"Blueprint for a Bastard"

By Rick Swan

Originally Published in InQuest magazine #29.

-How to create villains your reader will love to hate.

"Draxus could barely conceal his glee. He nudged his dragon mount in the ribs, and it glided
lower, affording him a clear view of the carnage below. Ten days of black acid rain had reduced
the Kingdom of Farmere to a bleak landscape of bubbling slime and charred corpses. Revenge
was sweet indeed.
Now, on to poison the clouds of Stillwater. Then Illian, Pegasus Valley, Whitewood. And no one
could stop him, not the king's army, not the mage guild, certainly not that pathetic company of
'heroes' shackled in his stronghold.
No one."

Nothing electrifies a story more than a memorable villain, an adversary of such power and
undiluted evil that he seems impossible to stop. An adversary as relentless and down-right nasty
as the Terminator, Freddy Krueger or Darth Vader can transform a ho-hum story into an
unforgettable experience.

But great villains don't just drop out of the sky. You gotta make 'em up. That may sound
daunting to an overburdened gamemaster, especially if you're a newcomer still struggling to
learn the rules. But it doesn't have to be difficult, presuming you're willing to invest some time
and engage the ol' brain cells. Here's a bluprint that's guaranteed to make your villains more like
Count Dracula and less like Count Chocula.

BUILDING A BETTER BAD GUY

Your goal: living, breathing human beings, not cardboard cutouts. You want to give your villains
three dimensions, imbuing them with distinctive personalities and unique traits, while avoiding
lazy rehashes of comic book crooks and movie-of-the-week cannon fodder. You want villains so
lifelike, so real that readers will half-expect them to bust out of their computer screens.

Get the ball rolling by deciding which general archetype - [for the sake of thoroughness I've
decided to include all three] man, king, or god [see sidebars] - is most appropriate for your story.
As a rule of thumb, the primary villain should be more powerful than the heroes, but not so
formidable that they have no chance of defeating him. Sword-swinging fantasy warriors, for
instance, might be able to trounce an evil monarch, but they'd be hopelessly outmatched in a
face-off with Galactus.

If you're still floundering, seek inspiration in existing media. But bear in mind that many readers
have extensive knowledge of pop culture, making "The Incredible Hulk" comics and "Star Trek"
episodes poor sources for surprising ideas. You might have better luck with newspapers, old
movies and reference books; try "The Encyclopedia of Modern Murder" by Colin Wilson and
"The Encyclopedia of Horror" by Richard Davis.

In any case, resist the temptation to clone a favorite fictional character. The result is invariable
wafer-thin and forgettable; the world doesn't need a Darth Vader Lite. Instead, judiciously select
characteristics from both fictional and real-life personas - the sneer of the Joker, the rage of
Shakespeare's Iago, the cape of Dracula, the mustache of your math teacher - and toss them into
your mental blender. Let your imagination tweak, recombine and exaggerate these traits until
they coagulate into a compelling whole.

To make your villain come to life, you need to know all about him. You might find it useful to
create a character profile [aside from your CIS], a list of details that helps bring him into focus.
A good profile includes the following:

APPEARANCE

Sure, you want to know his facial features and physique. But you also want to know how he
dresses, walks and gestures, not only so he makes a strong impression, but to ensure continuity.
You don't want him limping in one scene and using a trampoline in the next.

When introducing your villain to the readers, a lengthy description isn't necessary. A handful of
unusual, intimidating or even repulsive features - a silver tooth, a belt made of rattlesnake heads,
an empty eye socket - will make a bigger impression than an inventory of every scar and freckle.
If your readers can spot your villain in a crowded room from two or three details you provide,
you're on the right track.

PERSONALITY

Unless you're angling for a walking cliché, there's got to be more to your villain's personality
than a propensity for evil. Give him a couple of behavioral quirks. Maybe he's a gourmet or an
art collector.

Maybe he's agoraphobic or afraid of spiders. A streak of goodness adds depth, so long as it
doesn't significantly interfere with his sociopathic tendencies: perhaps he avoids killing animals
or gets all misty-eyed when he thinks about his long-dead sister.

Regardless of whatever else you stuff into his noggin, be sure to include plenty of brains. Smart
villains are a lot more durable - and deadly - than those relying exclusively on brute force.

