Creating A Villain

[SCARLETTHORN]

Greetings all,

I found the following article and thought I would share it with everyone.


Speculative Fiction is a genre full of villains, from the truly evil ones like The Big Bad Wolf or Tolkein's Dark Lord, through the deranged ones like Misery's Annie Wilkes or Batman's Harley Quinn, to the tragic ones like Darth Vader or Magneto.
In this article I'll attempt to review a few points and tips that should be taken into consideration when creating such an antagonist for an ongoing campaign, an antagonist that would be a little more interesting than a bored dragon lying on his pile of gold, waiting for a group of hardy adventurers to come and turn him into an impressive collection of breast plates.

Like any other issue to be addressed in roleplaying, or at all, for that matter, before asking yourself "how?", you must first ask yourself "what?". Before we start designing our villain, we must first define what exactly we are attempting to create. Is he going to be an ongoing villain, forever lurking in the shadows of our campaign, or just a local antagonist for a single scenario? The villain's powers and motives, his interaction with the characters and the influence he'll have on them and the rest of the campaign will all derive from the answer to this simple question.

Once we've understood the role we want our villain to take, we can move on to creating the villain himself. The first question we should ask ourselves is why he's doing what he's doing, or in other words, what is his motive. Only a handful of villains are truly evil, and they can usually be found only in one of two genres - epic fantasy and horror. Most villains of most campaigns will be driven be much more earthly motives, such as an unquenchable thirst for riches or power (and a complete disregard to the welfare of those who stand in their way), revenge or even an ideological or political agenda which places the characters on the wrong side.

Another issue directly connected to the two previous ones is the relationship between the villain to the characters. Generally speaking, all villains can be roughly divided into two categories - those related to the characters' past, and those who aren't.
The first type of villain is the classic comic-book villain, the villain whose entire existence as a villain, or perhaps even whose entire existence is focused on the characters and on taking his vengeance on them and undoing their efforts. There's nothing wrong with creating such a villain, but in doing so, be careful to avoid the two classical mistakes of over-focusing on one character and of over-using the related villain motif. The first mistake is creating a villain opposing a single character, for a specific reason concerning that character alone, and not the other members of the group. It is possible to create such a villain, but be careful not to draw the campaign's focus to a certain character and not to steal the other characters' spotlight. The second mistake is self explanatory. There's nothing wrong with creating a villain who embarked on his evil career after a past confrontation with the characters, but if every kid who lost a tic-tac-toe game to one of the characters when he was in third grade will later return as a powerful villain - you're doing something wrong.
The other type of villain is the distant and faceless villain, existing only to serve his own cause. He isn't interested in the characters and does not actively seek to defeat or harm them - he simply wants to get them out of his way so they stop interfering in his plans. Or, as General Bison, a mediocre villain in a mediocre movie, once put it: "For you, the day Bison graced your village was the most important day of your life. But for me... it was Tuesday".

Another issue to address is the villain's powers. In order for our villain to be interesting, he must be able to defeat the characters. In other words, for a villain to be interesting, he must have some distinct advantage over the characters. But before you open your Dungeon Muster's Guide or Keeper's Companion and start searching it for interesting spells, formidable magic items and witty catch-phrases, stop and think. Any major villain will physically confront the characters only when all other options are exhausted, usually at the end of a lengthily campaign.
A real villain will lurk in the shadows and attempt to harm the characters in a variety of indirect methods - from various spells and curses that will make the character grow a rat's tail or develop an acute allergy to carrot juice to dirty politics that could cause the characters an insurmountable amount of trouble, from harassment by various law-enforcement agencies, through shop owners refusing to do business with the characters to closing down the characters' favorite tavern. Use your imagination and try to think of different and unique ways to empower your villain. Like any other subject in roleplaying games, there are no "rights" or "wrongs" here - even a close friendship with one of the characters' romantic interest could be considered as an advantage the villain has over that character.

One last issue to think about is the way you use the villain. If every scenario would start with the villain attempting to destroy the characters and would end with the characters defeating the villain, you're well on the way to a glorious yawn-fest. To ensure that your villain remains effective, he must be allowed to hurt the characters in a manner that is noticeable, but not fatal. Destroying valuable equipment, impairing abilities or abducting friends and allies are all great ways to remind the characters that the villain is still there, lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike. And of course, not every scenario needs to revolve around that villain. Even the most vicious villains are allowed to sit out a scenario or two, just to return to the hassle the characters at the least convenient time.


This article first appeared in issue #23 of The Orc.

[vendalus]

Interesting article. Do you know who wrote it?

[SCARLETTHORN]

Not for sure, Vendalus, it is quite an old article. It appears in the Orc Magazine that I would guess if I were a betting man ... is circa 1980something.

