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Coming up with quirky villians

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
adrum
Apr 28, 2010 23:05:56 My campaign has recently been switched to evil. I don't think I can allow my players to be good after they decided to destroy an entire dwarven settlement just because a gaurd asked them to show some papers.

I had a talk with them about being evil, and what kind of dastardly things they'd like to do. One of my players brought up the t.v. show "The Venture Brothers". In the show most of the villains are lead by the Guild of Calamitous Intent, the guild's motto is "Hate you can trust". They are basically a marketed version of old evil geniuses, henchmen, funny costumes, sharks with frikkin laser beams on their heads. The villains aren't necessarily evil, it's just their jobs to do evil things, no one's life is at stake, it's like a cat toying around with a mouse.

The players will be entering the Guild as henchmen for Grigory Raskin, an evil wizard who has the ability to enter the dreams of anyone who has pure hate in their hearts, they are members of his "dream team". Over time they will be able to become arch villains themselves (paragon tier), and eventually become one of the devious 12 (epic tier, these guys are basically the founders and leaders of the guild). All of this moving up should be done by devious acts of treachery. The guild is going to have ties all over the world. So they can basically head wherever the heck they want to.

Right now I'm attempting to think of fun ways to work in evil genius like things into the campaign, I want over the top evil stuff going on for sheer comedy. Other arch villains would be cool, as would be over the top super heroic personallitys, or international man of mystery type people.
#2
skibo_the_first
Apr 29, 2010 0:17:47
Sounds like a good idea. There are alot of fun places you could go with this.

The easiest way to do comedy is to take something and exagerate it to the extreme. Figure out what archetypes you want to use, and build city states, and countries ruled by them.
#3
ErikSilverblade
Apr 30, 2010 9:42:42 The first thing I think of when I read this is Foxbat, from Champions (online). He uses like a ping-pong ball gun. So, run with that. Make bad guys that use obscure weapons or have rediculous powers. Like on mystery men one of the characters can only go invisible when no ones looking. Absurd I know. You can have a guy with crazy pet sheep that he straps explosives to. Make heros just as silly. Go crazy.

Also make them fight for silly reasons. Like in Venture Bros. the Monarch hates Dr. Venture just because he is his nemesis (by choice?). Then you see the episode where hes having a yard sale and all the Villians are buying his stuff on his lawn.
#4
archaeologist
May 01, 2010 3:40:20 Being Evil is tough, because ultimately when you win, bad things happen. Villains NEED Heroes to constantly reset the Dominos that they keep knocking over. But there's no reason you couldn't take this to a fun but reasonable conclusion. Let the "Heroes" fight ridiculous characters. As it was said so very eloquently before, Figure out what archetypes you want to use, and build city states, and countries ruled by them.

So they're part of the Dream Team? What if they did battle with a Wizard who wanted to stop people from dreaming, in order to keep children from having Nightmares, and to stop people from feeling depressed because they can't live up to their dreams? On the bright side the Players "saved" the day and people can dream once more. On the downside, all of the pent up Nightmares flood back to the Children all at once that night, terrorizing them to the point of trauma.

Evil Campaigns seem to function at their best when the PC's aren't necessarily being "evil", so much as hilarious amoral and unaligned. It lets the adventure flow more natually, without making them think "so we're evil? Better do evil things *kills random person*" and lets them sort of come to terms with their callous nature.

In the words of the great Captain Malcom Reynolds.
Mal: It would be humiliating, having to lie there while the better man refuses to spill your blood. Mercy is the mark of a great man.
[He lightly stabs Atherton.]
Mal: Guess I'm just a good man.
[He repeats the poking.]
Mal: Well, I'm all right.
#5
Thangor
May 02, 2010 20:31:44 Look to goofy superhero stuff, like the Tick, Earthworm Jim, 80's Mighty Mouse. All those shows had ridiculous over-the-top villains. Read Amazing Screw-on head!
#6
orsini
May 02, 2010 22:18:23 Somewhat off topic, but just once I'd like to read about someone whose "Evil PC" group has just been forced to change their alignments to unaligned or even good because they finally found something too rotten even for them to do. If Good PCs are constantly at risk of losing their alignment because of their behavior, Evil types should constantly be tested by opportunities to become even more awful people, and tarnish their reputations if/when they balk. Sooner or later most players will balk, and that's when their evil god/patron/guildmaster steps in and declares them soft, or traitors, or otherwise personas non grata in Eviltown.

The ones who won't balk should be watched carefully, and discouraged from operating small isolated hotels in the middle of nowhere.

The Good Turns Evil thing has been done to death - where's the other side of the cliche?
#7
meegz
May 03, 2010 0:40:39 I think the Venture Bros. idea is great. And it is almost always more fun when you play something ridiculous, regardless of alignment. The whole focus doesn't need to be on that, but at least part of it does, for me to enjoy it. I always have some kind of quirk, at the least, that adds levity (like only going where my special stick told me to regardless of what we/I was supposed to be doing, or charming squirrels and have a wizard cast a permanent light spell on their tails)

