1001 Villain Concepts [Archive] - Wizards Community

1001 Villain Concepts [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
LordYawgmoth
02-07-08, 11:13 AM Similar to the "your favorite villains/evil dudes" thread, this thread will be a repository for all things villain-y. (hopefully)

Just remember to include two of the most important characteristics of a villain: Motives and Methods. Why they are doing it/What it is they want and How they will accomplish their goals.

Here are a few examples:

1. A cleric of a good-ish god has fought evil all his life, in all of its forms. He's a little bitter, a little shadowed by his past, but he somehow manages to keep fighting. But one day, when he is being pursued by a powerful demon that has a vendetta against him, he hides in an orphanage or some other holy/good-ish place filled with people that are completely innocent. The demon somehow manages to locate him, and paralyzes the cleric with a spell before forcing him to watch the evisceration of all of the innocents/orphans. The demon says that it's the cleric's fault, that they died because of him. Wracked with grief and moral self-doubt, the cleric truly believes that it IS his fault, and that he, in a way, has become a servant of darkness. He resigns himself to his fate, and joins the forces of evil, believing that there really is no hope. He's terribly conflicted; on one hand, he thinks that evil is the only path left to him, on the other, he's extremely upset and sorrowful over his "necessary" decision. A very torn villain, indeed.

2. A half-fiend/tiefling has been hunted down her whole life- she's been almost burned at the stake as a witch, hunted by self-righteous paladins, and all because she is part demon. This tiefling is sort of good; she may be a mercenary, but she never harms the innocent, and she will go out of her way to help the innocent if the reward outweighs the risk. And yet, she's still bitter, because after helping these 'peasants', she cautiously drops her magical disguise, only to be faced with a mob of ungrateful, angry commoners wielding pitchforks and torches. No matter what she does, she can't escape her heritage. She has horrific nightmares involving a pit of lava, demons chasing her, and an overwhelming sense of inevitability. She doesn't want to embrace her dark heritage, because she's afraid of what she might become. Eventually a group of paladins finally corner her and nearly kill her, and she gives in to her dark impulses, slaughtering them all. She vows that everyone that has snubbed her, everyone that was prejudiced against her, everyone that hated her will pay with their lives. She embraces her demonic lineage, and starts off on her path towards the Dark Side, so to speak.

The first example is a torn cleric who half-"wants to", half-"doesn't want to" fight for evil, but a small voice in his consciousness whispers that his deity betrayed him, that the innocent will die anyway, and that the fight against evil is entirely futile. This villain would also be an excellent candidate for Multiple Personality Disorder or some form of schizophrenia (I hope I spelled that right) or possession by some evil entity.

The second is a tiefling that has been branded as a "witch" and an "evil demon" by the very villagers she helped save, and self-righteous do-gooders keep attacking her for crimes she hasn't committed. One day, she finally snaps, and in a sense, fulfills the prophecy that the "do-gooders" made. This is a good example of how Good sometimes can create its own enemies.

But I digress. Post whatever villain concepts come to mind; the more posts, the better. So go ahead, post away! :P
Prime32
02-07-08, 05:45 PM They sound like a Necessarily Evil (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NecessarilyEvil) Nietzsche Wannabe (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NietzscheWannabe) and a Fallen Hero (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FallenHero) In The Blood (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InTheBlood). Take a look through the Villain Tropes on the TV Tropes Wiki, pick two at random and combine them, even if they don't seem to make sense. You can get some interesting characters that way.
Sudnji_cas
02-08-08, 10:51 AM Man, I love that site!
Rania
02-08-08, 11:53 AM That second one reminds me of the X-Men; or maybe I should say, some of the villain mutants in those series-es.
Prime32
02-08-08, 03:17 PM That second one reminds me of the X-Men; or maybe I should say, some of the villain mutants in those series-es.
Mystique in particular
http://image.comicvine.com/uploads/item/2000/1469/95371-mystique_150.jpg
SeptimusMagistos
02-08-08, 05:28 PM Smart evil Overlord

This is an evil overlord who reads the Evil Overlord tips every night before bed. He only hires henchmen who are competent. When he makes up a plan, he waits for a few weeks, then looks at it again to check if it still sounds like a good idea. Instead of starting a war when he gets one superweapon, he waits until several more copies are done. Such a villain would be nearly unstoppable for the simple reason that he would organize his plans in such a way that they'd simply be beyond the heroes' capabilities to stop.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
LordYawgmoth 02-07-08, 11:13 AM	Similar to the "your favorite villains/evil dudes" thread, this thread will be a repository for all things villain-y. (hopefully) Just remember to include two of the most important characteristics of a villain: Motives and Methods. Why they are doing it/What it is they want and How they will accomplish their goals. Here are a few examples: 1. A cleric of a good-ish god has fought evil all his life, in all of its forms. He's a little bitter, a little shadowed by his past, but he somehow manages to keep fighting. But one day, when he is being pursued by a powerful demon that has a vendetta against him, he hides in an orphanage or some other holy/good-ish place filled with people that are completely innocent. The demon somehow manages to locate him, and paralyzes the cleric with a spell before forcing him to watch the evisceration of all of the innocents/orphans. The demon says that it's the cleric's fault, that they died because of him. Wracked with grief and moral self-doubt, the cleric truly believes that it IS his fault, and that he, in a way, has become a servant of darkness. He resigns himself to his fate, and joins the forces of evil, believing that there really is no hope. He's terribly conflicted; on one hand, he thinks that evil is the only path left to him, on the other, he's extremely upset and sorrowful over his "necessary" decision. A very torn villain, indeed. 2. A half-fiend/tiefling has been hunted down her whole life- she's been almost burned at the stake as a witch, hunted by self-righteous paladins, and all because she is part demon. This tiefling is sort of good; she may be a mercenary, but she never harms the innocent, and she will go out of her way to help the innocent if the reward outweighs the risk. And yet, she's still bitter, because after helping these 'peasants', she cautiously drops her magical disguise, only to be faced with a mob of ungrateful, angry commoners wielding pitchforks and torches. No matter what she does, she can't escape her heritage. She has horrific nightmares involving a pit of lava, demons chasing her, and an overwhelming sense of inevitability. She doesn't want to embrace her dark heritage, because she's afraid of what she might become. Eventually a group of paladins finally corner her and nearly kill her, and she gives in to her dark impulses, slaughtering them all. She vows that everyone that has snubbed her, everyone that was prejudiced against her, everyone that hated her will pay with their lives. She embraces her demonic lineage, and starts off on her path towards the Dark Side, so to speak. The first example is a torn cleric who half-"wants to", half-"doesn't want to" fight for evil, but a small voice in his consciousness whispers that his deity betrayed him, that the innocent will die anyway, and that the fight against evil is entirely futile. This villain would also be an excellent candidate for Multiple Personality Disorder or some form of schizophrenia (I hope I spelled that right) or possession by some evil entity. The second is a tiefling that has been branded as a "witch" and an "evil demon" by the very villagers she helped save, and self-righteous do-gooders keep attacking her for crimes she hasn't committed. One day, she finally snaps, and in a sense, fulfills the prophecy that the "do-gooders" made. This is a good example of how Good sometimes can create its own enemies. But I digress. Post whatever villain concepts come to mind; the more posts, the better. So go ahead, post away! :P
Prime32 02-07-08, 05:45 PM	They sound like a Necessarily Evil (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NecessarilyEvil) Nietzsche Wannabe (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NietzscheWannabe) and a Fallen Hero (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FallenHero) In The Blood (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InTheBlood). Take a look through the Villain Tropes on the TV Tropes Wiki, pick two at random and combine them, even if they don't seem to make sense. You can get some interesting characters that way.
Sudnji_cas 02-08-08, 10:51 AM	Man, I love that site!
Rania 02-08-08, 11:53 AM	That second one reminds me of the X-Men; or maybe I should say, some of the villain mutants in those series-es.
Prime32 02-08-08, 03:17 PM	That second one reminds me of the X-Men; or maybe I should say, some of the villain mutants in those series-es. Mystique in particular http://image.comicvine.com/uploads/item/2000/1469/95371-mystique_150.jpg
SeptimusMagistos 02-08-08, 05:28 PM	Smart evil Overlord This is an evil overlord who reads the Evil Overlord tips every night before bed. He only hires henchmen who are competent. When he makes up a plan, he waits for a few weeks, then looks at it again to check if it still sounds like a good idea. Instead of starting a war when he gets one superweapon, he waits until several more copies are done. Such a villain would be nearly unstoppable for the simple reason that he would organize his plans in such a way that they'd simply be beyond the heroes' capabilities to stop.