Embracing Villainy: How to Play an Evil Character in Dungeons & Dragons

Tags player tips author-alyssa-visscher

Most of us are familiar with the character archetypes of hero and villain. The hero pulls off epic feats of bravery, selflessly pursuing justice for the greater good. The villain is the adversary, the obstacle to be overcome. They are often defined by selfishness, arrogance, and a complete disregard for the well-being of others. We may not want to play the squeaky-clean hero, but we also need to leave the outright villainy to the Big Bad. So, how can we create and play evil characters that can be played alongside heroic ones?

In this article, we will discuss ways to create and play an evil character that successfully skirts the line between hero and villain:

How to Create an Evil Character Your Friends Will Love

A mage raises a group of zombies as commoners flee

The most important aspect of creating an evil character is building common ground with the rest of the party. After all, a selfish character committing detestable deeds presents quite the problem for a party of do-gooders. If the characters have nothing in common, then why are they adventuring together? This is the most pressing issue many groups experience when someone plays an evil character, and why Dungeon Masters commonly ban them.

Evil characters are often created without a reason for being a member of an adventuring party. As a result, the other characters have no incentive for traveling alongside them. Without a shared goal, the good characters are likely to dump the troublemaker at their first chance because of the nuisance and danger they present to the group.

However, evil characters don’t have to rival the menace of the adventure's actual villain. There are two other archetypes available to us to base morally ambiguous characters on: the anti-hero, and the anti-villain.

Anti-Hero and Anti-Villain

The anti-hero is similar to the hero, but instead of selflessly fighting on the side of good, their motives are questionable, often based on self-interest. They do the right things, but for the wrong reasons. The anti-villain, on the other hand, is similar to a villain, but their evil actions are guided by more noble motives. They share the altruistic goal of heroes but can differ on the types of actions they are willing to take in order to reach it.

The anti-hero and anti-villain archetypes are useful reference points when building an evil character. They ride the line between hero and villain because they have a touchstone of common ground with good characters, either in their selfless motives or their moral actions.

The Anti-Hero Archetype: Doing the Right Thing for the Wrong Reasons

A lich in robes and jewelry holds a leather tome

The anti-hero character often appears to be just another member of the party, their actions brave and good. Their motives, however, are another story entirely. A well-known example is the rogue who cares little about the lives they might save, because they are only in it for the money. They might delve into a dungeon, but where their fellow party members want to rescue villagers, the anti-hero just wants to get their hands on the powerful artifact held by their captors. Sure, they may do dangerous acts requiring stunning courage, but when push comes to shove, they won't go the extra mile unless it benefits their ulterior motive in some way. They do the right things, just for the wrong reasons.

To create an anti-hero, follow the these steps, considering what selfish motivation drives their otherwise good actions:

1. The Wrong Reasons: We begin by writing a compelling evil motive. As with the anti-villain, we can start with the ideals and bonds suggested in backgrounds, leaning toward evil and chaotic alignments. Greed and power as basic evil driving forces are common tropes that are easy to play out at the table. For a more complex motive and goal, the villainous scheme table in the Dungeon Master's Guide is an excellent resource. Perhaps they are driven by a fear of death and a need for immortality. Or they may be in the service of an evil deity, trying to fulfill a dangerous prophecy.

2. The Right Actions: Once we have a basic motive, we can flesh it out by listing neutral or good actions the character may take in pursuit of this goal. The important thing to keep in mind is ensuring commonality and a bond with the rest of the party members. Perhaps the character will brave the terrifying dungeon alongside everyone else but only do so in order to search for lost lore or powerful artifacts. Or they'll put their life at risk to save an NPC simply to gain access to their connections. For the anti-hero, they may put themselves in the line of fire for the sake of their own party members, but only because this group of people offers a chance at helping them succeed in their own goals.

The Anti-Villain Archetype: Doing Evil for the Greater Good

A kobold surrounded by flames holds up a spear as a red dragon flies behind themThe anti-villain character has honorable motives but is willing to push into questionable moral territory. Before you go off thinking your character can needlessly cleave through throngs of innocent townspeople, that isn't the character type we are talking about here. The anti-villain is driven by a high sense of morality, truly believing their actions are for the greater good. They don’t commit atrocities simply because it’s convenient, and most of the time, their actions align with those of the rest of the party. However, when there’s no other way to obtain their goal, the anti-villain is willing to get their hands a little more dirty than the others. When push comes to shove, the anti-villain may be willing to sacrifice an innocent life, claiming that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

To create an anti-villain, follow these steps, considering what "greater good" drives them to unethical actions:

1. The Right Reason: Creating an anti-villain starts with describing their good moral values: What exactly does this character want, and for what honorable reason? The good and lawful ideals and bonds suggested in backgrounds are an excellent place to start. Many of the chaotic and neutral ideals can serve as a good moral motivation when paired with a noble bond. For some extra oomph, look to pair your ideal and bond with a villainous scheme.

