What Makes a Truly Memorable Villain?

[Tom Servo]

Riffing off of Radiating Gnomes point a bit, I find it is best to make it personal. In his example the villain is a problem for the party directly.

Hit them where it hurts both story-wise and mechanically. Pay attention to what the players and characters actually care about and get excited about, not what they or their back stories say they care about. This will be different for each group.

The villain is taking over the kingdom, it's tragic. The villain has wiped out a local village, it's horrible. The villain has enslaved the dwarves, it's monstrous. The villain has disintegrated the fighter's favorite magical longsword......NOW IT'S PERSONAL!

I find the best villains are those that my players hate even more than their characters do.

 

[SkredlitheOgre]

I think it depends on what kind of villain you want.

While I understand what people are saying about making the villain sympathetic, and I think that can be used well, I go the other way.

I want a villain who is so far removed from being human that I have absolutely no qualms about stabbing/punching/shooting him/her in the face. I don't mean a demon or devil or something, but someone who is so sociopathic that I'm finding the gnawed body parts of puppies and children in a trail leading to the villain. Or something like that. That gets me emotionally involved in a way that a sympathetic villains don't.

The other thing is knowing what the bad guy's plans are and why he's doing what he's doing. So, the Bad Guy wants to take over the world. Why? What's his plan once he has taken over the world?

 

[Ahnehnois]

One that both the players and their characters truly hate.

 

[RangerWickett]

One that both the players and their characters truly hate.

"Guys, welcome tonight's guest player, Celine Dion. She'll be playing the role of Hitler."

 

[Aramax]

Imho one dimentional hair twisting villians def have a place.
1)give them a verbal differance(always talks in the royal we)
2)use them at least 3 times
3)dont have too many that last for sesion after session.
4)have an exit statagy for them(escape plan)
5) just as memorable henchmen
6)make it personal for the players

 

[Loonook]

I personally like a few types of villain overall. My favorites include:

"I learned it from YOU!": A little setpiece earlier in the game establishes a lower level foil that through sheer will rises up to become that next great thing. One of my favorite series on TV has such a character. The main antiheroic boogeyman is so feared that children play at being him like they would play Cowboys and Indians. The character runs his course, just about to head off into the sunset when this behemoth indestructible force is bushwhacked... By a kid we see for the first time 30+ episodes back. The kid is framed to be the new boogeyman but is he ready?

"It is such a small thing...": Little acts hidden agendas and the guy is so easy to ignore sitting in plain sight. He is two people: This unassuming little npc and the mastermind vehind it all... Noone knows him save his trusted advisors and the PCs never expext it. Think The Master in Fables... Wow. Great twist.

"Billy Goats Gruff": Bigger and badder antagonists as the players rise up leading to a great crescendo.

"The Best Trick the Devil...": Similar to one above but the character is in the group the whole yime. I am not suggesting a PC but any part of their NPC entourage. The PCs do noy want to believe it, can't believe it... Until they see it for their own eyes.

Slainte,

-Loonook.

PS: Pardon errors or grammar... ENWorld still not loving my mobile phone.

 

[Bungus]

Two ways... The villain is recurring without raise dead or similar.

Or, the baddie does something heinous to make the players hate him, her of it.

 

[RangerWickett]

Introduce the villain in a situation where he's not an enemy, and perhaps is even an ally. Let the party talk to him and get to know him, maybe even accept his help on a mutually-beneficial mission. Only later have him become a foe.

For example in ZEITGEIST, . . . well, it'd be a spoiler. But suffice it to say having the PCs work for a large organization gives you opportunities to introduce lots of NPCs, so that the party won't always assume everyone they meet is a bad guy.

Or give the villain lots of recognizable minions with a schtick similar to their boss. In War of the Burning Sky, Leska is an archmage who is a master of counterspells, and her inquisitor minions show up throughout the campaign, trying to capture and torture spellcasters, and making life difficult for PC wizards and clerics.

 

[Quickleaf]

Just ask yourself what would Bargle do? Or better yet what would Xykon do?

Villains who use PC-type tactics against the PCs earn immediate enmity. Making a coup de grace just because, firing a magic missile to finish off a familiar, holing up at a choke point, abusing spells... those will certainly earn a villain the player's enmity.

Though you might need a bigger DM screen (to duck from the dice).

 

[innerdude]

1. I completely agree with everyone who has stated that a good villain must be recurring. Familiarity breeds contempt, and all that.

2. The other thing I did recently in our Pathfinder campaign, is I made the villain personal. Meaning, I didn't just attack the town, or the party, or the party's leader. The villain made a personal commitment to harm, annoy, harass, and beguile people that the party cared about.

I've never seen so much interest in defeating a villain after he burned the farm house of a close personal friend to the ground.

3. Have other interesting NPCs opposed to the villain as well. Having an NPC take a personal interest in the party's success or failure seemed to really get them motivated.