It is quite a refreshing article on the perspective of NPC placement. I would concur with most of the author's content.

You know, now that I rethink it ... the quoter is using more new age references to an older article. I think the article itself is old school and the person quoting it is using things from today to reference back to this great passage.

Infernally yours,

SCARLETTHORN ...

[nevaeh.aaric]

he heart of your alter ego! Archetypes determine the nature of your powers, granting you access to a specific Primary Power Set.It is also the single most important choice you will make in your character creation.Each archetype has its own unique powers, abilities, and pros and cons; choose wisely, as this choice is permanent. Power Pools are powers that are accessible at Security Level 6, and ALL archetypes have access to them.Learn more about the five available Villain Archetypes.
Step 2: Select an OriginAn Origin ultimately determines what types of enhancements your villain has access to.Origins do not impact your character's power levels or abilities. It just adds a bit of flavor to your character, since it determines what grants him the diabolical powers with which to wreak havoc upon an unsuspecting world.SciencThe villain received his powers through direct scientific inquiry or was perhaps subjected to a bath in toxic waste, solar radiation, or the sting of a not-quite normal insect. In any event, the villain only needs to know that the wonders of science had some hand in granting him his greater-than-human abilities. Mutants were born with their powers and manifested them at some point in their early lives; however, some do not show signs of their special abilities until later. For many, the awakening of special powers is what drives them to a life of crime. After all, you are special and must therefore take what you wish from those less worthy.Perhaps you once explored the depths of an ancient pyramid and escaped with a magical ankh that granted you abilities beyond the ken of mortal men. Or maybe you spent much of your time pouring over the arcane scrawling contained in mystical tomes and consequently gained some modicum of control over supernatural forces.
Technology
Your abilities derive from all the wondrous toys you've cobbled together or "borrowed" from a benefactor. Thanks to these gadgets, you can manage all sorts of illicit activity while thumbing your nose at those less ingenious or less handy with a lock pick.
Natural
Unlike the other Origins, you do not derive your abilities from any sort of cosmic ray, magical object, or other esoteric means. No, you came by your powers the good old fashioned way: through hard work and determination—hard work and determination that you take out of the hides (and wallets) of others.
Step 3: Select Power Sets and Starting Powers
At this point, the real fun starts as you select a Primary Power Set (the number of sets varies according to archetype) and your first power.
After that, you choose a Secondary Power Set and a second power, which complements your first power.
A Power Set is a group of nine related powers. You begin with the powers at the list's top and gain additional powers as you progress through the game. Your level in the game determines which powers you have access to.
Therefore, you won't have access to the more complex ones till much later in your adventures.Initially, you get to choose from the top two powers in the primary set and the top power in the secondary set.The Primary Power Set is the basis for all the powers you wield throughout the course of the game; this is the second most important choice you make when creating an alter ego (you can't access the other Power Sets after you accept one here, so choose wisely).Important note: The powers you begin with at earlier levels do not become useless as your character grows. In fact, they grow in power with you, and, with the addition of enhancements, they'll be useful throughout the entire crime spree.Step 4: Select Gender and BuildThe next sequence in character creation involves selecting one of three body types: Female, Male, and Huge. These have no bearing on your play style or powers but add another layer of intrigue to your alter ego's personality.After you choose a body type, use the various Build sliders to adjust your character's level of height and musculature (or lack thereof) via the various body styles: Slim, Average, Athletic, or Heavy. These body styles serve as presets that you can work from.Again, this has no impact on how your alter ego plays, so go with what looks best to you.Step 5: Selecting a CostumeTo coordinate your costume easily, use the Copy Current Colors button. This makes your entire costume conform to the two colors currently selected. If you want to color each piece of your outfit differently, make sure this option isn't selected.Now just work your way down, styling the head (choose from a wide variety of hairstyles, masks, helmets, glasses, and more), the upper body (torso, gloves, and belt), and the lower body (trunk and boots).The Costume Design screen allows you to rotate the figure by clicking on the curved arrows; you can also zoom in on your hero's head and torso for a closer look. You can further define the head's shape on this screen.After selecting a head type, you can use the Shape selector to adjust head's shape.Fine-tune your chosen shape by selecting the Scales button in the left column. This further defines the features of your character's head. You can modify each component of the head by using the sliders here. The left slider adjusts the component's width, the middle slider adjusts the height, and the right slider adjusts the depth.You’ll gain all new Costume options in the form of Capes at level 20 and Auras at level 30. To secure these newer accouterments, you’ll need to visit Kalinda, who is your very first contact when arriving on Mercy Island.Step 6: Choose a NameThis is the final step before you enter the City of Villains. Select a suitable moniker and include any additional details you'd like the world to know about you. You can also enter a unique battle cry for those moments when you're feeling especially villainous.