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A Villain For Every Alignment
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<blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 9170146" data-attributes="member: 6790260"><p>You should be thinking of <em>antagonists</em>, not <em>villains</em>. Villains are people who do evil things. Antagonists are people who oppose the protagonists. It's quite easy to have LG characters that are antagonistic; it's extremely difficult, bordering on impossible, to have truly, sincerely LG characters who are villainous.</p><p></p><p>Antagonists for every alignment:</p><p></p><p>LG</p><p>1. The PCs stand falsely accused of having broken the law in a place where punishments are extremely draconian. They (naturally) escape. The local authorities don't have the power to hunt down the PCs themselves, so they contract out with a local Paladin order, but avoid letting the Paladins know that the accusations are unproven, that punishments are swift, brutal, and often excessive, etc. The specific knights chasing the party are good people, but they've been hoodwinked into doing something which will cause far more harm than good. Presuming the party actually cares about not harming others without need, they'll need to find a way to convince the knights that their orders were deceptive, though resolving their duties as members of their order may be trickier than expected!</p><p>2. There is a competition between two groups for a precious thing (resource, magic item, cure, what-have-you) and only one group can claim it. The "team captain" for the opposing team is a genuinely upstanding guy, plays fair, shoots straight, wants to win because it was earned and for no other reason. But he'll also fight tooth and nail to win, because there's a genuine need back home and he has the righteousness of his cause. Whether the PCs win or lose, he could become an ally in the future.</p><p></p><p>NG</p><p>There are two leaders, the local mayor and the head druid. Both are NG. The mayor is dealing with multiple crises, including an influx of refugees, and needs to expand the town ASAP so she can make room and prepare for the rough winter ahead (as prophesied by the head druid himself.) The head druid is dealing with multiple crises, including habitat destruction because of an adjacent country's war (that triggered the refugee crisis!) and attempting to prepare for a badly unbalanced seasonal cycle ahead (a long bitterly cold winter, followed by a short spring, followed by a long hot summer). Either or both of these people could be antagonists depending on what the party wants, what brought them to this place, and why they're adventuring in general. The high druid is not callous, he understands that the refugees need help, but he cannot abide rapid construction/clear-felling/etc. when nature is already in bad shape and going to get worse. The mayor understands how important it is to maintain healthy, sustainable living, because the forest is a huge part of the town's livelihood, but she can't just stand by and let people starve or freeze to death.</p><p></p><p>CG</p><p>1. The Thief-Queen leads a merry band of miscreants, but she has been lax about discipline, and her people have been doing a lot more than causing mischief and stealing from those who have gobs more money than they could ever spend. It's become a sufficient problem that the Archduchess has assigned the PCs to hunt her down and end the problem. But will they still think their patron is in the right once they see <em>why</em> the Thief-Queen lives outside the law?</p><p>2. It's the start of an adventure, but instead of being adventurers themselves, the PCs are guards, clerks, chaplains, etc. at the local jail. There's a prison break, and several prisoners escape...but some of them are genuinely good people imprisoned unfairly. Will the party find out before it's too late? Or will the start of their career be tarnished "righteousness" and a mockery of justice?</p><p></p><p>Will do Neutral later. I don't think anyone needs help coming up with Evil antagonists!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="EzekielRaiden, post: 9170146, member: 6790260"] You should be thinking of [I]antagonists[/I], not [I]villains[/I]. Villains are people who do evil things. Antagonists are people who oppose the protagonists. It's quite easy to have LG characters that are antagonistic; it's extremely difficult, bordering on impossible, to have truly, sincerely LG characters who are villainous. Antagonists for every alignment: LG 1. The PCs stand falsely accused of having broken the law in a place where punishments are extremely draconian. They (naturally) escape. The local authorities don't have the power to hunt down the PCs themselves, so they contract out with a local Paladin order, but avoid letting the Paladins know that the accusations are unproven, that punishments are swift, brutal, and often excessive, etc. The specific knights chasing the party are good people, but they've been hoodwinked into doing something which will cause far more harm than good. Presuming the party actually cares about not harming others without need, they'll need to find a way to convince the knights that their orders were deceptive, though resolving their duties as members of their order may be trickier than expected! 2. There is a competition between two groups for a precious thing (resource, magic item, cure, what-have-you) and only one group can claim it. The "team captain" for the opposing team is a genuinely upstanding guy, plays fair, shoots straight, wants to win because it was earned and for no other reason. But he'll also fight tooth and nail to win, because there's a genuine need back home and he has the righteousness of his cause. Whether the PCs win or lose, he could become an ally in the future. NG There are two leaders, the local mayor and the head druid. Both are NG. The mayor is dealing with multiple crises, including an influx of refugees, and needs to expand the town ASAP so she can make room and prepare for the rough winter ahead (as prophesied by the head druid himself.) The head druid is dealing with multiple crises, including habitat destruction because of an adjacent country's war (that triggered the refugee crisis!) and attempting to prepare for a badly unbalanced seasonal cycle ahead (a long bitterly cold winter, followed by a short spring, followed by a long hot summer). Either or both of these people could be antagonists depending on what the party wants, what brought them to this place, and why they're adventuring in general. The high druid is not callous, he understands that the refugees need help, but he cannot abide rapid construction/clear-felling/etc. when nature is already in bad shape and going to get worse. The mayor understands how important it is to maintain healthy, sustainable living, because the forest is a huge part of the town's livelihood, but she can't just stand by and let people starve or freeze to death. CG 1. The Thief-Queen leads a merry band of miscreants, but she has been lax about discipline, and her people have been doing a lot more than causing mischief and stealing from those who have gobs more money than they could ever spend. It's become a sufficient problem that the Archduchess has assigned the PCs to hunt her down and end the problem. But will they still think their patron is in the right once they see [I]why[/I] the Thief-Queen lives outside the law? 2. It's the start of an adventure, but instead of being adventurers themselves, the PCs are guards, clerks, chaplains, etc. at the local jail. There's a prison break, and several prisoners escape...but some of them are genuinely good people imprisoned unfairly. Will the party find out before it's too late? Or will the start of their career be tarnished "righteousness" and a mockery of justice? Will do Neutral later. I don't think anyone needs help coming up with Evil antagonists! [/QUOTE]
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