What makes for a great villain?

I think people make villains too one dimensional; often they ARE simply more powerful versions of the common foe or

simply some form of generic evil puppet master that are meant to be cut down at the end of the module.  To create a

true villain worthy of a proactive storyline I like to take literary approach.

1.  A good epic villain is legendary.  While he is usually depicted as a cruel person devoted to a life of wicked and malicious actions there has to be more.

A villain is a complex character steeped in amorality and evil doing for his own gain at any cost. A villain may be depicted with bizarre physical traits to make him appear truly villainous while others may appear as mere mortals but  having a dark soul, capable of bringing terror and destruction by their evil actions. 

While some may be archtypical  (think of your evil villains from Disney for example) they each however are unique in their evil. Ask yourself what is your villains form of "evil"  I like to use the 7 deadly sins;

Lust
Gluttony
Greed
Sloth
Wrath
Envy
Pride

Pick one or combine a few and have the villain immerse himself within it.  From looks, to manners, method of speech, surroundings, to intent.  Make your villain iconic.

2.  Is your villain truly legendary or do you want him to grow with the character; do you wish to parallel their rise through him; should his evil balance out their heroic actions?  This is an important question because it affects your  presentation.

In my earlier post I stated, "Evil often can only achieve power in a vacuum of a greater evil."  Having the players  give birth to their own villain under the guise of destroying a greater evil is a great introducion. 

Nature abhors a vaccuum, and if by killing some great evil they open the path for a lesser evil to take over (perhaps one they know personally;) how better to make the characters feel the obligation to remove this villain than being aware that they are responsible for it's birth.

For evil to survive it must be subtle at the onset. Evil will work through agents and for many stories the players really should only experience your villain through a growing sense of familiarity.

Evil's presence should be merely tactile in the first stages where the players see evidence of evils passing.  The change in the economic climate of a small village to gross poverty; ruination of the fields; starvation of the fodder; people may become  shadows or corruptions of their formerselves.  A kindly innkeeper begins treating her help badly beating her serving girls for spilled ale; a fair sherrif begins cutting off hands vice placing people within the stocks for petty crimes.

As the gameplay progresses lesser evils will be born; those opportunists who seek to emulate the master's path, get caught within his wake and follow him to infamy or those that seek to leech his power to someday replace him.

These agents will more often be the face of evil to the party.  Hilter, for example, was the master villain of the 3rd Reich and yet it was his stormtroopers, agents of the SS, various doctors and soldiers that were the face of his evil. 

The average soldier fighting their campaign against him viewed his evil only the the actions of his minions; scraps of his writings; or far away glimpses of his speeches.  Until the party raises to power where the climax of a campaign or series of campaign is finally written rarely should they be in direct presence where they can commit the coup de grace and end the evil.  Escape is overly used and too often robs the players of a fair victory.

However, a knowing sense that you are drawing closer and closer to the source of the evil; builds anticipation to the approaching climax of the story and pending finale.  Imagine waging battle through a corrupted land, ending the plots of various lieutenants; recognizing a concentration of elite gaurdian only finding at their heart; a sheltered fortress that is surprisingly bereft of any gaurds, or perhaps mortal guards... (he cannot trust anyone remember?)

3.  Don't be mistaken however while some villains may be subtle and growing others begin at onset (think Sauron) emininetly powerful; they are deceitful and insidious, overwhelmingly evil and seductive in their use of it.

4.  Some of the best master villains are derived from those that have traits that remind us they too are human.  The villain may have many basic flaws and his intentions and actions may cause untold miseries to the others. All the same, a good villain is one may actually gain the sympathy of the players as he behaves in that manner due to a fatal flaw inherent  in  his character. In fact he has a strong motive for his wrong action which makes him sound convincing.

 
Macbeth was a villain as much as a victim.  he is a man who would have done exactly the same even if he had never met the witches or his wife had not urged him on. His lust for power is enormous and Lady Macbeth and the witches simply strengthen his determination.  However, most people feel bad for him, a sense of pity..   Lord Soth is a great example of a fall into the darkness of a good master villain.  A chivalric Knight of the Rose who falls in love outside of his politically arranged marriage that leads him into jealousy, rage, murder and to turn his back on his god.  Cursed he rules his dark kingdom from his throne in Dargaard.

