Needed: Villain manerism/idiom/quote

[jollyninja]

give him a smirk. the kind that says, "i know more then you do, and that's why you are going to die." attentive players will be terrified if it's not something you do often. it's way outside my personality so on the rare ocasions when players see me do it, they sense that something verry wrong is about to happen. it allways does but that's just because they panic and start screwing up.

 

[ThenHeCame]

Can't remember the name of the episode, but this guys hires Homer

Hank Scorpio That episode is hilarious...

" hey Homer, on your way out, if you could kill some people that would help me alot! " then leaps down with a flame thrower and chases the U.N crack team away. LOL

 

[River]

I just finished a string of about 4 sessions based on this very same concept. A Mind-seeding villian.

What I did was blatantly rip off "Mr. Grey" from Stephen King's Dreamcatcher.

My diabolical psion had an obsession with bacon, and a need to murder the occassional peasant/shopkeeper.

God I'm glad my players don't read King

 

[Black Omega]

I like the idea of a telepath's speech closely mirroring the way he thinks.

A more subtle clue could be a behaviourial trait like a love of reading elven poetry. The PCs could encounter a shopkeeper reading a book of elven poetry as he minds the store, a guard with a book of elven poetry in his equipment, or a peasant who quotes elven poetry to them.

And if you want to have some fun with this. Mention the shopkeeper has just started "The complete book of Elvish poetry" (or whatever). The guard has the same book, with the bookmark about halfway through. The peasant is just finishing the book. And the next guy? "Oh, I just finished that last night...now I'm starting a book on Elvish Battle poems."

 

[Storminator]

Have your villian have a catch phrase that's directly related to his personality( "I know what you're thinking" or "You didn't think that thru, did you?" or some such). Then have all of his minions say it as well, but emphasis their personality before they say it. That way the phrase and the speaker don't match up. Nothing like being spoken down to by a moronic half-orc grunt!

PS

 

[Psion]

Well here's my thought, and please Psion, take it for what it is.

(tilts head)

And just how else would I take it...?

 

[Rel]

I saw this in a James Bond movie, so it must be good, right?

Have him constantly eating some kind of food related to his beloved Empire. In the Bond flick, it was pistachio nuts. So the characters see him eating pistachio nuts all the time. Then, when they are least expecting it, you say:

"Something crunches under your foot. When you look down, it appears to be a nut shell. A pistachio nut shell..."

Then comes that scene in the movie where the main character looks at the audience for a split second and then BOOM, the villian attacks.

Or something like that.

 

[RogueJK]

(tilts head)

And just how else would I take it...?

Well... You could:

Take it the wrong way.
Take it out of context.
Take it up the wazoo.
Take it to the bank.
Take it with a grain of salt.

Need it go on?

 

[Quickbeam]

Have him constantly refer to himself in the third person. You know, something like, "Evil Tim may still decide to have pity on your poor souls, but he just can't make up his mind." Honestly, there's very little in verbal communication which is more patronizing, egotistical, or annoying than this character trait.

Tokens are also very useful and defining. Perhaps he endlessly twirls a coin or tindertwig around his fingers, or maybe he's forever fidgeting with the sleeves on his robes.

 

[Killer Shrike]

The Common Philosophy Schema (we are all but memory and dust..):

Posit a common philisophical belief of the villain; something very common sensical but abstruse enough to be unusual and preferrably fatalistic. Have seedlings utter this belief before fighting, dying or doing something counter to the PCs best interests. The PCs will probably think they are dealing with a cult or somesuch at first.

PC: "Barkeep; a frosty mug with your darkest to the brim for each of us." Turns to fellow party member known for intelligence; "So what was the deal with that crazy street thug that attacked us? He was talkin' some serious nonsense...what was it again? 'Memory and Dream, Thought and Deed ....and what was it a again?"

Tavern Keeper: "I believe it goes 'Memory and Dream, Thought and Deed, Idea and Seed'. Its a common saying around here. Here's your drinks noble sirs."; as the seeded Tavern Keeper slides poisoned beers to the PC's....
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The Hydra Schema (cut off one head...etc):

Have a wide variety of seedlings address the group, using the plural 'We'. In this scenario the mystery isnt to realize that the subjects are mind-dupes but instead to figure out what kind of bizarre fanatical cult the group has stumbled upon. It hides the true plot in plain sight by making it look like something else.

7 year old girl: "We see you havent decided to stop meddling yet. Youre wasting your time; we are everywhere; we see everything. Your thoughts are transparent to us, your attempts to stop us laughable. Leave, or become one with us. Your doom is upon you for we are Many, while you are few."

hero: "What the #$#@?!!!"
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BTW: Since the subjects of Mind Seed diverge along thier own path once they are seeded, the subjects would have independence, but any Psion of high enough level to Seed them in the first place should have another telepathic power with which to coerce his mind-clones.

Otherwise, the subjects would be independant operators. Also, depending on the personality of the Psion, his seedlings may vie with him for control if he doesnt coerce them in some fashion.

If I were to pull this off, I would try to lead the players to the belief that they were dealing with a Cult of Erythnul (the Many), as I run a Greyhawk campaign. I would leave red herring type clues to mislead them as long as possible and maintain the mystery.

Baring that, I might try something like a Fight Club spin, where the Psion was trying to pull off something like the overthrow of a government via his army of mind-seeded minions and the PCs just sort of stumbled into it from the flanks. To add to the confusion, the government might well be corrupt and oppressive and there are a goodly number of non-mindseeded people in this organization, many of whom are actually good people working to cast off a tyrannical regime (what does Tyler Durden look like!?!). Thus the moral quandry is introduced to the mix, as the Psion's organization is not necessarily all bad, but the methods the Psion is using are.
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All the BLAH BLAH BLAH aside, I would be interested in knowing how you use the Mind Seed concept and how it works out.....