Just looking for some creative ideas as to what would drive a villain to conduct experiments on humanoids. I have an adventure I am planning where an 11th level Wizard holes up in a ruined castle and employs trolls and other creatures to attack wagons. The deal that the wizard has struck with the baddies is that they get to keep all of the loot, he just wants live subjects for his experiments. I really can't think of a reason he experiments on humanoids other than the old tired crazed wizard trope. Any ideas are appreciated.
She’s not a villain. She’s trying to cure death. Isn’t that a noble cause? If a few hundred people have to die for her to do it, isn’t it worth it for the millions she’ll save? No one will ever have to die again if she could just finish her experiments. And look! Already progress... *gestures towards the beginnings of a zombie army*
He’s trying to break the ceiling that confines mortals to the pittance that is 9th-level spells. His experiments will finally break humanity free from the whims of divine beings. And there’s only a 67.2% chance that the experiments will crack the very fabric of reality itself, completely acceptable odds....
Soon... soon my beautiful masterpiece will be completed.... I just need a few more parts....
IMHO, villains are always creepier/better when that legitimately see themselves as the “white hats” of the story.
Maybe the trolls are altered humanoids that his experiments have created, and he's building an army to conquer the region of the world.
Maybe she is trying to find a way to reverse age, but these experiments are too risky to try on herself, so she kidnaps people and tries these spells and chemical formulae on these people. Unfortunately, they normally die or are mutated or become undead, but it's for a good cause. She, herself, is much too important to have these tested on, and no one has volunteered since the first incident regarding [insert important NPC name here] so she became a "villain" in order to try to find a way to stop people from aging.
Maybe they just really suck. Like, they're horrible, awful people. Like a serial killer. They just really like mutilating and torturing people with experiments. It's like a child pulling the legs off of ants. They're much inferior to this wizard, so it's okay if they do these things to them. (In their mind, anyway)
Rejected by society, wants revenge, plotting to brainwash people to overthrow/humiliate [Insert important NPC name here] without personally leaving their house.
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A great threat to the world is coming, probably from the Far Realms or some other place that's at best adjacent to reality. They're trying to perfect a weapon and/or army to fight this looming menace. Yeah, what they're doing is horrible and they'll be remembered as an absolute monster for generations to come, but at least those generations will exist to hate them.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
What if the troll attacks seem random but they are actually more targeted with random ones thrown in so people don’t suspect.
Then you could have a reason like the magician from the Witcher that hunted down the children born under a blood noon and prophecied to destroy the world, maybe it’s an area of dunamancy and they are trying to find the reincarnated soul of a lost love.
I agree with the sentiments in the thread that the best villains don’t see themselves as the villain
employed by a nation to try and create magic infused soldiers for an army (eldritch knights)
honestly I can’t think of anything else that doesn’t involve creating an army and I’m a little disappointed in my lack of creativity at the moment, lol.
I like a lot of the ideas here, I just wanted to point out that this is a pretty sweet deal for the wizard. What is he actually contributing to this endeavor? "Troll, old buddy, why don't you wait by the highway and when a wagon comes by, you attack it, right? And assuming you survive the attack, you schlep all the victims all the way back here to me alive, and in return, I'll let you keep all of the stuff that you put 100% of the effort into stealing." You see what I mean? If you were the troll, would you take that deal?
Now, we could just change that, and have the wizard paying these road agents for subjects, but let's play through it instead. What is the relationship between the wizard and his minions that they're essentially his servants? Let's answer that and see if the answer gives us a hint as to what he's after with these victims.
What if the trolls are actually running the show? What if they're forcing the wizard to conduct whatever program he's conducting for their ends?
You are dying and something they have - blood, brains, etc. can keep you alive for a little bit longer.
Better: Keeps someone you love alive for a bit longer. So they can see themselves as “good” in their own cracked way.
Yep, that's a good one. Make villains human, and the game increases in quality by 100%. I love the moments when my players discover that the villain is actually just a person who has little options left.
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In my Eberron campaign the villainous Lady Illmarrow is experimenting on elves to recreate her dragonmark and regain her powers.