For example, a character that values freedom might pursue influence or power, doing whatever is necessary to regain their family’s noble title. They may pursue this goal so that they can help free others. Whatever greater good your character believes in, this driving force is the glue that connects the anti-villain to the rest of the party, so it needs to be specific and strong.

2. The Wrong Actions: Once we have a strong motive, we begin listing specific actions the character might take in order to achieve their goal. What ethical dilemmas are non-problems for them? What moral boundaries and lines might they cross? Just how far will they go in pursuit of their upright goal?

When playing this archetype as a player, it's important to remember that not only does the character need to have a reason for working alongside the group, the group must have a reason for working with the character. The anti-villain will agree with the vast majority of the actions and plans of the group. However, in select situations, they will be willing to diverge from the party’s generally good actions, and push farther into morally questionable territory.

Playing an Evil Character While Respecting Other Players

A mage in a red beret and robes conjures fireAn evil character traveling with a group of heroic do-gooders is going to cause tension within the party, especially in those situations when the character’s actions or desires conflict with that of the others. Not all conflict is bad, however.

The pattern of tension and resolution is the very thing that makes up so many different kinds of stories. "Can the heroes rescue the village from the pillaging bandits?" is a tension. When the village is saved, or has been plundered, that question is resolved. Evil characters present an opportunity for more of the campaign’s narrative tension to come from within the party dynamics: Will the party kill the bandits to save the village or simply seek to chase them off? Sometimes the story is less about bringing a villain to justice, and more about exploring what the concept of justice looks like from different perspectives.

Making Peace With Tension

Players should ensure that tension can and is being resolved, rather than playing a character that is so evil all the time that they are always in conflict with others. This is where the hard work done in our character building really shines, because we’ve defined the areas we have in common with the rest of the party and we have the information we need when negotiating in tense situations.

Our anti-villain draws on their pure motive and our anti-hero draws on their willingness to do the right things. It is the player’s responsibility to ensure their evil character is prepared to negotiate and compromise as needed, resolving the tension periodically and ultimately remaining a good member of the party.

It's What My Character Would Do

Evil characters must be played with deep care and with careful consideration for your fellow players. Playing a character that steals party gold, hoards all the magic items, or stabs another character in the back rarely makes a good play experience for everyone. Doing awful things in-game that ruin the fun for the rest of the group cannot be justified with the excuse of "It’s what my character would do." If a player expresses discomfort with a scene or a situation, don’t argue with them. Playing an evil character does not allow you to cross the lines of your fellow players.

Further, playing a character that often goes against the party is going to struggle to accomplish any of their goals. If your character seeks to be rich, pickpocketing your fellow adventurers is short-sighted and could lead them to lose future work as an adventurer. Instead, they could protect the party knowing full well that the more successful the group is on their quests, the more likely they'll snag higher-paying jobs.

Creating a Safe Space as the Dungeon Master

A safe roleplaying space doesn’t happen on its own. It has to be created with intention. A session zero is a great tool to establish boundaries as a group. You should revisit those boundaries periodically and utilize tools that make it easy for players to easily communicate if something goes too far. Be proactive, too. When there is a tense situation unfolding at the table, it’s a good idea to pause and ask if everyone is feeling okay with the conflict.

Separating the Friendly Player From Their Evil Character

It's important that all the players are on board with having an evil character within the party and are able to separate the tense relationship between the characters from the friendly relationships between the players. When the emotional state of the characters negatively affects those of the players out of the game, it is sometimes called "bleed." It is normal and healthy for players to have some sort of emotional reaction to the actions within the game, but when they go too far, tensions can erupt. Take a short break after particularly tense scenes, check in with everyone, and maybe have a laugh together. Sometimes, I will crack an out-of-game joke in the middle of a particularly tense scene. It’s a small thing that helps us separate the character’s stress from what we are feeling as players. Separating the characters from the players is the responsibility of everyone at the table.

Final Thoughts

Playing evil characters brings a different complexity to the game’s dynamics, but it doesn’t have to be problematic. Create an evil character who has deep ethical commonalities with the other characters, either by way of motivations or the actions they choose to take. Ensure your anti-hero or anti-villain has a good reason to be with the party, and vice versa. Maintain the group bonds by focusing on that commonality, utilizing it in times of tension. Always remember that being an evil character comes with the responsibility of remaining a good player.

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Alyssa (@alyssavisscher) frequently rambles on Twitter about D&D. She especially enjoys analyzing its overall structure from a newbie perspective, bringing larger concepts to small, bite-sized pieces. She’s a parent of four, neurodivergent, disabled, and is impressively terrible at small talk.

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