D&D General What other famous D&D villains deserve to be Dark Lords?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I like the idea of a Pirates of the Caribbean realm, with Davy Jones as the BB. Using Hawkins+Upside Down and that Vecna is already prepped, as I was going to run it as a replacement setting in my version of the Vecna adventure campaign..

Pirate Borg is full of undead stuff you can steal from, including a ton of generators that all work with any RPG system. It'd be a great resource for this.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

In my game the "Hollow World" from Mystara is a demiplane but not created by the Dark Powers but other faction, without links to the demiplane of the dread.

Albert Wesker could be a dark lord. Let's remember he betrayed his ally Excella Gionne (Resident Evil 5).

You are free to create an expy or ersatz of Penniwise as a dark lord but the dark domain should be designed to allow different stories without link the dark lord.

The sheriff Lucas Buck from the cancelled 1995 show "American Gothic" could be a good dark lord.

* Do you know the action-live horror+comedy show "Widow's Bay"?

The web Mistipedia/Fratenity of Shadows has got a long list of no-canon dark lords. I haven't dared to read them all.

Category:Darklord - Mistipedia

 

[Voadam]

Are we sure Mystara isn't already a Domain of Dread? Your description of it could also apply to Ravenloft.

Hollow World does not have an overall horror theme, the mists, Darklords, Dark powers, special curse or corruption rules.

The cultures grabbed are not based on supporting a tragic self-cursed villain Darklord but interesting flavor cultures the powers do not want to see lost after the fall of empires.

The horrific when you think about it Meta level power manipulation of cultures and empires is a big tonal mismatch to the pulp lost world empires feel of the non powers interaction level of the setting for me.

 

[Byrd]

The Elflands of the Gentle Folk (Hollow World) + Audrey II (Little Shop of Horrors)

 

[Voadam]

Existing D&D characters is tough because they should generally be tragic villlains who brought their curse down upon themselves, a decent backstory that can be discovered by PCs, can be big bad guys, and present an interesting theme for a domain.

Ravenloft has had only four in the big setting that I can think of, Strahd from I6 Ravenloft, Azalin from I10 Ravenloft II, Lord Soth from Dragonlance, and Vecna from his artifacts and then Greyhawk.

And I don’t really consider Vecna a great fit, he had the whole Kas betrayal but otherwise he was not that gothic a gothic horror villain and his land was more high powered evil lich cult fascism land than someplace for gothic horror adventures.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

And I don’t really consider Vecna a great fit, he had the whole Kas betrayal but otherwise he was not that gothic a gothic horror villain and his land was more high powered evil lich cult fascism land than someplace for gothic horror adventures.

Yeah, Vecna was there because of metaplot, and not because he really fit the mold of 2E Darklords.

 

[fuindordm]

OP was no Gods (Immortals), but the idea that a Mortal Identity could get stranded in the mists has appeal...

Sounds like I'm missing some lore, I thought Étienne was just a wizard. But I l've only read the original module.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

* Do you know the action-live horror+comedy show "Widow's Bay"?

Just want to highlight this. Anyone with an interest in Ravenloft domains, especially Innsmouth, should be watching this show.

 

[Tonguez]

Sounds like I'm missing some lore, I thought Étienne was just a wizard. But I l've only read the original module.

if you're just basing Etienne on Castle Amber then yes he works well as Darklord
but check out the Wrath of Immortals Campaign set for Mystara/Hollow World - Etienne becomes Lord of the Radiance

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Jokes aside, my personal opinion is the domain should come first. That is the setting where the PCs are going to have their adventures. So what sort of adventures does it support? What are the themes? What makes it different to existing domains? The identity of the dark lord should facilitate those things.

I shall spin off another thread for domain ideas when I have a little more time.