One piece of advice I often give DM's when trying to figure out many aspects of an adventure is from Matt Colville: Think about your BBEG. Who are they? What do they want?
With that in mind, I am trying to write some home brewed adventures and I'm starting with my own advice. However, I've run into a bit of a roadblock in that I am coming up with really awful villains. Who they are, and what do they want are questions I can answer, but I'm finding my villains are very tropey. The evil wizard on a quest for immortality, servant of evil an entity, etc.
I'd like to create a villain that isn't cheesy, and really plagues the party. A villain you love to hate. So, what makes a good villain?
I enjoy morally conflicted villains who see justice in their goals, but in a way that is unacceptable to the party and therefore they must be stopped. If a human outpost is encroaching into the ancient forest and threatening the domain of helpless fey folk, an elf might see himself as the only one who cares enough to defend the fey. He might be willing to do anything to protect them. Maybe he appealed to the local governor and was rebuffed. In the end, he has no choice but to defend his woods with force.
The party hears stories about a crazed elf in the woods who slaughtered a camp full of human loggers. When they get there, perhaps they find out the truth is more complicated than what they were led to believe. These kinds of villains might not have to be fought at all if the party has the patience and the curiosity to understand his situation and help him find a solution.
I enjoy enemies who aren't actually the bad guy. Think King Theoden of Rohan in Lord of the Rings.
So you've got some guy set up as being really evil, whatever, but once it comes to the crunch, he's just a puppet of some far greater power. What leverage they have is up to you. Souls of his children, mind control (mind flayers style), eternal damnation, contractual, thats up to you. But it's a fun reveal for the party, and then have to pivot to a whole new set of issues.
Go to YouTube and search for a video called "The Case for Gul Dukat" by Trekspertise. It's 15 minutes and 16 seconds long, and is one of the greatest summaries of "what makes a great bag guy" that I have ever found! Even if you're not a Trek fan, it's okay. It's not about Trek, it's about the psychology of a great villain.
Tayn of Darkwood. Lvl 10 human Life Cleric of Lathander. Retired.
Ikram Sahir ibn Malik al-Sayyid Ra'ad, Second Son of the House of Ra'ad, Defender of the Burning Sands. Lvl 9 Brass Dragonborn Sorcerer + Greater Fire Elemental Devil.
Viktor Gavriil. Lvl 20 White Dragonborn Grave Cleric, of Kurgan the God of Death.
Part of the reason Marvel Comics has been a powerhouse for the past 1/5 century is because their villains are so believable. Grab yourself a trade paperback of the first 20 issues of X-Men from the ‘60s.
That is a great video, and exactly the sort of thing I am looking for. Here's a summary for anyone else keeping tabs:
Great Villains often share 3 characteristics:
Foil - Similarity to the protagonists but different in key ways. (example Draco Malfoy)
Every Villain is the hero of their own story. (example Loki or the Vulture from Spider-Man Homecoming)
Removing #2 can really strip away the (remaining) humanity of a villain, and turn a logical/ordered villain into a chaotic and unpredictable one willing to go as far as it takes to accomplish their goal.
False or Damaged worldview/philosophy. (example Anakin/Vader)
Part of the reason Marvel Comics has been a powerhouse for the past 1/5 century is because their villains are so believable. Grab yourself a trade paperback of the first 20 issues of X-Men from the ‘60s.
I also happen to be a comic book guy, and some of the stuff from the 60's is really tough. Villains and heroes were so much cheesier then! I actually happen to own a copy of X-Men #3 (first appearance of the Blob) in good condition.
Your point is taken, and there are some great villains in comic books, many of which follow the Villain characteristics I mention above (Lex Luthor, Magneto, Bullseye, Kingpin).
Mastermind from the original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants eventually went on to do some crazy stuff in his career. The Juggernaut... nuf’ said. The 60’s has some gems, and best of all, most people today won’t recognize what you, erm, “appropriate” for your story.
Villains are great, most fun to play, but they need to feel like they have real motivations to be believed. Maybe eco-terrorist elves trying to destroy civilization to save nature? Maybe a Paladin of Conquest out to save the world through domination. Then, as the twist, find out the Paladin had been enslaved by Mind Flayers the whole time? Goblin separatists who’ve been planting IRA style bombs throughout the city to liberate their fellows from enslavement in the mines at the hands of the human Duke everyone thinks is a great guy?
I have, in all my years of DMing, only crafted one villain that really stood out as a pillar, the rest were kind of meh.