Ooohhh.... Good one.
I love Lady Illmarrow. (In my campaign, she caused the Mourning to save the world)
Maybe she also wants to restore her dragonmark to help everyone, to abolish the corporate dragonmarked houses, and give everyone magical "tattoos" so everyone is special.
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Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
In my Eberron campaign the villainous Lady Illmarrow is experimenting on elves to recreate her dragonmark and regain her powers.
Ooohhh.... Good one.
I love Lady Illmarrow. (In my campaign, she caused the Mourning to save the world)
Maybe she also wants to restore her dragonmark to help everyone, to abolish the corporate dragonmarked houses, and give everyone magical "tattoos" so everyone is special.
“Because if everyone is special, no one is.”-Syndrome
In my Eberron campaign the villainous Lady Illmarrow is experimenting on elves to recreate her dragonmark and regain her powers.
Ooohhh.... Good one.
I love Lady Illmarrow. (In my campaign, she caused the Mourning to save the world)
Maybe she also wants to restore her dragonmark to help everyone, to abolish the corporate dragonmarked houses, and give everyone magical "tattoos" so everyone is special.
“Because if everyone is special, no one is.”-Syndrome
Exactly what I was going for.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
In my Eberron campaign the villainous Lady Illmarrow is experimenting on elves to recreate her dragonmark and regain her powers.
Ooohhh.... Good one.
I love Lady Illmarrow. (In my campaign, she caused the Mourning to save the world)
Maybe she also wants to restore her dragonmark to help everyone, to abolish the corporate dragonmarked houses, and give everyone magical "tattoos" so everyone is special.
“Because if everyone is special, no one is.”-Syndrome
Exactly what I was going for.
Except, hear me out, everyone is special but nobody is anymore special than anyone else. So isn’t that called “equality” in English?!? How is that villainous?
In my Eberron campaign the villainous Lady Illmarrow is experimenting on elves to recreate her dragonmark and regain her powers.
Ooohhh.... Good one.
I love Lady Illmarrow. (In my campaign, she caused the Mourning to save the world)
Maybe she also wants to restore her dragonmark to help everyone, to abolish the corporate dragonmarked houses, and give everyone magical "tattoos" so everyone is special.
“Because if everyone is special, no one is.”-Syndrome
Exactly what I was going for.
Except, hear me out, everyone is special but nobody is anymore special than anyone else. So isn’t that called “equality” in English?!? How is that villainous?
Exactly. Maybe it's not villainous. Maybe they really just want everyone to be equal, but have to use "questionable" experiments to do so. Or, maybe they just want to send the world to chaos by giving everyone power. It's the same as giving everyone in the world, no matter their age or mental health, a loaded bazooka with the safety off.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Just looking for some creative ideas as to what would drive a villain to conduct experiments on humanoids. I have an adventure I am planning where an 11th level Wizard holes up in a ruined castle and employs trolls and other creatures to attack wagons. The deal that the wizard has struck with the baddies is that they get to keep all of the loot, he just wants live subjects for his experiments. I really can't think of a reason he experiments on humanoids other than the old tired crazed wizard trope. Any ideas are appreciated.
Trying to learn how to sever a beings connection to the Weave? Perhaps such a process can produce power that he can harness to attain lichdom
I exist, and I guess so does this
He’s trying to Frankenstein a body for his beloved, who’s consciousness he keeps in a magic jar.
He’s on the verge of a medical breakthrough that could legitimately save hundreds of lives.
He’s recruiting team members for the evil wizard softball league. Let’s go Fireballs!
She’s not a villain. She’s trying to cure death. Isn’t that a noble cause? If a few hundred people have to die for her to do it, isn’t it worth it for the millions she’ll save? No one will ever have to die again if she could just finish her experiments. And look! Already progress... *gestures towards the beginnings of a zombie army*
He’s trying to break the ceiling that confines mortals to the pittance that is 9th-level spells. His experiments will finally break humanity free from the whims of divine beings. And there’s only a 67.2% chance that the experiments will crack the very fabric of reality itself, completely acceptable odds....
