The coolest, classic D&D BBEG!

[Ruined]

I had to be the lone voter for Azlain, the lich. His machinations nearly destroyed Ravenloft twice. And anyway, I've always felt he was a much cooler Lich than that guy missing his hand and his eye...

 

[Ferret]

Of course, I've always loved Artemis Entrari (Yay for someone who could Kill Drizzt!), and Elaith Caulnober. Of course, Elaith has always been more of an Anti-Hero, Anti-Elf kind've twisted character, who I just delight in reading about. Entrari is somewhat of an Anti-hero. And, he could Kill Drizzt, so that's a thumb's up.

I'd mark him as LN actually, 1) He never did anything for himself selfishly, he does that stuff for pook 2)Rivalry isn't evil, if he'd killed other innocents for his own goal(fight drizzt) then that was evil 3) He followed the rules in Menzoberanzan, and didn't kill ghim at the end. And I reckon he couldn't, when Drizzt rages, he must put up his dex not his con. But the hunter is nigh unbeatable when he rages.

 

[Gothmog]

Gotta be Tharizdun- look back at the old 1E Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun, and his history in Greyhawk. The bugger has been asleep/imprisoned for so long that most people forgot about him, but if he were to break free and become active again, everything goes to hell. Plus, for some reason, he always struck me as having some cool Cthulhu-ish undertones. Cant beat that! There simply isn't another BBEG who can claim to cause such panic and distress in any other published game world.

 

[The Serge]

Well, although I like Asmodeus more than any other, I voted for Acererak.

Tomb of Horrors remains one of the nastiest games ever put out by TSR/WotC. Although some have argued (probably accurately) that some of the instant death attacks were outrageous, that one game established the lost, subterranean temple as one of the best locations for a serious, brooding campaign. And, it also introduced the dreaded Demilich, Acererak. Although it didn't give him the most personality (although it did highlight that he was a sadistic bastard who enjoyed screwing with peoples minds. Good gods, the riddles!), but it did introduce one of the best monsters this side of a Dragon.

Then, Bruce R. Cordell did the Return to the Tomb of Horrors, introducing much needed background information, and revitalizing the mega-dungeon crawl. Although I wished Cordell had waited for 3ed for this fantastic sequel, I loved how he handled Acererak, giving him an interesting (if somewhat cliched) background, tremendous power, and the ability to have a massive impact on D&D.

Other favorites include the devil Strahd, Azalin, and Orcus, although I've always had a soft spot for Tiamat. I meant to include Iuz the Old but somehow forgot. Sorry!

However, I think it's high time Asmodeus and the Lords of the Nine had a huge module/mega-adventure dedicated to them. The use Steve Perrin put Dispater through in Fires of Dis was great, and Monte Cook did a superb job with Asmodeus in A Paladin in Hell. Imagine a huge adventure from 1st to 30th level in which players slowly learn that Asmodeus is behind a ploy to not only destroy their planet, but to damn all inhabitants to Hell! Oh!!!! I'm getting chills just thinking about it!

 

[kenjib]

Acererak -- iconic arch-villain.

 

[Xarlen]

I'd mark him as LN actually, 1) He never did anything for himself selfishly, he does that stuff for pook 2)Rivalry isn't evil, if he'd killed other innocents for his own goal(fight drizzt) then that was evil 3) He followed the rules in Menzoberanzan, and didn't kill ghim at the end. And I reckon he couldn't, when Drizzt rages, he must put up his dex not his con. But the hunter is nigh unbeatable when he rages.

And what about the ruthless killing? He's an Assassin. He killed people for cash. If you read Servant of the Shard, he makes some serious stuff. Not to mention dominating the Evil sword.

But, hey, I still love Entrari.

 

[Xarlen]

Cyric. Definitely one of my favorite evil Gods of all time, and a decidedly wicked villian as well. Cyric is my favorite kind of villian. He's like The Joker, Satan, or even Loki. Insidious, brilliant, ruthless and slightly unhinged.

Which Loki we talkin' about? The Norse Loki was more a trickster and prankmaster then a Villain.

But, yes, Cyric is the Sadisticly Intelligent Bastard Villain (TM).

Bane's always struck me as a pompus, bullying wuss. Cyric is the True patron of the Zhents.

 

[MeepoTheMighty]

Which Loki we talkin' about? The Norse Loki was more a trickster and prankmaster then a Villain.

But, yes, Cyric is the Sadisticly Intelligent Bastard Villain (TM).

Bane's always struck me as a pompus, bullying wuss. Cyric is the True patron of the Zhents.

Bah. Cyric is a self-centered, megalomaniacal coward who couldn't properly snivel his way out of a wet paper bag. His followers are more dangerous to each other than they are to anyone else. The best way to get rid of a cult of Cyricists is to let another cult of Cyricists know they're there.


Bane, on the other hand, is the Real Ultimate Evil. Not only will he enslave your kids, subvert your government, and dominate your free will, he'll look damn good while he does it. That man's got STYLE.

 

[The Serge]

Darn you Serge!!!

Heh heh heh. Yeah, I took the Scarred Lands guys out, and thought about you, Nightfall! Heh heh heh...

 

[TiQuinn]

I'm just shocked that the true great evil in the universe wasn't included in the poll....Venger!