Now, let’s start with motivation. What makes a BBEG tick? I am in a pretty good position to explain this sort of thing. People’s motivations are more complex than a simple one-word plug like greed, pride, or morality. If you take someone in a profession where you would like to simplify his or her motivation to an answer like justice or duty and perform even a cursory analysis you find that his or her motivations are far more complex than you initially assumed. A non-crooked police officer who goes above and beyond the call on a regular basis would not and could not continue his work if he wasn’t paid for it: some for of financial compensation is a portion of his motivation. Similarly, criminals and various other unsavory types are motivated by a variety of things. You can say it’s for the money, but if you could read the hearts and minds of these people, you would discover that there is some degree of emotional gratification or unorthodox morality that factors into the equation.

Twin Fallacies, and the Problem with Psychos

An anthropologist might tell you that there are two sorts of common fallacies when it comes to cultural perceptions: a relativistic fallacy and an ethnocentric fallacy. In creating villains there are two similar fallacies: the Anti-Villain Fallacy and the Snidely Whiplash fallacy.

The Anti-Villain Fallacy: You need an Anti-Villain to make a work realistic

The term Anti-Villain is a bit overused. You probably already know this, but, in case you do not, an Anti-Villain is a Villain who’s goals the protagonists are intended to sympathize with, even if they find themselves opposing them, generally on the grounds of the methods they utilize. The most common motif used is the “Well Intentioned Extremist” (yes, trope term): some individual or group motivated socially, politically, or religiously is attempting to achieve some sort of ideological goal that, while positive, they will stop at nothing to achieve. Not only has this been done to death, but also it generally isn’t done very well.

In order to establish an “Anti-Villain” persona, the individual(s) in question are designed to be considerably more articulate than most NPCs the players will encounter are tooled to be. Furthermore, the DM will go out of his or her way to cast narrative spotlight on the ills the “Anti-Villain” is fighting to address. I find that this is often poorly done, with the actions of the participants bordering on the pathologically illogical, and the showcasing being borderline railroading. At worst, I have seen some of these guys become spotlight-stealing DMPCs.

The thing of it is, if you have a Villain of any sort who is self aware enough to have a good understanding of their own motivations, and articulate enough to express them in a clear and attractive manner, you don’t need to pull out all of the “Anti-Villain” stops for your players to be able to relate to the character, and pulling out too many of them either sidelines the PCs or forces you to reevaluate why this person is even a Villain in the first place. Realizing that the person you are pitting the PCs against should, by both IC and OOC logic, be on their side is a bit galling for both DMs and players.

The Snidely Whiplash Fallacy: Cliché Villains are inherently unrealistic

While the Anti-Villain was created to break away from classical black and white villainy, what about the old fashioned stuff? Does a villain who plays more to the classical perceptions of what villainy should be get passed over when it comes to realism? Hell No!

For starters, it has already been stated that the reasons why people behave the way that they do are complex, and reducing them down to shorthand can result in the logical breakdown of your setting. Even a cliché mustachioed type who ties maidens to railroads is motivated by a variety of things. If he could articulate these factors with the proper choice of language, he could make a compelling (or at least understandable) accounting for why he is doing what he is does. It would be possible for the players and PCs both to sympathize or even empathize with this character: there is no need for Snidely Whiplash to be a 2d caricature.

For one, have you ever considered how emotionally gratifying doing stereotypical villain things is? I can tell you: pretty damn gratifying. You know the old “No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die” business? There is nothing more gratifying than to explain to a captive audience why you are doing what you are doing to them. Explaining to them all the perfectly logical ways they could have avoided or averted the situation, explain why you despise them, the ways in which you despise them, and the degree to which you despise them all while they can’t do shit about it is absolutely astounding. The sheer catharsis of telling some son of a bitch off with no repercussions whatsoever is almost on the level of sex if you do it right. I’m sure you all have people in your lives you would like to sit down and tell off, right? A villain can do that, but with no repercussions they give a shit about. You can’t begin to imagine how great that is unless you have experienced it.

