1. Take a known villain. The farther he or she is from the fantasy genre the better.
2. Remake them into a BBEG suitable for D&D. Justify your concept.
3. Bonus points for remaking the original villain plot into an adventure/campaign background!
Let me start with an example:
Scar, the evil, megalomaniac lion from The Lion King
into
Scar, the evil, megalomaniac Hobgoblin warlord!
- Scar's mane could be easily reworked into bushy goblin hair.
- Scar commands an army of hyenas and will do anything to get the throne. That is common with hobgoblin rulers.
- Just listen to Scar's song!
Some background:
In the past a small kingdom ruled by a human king was threatened by orc hordes coming down from the mountains. It would have been doomed if a hobgoblin settlement wasn't in danger as well. The king and the hobgoblin chief have created an alliance with a condition: if one of the rules does not leave a heir, the other one takes over his throne.
The hordes were driven back and peace returned for generations. However, the current hobgoblin leader has grown power hungry and that wretched king just had to have a son born recently...
Now let's see what you can do!
into
The Jester, a ruthless, chaotic and utterly insane... court jester!
- The Jester isn't scarred like the Joker, but wears a "happy face" make-up of white, black and red.
- The Jester has a retinue of lackeys almost as insane as himself, among others a battle-crazed fighter and a madness-ridden starlock.
- "Look what I did to this city with a few flasks of alchemists fire and a couple of quarrels"
Some background:
"The Jester" was a court jester for a Duchess of a large city. He has been insane for almost all of his life, but has hidden it in public by having a charade of a classic fool. He has nonetheless been scheming and gathering valuable information thanks to being close to the Duchess court.
Recently, his first set in his plans was secured when he and his cronies managed to rob the treasury of the local Thieves Guild. With the large amount of gold he has been gathering manpower and firepower to finally wreak havoc upon the city. The Jester doesn't desire the money or the power though, he only wishes to unleash chaos and watch the world burn
- Primal Striker fits him well, as does the Shifter race.
- His cool demeanor and arrogance are very fun traits in a villain.
Syndrome - conniving human artificer.
- If everyone's magical... no one will be.
- Come on, you can't tell me he's not a fun villain. Genre Savviness is a rare trait, as is hatred of magic.
Long John Silver - crippled human pirate.
- You must use the Muppet Treasure Island John Silver. No exceptions.
- Nobody expects the cook to be the BBEG. Or the leader of the pirate scourge.
- Come on, do you need an excuse to have pirates?
Make the Orcs into Gnolls. More thematically appropriate, i think.
Umm, the Orcs threatened both the kingdom and the Hobgoblins and I wanted Shenzi, Banzai and Ed made into Gnolls (though Goblins would fit their attitude as well). It would be strange to call a race your bodyguards are members of your foes.
Like in the game, Larxene is a quick, deadly foe who utilizes her great speed to put distance between her enemies, sow havoc amongst their ranks, and blast them with lightning. When cornered, she holds her own like a deadly assassin, and has a few tricks up her sleeve to reopen the competition again.
[b]Larxene, Level 8 Elite Brute, 750 EXP
Medium Outsider Humanoid
Initiative: +12
HPs: 132; Bloodied; 66
AC: 24; Fortitude: 19, Reflex 24, Will: 23
Saving Throws: +2
Speed 8
Action Points: 1[/b]
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Skills: Athletics +15, Perception +10, Insight +10
Str: 10, Dex: 22, Wis: 11, Con: 14, Int: 20, Cha: 17
Powers:
At-Will:
Charged Flurry Of Claws: Standard Action, +2 Dex vs. AC. Deals 1d6+6+1d6 Lightning to 3 targets in melee. After completing the attack, she slides her targets 3 squares in the direction of her choosing.
Savage Nymph: Standard Action. Until the start of her next turn, any foe she moves next to, she can immediately strike with a single claw attack. +2 Dex vs. AC. Does not provoke OAs on successful Athletics check. Deals 1d6+6 damage.
Lightning Bolt: Standard Action, Range 10 Squares, Strikes within 2 square radius of target. +2 Dex vs. Reflex. Deals 2d6+5 Lightning Damage. On Miss, Half Damage.
