The three required bad guy classes-

[jester47]

Necromancer (Abdul AlHazrad) (Black Cauldron)
Demonologist (Faust)(Abdul AlHazrad)(demonic Pact)(Elric and Arioch)
Evil Dude in Armor (Anti-Paladin)(Black Gaurd)

These three just seem sort of staple to me.
What does everyone else find to be stape?

 

[warlord]

the Thief or Swashbuckler type clad entirely in black.

 

[AFGNCAAP]

Ruthless assassin (Artemis Entreri)
Criminal overlord (Master slaver, Guildmaster of assassins'/thieves' guild, etc.)

There's a couple that came to mind quickly.

 

[EdL]

The Lich Lord.

 

[Shemeska]

An actual fiend: Yugoloth, Rakshasa, Tanar'ri, Baatezu, Night Hag, etc work wonderfully as villains. Especially when they have little but disdain for mortal opponants.

 

[The Shaman]

The Lich Lord.

That tops my list as well.

Second is the villain who hides in plain sight, i.e., the blackguard who is also the marshal of the royal armies and can't be harmed without bringing the wrath of an entire kingdom and all its affiliated institutions down on the adventurers' heads. The adventurers must defeat the villain's plots but can't risk openly challenging the bad guy because of his social status and connections. Marvelous opportunities for intrigue.

Combining the two is also fun!

 

[Dog Moon]

Originally posted by warlord
the Thief or Swashbuckler type clad entirely in black.

I like to clad everyone in black, even the good guys. Occasionally I'll go for brown.


Hot, sexy woman seems to be staple, though she can be used in different ways, tempt the good guys into evil, be a Succubus, etc. Vampire Lord [as opposed to Lich Lord] is pretty staple too.

 

[Felix]

What, you mean beside the PCs? Heh.


Lawful Neutral enforcers (Whitecloaks) Great because they're not evil!

 

[Kristivas]

lol I've actually made a Bard be the center of the party's eternal wrath. He'd always be hanging out with at least 10 guys.. guys that should have been an easy fight, if not for his songs and such

 

[Wraith Form]

Hot, sexy woman seems to be staple, though she can be used in different ways, tempt the good guys into evil, be a Succubus, etc.

Exactly. Femme Fatale. Preferably (barely) clad in black (see above posts for black clothing theme).