The Problem with Psychos

Now, there is always the temptation to have a villainous character that only does what he does because he is crazy. There are some guidelines I suggest here.

First is a practical rule of thumb within the campaign setting: this sick bastard (or bitch) was level one at some point in life. Why didn’t anybody waste this person before they became a nightmare? Were they always engaging in crazy evil behavior for no discernable reason? If so, why did no one stick a knife in them, if only for reasons of self-preservation? If you, the DM, can’t explain that, then your Psychotic bad guy falls a bit flat.

Now, in a Villainous organization most Psychos will be portrayed as an enforcer for the BBEG. This doesn’t actually or happen, or generally shouldn’t. When I do my hiring, psychosis is generally a deal breaker when it comes to picking up new personnel. You don’t want a psychotic enforcer because they are likely to abuse the hell out of whatever authority you grant them, which tends to be disruptive to the efficiency of your organization. You especially don’t want these people in your organization when you are just kicking things off because they tend to attract a lot of attention, and they are extremely difficult to control. In real life, BBEGs only hire psychos for certain niche jobs.

Now, occasionally a BBEG might hire a freelancer like this, or keep someone like this on retainer, but they wouldn’t put them in an authority position. As a shadowy organization grows larger, however, it is sometimes inevitable that people like this find their way in at either a low level or lower mid level position. It isn’t the end of the world, but its best to keep people like this in check or take care of them at some point: it’s like having a landmine in your backyard.

And I break for dinner.

bampin

Enjoy your dinner. Your writing is good, and your understanding is solid if limited.

Oh, The Antagonist! I was there for your very good thread on the difference between grimdark and grimderp.

Please continue. I like your advice.

Hopeful bump.

Tangible Goals and Paradigms

Okay, so you know why your BBEG acts the way he or she does, but what is your BBEG working towards in terms of tangible goals? This is largely setting dependent, but we can draw some generalities based on your BBEG’s background.

Let’s say, for instance, that your BBEG wants to bring about a change in geopolitics. His or her background will lead your BBEG to define this differently than someone else’s BBEG with a similar goal: is your BBEG from a political background, a philosophical background, an economic background, or is your BBEG just an idealistic layperson with some education on the issues, mostly from observation, following the news, or social studies? What social class is this person from? What social class or group did he or she aspires to be a part of? All of these things factor into what your BBEG will define as tangible portions of whatever they are working towards. Never forget background. Someone who is simply a generally educated layperson would have different ideas about how to conquer the world than someone who is into economics, or someone with a political background. Someone who is an self-educated working class revolutionary would have a very, very different idea about how to go about doing so. Decide what your BBEG sees as tangible benchmarks on the way to progress, and go from there.

BBEG Methodology: AKA The Tools of The Trade

Okay, so now we need to establish how your BBEG goes about doing what he or she does. This relates partly to what was previously discussed, as a large portion of this will hinge on your BBEG’s life before that person became a BBEG. Most people, with some exceptions, didn’t always want to be a BBEG, but had other aspirations or activities that they were involved in. This informs what skills and methods they tend to employ in the beginnings of their careers as BBEGs.

For me, personally, things were a bit different, but I am the exception that proves the general rule. As a kid I did want to take over the world, because when you are a child that seems plausible. As a teen I did suffer from a touch of megalomania and I got into some extreme political stuff. Not entirely atypical. In the space between graduation and becoming a BBEG I went to college and got a political science degree. My approach is distinct from what it would have been if I had gotten a business degree, and my goals are distinct from what they would have been had I gotten a philosophy degree.

Now, I’ll go into details about specific BBEG methods and strategies, but this is merely a toolbox of options and things to remember. Put it together as you please.