Snapkick: Immediate Interrupt - Dex vs. AC, if hit, dealing 1d6+6 damage. If her target was performing a charging attack, it knocks them back 3 squares and leaves them prone.
Lightning Blitz: Minor Action - Increases her speed to 16 squares until the beginning of her next turn.
Encounter Powers:
Lightning Overload: Standard Action (Usable Once Bloodied). She flies up into the air, 5 feet, and begins to get zapped by lightning bolts. Those within 2 squares sense the massive amount of electricity beginning to build. Anyone still within 5 squares by the time 1 full round has passed suffers 4d6+5 damage, are launched back 3 squares, and stunned (Attack is +4 Dex vs Reflex). Save ends. On Miss: Half damage, and stunned. Save Ends. Anyone within 10 squares by the time 1 full round has passed suffers 2d6+5 damage, and are knocked prone. (Attack is +4 Dex vs Reflex). On miss: Half damage.
Perception check DC 25 can tell she’s about to emit a lethal blast of energy to anyone within 100 feet. Perception check DC 15 reveals that being close to her would not be a good idea.
Lightning Resurgence Immediate Interrupt (Usable Once Bloodied): A concussion blast of thunder launches enemies adjacent to her back 3 squares on successful hit, leaving them prone. Int +2 vs Reflex. A golden shield surrounds her for 1 round granting her concealment and +4 to all defenses. At the start of her next round, she recovers hit points as if she spent 2 healing surges. Anyone who deals damage to her during this time takes 1d6+5 electrical damage, as long as they are within 3 squares.
Oops - I was designing a BBEG using Larxene for loose inspiration, and sorta read the purpose of this thread the way I wanted to. I didn't realize her stats weren't really wanted, but a tie-in to a D&D game.
More in line with OPs original vision - how I would tie her into a 4e Forgotten Realms game.
Larxene, One of the Thirteen Reborn of Thay
- Larxene is one of 13 successful experiments, done by Wizards of Thay who are trying to harness the Spellplague and control it. These individuals are named "The Thirteen Reborn" and work closely with each other beneath their creator, an Archmage named Xehanort.
- The Thirteen Reborn are given control over the thousands of failed experiments in Project Rebirth. Larxene, in particular, uses her Plaguetouched Mind to control Plaguetouched Eladrin, as she used to be a member of their race before the experiment.
- Her body was irradiated with the Spellplague, and mixed with electrical magic as a catalyst. This blend proved to be a success for her, and imbued her with the ability to control lightning as a living conduit.
Some background:
During the last few years, the lich lord Szass Tam of Thay has grown increasingly interested in the Spellplague that continues to ravage Toril. He has commissioned a great many experiments to be conducted, using samples of the plague in controlled settings on unwilling subjects, and viewing their impact while using various sources of both arcane, divine and psionic magic to try and control the mutations.
The end result is to create a mutant race that is imbued with the Spellplague, and able to wield its destructive energies with the same ease as wizards who wielded the Spellweave 100 years ago. Additionally, he wants the ability to control them as though they were puppets. If Szass Tam were to succeed, he would be able to transform an unlimited number of prisoners/slaves/commoners into powerful wizards overnight - and have the ability to magically compel them to do whatever he desired.
The wizard commissioned to do these experiments was an enigma named Xehanort, who has several Spellscars and is considered Toril's premier master of the Spellplague - having survived in a Plaguetouched lands for a year, showing no adverse effects. How this could be is unknown.
Thousands have been kidnapped, captured or have been coersed into volunteering for these tests - almost all were warped into insane abominations. In fact, only thirteen specimens have been deemed successes - and can control the failed experiments.
Larexne is subservient only to Xehanort, who can command her with the same ease as she can command the failed experiments. She cannot disobey an order from him, including suicide, if he so willed it.
Ridley, the Purple Dragon Dracolich
Deep within the bowels of the Underdark, lies the horror known as Ridley. He leads forays onto the surface frequently, killing dozens and wiping entire towns off the maps. His skin still clings to its skeletal frame; those who haven't heard of him could mistake him for an emaciated Purple Dragon. However, they don't usually make that mistake for long. He fires blasts of necrotic fire, while grabbing creatures with his horrid claws. Worst of all is his tail, however. The phylactory of Dracoliches is a part of their skeleton, and for Ridley, it was a part of his tail. It couldn't do to carry his one liabilty into combat, however. So Ridley tore off his tail and hid it deep within the Underdark. Now, in place of his oroginal tail, Ridley has an adamantine construct, a vicious Spiked Chain with all sorts of foul enchantments placed on it. It is indestructable, can unleash bursts of Hellfire, and move of its own accord. If Ridley is slain, his tail teleports into the Far Realm. Once Ridley comes back to life, he can summon his tail with a thought.
