101 Big Villain ideas

[Samloyal23]

An Illithid who has been studying humanoid behaviour. For a long time it forced thralls in captivity in its city to commit vile crimes against each other while it read their minds to learn how they felt about different types of torture. Now it has decided to go and study thrall races in their "natural environment" by switching bodies with a humanoid so it can go out and steal, rape, and murder in humanoid cities while reading the minds of its victims. It then returns to its own body, leaving the innocent thrall to deal with the consequences of the crimes committed by the mindflayer while it was in possession of his or her body. Using its other psionic powers, the illithid can covertly observe the situations and psychological trauma suffered by the possessed target and any crime victims. With the knowledge gained, the braineater thinks it can develop new and better ways to breakdown the minds of thralls so they can be controlled better. It has been trying to get others of its kind to participate by using the same techniques to verify its discoveries.

Meanwhile, it is leaving a long trail of people framed from for horrible crimes and an even longer line of traumatized crime victims. Some of these thralls are in prison, others have gone insane, a few are dead, and others are just physically crippled by torture and mutilation. The worst part is, none of them understand what happened to them or who the real villain is who has committed the evil deeds plaguing their city. Despite all the protestations of innocence by the illithid's puppets, all of them end up in prison or on a gallows. Those who believe them are losing faith in their government and fellow man, those who do not are quick to distrust those who do, creating suspicion and resentment between neighbours and friends. Civil society is slowly breaking down as the crime spree continues, each evil deed becoming more twisted and sick as time passes. The illithid does care about these, so long as it gets its data...

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Rhys Devmoni-

Devmoni is a gnome of mixed origin, and indeterminate age. He is owns hundreds of businesses in a large island metropolis known as Nea Thera, the Blue Towers. The city is roughly a mile and a half in diameter, and the central tower spire reaches wholly one mile in height. He is unimaginably wealthy, not the least because he is one of the world's most advanced Alchemists.

He is also a complete psychopathic sadist, a malificar who deals in mind controlling magic, and his legitimate business dealings cover a continent spanning criminal enterprise. His twisted hobbies range from humanoid test subjects for his alchemical formulas, to simple torture, to breeding experiments. He is served by many humanoids of heavily mixed origin, often of disparate races that most would assume could not interbreed, all of whom are possessed of greatly enhanced physical and supernatural traits.

His criminal enterprise includes the sale of illicit alchemical creations, trafficking of humanoids and exotic creatures, and the custom creation of obscene and unholy monsters.

Mechanically, he is a Forest Gnome variant with the Friends cantrip instead of Minor Illusion, and has many of the same abilities as a college of whispers bard, with expertise in Alchemists Supplies, Persuasion, and Investigation.

Rhys' right hand is a Shadar-kai known only as Venn. He is larger than most of his people, and quieter. He doesn't socialize with his boss, or even seem to like him, but he is brutally lethal when his employer or associates are threatened. When on his own, he is distant, but reasonably affable. He cannot be convinced to work against his boss via magic, as he is immune to charm effects. He is about equivelent to a level 16 Shadow Monk/Hexblade Warlock, and can manipulate shadows as physical objects, creating any weapon he is proficient with. Such weapons deal necrotic and piercing damage. He has the Devil's Sight Warlock Invocation.

Rhys' newfound muscle is a short, gorgeous, red haired Fire Genasi woman he calls Angel. She obviously despises him, but appears to be under his magical control. She is a Pheonix Sorcerer, and has a fly speed of 60 ft, which looks something like the human torch. She is not friendly, but if someone can break Rhys' hold on her, she will gladly give a favor in turn. She will immediately turn on anyone that tries to hold that favor over her head to force her to do something she views as evil, such as harming children or the poor, but is happy to burn down the rich and powerful. If asked frivolous questions or if someone tries to engage in small talk with her, she silently stares them in the eye without any discernible emotion until they walk away. Her real name is secret, and would only be shared under extreme duress, or to someone who earned her trust.

Rhys is most likely here for business opportunities. He may have monstrosities to sell, or elixers, drugs, or some combination, or he might be looking to buy rare and exotic reagents, or "subjects" for his experiments. His delight in mixing physical torture with magical charm and domination is always on the back of his mind, and he is always willing to eagerly use his cane, which he calls Instruction. It inflicts terrible pain without physical damage, dealing an extra 2d6 psychic damage when he hits a creature with it.

most of the time, though, he is amiable in the manner of vaguely charming older men of good upbringing. He is well read and well spoken, and extremely intelligent.

 

[Toric0107]

Valkharahn - A Nightwalker pulled from the Negative Plane by a Lich named Valkharahn.
After being summoned from the Negative Plane, Valkharahn conducted experiments to attempt to increase the Nightwalker's power, intelligence, and agility. After around a decade of experimenting, the Lich was successful in increasing the creature's strength and intelligence, but not its agility. After many decades of terrorizing towns with his armies of undead, Valkharahn was stopped by a large group of powerful wizards from Neverwinter as well as a clan of goliaths, the Skywatcher Clan, who were constantly harassed by the dead. Before Valkharahn's defeat, the Nightwalker broke free from his shackles, destroying the Lich as well as almost every wizard and goliath that attended the battle, with only a few who lived to tell the tale. After breaking free, the Nightwalker retreated back to the Negative Plane, where he began to slowly influence some in the mortal realm. The Nightwalker named himself Valkharahn after his master, as it was the only name he knew.

From his domain in the Negative Plane, Valkharahn slowly influenced the denizens of the mortal plane, turning undead to his side and recruiting cultists to worship him. While dormant in his plane, Valkharahn turned Warlocks, Clerics, and even Paladins to his side by twisting their thoughts as well as impersonating a patron, god, or higher power. After decades of preparation and careful strategizing, Valkharahn formed the Council of Extinction, with a new purpose of converting all upon the mortal plane to his side, or forcing them to join his mindless army.

(Additional villains can be created from the Council of Extinction. Some ideas I have toyed with include a Mind Flayer converted to Valkharahn's side, an Oni gifted a small amount of Valkharahn's power and sent out upon the world to bind ghosts and spirits against their will, a skeletal amalgamation with wings, multiple arms, and a void-colored tint, etc.)

Recently, Valkharahn's schemes and attacks on towns and cities have grown worse, leading to many believing Valkharahn will usher in the end of the world if his power is left unchecked.