He had a backstory that the party slowly uncovered which was able to touch them on an emotional level. His actions were understandable even if wrong by most social/moral/lawful standards. He attacked the players on a mental/emotional level more than he did on a physical. His actions were seen as much as they were heard, even if he was not present.
I'm sure there's more I could put in there, but I think those are the major points.
-- I crafted him starting with 3 questions:
What caused him to become the "bad guy"? What is his ultimate goal? What is his weakness?
The inciting incident, the motivation behind his plan was integral. It gave the framework to what kind of villain I wanted him to be. In this case it was a simple concept: He'd lost his beloved, believing her dead due to the acts of others, and he was unable to prevent it. This type of villain is out for revenge, and he is going to blame the people he feels responsible no matter what evidence is shown to the contrary.
His ultimate goal needed to be something that would make sense for someone like him, and be large enough to impact the party even if they're not aware of the situation. I knew that the villain was going to be a Druid, I figured out that his beloved was a Dryad, so now I needed a goal, I decided that he would be reclaiming lost artifacts. That's not enough to get the party involved, it's too contrived and requires buy in from the players. I needed something they'd want to do of their own accord. So I had to figure out what those artifacts were for, I landed on: destruction of civilization. His end game was to revert civilization, through destruction, to a point where they'd have to rely on nature rather than destroy it.
His weakness was the hard part, I wanted something that wasn't tangible like a horcrux or sactuary of solitude. I didn't want it something too simple, such as being over arrogant and manipulated by his emotions. In the end I decided that his weakness was that he was not in control of his actions. He was, in fact, being manipulated already by someone who had grander designs. His desire was something that this other person had been helping him accomplish in order to hide a larger plan in the making. He could be brought down by learning that his goal was being used for something worse than what had been done to him.
--- I ended up with a villain that the party hated, and then felt sorry for after all was said and done. A victory with a cost.
I agree with all that has been said. To throw in my two cents, I find that the most effective method that i've stumbled across in creating a compelling villain is to go through my own personal philosophies, or those that I find interesting, pick one, then think about how it could be twisted around/misinterpreted.
For example, I find the concept of the natural cycle of life & death to be fascinating. I built villain who has grown tired of the corruption & horror of the world and decided that it's time for the current world to die so that the next can live. Wrong? Yes. Understandable? I think so.
Or maybe not, up to y'all.
I love this topic! :D
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One piece of advice I often give DM's when trying to figure out many aspects of an adventure is from Matt Colville: Think about your BBEG. Who are they? What do they want?
With that in mind, I am trying to write some home brewed adventures and I'm starting with my own advice. However, I've run into a bit of a roadblock in that I am coming up with really awful villains. Who they are, and what do they want are questions I can answer, but I'm finding my villains are very tropey. The evil wizard on a quest for immortality, servant of evil an entity, etc.
I'd like to create a villain that isn't cheesy, and really plagues the party. A villain you love to hate. So, what makes a good villain?
I enjoy morally conflicted villains who see justice in their goals, but in a way that is unacceptable to the party and therefore they must be stopped. If a human outpost is encroaching into the ancient forest and threatening the domain of helpless fey folk, an elf might see himself as the only one who cares enough to defend the fey. He might be willing to do anything to protect them. Maybe he appealed to the local governor and was rebuffed. In the end, he has no choice but to defend his woods with force.
The party hears stories about a crazed elf in the woods who slaughtered a camp full of human loggers. When they get there, perhaps they find out the truth is more complicated than what they were led to believe. These kinds of villains might not have to be fought at all if the party has the patience and the curiosity to understand his situation and help him find a solution.
Taking20 dives into complex villains on one of his videos and I found it very interesting and thought-provoking.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
I enjoy enemies who aren't actually the bad guy. Think King Theoden of Rohan in Lord of the Rings.
So you've got some guy set up as being really evil, whatever, but once it comes to the crunch, he's just a puppet of some far greater power. What leverage they have is up to you. Souls of his children, mind control (mind flayers style), eternal damnation, contractual, thats up to you. But it's a fun reveal for the party, and then have to pivot to a whole new set of issues.
Go to YouTube and search for a video called "The Case for Gul Dukat" by Trekspertise. It's 15 minutes and 16 seconds long, and is one of the greatest summaries of "what makes a great bag guy" that I have ever found! Even if you're not a Trek fan, it's okay. It's not about Trek, it's about the psychology of a great villain.