Soon... soon my beautiful masterpiece will be completed.... I just need a few more parts....
IMHO, villains are always creepier/better when that legitimately see themselves as the “white hats” of the story.
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Maybe they're testing out new spells or potions?
There is no dawn after eternal night.
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Maybe the trolls are altered humanoids that his experiments have created, and he's building an army to conquer the region of the world.
Maybe she is trying to find a way to reverse age, but these experiments are too risky to try on herself, so she kidnaps people and tries these spells and chemical formulae on these people. Unfortunately, they normally die or are mutated or become undead, but it's for a good cause. She, herself, is much too important to have these tested on, and no one has volunteered since the first incident regarding [insert important NPC name here] so she became a "villain" in order to try to find a way to stop people from aging.
Maybe they just really suck. Like, they're horrible, awful people. Like a serial killer. They just really like mutilating and torturing people with experiments. It's like a child pulling the legs off of ants. They're much inferior to this wizard, so it's okay if they do these things to them. (In their mind, anyway)
Rejected by society, wants revenge, plotting to brainwash people to overthrow/humiliate [Insert important NPC name here] without personally leaving their house.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
A great threat to the world is coming, probably from the Far Realms or some other place that's at best adjacent to reality. They're trying to perfect a weapon and/or army to fight this looming menace. Yeah, what they're doing is horrible and they'll be remembered as an absolute monster for generations to come, but at least those generations will exist to hate them.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
What if the troll attacks seem random but they are actually more targeted with random ones thrown in so people don’t suspect.
Then you could have a reason like the magician from the Witcher that hunted down the children born under a blood noon and prophecied to destroy the world, maybe it’s an area of dunamancy and they are trying to find the reincarnated soul of a lost love.
I agree with the sentiments in the thread that the best villains don’t see themselves as the villain
employed by a nation to try and create magic infused soldiers for an army (eldritch knights)
honestly I can’t think of anything else that doesn’t involve creating an army and I’m a little disappointed in my lack of creativity at the moment, lol.
I like a lot of the ideas here, I just wanted to point out that this is a pretty sweet deal for the wizard. What is he actually contributing to this endeavor? "Troll, old buddy, why don't you wait by the highway and when a wagon comes by, you attack it, right? And assuming you survive the attack, you schlep all the victims all the way back here to me alive, and in return, I'll let you keep all of the stuff that you put 100% of the effort into stealing." You see what I mean? If you were the troll, would you take that deal?
Now, we could just change that, and have the wizard paying these road agents for subjects, but let's play through it instead. What is the relationship between the wizard and his minions that they're essentially his servants? Let's answer that and see if the answer gives us a hint as to what he's after with these victims.
What if the trolls are actually running the show? What if they're forcing the wizard to conduct whatever program he's conducting for their ends?
Here are some reasons to experiment on humans:
Better: Keeps someone you love alive for a bit longer. So they can see themselves as “good” in their own cracked way.
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In my Eberron campaign the villainous Lady Illmarrow is experimenting on elves to recreate her dragonmark and regain her powers.
Ooohhh.... Good one.
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Yep, that's a good one. Make villains human, and the game increases in quality by 100%. I love the moments when my players discover that the villain is actually just a person who has little options left.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
I love Lady Illmarrow. (In my campaign, she caused the Mourning to save the world)
Maybe she also wants to restore her dragonmark to help everyone, to abolish the corporate dragonmarked houses, and give everyone magical "tattoos" so everyone is special.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
“Because if everyone is special, no one is.”-Syndrome
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Exactly what I was going for.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
Except, hear me out, everyone is special but nobody is anymore special than anyone else. So isn’t that called “equality” in English?!? How is that villainous?
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Exactly. Maybe it's not villainous. Maybe they really just want everyone to be equal, but have to use "questionable" experiments to do so. Or, maybe they just want to send the world to chaos by giving everyone power. It's the same as giving everyone in the world, no matter their age or mental health, a loaded bazooka with the safety off.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms