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WOTC poll - Loathsome Villains
- Thread starter Greybar
- Start date
s/LaSH
First Post
I went for Suffering. I can be greedy and yet promote world peace (if you kill all my customers, who buys my stuff?). I can raise the undead and have them [a href=http://www.avernum.com/avernum3/index.html]run a lighthouse[/a]. But how could I possibly be sympathetic if my motivation is to hurt people?
(Note - that's not my modus operandi. A surgeon hurts people, especially in the days before anaesthetic. I'm talking about someone who does things specifically to hurt people.)
Oh, and Vengeance is on there twice.
Just for reference, probably the most important villain I've ever created (and no, I won't divulge more details) is motivated by good intentions, believing their actions to be for the greater good. It does swell into genocidal hatred, but the villain with perfectly reasonable motivations is always difficult to reason with.
(Note - that's not my modus operandi. A surgeon hurts people, especially in the days before anaesthetic. I'm talking about someone who does things specifically to hurt people.)
Oh, and Vengeance is on there twice.
Just for reference, probably the most important villain I've ever created (and no, I won't divulge more details) is motivated by good intentions, believing their actions to be for the greater good. It does swell into genocidal hatred, but the villain with perfectly reasonable motivations is always difficult to reason with.
I picked 'Uses Others for Personal Gain, but really, none of the options were really satisfying; I couldn't even pick the 'best' one, because they all have their place in the scheme of villany, and can all be used to create very good villains (or not-quite-villains, or even some heroes).
And the best ones probably defy the narrow definitions in the poll by mixing different elements.
IMO, at least..
And the best ones probably defy the narrow definitions in the poll by mixing different elements.
IMO, at least..
Shemeska
Adventurer
A villian that your characters KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt is evil and unredeemable, but who, because of social ranking or otherwise intangible power in the community is above reproach. Even if the community knows it, they hold a web of strings and pulling them could mean disaster for a PC, and they know it, and are ever so willing to lord this fact over a group of characters. Your characters feel helpless to do anything about this person even if they would like to.
And all the while they act completely innocent, alternating with vain, pretentious, and fickle. But despite the facade there's a few moments where it drops and frankly it frightens your players with just what simmers under the surface of this person.
God.. memorable villains are a gorgeous thing.
*points to self as a model citizen of Sigil having absolutely nothing in common with what was just described... then bares fangs*
And all the while they act completely innocent, alternating with vain, pretentious, and fickle. But despite the facade there's a few moments where it drops and frankly it frightens your players with just what simmers under the surface of this person.
God.. memorable villains are a gorgeous thing.
*points to self as a model citizen of Sigil having absolutely nothing in common with what was just described... then bares fangs*
Shemeska
Adventurer
"Oh don't make me laugh boy. You're hardly worth my time and effort. Now put that away before I forclose on the mortgages of the two buildings adjacent to yours and have a Tanar'ri brothel moving into each before next antipeak."
"And oh, do I look better with the blue gown or the black one? Which one offsets the razorvine tiara best?" *pirouettes before a mirror held by a toadie*
"And oh, do I look better with the blue gown or the black one? Which one offsets the razorvine tiara best?" *pirouettes before a mirror held by a toadie*
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