Its good to see that you didn't get frustrated when they veered off the path you likely had in mind, and you're willing to work with what they want to give you. Them are the steps to being an above average, dare I even say exceptional DM
#8
adun_irving
May 03, 2010 15:48:50 Include villains from outside the primary guild, as either dangerous rebels or as being counteractive to the guild's needs. This gives the PCs something to butcher and yet feel superior about at the same time. They can happily slaughter everyone they like, and then to have others call them saints...it's a villain's kinky dream!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 adrum Apr 28, 2010 23:05:56	My campaign has recently been switched to evil. I don't think I can allow my players to be good after they decided to destroy an entire dwarven settlement just because a gaurd asked them to show some papers. I had a talk with them about being evil, and what kind of dastardly things they'd like to do. One of my players brought up the t.v. show "The Venture Brothers". In the show most of the villains are lead by the Guild of Calamitous Intent, the guild's motto is "Hate you can trust". They are basically a marketed version of old evil geniuses, henchmen, funny costumes, sharks with frikkin laser beams on their heads. The villains aren't necessarily evil, it's just their jobs to do evil things, no one's life is at stake, it's like a cat toying around with a mouse. The players will be entering the Guild as henchmen for Grigory Raskin, an evil wizard who has the ability to enter the dreams of anyone who has pure hate in their hearts, they are members of his "dream team". Over time they will be able to become arch villains themselves (paragon tier), and eventually become one of the devious 12 (epic tier, these guys are basically the founders and leaders of the guild). All of this moving up should be done by devious acts of treachery. The guild is going to have ties all over the world. So they can basically head wherever the heck they want to. Right now I'm attempting to think of fun ways to work in evil genius like things into the campaign, I want over the top evil stuff going on for sheer comedy. Other arch villains would be cool, as would be over the top super heroic personallitys, or international man of mystery type people.
#2 skibo_the_first Apr 29, 2010 0:17:47	Sounds like a good idea. There are alot of fun places you could go with this. The easiest way to do comedy is to take something and exagerate it to the extreme. Figure out what archetypes you want to use, and build city states, and countries ruled by them.
#3 ErikSilverblade Apr 30, 2010 9:42:42	The first thing I think of when I read this is Foxbat, from Champions (online). He uses like a ping-pong ball gun. So, run with that. Make bad guys that use obscure weapons or have rediculous powers. Like on mystery men one of the characters can only go invisible when no ones looking. Absurd I know. You can have a guy with crazy pet sheep that he straps explosives to. Make heros just as silly. Go crazy. Also make them fight for silly reasons. Like in Venture Bros. the Monarch hates Dr. Venture just because he is his nemesis (by choice?). Then you see the episode where hes having a yard sale and all the Villians are buying his stuff on his lawn.
#4 archaeologist May 01, 2010 3:40:20	Being Evil is tough, because ultimately when you win, bad things happen. Villains NEED Heroes to constantly reset the Dominos that they keep knocking over. But there's no reason you couldn't take this to a fun but reasonable conclusion. Let the "Heroes" fight ridiculous characters. As it was said so very eloquently before, Figure out what archetypes you want to use, and build city states, and countries ruled by them. So they're part of the Dream Team? What if they did battle with a Wizard who wanted to stop people from dreaming, in order to keep children from having Nightmares, and to stop people from feeling depressed because they can't live up to their dreams? On the bright side the Players "saved" the day and people can dream once more. On the downside, all of the pent up Nightmares flood back to the Children all at once that night, terrorizing them to the point of trauma. Evil Campaigns seem to function at their best when the PC's aren't necessarily being "evil", so much as hilarious amoral and unaligned. It lets the adventure flow more natually, without making them think "so we're evil? Better do evil things kills random person" and lets them sort of come to terms with their callous nature. In the words of the great Captain Malcom Reynolds. Mal: It would be humiliating, having to lie there while the better man refuses to spill your blood. Mercy is the mark of a great man. [He lightly stabs Atherton.] Mal: Guess I'm just a good man. [He repeats the poking.] Mal: Well, I'm all right.
#5 Thangor May 02, 2010 20:31:44	Look to goofy superhero stuff, like the Tick, Earthworm Jim, 80's Mighty Mouse. All those shows had ridiculous over-the-top villains. Read Amazing Screw-on head!
#6 orsini May 02, 2010 22:18:23	Somewhat off topic, but just once I'd like to read about someone whose "Evil PC" group has just been forced to change their alignments to unaligned or even good because they finally found something too rotten even for them to do. If Good PCs are constantly at risk of losing their alignment because of their behavior, Evil types should constantly be tested by opportunities to become even more awful people, and tarnish their reputations if/when they balk. Sooner or later most players will balk, and that's when their evil god/patron/guildmaster steps in and declares them soft, or traitors, or otherwise personas non grata in Eviltown. The ones who won't balk should be watched carefully, and discouraged from operating small isolated hotels in the middle of nowhere. The Good Turns Evil thing has been done to death - where's the other side of the cliche?
#7 meegz May 03, 2010 0:40:39	I think the Venture Bros. idea is great. And it is almost always more fun when you play something ridiculous, regardless of alignment. The whole focus doesn't need to be on that, but at least part of it does, for me to enjoy it. I always have some kind of quirk, at the least, that adds levity (like only going where my special stick told me to regardless of what we/I was supposed to be doing, or charming squirrels and have a wizard cast a permanent light spell on their tails) Its good to see that you didn't get frustrated when they veered off the path you likely had in mind, and you're willing to work with what they want to give you. Them are the steps to being an above average, dare I even say exceptional DM
#8 adun_irving May 03, 2010 15:48:50	Include villains from outside the primary guild, as either dangerous rebels or as being counteractive to the guild's needs. This gives the PCs something to butcher and yet feel superior about at the same time. They can happily slaughter everyone they like, and then to have others call them saints...it's a villain's kinky dream!