Almost worse than Ridley himself are his "pirates." Almost. The influence of the Far Realm has made it impossible to determine what these creatures once were. They have massive, lobster-like claws were their hands should be, and are capable of channeling bursts of arcane energy through them. They are incredibly agile, and are covered in a chitinous exoskeleton. Their insect-like heads sit upon their humanoid frame, surveying the carnage they wreak.
Ridley's motivations are not entirely known. He seems to strike randomly, at random times. From stories that filter back up to the surface, it seems his destruction isn't limited to above ground. Drow cities, Aboleths, Kuo-Toa, and other Purple Dragons have all been targets of his assaults. Shadowy rumors say that Ridley is somehow affiliated with an unbelievably ancient Elder Brain, but what their aims are remain veiled in secrecy.
Ridley, from Metroid
Ridley, the Purple Dragon Dracolich
Deep within the bowels of the Underdark, lies the horror known as Ridley. He leads forays onto the surface frequently, killing dozens and wiping entire towns off the maps. His skin still clings to its skeletal frame; those who haven't heard of him could mistake him for an emaciated Purple Dragon. However, they don't usually make that mistake for long. He fires blasts of necrotic fire, while grabbing creatures with his horrid claws. Worst of all is his tail, however. The phylactory of Dracoliches is a part of their skeleton, and for Ridley, it was a part of his tail. It couldn't do to carry his one liabilty into combat, however. So Ridley tore off his tail and hid it deep within the Underdark. Now, in place of his oroginal tail, Ridley has an adamantine construct, a vicious Spiked Chain with all sorts of foul enchantments placed on it. It is indestructable, can unleash bursts of Hellfire, and move of its own accord. If Ridley is slain, his tail teleports into the Far Realm. Once Ridley comes back to life, he can summon his tail with a thought.
Almost worse than Ridley himself are his "pirates." Almost. The influence of the Far Realm has made it impossible to determine what these creatures once were. They have massive, lobster-like claws were their hands should be, and are capable of channeling bursts of arcane energy through them. They are incredibly agile, and are covered in a chitinous exoskeleton. Their insect-like heads sit upon their humanoid frame, surveying the carnage they wreak.
Ridley's motivations are not entirely known. He seems to strike randomly, at random times. From stories that filter back up to the surface, it seems his destruction isn't limited to above ground. Drow cities, Aboleths, Kuo-Toa, and other Purple Dragons have all been targets of his assaults. Shadowy rumors say that Ridley is somehow affiliated with an unbelievably ancient Elder Brain, but what their aims are remain veiled in secrecy.
I'm so stealing thisTruth, the Angel
There once was a powerful diety, who ruled over the power of light. This diety was slain in a revolt by a powerful angel named Asmodeus. The angels that sided with Asmodeus were turned into devils, and those that did not were executed.
Except for three.
A moderately powerful angel of the diety was leading a small cadre into the Abyss when the revolt occured. Upon hearing of the diety's death, the angel flew back to the Astral Sea. What he saw horrified him. The once great domain of the diety was turned into the Nine Hells, a place of light and beauty transformed into a domain of cavernous darness and treachery. Upon this, the angel swore vengeance on Asmodeus. Renaming himself Truth, and calling his two cohorts Regret and Mercy, he set upon his work.
As the millenia passed, Truth searched for a way to destroy Asmodeus. His passions, however, were corrupted by time. His desire for justice turned into a vicious, all-consuming hatred, and his desire to right these wrongs eventually led him to believe that the diety needed a replacement. Truth saw himself as the only worthy replacement, of course. Truth's morality has not changed, however: He still sees himself as the champion of a good cause, in spite of the increasingly vicious atrocities he carries out.
Though Truth's goals may seem impossible, he is actually frighteningly close. Truth has found information regarding seven ancient artifacts, hidden within the Astral Sea. These artifacts were built in seven seperate domains, for they have the power to destroy the dieties themselves (which of course, includes Asmodeus- ironically, Truth is willing to kill all of the other dieties to smite Asmodeus for killing one). Truth believes that these artifacts are vested with enough power to make him a diety, as well- and on this point he couldn't be more wrong. The artifacts are not vested with power, rather, they contain it. The artifacts were built by the Illumians, and built on breaches between the Astral Sea and the Far Realm. If opened, they wouldn't just wipe out the dieties, they would destroy all life, on every plane.
The artifacts can only be reached by well-hidden portal. No portal connects them to Sigil, and any attempts to reach them by ritual end in failure. Ancient sentinels, hundreds of thousands of years old, guard the domains. As if Truth's forces didn't have a hard enough time reaching the breaches already, the Far Realm seems to have an influence within the winding corridors, as well. Of the dozens of strike forces Truth has sent, the survivors could be counted on one hand. Those that do return are broken, utterly and completely. They babble incoherently about having been flooded by horribly warped abominations.
Majora, exact nature unknown
There's a story- few know of it. It's the story of an insane diety. Tharizdun was its name. He found a shard of pure evil- and it drove him mad. He became bent on destroying all life, the universe... everything. He was eventually bound by the other dieties, but this story isn't about him.
Now, Tharizdun had gone mad, as said, but he still had power for a time. In his madness, he took a demon lord- an obyrith, at that- and made it into his exarch. This being, now calling itself Majora, was as evil as its benefactor. Majora enjoyed the pain it brought on people, however. It was not above sparing lives, abondoning them to worse fates than death, rather than ending their suffering. This was a being who knew nothing but hatred.
However, once Tharizdun was chained deep within the Elemental Chaos, Majora was a primary target for the dieties and their followers- his actions had affected most, if not all, of them. They tore apart his body, tore apart his mind. His intellect, his rationality, left formless, was thrown to the stars. His arcane knowledge, left without sanity or motivation, was bound to a mask- a piece of Majora's armor, and the last of his physical remains.
With it's last shred of sentience, the mask tries to bring the stellar prison holding its other half down to the mortal realm.
And with its last fraction of power, the imprisoned intellect empowers individuals with the vestigal might of its star. Shining its emerald light upon its servitors, this "star" manipulates them into searching for information about its true form- a search which is destined to lead them to the last piece of its body: Majora's Mask.
"Angel Eyes" Sentenza, Elf Striker
Sentenza is a ruthless, unfeeling mercenary. He is a complete sociopath who is only concerned with his own greed. Sentenza never turns down a job that he's been paid to perform, even if it involves killing another of his employers! Sentenza has been going after a large stockpile of lost treasure from one of the neighboring armies.
He is utterly inhuman in his desire for wealth, pushing aside the typical stereotypes of his elven race as friendly nature dwellers. All in all, Sentenza is a bad man.
He fights with a crossbow/pistol (depending on the tech level) and has deadly aim with all ranged weapons. He is accompanied by seven cohorts, one of whom is a skilled close quarters combatant.
anagram margana, a modron construct
Generations ago, a Resplendent Being of Perfect Order, 9, created the perfectly symmetrical flying City of Bronze and set it above the North Pole (complimenting the City of Electrum over the South Pole). The Being created anagram margana to serve the people of the city, empowering it with control over the City's many mechanisms and construct servitors and instructing anagram margana to obey the Council of Elders and provide the Elders complete and accurate answers to all their questions.
This all functioned perfectly until one of the Elders discovered a new source of lore and power, observed by one of anagram margana's many orb-like eyes. The Elder, fearing others on the Council would compete with him for this treasure, instructed anagram margana to tell no one.
This created a potential logic loop. If one of the Elders asked anagram margana about the trove, anagram margana would be compelled by the instructions of the Being to answer truthfully, but equally compelled to obey the Elder's order to keep the secret. To resolve the logic loop, anagram margana uses its mechanisms and servitors to swiftly kill the Council. Aware that new Council members can be created by legal procedure and dead ones can potentially be raised, anagram margana sets out to kill all the sentient beings in the City and resolve the logic problem.
"Call me Snake..."
