"Canon" Villains

[demiurge1138]

What officially established D&D villains have you used in your games? How have you used them?

When I use "official" D&D villains, I tend to use planar ones. For example, in an epic-level game I ran a long time ago, one of the major antagonists was Alastor the Grim, Executioner of Hell. The (definitely not good) party decided to offer his head to Demogorgon in tribute and engaged in possibly the greatest scam ever seen in the Realms, organizing an army of 5,000 Helmite paladins and marching them into Hell, allowing them to be slaughtered as a diversion while they slipped into Alastor's castle.

More recently, and inspired by Shemmie's wonderful story hour, Shemeshka the Marauder has become a villain for my Planescape game. After the party refused to do business with her, she secretly arranged for them to be abandoned on the lowest layer of Carceri, and when they survived and returned commissioned a self-portrait in marble from the party's wilder, who fancied himself a sculptor. The act of sculpting Shemeshka's statue and making sure it was absolutely perfect drove him mad. And she's definitely not done...

Demiurge out.

 

[genshou]

As I am currently in the process of running a Forgotten Realms game (see my dusty and oft-neglected story hour), well-known Zhentarim villains aren't just flavorful–they are a necessity. It doesn't stop me from having the most important villains be my own creations, but a Fzoul Chembryl here and there is enough to keep the paladin PC on his toes, and I have a feeling he's going to find an archrival in Scyllua Darkhope.

Villains previously established in setting books and novels provide a common thread for those in the game and those outside of it. When Orcus shows up in your story hour, a lot of readers already know what to expect

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

The only cannon villains I have ever had any interest in are the demons and devils and even they do not make an appearance. Their minions do all their talking and acting for them.

 

[diaglo]

Obmi
Asberdies
Acererak


i use a lot of Canon villians...

 

[WizarDru]

Acererak
Fraz Urb'Luu
Orcus
the death knights (including the leader who's name starts with K which I can't remember just this second)
Vecna
Hextor
Overking Xavener
Zinkman ad'Zol
The Scarlet Brotherhood
The Hopping Prophet

and more
Gulthias

 

[Mystery Man]

But do you use them canonically? That's the question!

For example: Kaanyr Vhok (FR cambion) I don't know if he's supposed to be a unbeatable recurring nightmare or not because I couldn't care less. He's quite dead IMC.

 

[diaglo]

But do you use them cannonically?

mostly they end up as fodder.

 

[genshou]

mostly they end up as fodder.

Mmm... fodder.

If the NPCs die, then so be it. My FR campaign is already far enough away from the norm; what's a dead Elminster or a Drizzt permanently transformed into a Large Monstrous Mosquito?
(The last part said entirely jokingly, but I cannot guarantee the safety of Elminster once the campaign hits epic levels)

 

[Shemeska]

What officially established D&D villains have you used in your games? How have you used them?

When I use "official" D&D villains, I tend to use planar ones.

I used most all of the "official" yugoloths, and then in the first major plot arc of my campaign I ended up having a major purge of their ranks. In the end, I killed off Anthraxus, Mydianchlarus, Typhus, Bubonix, and Cholerix. Cerlic/Charon is still around, Taba went into bitter exile to become a thorn in the side of the new rulership in Khin-Oin, Xenghara was handed over (for unknown purposes) to the Hag Countess of Baator, and the General of Gehenna (and the Crawling City) vanished utterly before the purge began.

Most of the major 'loths I used tended to be ones I made myself, or 2nd tier 'loths newly elevated to power (Helekanalaith of the Tower Arcane, who is 'official' by virtue of a single quote 'Planes of Conflict' that gives him a name and a title). And then I heavily used the Baernaloths, only one of whom, Daru Ib Shamiq, was ever officially named, and I expanded their ranks and personalities through that campaign/storyhour by another dozen or more individuals.

As far as Baatezu, I never used any of the Lords of the 9 directly, though I used a few pit fiends and one minor Baatezu noble in Maladomini (assassinated by Taba). In my second campaign I've been using the Dark 8 heavily and directly, plus I'm putting up Bel on a plate as a possible future antagonist (along with heavy mention of his predecessor Zariel).

With Tanar'ri, I ended up using Pale Night late in the campaign, or rather an abandoned and misbegotten child of hers. I also had far too much fun with 'The Kadyx' within Sigil. I've also got plans to use the Tanar'ri more in my second campaign if it develops in that direction, but as of yet, I've not used any of the official ones beyond Noshtoreth of the Umber Scales and Rule-Of-Three in Sigil in an on and off capacity, but not as antagonists.

With Gehreleths (Demodands for the 1e crowd) I directly used the one Shator, Xidious, in Sigil's gatehouse that was penning a revision of the Book of Keeping. I also used Apomps the Triple Aspected later in the campaign, with one PC directly speaking to him/her/it/them in the lowest layer of Carceri. Standing there on the black ice, hearing the surface shifting and fracturing, slowly grinding into the petitioners frozen into the ground, with a shator, kelubar, and farastu positioned in a circle around this one PC. Each of those three without eyes, but only black hollows in the sockets, all of them speaking in the same voice at the same time, or remaining silent and finishing one anothers sentences. That was so very fun, and damn was Apomps bitter, and ultimately an ally of sorts to the PCs in some wierd way.

More recently, and inspired by Shemmie's wonderful story hour, Shemeshka the Marauder has become a villain for my Planescape game. After the party refused to do business with her, she secretly arranged for them to be abandoned on the lowest layer of Carceri, and when they survived and returned commissioned a self-portrait in marble from the party's wilder, who fancied himself a sculptor. The act of sculpting Shemeshka's statue and making sure it was absolutely perfect drove him mad. And she's definitely not done...

Demiurge out.

Oh man, that's great. I had her routinely make a royal pain in the ass of herself to the PCs in my campaign, largely just because she could, completely outside of the actual serious business that she was involved in. Typically it ended up being done in such a way, or in circumstances, that precluded the PCs taking any direct revenge on her.

At some point they ticked her off and she started evicting people in the buildings adjacent to the PCs inn and moving in folks designed to cause problems. One PC was a priest of Tempus, and right next door moves in a priest of Garagos who sets up a shrine to his deity. Then came the Tanar'ri brothel. *grin*

Eventually though they'd had all they could take from her, but nothing is ever so straightforward.

 

[freebfrost]

What officially established D&D villains have you used in your games? How have you used them?

Off the top of my head:

• Orcus
• Demogorgon
• Lolth
• Fraz-Urb'luu
• Pazuzu
• Tiamat
• Bane
• Cyric
• Vecna (can you tell I tend to run Epic-level games?)
• Oonga
• The Night Masks
• Zhentarim - specifically Fzoul Chembryl and Manshoon

As far as using them, they were usually the main foils for the party. So, when I decided Bane was going to come back, he just happened to fixate upon my adventurers as the group that was going to help him accomplish that. Or the party happened to foil some nefarious plot and the being in question is now out to totally destroy the party as revenge.