, I always thought of him as a very accursed, RL like individual.
I've never been a great Batman fan, but I knew Two-Face in his exploit in Batman/Daredevil (sigh... I was still buying superhero comic! :D)... He seemed evil enough, at that time! Surely not just a CN psycho: he does evil because he LIKES to do evil!
I would make him True Neutral, but with Lawful tendencies (he plays strict with his own rules) as he is really neither good nor evil. When one course has been selected he follows that alignment becoming either Neutral Good or Neutral Evil. But only for that one decision.
I’ve always been fonder of the ‘90s Ghost Rider than the one from the 70s-80s, although both might be interesting.
The earlier one would be someone serving as host to a fiend but whose moral fibre and will power allow him to hold a fragile balance between his soul and the demon’s. You would have to play fast and loose with D&D rules to have a mortal’s will as strong as a powerful devil’s but it could make an interesting adventure or two. This renowned rider (courier perhaps or a traveller with the Carnival?) becomes a hideous creature by night and plagues those it sees as evil.
The grim-n-gritty ‘90s Ghost Rider is different, as it wasn’t a demon but something called a Spirit of Vengeance that sought out those who spilt innocent blood. More a dark hero investigating wrong-doings who may require the player’s assistance in tracking down a killer.
Both would work nicely in Nova Vassa due to the prominence of riders and the duality of the land.
I’ve always liked John Constantine and the Vertigo books from DC and have frequently thought he might be fun to adapt and bring into Ravenloft.
A character that started out loosely based on Constantine but has since taken on life of its own appears in many of my short stories set in Ravenloft (published in the Quoth the Raven netmag among other places).
I was looking at a collection of Dylan Tomas works at the moment so I fumbled,ok?No hf though... I mean, if you take a little time to consider it, Dylan Tomas is great inspiration for RL!! :D 
Now, Jester, I totally agree on your Ghost Rider preferances. The spirit of Vengeance is sick, twisted and beautiful because he just doesn't struggle to get free anymore (at least in some MarvelComicsPresents series I own) but accepts his dual nature and goes forth on the killing spree. Also the McFarlane (sp?) stuff is great.
Who the Abyss is John Constantine? Never heard of him.
...and a new contestant: Spawn
(I'm curious why hasn't anyone mentioned him before???) nuff said. He is one of The Men!!Cheers!!
John Constantine is a DC/Vertigo character that first showed up in some Swamp Thing issues in the mid-eighties and soon after got his own series: Hellblazer.
He's a mystic and mage but not a powerful one. He is more of a meddler manipulating and conning his way in and out of trouble and essentially screwing over everyone that messes with him. Out thinks, out smarts, bluffs or simply blackmails his way through the series. Good stuff.
They're making/made a movie of him but it looks like crap and keeps being pushed back...
Clown/Violator from Spawn: Use BoVD to make him really disgusting.
Lilith, her Lilin, Zarathos, Caretaker, the Darkhold and dwarf, all from the Midnight Sons issues of Marvel back in early-mid-90s.
Lets not forget Morbius, Blade, Hannibal King, Dr.Strange all from Midnight Sons
Must agree on John Constantine. If you don't know who he is, you soon will when the movie comes out with Keanu Reeves.
Snails from the DnD movie: Characters don't get any more horrifying than that.
How about a medieval version of PITT?
Lady Death and Purgatori
Evil Ernie
Lobo
There have been so many supernatural characters in comics the list goes on...
Must agree on John Constantine. If you don't know who he is, you soon will when the movie comes out with Keanu Reeves.
Er, no. No you won't. (Magically-empowered shotguns and American accents do not seem much like the character *I* was reading about, anyway.)
Also, I don't see any mention of Etrigan in here, though having to talk in rhyme would probably drive a GM mad....
Venom maybe? Played as a psycho vigilante/monster with a soft spot for the innocent? A being that kills and maims the guilty without qualms but will not harm those he considers innocent (which would be few people indeed) Put him in a sewer or dark city and he'd be totally bad-ass...
Thanos of Titan is a villain on a different scale, so I don't think he fits that well, but his backstory (killing his mother and becoming obsessed with Death) is certainly interesting. Might be used for a less cosmic villain?
The entire decadent Hellfire Club might also be used.
He is virtually indestructable (as are many darklords), and it took a millenia until he was finally (..?) destroyed.
Have a look at http://www.uncannyxmen.net/db/article/showquestion.asp?faq=4&fldAuto=84 for a definitive history on him.
Thanos of Titan is a villain on a different scale, so I don't think he fits that well, but his backstory (killing his mother and becoming obsessed with Death) is certainly interesting.
One of the things that I find most fascinating about Thanos was pointed out in the Infinity Guantlet story line. He only loses because he subconsciously wants to be stopped. He tends to always achieve the greatest power, only to lose them at the last moment because of something he left unguarded, or underestimated the abilities of some idividuals when he knew better than to do so. Imagine a Darklord who has found the means to escape the demi-plane, but is drawn back just as his foot is out the door because the hero he had shackled to his throne destroyed the one object capable of piercing the Mists.
And one other suggestion for a comic book DL-
Ozmandius (sp?) from the Watchmen graphic novel. A man who brought peace to the world by murdering millions, and driving millions more mad and tricking the people of the world into coexisting as one. As a Darklord, he would do anything to preserve the peaceful utopia he has created, but he is always haunted by the faces of those he killed. In particular, the face of the Comedian, who manifests on occasion and tries to reveal the truth about what really happened.