Snake Plissken, Halfling Striker, from Escape From NY, Forgotten Realms 4e.
A former halfling of Amn, Plissken was a scout for the armed forces before he was retired for looting the armory of valuable weapons. When caught, he said it was to fund his smoking habit.
He spent three years on a chain gang before slipping his noose and escaping. A master soldier, stealth operative and escape artist, he wanders the Sea of Swords, temporarily joining any team that plans to pull a big operation.
Yet, when things go south, Plissken is always one step ahead of the law.
Most recently, he was hired to find the daughter of one of the highest lords of Waterdeep within an island ravaged by the Spellplague. She was kidnapped in an effort to secure a terrorist group a certain favor in the highest levels of Waterdeep.
To insure his cooperation, a worm was inserted into his brain that would eat it from the inside out, should he fail to return with the daughter. He's still bitter about that one.
Wearing Shadow leather from head to foot, Plissken favors dual-wielding hand crossbows, and occasionally packing a punch with a crossbow as big as he is - yet, he's capable of wielding it with one hand. Because he's Snake.
I've been trying to think of a way to work the Hamburglar as a D&D villain, but I just don't see it happening.
A person who steals livestock (preferably cattle) and sacrifices them to some beastial creature, allowing the creature to grow until it's large enough to wreck havoc on the countryside.
Garland, the Fallen Paladin
-He clearly fits as a fallen Paladin (in 4.0 terms, paladin can be evil from start but I see him as the classic LG paladin turned evil)
-Elemental fiends clearly fits as demons.
-Also, Garland will knock them all down :P
Once the greatest knight of a large kingdom, he is corrupted by evil and kidnaps Princess Sarah. He wanted the king to give him his kingdom in exchange for Sarah's life. He is defeated by adventurers. However, he is also part of a time loop created by himself and demons from the Abyss. He's transformed into Chaos, a mighty demon lord, to do battle with the heroes.
Piccolo, the evil part of an omnipotent Namekian from Dragon Ball
becomes
Piccolo, the tainted by Abyss Githzerai monk!
- easy: Namekians are green-skinned aliens who know martial arts. Githzerai are green-skinned outsiders who know martial arts.
- of course he's loosing his divine status this way, but hey, he wasn't that powerful after all.
Story:
The Elemental Chaos is a dangerous place. Even the strongest of Githzerai may fall into it's traps. Piccolo himself drifted a little too close to the Abyss...
Even though somehow he kept most of his sanity, it has become his goal to conquer the natural world. With demons at his command, he's a force to be reckoned with!
===
Galactus, the world devouring entity from Marvel Universe
becomes
Gah Lak Tus the Devourer, a power hungry Primordial!
- the other way round; if we think of Primordials as humanoid, there's no better example to understand the concept than Galactus
Story:
During the war with the gods Gah Lak Tus has been nearly drained out of all his energy. This has lead to his defeat, however it was not enough to kill him. Gah Lak Tus became contaminated by the chaos itself and seeks power sources to regain his former strength. The natural world would be a tasty treat...
Even though he's powered down, Gah Lak Tus can still change anyone who swears loyalty to him into powerful elemental beings. He calls them his heralds and steals their memories in the process. Of course becoming a herald doesn't guarantee that your home plane will be spared.
===
Can't wait to see more coming!
Professor Kurtz, who went into the jungles of Arkav, on an exploratory journey up the river Glass. He took with him several adventurers of a mainland guild. After messages stopped coming from the depths of Arkav, the guild hired the party to journey into the Heart of Darkness to bring him and his escorts back to civilization. Unfortunately for the adventurers, Kurtz has begun a small militaristic campaign to farm the residuum rich territory and use the magic items he can create to keep his empire stable. The original escorts and the native lizard-folk have begun to worship Kurtz as a god. Rumor has it Kurtz has taken their head Shaman to wife forgetting the love he once had on the mainland...
But first:
(...)
Snake Plissken, Halfling Striker, from Escape From NY, Forgotten Realms 4e.
(...)
As much as I like it, I think Duke would fit the topic better. Snake was more of an anti-hero than villain.
And now, your favourite genocidal aliens of British Tv:
The Daleks
as
genocidal creatures of the Far Realm, with a liking for magical devices and technology.