BACKGROUND AND MOTIVE

A villain's life story anchors him to reality. It explains his behavior [he avoids water because his
father almost drowned him as boy], attitudes [he's a book lover because of his years at Harvard]
and skills [he mastered kung-fu while living in China]. But don't feel obligated to invent a year-
by-year biography. Instead, concentrate on the highlights: place of birth, family, training,
accomplishments, turning points.
Unless he was born rotten - a lame and unconvincing pretext villainy - a bad guy needs a reason
to be a bastard. Perhaps his dad beat him every morning before breakfast. Or all the girls spurned
his advances because of his two-foot nose. Deep psychological scars aren't necessary, but
something's got to be pushing him. Otherwise, players will think he does what he does just
because you want him to, and they'll be bored and conclude you're inept - and they'll be right.

Stuck for a motive? Some possibilities:

Revenge: You almost can't go wrong with this one, as it can be used to justify almost any kind of
heinous behavior. To expand the scope of the campaign and enhance the opportunities for large-
scale mayhem, direct the villain's revenge at a broad target: a country instead of a village, all
adherents of a particular ideology instead of the leader alone, every woman on earth instead of
just his ex-wife.

Self-Preservation: The villain's very existence is at stake, forcing him to commit all kinds of
dastardly deeds. If Dracula doesn't drink blood, he dies. If Galactus doesn't gobble up planets,
goodbye Galactus. Because self-preservation is such a clear-cut, unambiguous motive - the
villain has no choice but to act maliciously - it's a good option for a novice author.

Greed: This can be a lust for power or a good old-fashioned lust for money. But to avoid a corny,
cartoon villain - what's more cliched than a bad guy who just wants to be rich? - greed needs a
firm foundation. Maybe he had an impoverished childhood. Or maybe the only way he knows to
bolster his self-esteem is to drown himself in opulence.

Promoting a Cause: This involves a blind, unyielding devotion to a particular philosophy,

ideology or religion. Again, for the sake of believability, take care to make the obsession
plausible. His parents might have brainwashed him into believing that all but a chosen few are
blasphemous heathens who must be exterminated. Or his politics might compel him to conquer
the earth and enslave its inhabitants.

A motive can also originate from an inherent personality flaw, like exhibitionism [he gets a
charge from outwitting his adversaries], aggression [he's prone to uncontrollable violence] or
insanity [he's just plain nuts]. In general, however, born-that-way motives work better when
coupled with background-based motives. Mere aggression has nowhere near the story potential
of aggression coupled with revenge. A villain motivated by both insanity and greed is a richer,
more lifelike character than one motivated by insanity alone.

DIALOGUE

Since roleplaying is essentially verbal, the way a villain speaks is critical. Aim for realistic
dialogue that evokes the speaker's background and state of mind. Consider his cadence [steady,
quick, jumpy], use of jargon [scientific terms, foreign phrases] and tone [emotional, robotic].
Add a few affectations if you like - think of Darth Vader's muffled breathing or the Joker's
cackles.

Real-life conversation often rambles, filled as it is with small talk and detours. Comic book
characters, too, are prone to speechify, with bad guys in particular given to lengthy monologues.
But often, it's advantageous to keep your villain's dialogue short and sweet.

Here, for example, is a speech Draxus might give to the characters shackled in his stronghold:

"Won't talk? Very well. First, you'll languish here for, oh, the next hour or two while the
hopelessness of your situation sinks in. Then I'll administer the whip. Then you'll have another
chance to speak. Should you refuse, we'll see if additional whipping will loosen your tongues. If
that fails, you'll be stretched on the rack. And forget about food and water - there'll be none of
that."

Now let's cut it down to size:

"Won't talk? Then prepare for a long night. And a very painful one."

The lesson? Whenever practical, avoid long-winded speeches, and let the readers use their
imaginations to flesh out intentionally ambiguous dialogue. The villain just might seem more
sinister and mysterious than he actually is.

NAME

A good villain needs a god moniker. Don't settle for the first thing that pops into your head. You
want a name that's evocative and descriptive, one that shapes the reader's perception of the
villain before they ever meet him. Need ideas? Thumb through the thesaurus, the encyclopedia, a
book of baby names, even the phone book. Fiddle with various combinations of words and
syllables until you come up with something that fits the character, something provocative, off-
beat, maybe even a bit threatening.