5. As an antagonist, you have to rememBer his function. The villain is as an obstacle which the hero has to overcome at various stages of the plot. The villain is "opposing" the heroes.  The players have to feel the sense that the villain is the cause of or threatens them with failure.  There must be indication the villain are the source to build that emnity.  However, the villian as stated above does not, and for story/campaign purposes should not, engage the characters directly.

He should be glimpsed across a battlefield; seen boarding the airship from the burning flying fortress.. he should be looming within the window on the bridge of the capital star destroyer.. so close, but out of reach until the climax of the story.

6.  The villain should evoke as much emotion as image.  He should make the players feel hatred, fear, frustration, anger, sorrow, pity or even jealousy from those so aligned.  Gaming sessions can have themes to drive these feelings.

 

How do you make players "hate" a villain.  Ask yourself, what do they hate?  Do they hate losing property; the villain burns it.  Do they have prized possessions; have the villain steal them.  Do they have have romantic interests; have the villain slay them.  Do they aspire to join some organization; have the villain put it to the sword or disband it (think Cardinal Richelieu and the musketeers)

The Mythic Scribes have a great breakdown of what make for great epic villain;

Powerful

Great villains are staggeringly powerful.  In other words, they have a way of making things bend to their will.  In fantasy stories this often takes the form of magical powers.  Perhaps the villain is a mighty sorcerer or a fallen Jedi Knight.  In some cases, though, the villain’s power lies in his resources.  He may possess vast wealth and influence. Or he may have a highly trained army at his command.

In some cases, though, the villain’s power is less obvious.  A classic literary archetype is the femme fatale: a woman who uses her charm to control those around her.  Some villains posses keen acuity and cunning, which is far more dangerous than raw might.

Intelligent

Effective villains are intelligent.  This does not necessarily mean that they are intellectually gifted.  Rather, it

means that they avoid making stupid decisions. New writers sometimes make the error of crafting villains who are so drunk with ambition that they make dumb moves.  While such a character may make for an entertaining caricature, he or she is not a compelling villain. 

A truly great  villain is always two steps ahead of the hero, and carefully considers every option.

This does not mean that they are above making mistakes.  Otherwise they would be undefeatable.  But they certainly  don’t make the obvious ones.  Great villains pose a real challenge for the hero, and they do so by being on top of their game.

Immoral

True villains are immoral.  This is what makes them villains.  It’s not that they lack a sense of right or wrong.  On the contrary, villains often subscribe to a moral code.  But they are willing to violate accepted moral principles in order to accomplish their goals.

A prime example is Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter series.  He knows that he has violated every principle of human decency.  Yet he justifies his actions by saying that they are “for the greater good.”  Fulfilling his vision of the ideal social order is so important that, in his mind, it necessitates doing terrible things.

This is a common theme with many great villains.  They believe so strongly in the rightness of their own cause that they no longer see the normal standards of moral conduct as applying to them.

Wounded
Memorable villains are usually wounded individuals.  Sometimes this is manifested as physical wounds or disfigurements, such as the scarred face of the Joker or the missing limbs of Darth Vader.  More often, though, the most defining wounds are emotional or psychological.

This reflects the great truth that no human being is born a monster.  Rather, people are made into monsters by the damage and abuse inflicted upon them.  Something must have happened to transform an innocent child into a homicidal adult.  Even if the character’s tragic backstory isn’t fleshed out in the narrative, it is often hinted at.

Having a wounded villain also prevents him or her from becoming a caricature.  Villains who are driven by a lust for power is a fantasy cliché.  Giving the character a reason for this lust makes it credible.

Determined

This is what separates the great villains from the lesser baddies.  A truly formidable villain is possessed by an

unstoppable drive to achieve his or her goal.  Under no circumstance will he ever give up (unless he is somehow redeemed).

Perhaps the most striking example is the Dark Lord himself, Sauron of Mordor.  He is so driven to dominate Middle Earth that even the destruction of his physical body is only a setback.  When a great villain sets his sites on a goal, nothing short of annihilation will stop him from accomplishing it.  This makes the defiance of the hero that much more perilous.

So while I understand the desire to have the villain as the source of evil who keeps escaping, but if you consider the traits above you may be able to add much more depth to your antagonist.