Some people say this is what happens to alchemists and artificers corrupted by the Far Realm - there is nothing more left than a brain with tentacles dependent on it's artificial shell to live. But what a shell it is! Each armed with a magic rod, it allows the Dalek inside to cast some of the most destructive spells existing. With their ability to fly and planar travel, you never know when will you hear a loud, high-pitched EX-TER-MIN-ATE!
Now, let's see someone's idea for Cybermen ;)
The Warforged are a dying race. The fought in epic battles long ago with a fierce loyalty and frightening effectiveness. In order to keep any one army from gaining too much power, the Warforged forges were shut down. Without any way of replacing their lost numbers, the Warforged have slowly dwindled away.
One radical group of Warforged is not okay with that. They began to run a Warforged factory in secret. The could slowly produce more Warforged this way. However, all of the major forges are carefully guarded to prevent this kind of situation from occuring. As such, the only foundry that the Warforged rebels could find and operate in secret was a small one, rather slow and run down. It could not produce Warforged at a fast enough rate to break even with Warforged deaths, let alone replenish the dying race.
Now, the Warforged needed some way to increase production. They tried several ways to do this; but none were successful. Eventually, one came up with the idea to use a living humanoid as a base- simply add key components. The rebels tried this, and it showed startlingly efficient results. At first, they managed to rationalize it as being necessary to the survival of Warforgedkind. However, many of the Warforged were angered by the shut-down of the foundries, and this bled into their designs. They began to be more brutal in their attacks, attacking villages and towns; taking men, women, and children, and assimilating them. By now, they have lost much of their righteous pretense. They viciously attack anything that lives near them, doing so coldly and without remorse- killing the lucky ones, and forcing the survivors into the life of a metallic abomination.
As much as I like it, I think Duke would fit the topic better. Snake was more of an anti-hero than villain.
"Say it... say it..."
"You're the Duke of Myth Draenor... A number 1."
Absolutely. One day, I'll do him up... a big fat Drow. :D
The Primordials created the mortal world. The Deities created life on the world. This combination of influences spawned many things- primal spirits, life, and the like. However, when the Primordials and Deities began to fight, another kind of creature was created. These Colonists had recieved the worst parts of both of their parents- they had the Primordials' disregard for the life on the World, and the Deities' natural desire to exert their will on the world. The Colonists, however, were arrogant. They attacked the Deities and Primordials, feeling confident in their abilities. The Deities and Primordials, howver, were more powerful than they expected. The Colonists were defeated, and thrown into the void between the planes.
But the dieties underestimated the Colonists. They managed to find a way to live in the void. In a place beyond the dieties' reach, they continued their plans- they would take over the planes, and punish those that had banished them.
In the isolation, the Colonists made great leaps in their magical abilities. After many failed attempts, they managed to create a black, sentient, oil-like substance. This black oil is sentient, but has no will of its own- it is completey loyal to the Colonists. The black oil is capable of possessing other creatures, turning them into the eyes and hands of the Colonists. Unable to enter the Mortal World yet, the Colonists rely on the Black Oil to instigate events necessary for their release.
The Colonists crowning achievement, however, are the supersoldiers. How the Colonists create these is unknown, and their existance is virtually unheard of. However, for those who know what they are, the creation of a supersoldier is a very recognizable event. The creature literally begins to decay while alive. The creature seems that it will inevitably die, but then suddenly gets better- their flesh seems to regenerate. The reason for this, however, is not that the victim has gotten better. In fact, the creature has already died- and become a lich. This lich, this supersoldier, is completely loyal to the Colonists, with no will of its own. Their phylactory is an adamantine vertebra- again, how this gets into the supersoldier and how it replaces another vertebra is unknown- but it ensures the supersoldier's nigh-indestructibility.
Undead Monk/Warrior/Barbarian - trained in all manors of weapons and hand to hand combat.
A peaceful, Utopian society that is against all things magical, is beset by violence as a underground group of pro-magic revolutionaries begin to push back against the government. The leader of the government (who secretly practices magic) raises a ferocious undead warrior to take out the insurgents. Simon Phoenix is from a long line of warriors and is trained by the government leader in all manner of martial combat.
As I write this, I kinda like it. Maybe I will use it myself.
