Darth Vader. Sauron. The Joker. Hans Gruber. These infamous villains captivate us because they're more than just obstacles; they have motivations, presence, and a unique flair that sets them apart. Whether you use one of the ferocious foes found in the new Monster Manual or a creature of your own creation, the right villain can help your good story become legendary.

If you're looking for tips on making the villain of your party's nightmares, keep reading–because in this article, we're talking bad guys in D&D.

• What Are Villains?
• What Came First, the Conflict or the Villain?
• Choosing Your Villainous Archetype
• Tropes of Memorable Villains

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Dive straight into the action with stat blocks from the new Monster Manual, a full map of the fortress defense zones, details on siege weapons, and pre-generated character sheets!

What Are Villains?

Artist: Viko Menezes

Every story has a conflict, and the source of this conflict can vary depending on the story you're trying to tell. Typically, conflict arises because of the party's clashing goals with an antagonistic force—but not all antagonistic forces are villains. So, what sets a villain apart that makes them truly memorable for your party to contend with?

Villains Are Unethical. Villains are characters who stand in direct opposition to the character's goal. While an antagonist simply creates conflict, a villain takes this a step further by embodying malicious intent, unethical means, and a willingness to harm or destroy to achieve their goals.

Villains Can Take Many Forms. A D&D campaign can have a single villain, multiple villains, or a villainous organization that stokes the story's conflict. It could also have no villains at all, instead focusing on an impending disaster or disagreement between factions to create conflict.

Villains Can Vary. Depending on the type of campaign you run, you may choose to have a new villain who is defeated every session or have connected arcs where villains make multiple appearances. You could even have a pyramid of villains, where the party encounters connected villains until they reach the true mastermind behind the campaign's conflict.

The Vast Expanse of Villainous Possibilities

A villain can be anyone or anything as long as they have malicious intent and collide with the party's goals. Perhaps your villain is a commoner who rose through the ranks of a kingdom, amassed a following, and is now attempting to overthrow the reigning royal family. Or, maybe your villain is an eldritch horror from the Far Realm who seeks to assimilate the Material Plane and has no concern for the petty needs of mortals.

The examples below are villains that may be used in various fantasy genres, especially ones that center around a single villainous entity. This entity could be acting alone, but most villains retain a retinue of henchmen that the party will encounter leading up to their confrontation with the main villain:

D&D Genres and Their Potential Villains

What Came First, the Conflict or the Villain?

Artist: Kieran Yanner

When creating a campaign that features a villain, it's important to consider how the villain fits into the broader narrative of your campaign.

The key is to ensure that the villain and the conflict are intertwined. The villain's goals should directly oppose the party's efforts to resolve the conflict, thereby creating tension. Whether the villain is the architect of the conflict or a product of it, their presence should loom large in the story.

Starting with the Villain

Some stories begin with the villain—their schemes and ambitions create a ripple effect that draws the party into conflict. In this case, the villain's goals define the stakes and drive the plot forward.

Villainous Ritual. An archlich attempts to perform a ritual that will unravel the fabric of the multiverse.

This gives the party a clear objective: Stop the ritual the villain is planning, or else everything you've ever known will cease to exist.

Starting with the Conflict

Other campaigns might start with the conflict itself. Taking inspiration from the Flavors of Fantasy section of chapter 5 in the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide:

Fungal Plague. To protect a primeval forest from the encroachment of hunters and settlers, druids unleash a fungal plague that quickly gets out of hand.

No one in this conflict is the villain yet. The hunters and settlers were acting for their own survival, and so were the druids. But, if a leader of the druids emerges as a tyrannical idealist who wants the fungal plague to continue to spread, you've now got your villain.

Choosing Your Villainous Archetype

Artist: Dario Jelusic

There's no one-size-fits-all villain, and the type of villain you choose can vary based on what you want their role to be. Below are some homebrewed villainous archetypes that represent certain types of villains and their goals. While certainly not an exhaustive list, it's offered to help stir up some inspiration when creating your villain:

Villainous Archetypes

Mix and Match Your Maliciousness

To broaden your pool of potential villain ideas, try combining the above archetypes into a unique idea. Maybe the Titan is also an Idealist and thinks that the Material Plane is on the brink of collapse, so it attempts to bring balance by erasing half its population!

Tropes of Memorable Villains

Artist: Chris Rallis

There are as many great villains as there are great stories. While this can make it hard to create a villainous concept that has never been conceived before, it allows us to reuse what has worked to create villains who have resonated with audiences throughout history.

Below are some homebrewed tropes of memorable villains that you can provide your campaign's antagonist:

Villainous Tropes

Twisting Tropes to Surprise Players

An easy way to make a unique villain and catch your players by surprise is to take one of these tropes and twist it. A villain who has been revealed to be the parent of one of the characters could be a Doppelganger or using illusion magic to trick the party.

Seeing a familiar trope may lull players into a false sense of security, allowing you to create even more memorable moments when the real twist is revealed.

Enjoy Your Insidious Inspiration

Villains are just as important as heroes to a good story. Whether you want the villain of your adventure to be an unstoppable, terrifying force or a relatable, charismatic idealist, the key is crafting a character whose actions drive the conflict and challenge your heroes in unexpected ways.

Hopefully, the tips and tables in this article have ignited that villainous spark within you so you can get into the mindset of your adventure's antagonistic architect!

Mike Bernier (@arcane_eye) is the founder of Arcane Eye, a site focused on providing useful tips and tricks to all those involved in the world of D&D. Outside of writing for Arcane Eye, Mike spends most of his time playing games, hiking with his partner, and tending the veritable jungle of houseplants that have invaded his house.