Marvel: Scorpion (as a monstrous humanoid), the Beetle (as a monstrous humanoid), Kraven, Sabertooth (king of the beastmen), Juggernaught (golem), the Blob (lame character, but maybe useful as a spirit of debauchery?)...
Darkseid would be the only character even remotely useful for an actual dark lord, but the others could be interesting encounters.
In the graphic novel The Killing Joke we come as close as I think any author will let us to his origin. Not the vat of chemicals thing, but what came before is particularly Ravenloftian.
I'll give a compressed version of his backstory and the changes needed for each section.
His name is unknown. It's once been hinted as Joseph Kerr (ironic DC comic book villain name!) but he was a stand-up comic who never got a good break.
(See above, failed performer, maybe an actual Bard). He messed up a punchline because of nerves on an audition and got a little fixed on standing up there while no one laughed.
He had a pregnant wife who was always supportive and even if he thought he was a failure, she always told him that he always knew how to make her laugh.
He was approached by some thugs from 'The Red Hood Gang' because he worked as a lab assistant before quitting to try his hand at standup. Easy one here. Alchemist's assistant, quit to be a Bard. Now this bit hardly needs any changes at all. The Red Hood Gang is actually a criminal scam that, in Ravenloft, would work splendidly. The gang has a core membership but the actual 'Red Hood' is just a disguise they give to whoever is acting as the 'inside man' on any particular job. They say it's for the most valuable man on the job for 'additional anonymity'. Actually, it draws attention away from the real gang members and gives the law someone to focus on who doesn't actually exist. Moved to the Ravenloft setting, you have the creation of an assumed supernatural or magic-using persona that draws the attention of the constabulary.
While planning the heist with the gang, a cop comes in, takes him aside, and tells him his wife just died in an accident with an electrical bottle warmer. This is also easy to shift over, any sort of household accident will do.
The gang sympathized, but still intended for him to let them into the lab so they could get at the cash in the playing card company next door. They left, and at that moment his sanity first started to strain.
That night the heist began, but security had been upgraded and some cops were on the scene. So the constabulary came across them, fired some bows, killing one of the two gang members and wounding the other, who shouted that they wanted 'The Red Hood', not him.
Batman shows up and, in a panic, the 'Red Hood' goes over a railing into a vat of chemicals below. Now just substitute an alchemical accident during things going south, a fall into a nearby river, and the man drags himself out of the water, his skin stinging and itching. You might also want to toss in a failed Powers Check for the robbery while you're at it. Needless to say, when he pulls the mask off and sees himself in a puddle of water, what's left of his mind completely snaps in peals of hideous, hysterical laughter.
So, we have the modified backstory, we have an alchemical accident that bleached his skin and changed his hair to green as well as warping his face into a horrid grin. We have a background as an alchemist's assistant, and we have a modus operandi. That being to make the world see that everything anyone ever struggled for or cared about is all one big joke. Clad in a garish version of high-class Mordentish or Richemulese gentleman's clothing, he roams the Core, looking to spread his message to the known world.
This would be a very nasty foe for a party. Let him fixate on a Paladin, Cleric, or even Rogue who he's run across in the past, sending them 'invitations' to see his performances. Play him -smart- and as though he were a high-level PC and not just a 'monster'. Give him Cohorts (funny how the Joker always managed to get help, isn't it?), and make sure he always has an escape plan. Quite frankly, you don't need to give him many special abilities, maybe just the Tasha's Uncontrollable Laughter spell at will a few times a day for the Powers Check would be all you need.
Now we can approach his build several ways. We need him high level so he's a credible threat. Figure a few levels of Bard, but also of Rogue. His 'Joker Venom' can be an alchemical elixir that induces a fatal version of the Tasha's Hideous Laughter spell. Keep his stats centered on DEX, INT, and CHA, give him a few spells for Bard, mostly Illusion-type ones. Fortunately, Bard spells have a lot of that.
Not sure what level we'd be looking at, but some good ones might be: 0. Daze, Ghost Sound, Prestidigitation - 1. Cause Fear (a must!), Charm Person, Expeditious Retreat (another must!), Feather Fall, Hypnotism, Sleep, - 2.Cat's Grace, Detect Thoughts, Enthrall (Joker's seen to be very facinating), Hypnotic Pattern, Misdirection, Scare, Tasha's Uncontrollable Laughter (maybe even at will a few times a day, needs the elixir for it to be fatal), - 3. Blink, Confusion, Dispel Magic (just useful), Emotion, Fear, Haste, Scrying, Sculpt Sound - 4. Detect Scrying, Dimension Door (for quick getaways), Dominate Person, Modify Memory, Neutralize Poison (blackmail material), Shout (must laugh to use) - 5. Dream, False Vision, Greater Dispelling, Mind Fog, Mislead, Nighmare - 6. Mass Suggestion, Project Image, Repulsion,
This all depends on how many levels you want to give him, of course.
Good Feats might be Alertness, Brew Potion, Combat Casting, Leadership, Run, Weapon Finesse (so he can use his DEX for attacks)
If anyone would really like to tackle this build for real, I'd love to see it. This is all just off the top of my head.
- Yulian
"Truly great madness cannot be achieved without significant intelligence." - Henrik Tikkanen