Not a Poll! Who are your favourite D&D villians?

[Gold Roger]

Lareth the Beautifull is a well done MBEG, though I still don't quite understand why that guy is a Cleric of Lolth.

Vecna is great. He's got so many thing going on about him. I see him as a constant troublemaker among gods and mortals alike.

 

[sckeener]

Weyoun from Deep Space Nine and Gaius Baltar from Battlestar Galactica. I like villains who are out for themselves and have not an ounce of altruism about them.
--Erik Mona

First...I totally agree...those were some of my favorites too but...Weyoun had tons of altruism. It was all just directed at the Founders. One could say that being genetically programed for altruism (for the Founders) isn't altruism; however, there were many ways that Weyoun could have served the Founders without ever risking his life, and he did do that in episode Treachery, Faith, and the Great River where Weyoun 6 went to betray the Dominion to save the Founders [only Odo]. He was up to Weyoun 8 by the end of the series.

As for Gaius Baltar, well he did show some altruism at least for a certain abused Cylon. Other than that he is a pretty complex character.

Everyone draws a line where they feel altruism should stop. For Gauis it seems to be with a small circle that he chooses. For Weyoun it was with the Founders and loyal citizens of the Dominion. For some altruism is just for friends or friends & family or friends, family, & Church (or whatever organization, military or political association - national pride)...heck for some altruism even includes animals [Bruce Cordell doesn't have to include those adoption videos on his website.]

The reason I agree with you that I like Gauis and Weyoun as villians is exactly because they have altruism up to a point. They have lives. They are 3D. They are complex. They have people they care about but are considered villians because they don't care about the heroes of the story. They don't care about everyone.

 

[billd91]

Strahd
Icar - the blind military commander at the Slaver Stockade
the Drow under the Hellfurnaces in Greyhawk
the Scarlet Brotherhood - but I put a different spin on them, they're Suel purists who have discovered a new form of "magic": psionics
priests of Hextor - I just like to have fun with them. They go out, proselytize and organize the humanoids, and while you can't help but be grateful that they're curbing the wild behavior and random raiding, you know that eventually they'll forge an army to kick your butt.

 

[Shade]

Wow, so many choices, so many great ones already mentioned...

I'm a huge fan of the demon lords, the Elemental Princes of Evil (particularly Cryonax), the altraloths and baernaloths and General of Gehenna, the slaad lords, the archdevils and dukes of Hell...really any of the paragons of the planar exemplar races.

Tiamat has been probably my longest-running favorite villain, though. Ever since I saw her ugly five-headed mug in the 1E MM, she's always found a way into my campaigns in some form. The fact that she bridges the gap between dragons and fiends and crosses campaign settings makes her a villain for the ages.

 

[Remathilis]

Tenebrous (Dead Gods)
Acerack (Return to ToH)
Keraptis (White Plume)
Strahd (Ravenloft)
Soth (Dragonlance)
Lareth (Return to ToEE)
Snurre (Fire Giant King)

Ah, so many classics.

 

[messy]

Baba Yaga!

ok, maybe she's not necessarily a villain, but i still love her

messy

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Irenicus...

Oh fine... how 'bout Acererak.

 

[SpiderMonkey]

Bargle!

Acererak (out of Return to the Tomb) was also pretty sweet.

 

[wolframrkw]

Erikol

Erikol the Chaotic. From a picture in the first edition DMG...I think. Spelling may be off a bit. It has been years since I have looked at the picture. I have developed dozens of stories and plots based off of "What the heck is happening in this picture?".

Wolfram

 

[Klaus]

Strahd Von Zarovich, specially in the awesome "I, Strahd" novel by PN Elrod.

Lord Soth, specially in Knight of the Black Rose. "I am the maker of my own doom, I am the cause of my own damnation" indeed.

Tiamat.

And a special shout out goes to the Dinamyc Duo of Venger and the Shadow Demon!