Seriously. Watch it.
Tayn of Darkwood. Lvl 10 human Life Cleric of Lathander. Retired.
Ikram Sahir ibn Malik al-Sayyid Ra'ad, Second Son of the House of Ra'ad, Defender of the Burning Sands. Lvl 9 Brass Dragonborn Sorcerer + Greater Fire Elemental Devil.
Viktor Gavriil. Lvl 20 White Dragonborn Grave Cleric, of Kurgan the God of Death.
Anzio Faro. Lvl 5 Prot. Aasimar Light Cleric.
Part of the reason Marvel Comics has been a powerhouse for the past 1/5 century is because their villains are so believable. Grab yourself a trade paperback of the first 20 issues of X-Men from the ‘60s.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
That is a great video, and exactly the sort of thing I am looking for. Here's a summary for anyone else keeping tabs:
Great Villains often share 3 characteristics:
I also happen to be a comic book guy, and some of the stuff from the 60's is really tough. Villains and heroes were so much cheesier then! I actually happen to own a copy of X-Men #3 (first appearance of the Blob) in good condition.
Your point is taken, and there are some great villains in comic books, many of which follow the Villain characteristics I mention above (Lex Luthor, Magneto, Bullseye, Kingpin).
Mastermind from the original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants eventually went on to do some crazy stuff in his career. The Juggernaut... nuf’ said. The 60’s has some gems, and best of all, most people today won’t recognize what you, erm, “appropriate” for your story.
Villains are great, most fun to play, but they need to feel like they have real motivations to be believed. Maybe eco-terrorist elves trying to destroy civilization to save nature? Maybe a Paladin of Conquest out to save the world through domination. Then, as the twist, find out the Paladin had been enslaved by Mind Flayers the whole time? Goblin separatists who’ve been planting IRA style bombs throughout the city to liberate their fellows from enslavement in the mines at the hands of the human Duke everyone thinks is a great guy?
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
I have, in all my years of DMing, only crafted one villain that really stood out as a pillar, the rest were kind of meh.
He had a backstory that the party slowly uncovered which was able to touch them on an emotional level.
His actions were understandable even if wrong by most social/moral/lawful standards.
He attacked the players on a mental/emotional level more than he did on a physical.
His actions were seen as much as they were heard, even if he was not present.
I'm sure there's more I could put in there, but I think those are the major points.
--
I crafted him starting with 3 questions:
What caused him to become the "bad guy"?
What is his ultimate goal?
What is his weakness?
The inciting incident, the motivation behind his plan was integral. It gave the framework to what kind of villain I wanted him to be. In this case it was a simple concept: He'd lost his beloved, believing her dead due to the acts of others, and he was unable to prevent it. This type of villain is out for revenge, and he is going to blame the people he feels responsible no matter what evidence is shown to the contrary.
His ultimate goal needed to be something that would make sense for someone like him, and be large enough to impact the party even if they're not aware of the situation. I knew that the villain was going to be a Druid, I figured out that his beloved was a Dryad, so now I needed a goal, I decided that he would be reclaiming lost artifacts. That's not enough to get the party involved, it's too contrived and requires buy in from the players. I needed something they'd want to do of their own accord. So I had to figure out what those artifacts were for, I landed on: destruction of civilization. His end game was to revert civilization, through destruction, to a point where they'd have to rely on nature rather than destroy it.
His weakness was the hard part, I wanted something that wasn't tangible like a horcrux or sactuary of solitude. I didn't want it something too simple, such as being over arrogant and manipulated by his emotions. In the end I decided that his weakness was that he was not in control of his actions. He was, in fact, being manipulated already by someone who had grander designs. His desire was something that this other person had been helping him accomplish in order to hide a larger plan in the making. He could be brought down by learning that his goal was being used for something worse than what had been done to him.
---
I ended up with a villain that the party hated, and then felt sorry for after all was said and done. A victory with a cost.
I agree with all that has been said. To throw in my two cents, I find that the most effective method that i've stumbled across in creating a compelling villain is to go through my own personal philosophies, or those that I find interesting, pick one, then think about how it could be twisted around/misinterpreted.
For example, I find the concept of the natural cycle of life & death to be fascinating. I built villain who has grown tired of the corruption & horror of the world and decided that it's time for the current world to die so that the next can live. Wrong? Yes. Understandable? I think so.
Or maybe not, up to y'all.
I love this topic! :D
I pay only in 2 cent increments.
-Sable