ETC.

If you're on a roll, augment your villain's profile with likes and dislikes [food, music, books],
role models, acquaintances, henchmen and anything else that comes to mind. Otherwise, you'll
have plenty of time to fill in the blanks as the story evolves.

THE BAD GUY IN ACTION

Once your villain's got a personal history, some nifty quirks and a noteworthy moniker, it's time
to set his evil plans into motion. The deeds he commits should be executed with care; they'll
define him more vividly than fancy duds or cool speeches. His actions should be focused and
purposeful, arising naturally from his motives. If he's bent on revenge against the human race, he
shouldn't waste time stealing Girl Scout cookies. He should be targeting military installations
with nuclear bombs.

Great villains think big. A master thief doesn't lust after the local Savings & Loan; he longs to
loot Fort Knox. A first-class terrorist yawns at the prospect of blowing up a communications
satellite; he wants to blow up the moon. Grand ambition is what distinguishes the Goldfingers
from the Hamburglars. If you want your villain to stand out, set his sights high.

But don't blow up the moon right off the bat. To ratchet up the tension, a villain's master plan
should unfold as a series of events, played out over the course of the story. Each individual event
functions as a prelude to the grand finale, intensifying the involvement of the PCs while
foreshadowing what the villain's really up to. For instance, if the villain ultimately wants to blow
up the moon, the first step of his plan might involve a break-in at a government lab to steal a
computer program, followed by the kidnapping of a rocket scientist to extract critical
information, followed by the bombing of an island to test his explosives. The plan culminates in
his attempt to blow up the moon which, ideally, coincides with the climax of the story.

Want the readers to despise your villain? Sure you do! Then his actions should reinforce his
despicability. Wanton property damage will earn the readers' contempt, but a callous indifference
to life - innocent life in particular - will make them hate his guts. When the villain breaks into
that government lab, have him kill the janitor. He not only kidnaps that rocket scientist, he also
tortures him too. And why test-bomb a deserted island? Why not Hawaii? If, after a few run-ins
with the villain, the players become convinced that his behavior violates all standards of
common morality, you've done your job.

You can also rattle the players with events in which they don't actually participate, but discover
and investigate after the fact. Have them stumble across unexplained phenomena: a limbless
corpse, a ransacked museum [with nothing missing], a skeletal footprint. Have them hear
ominous rumors: an Indian tribe that disappeared without a trace, a recluse covered with lizard
scales. Roleplayers get so accustomed to fighting monsters and engaging in similar life-and-
death situations that the anticipation of danger can be more suspenseful than danger itself.

By the way, experienced roleplayers don't get terribly upset when their characters suffer damage.
They're used to having their PCs lose a little, spend a night or two in the hospital, then dive back
into the story with a new battle scar. If you really want to make your players miseralbe, direct the
villain's attacks against the PCs' friends and relatives - murdering a PC's grandma is bound to
touch a nerve. You can also make the players weep like babies by destroying their favorite
weapons, torching their headquarters and stripping them - temporarily or permanently - of skills
and abilities.

ODDS AND ENDS

Here are some more tips to soup up your villains:

-To enhance the emotional bond between the PCs and the villain, link their origins. The nuclear
accident that gave superpowers to the PCs also might have empowered their adversary. Or the
villain might be a former operative of the same government organization that sponsors the PCs.

-Sowing contention among the good guys can be an effective way to weaken them. Have the
villain attempt to bribe the heroes with money, power, or the opportunity to bring loved ones
back from the dead. Or he might falsify clues suggesting that one of the heroes is a traitor.
-Don't pummel the heroes with an unrelenting series of attacks. Give them time to breathe
between action scenes so they can wonder - and worry about - what's coming next.

-Always maintain the element of surprise. Don't give away everything there is to know about
your villain during the first encounter with the PCs - keep them guessing and coming back for
more.

-Don't squander a good villain by killing him off. If the PCs foil his master plan, give him a
chance to escape. If it looks like he's bitten the dust, make sure the body's never found.

That's it. Now get out there and start destroying those cities.