Those Bloody Things We Call Villains

RP-related discussion otherwise not covered in the Character Closet.
NamagomiMk0
 
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Those Bloody Things We Call Villains

Unread postby NamagomiMk0 » Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:21 am

No, this isn't a list of, a rant about, or a set of guidelines on how to build and play one of the most difficult, but essential elements in a plot; an antagonist, or more commonly, a "villain."

Instead, this is an opinion poll regarding these difficult characters. A very simple one, and yet not without its intricacies:

What is your favorite "design" of villain? What kinds of things in specific do you like in villains; this extends to basic design in regards to appearance and personality, plots they execute and the method they go about these, and yes, relevant fighting abilities (if the villain is meant to fight in some way, be it directly, indirectly through minions and lieutenants, or both(albeit not always simultaneously)). You may make answers as general or detailed as you wish; this is simply an opinion poll.

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Jak Snide
 
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Unread postby Jak Snide » Tue Aug 14, 2007 9:11 am

Don't think I can say I have a favourite type. Some I like to be hugely powerful (and also amazingly arrogant), flaunting their superiority at every turn with little need for minions. Others I like to be, by themselves, just about as powerful as a regular person, but control vast networks of agents and minions (think despotic king). And there are those who the players won't ever meet or know about, secretly manipulating events from behind the scenes.

Also, if your players clock on to you having a favourite type they know what to expect.

As for combat, I do generally try to avoid hp sponges unless there's a good reason they could soak up a million and one hits. Magic and/or magic items nullifying or weakening incoming attacks is a good way to give them believable endurance, but too much of that runs the risk of the players going from "oh crap, this guy is hard!" to a bored/despondent "oh wow, none of our abilities do anything, do they?" On the other hand, you can make a villain who's more or less immune to regular attacks to make your players think outside of the box. Can the environment be exploited, can the villain be taunted into letting his guard down, will certain spells or abilities have a special affect on him.

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PriamNevhausten
Holy Order of the Crimson Ballpoint
 
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Unread postby PriamNevhausten » Tue Aug 14, 2007 9:33 am

I always liked the guy in The Fifth Element whose name I cannot remember, partly because he didn't actually know who the protagonists were and only barely met any of them at all, but in large part because he was smart, witty, practical, and almost always in control of his situation. Well, minus that giant-asteroid-demon thing. He loved what he did, and it really showed--his goals were just at odds with those of the protagonists. It was really hard to hate him, but it was always fun to bear witness to his misfortune, because there were very few things that rattled his cage and those reactions were appropriately unique.
"You haven't told me what I'm looking for."
"Anything that might be of interest to Slitscan. Which is to say, anything that might be of interest to Slitscan's audience. Which is best visualized as a vicious, lazy, profoundly ignorant, perpetually hungry organism craving the warm god-flesh of the anointed. Personally I like to imagine something the size of a baby hippo, the color of a week-old boiled potato, that lives by itself, in the dark, in a double-wide on the outskirts of Topeka. It's covered with eyes and it sweats constantly. The sweat runs into those eyes and makes them sting. It has no mouth, Laney, no genitals, and can only express its mute extremes of murderous rage and infantile desire by changing the channels on a universal remote. Or by voting in presidential elections."
--Colin Laney and Kathy Torrance, William Gibson's Idoru

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Kai
Fighting the Iron Law of Oligarchy Since 2006
 
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Unread postby Kai » Tue Aug 14, 2007 11:40 am

I have a thing for cults. We know this. If Archmage has his "so there's this evil wizard, right?" then Kai has, "okay so there's this cult, right?"

My favorite kind of villain is someone who's either doing something totally justifiable with terrible terrible methods (ends justifying the means), or doing something completely inexcusable for understandable reasons.

I guess any way I can worm a little moral ambiguity in there makes me happy. Having villains who're people first and villains second makes this easier. As a rule I prefer villains with a sense of decency, a sense of beauty, and a sense of humor. Things everybody has, even if they're twisted beyond recognition.

Their abilities don't generally get worked out until I've got their personality. I can't really say for sure it makes them better villains, but it makes them more fun for me to play.

Nekogami
 
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Unread postby Nekogami » Fri Aug 17, 2007 7:59 am

I have two kinds of villains that I enjoy:

Ones that don't know that they're evil, or have convinced themselves that the ends justify the means

and ones that know they're wicked and it feels goooooooood. The first is hard to kill and the second is hard to kill when they are good at what they do.

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PriamNevhausten
Holy Order of the Crimson Ballpoint
 
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Unread postby PriamNevhausten » Tue Aug 21, 2007 11:50 am

I've decided that the antagonist of The Watchmen, and Rorschach from the same, are tied in my respect as quasi-villains. The Antagonist because he *succeeds,* for all the best reasons; and Rorschach because he is utterly unapologetic about everything he does.

Ramirez from Skies of Arcadia also bears mentioning. He knows he's stupid crazy powerful, but he permits himself to be someone else's subject. When the party first sees him, he is ready to fight them but allows them to decide for themselves whether he kills them right then and there. He is respectful, he is precise, he is smart, he is patient--and that is awesome.
"You haven't told me what I'm looking for."
"Anything that might be of interest to Slitscan. Which is to say, anything that might be of interest to Slitscan's audience. Which is best visualized as a vicious, lazy, profoundly ignorant, perpetually hungry organism craving the warm god-flesh of the anointed. Personally I like to imagine something the size of a baby hippo, the color of a week-old boiled potato, that lives by itself, in the dark, in a double-wide on the outskirts of Topeka. It's covered with eyes and it sweats constantly. The sweat runs into those eyes and makes them sting. It has no mouth, Laney, no genitals, and can only express its mute extremes of murderous rage and infantile desire by changing the channels on a universal remote. Or by voting in presidential elections."
--Colin Laney and Kathy Torrance, William Gibson's Idoru


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