What They Won’t Do: Limits that sometimes make sense, and sometimes do not

It is pertinent to discuss what a villain will not do before we get into a discussion of what a villain will do. You should know what motivates your villain by now, and that in addition to the BBEG’s background will play a role in determining what this person’s limits (or lack thereof) are.

In my own early career, I had some unexpected difficulties. By the point I had encountered these, I had handed out several vigorous beatings to rivals and issued numerous death threats to enemies of my organization. It was at this point that we decided to set up a blackmail scheme: I had the idea that we would get a nice hotel room, and have a girl seduce a guy and bring him up while we waited in the closets and bathroom. When he whipped it out, we would be filming/photographing, and before much could happen we pop out, put him at gunpoint, and tell him (falsely) that the girl was underage and the photos would go to the police unless we got $15,000-12,000 by the next day.

Problem was, we didn’t have any female agents at the time (we sure do now). So, I figured I would call up an escort company or an independent call girl and arrange for some assistance. I was going to offer her a share of the cash from each businessman we roped in. I got my disposable phone (paid for in cash) and called up a hooker. Suddenly, I was terrified. Me, a stony hearted BBEG, was terrified of talking to a call girl. When she answered, all I could say was hello, and ask if it was the call girl I was speaking to, then stammer a bit and say wrong number before hanging up. As humiliating as this was for me, it is not an uncommon occurrence. Just because you’ve done one thing doesn’t mean you’ll be comfortable doing another, and sometimes people have limits that will surprise you. Consider what your BBEG’s personality is like, and consider what surprising limits they might have whenever you write them up. People have all sorts of surprising hang-ups, and villains are no different.

He Rules By Fear… Derp!

Fear is an important tool in a BBEG’s arsenal. However, it is far from the only tool, and it is definitely not a generalized one. Fear is a specialized tool, and there is an appropriate time and place for its use.

A BBEG who relies primarily on fear to motivate his lieutenants and subordinates is a BBEG who was a dumbass for picking bad lieutenants and subordinates. If things within your organization have reached the point where the only way to keep anyone in line is to make examples and issue constant death threats, you’ve screwed up badly, never corrected it, and aren’t long for this world. People are motivated by a variety of things. It should be a variety of things that motivate people who work for you, and you should be able to use a variety of motivational tools, both carrot and stick, to get the best out of people.

Now, the problem with issuing threats outside of your organization is that people are rather stupid when it comes to threats. I have found that anyone smart enough to concede to a threat from a shady and powerful man is smart enough to understand that a less expensive (on my end) bribe is an offer they cannot refuse without me having to be particularly open about it. Anyone who can’t figure that out is generally going to be unresponsive to threats.

Whenever you threaten people in this day and age, they tend to act like tough guys about it. They usually run their mouth, they generally make threats of their own, and squawk a whole bunch before they inevitably force you to go ahead and make good anyway.

Fear is an especially appropriate tool for use against your rivals and enemies. Driving an opponent to paranoia leaves them too mentally exhausted to foil your actual schemes. Fear of retaliation keeps your rivals in check. Fear of your wrath keeps your enemies from doing more than muttering angrily, because they know that if they step one toe over the line it’s liable to cost them something.

Fear is a primal emotion however. Much like fire, it easily spreads and gets out of control. Used sparingly and intelligently, it is very effective. However, more often than not I find that I have to convince people to calm down so that I can talk terms with them rather than have them wetting themselves. Too much fear is not a good thing, hence the caveat “too much”.

The Charmer: Charismatic BBEGs

Some BBEGs are almost magnetic. This is true both in games and in real life. An odd mix of natural charisma, people skills, and appearance factor in on a BBEG's ability to pull of being The Charmer. A successful charmer can acquire personnel quickly and easily, and can generally get what they want simply by being persuasive enough to talk or lie well enough to get it.

I did a lot of public speaking before I became a BBEG. I've always been fairly articulate, and people have always loved the sound of my voice (though not to Morgan Freeman levels). I have, since after the call girl incident, always been able to recruit who I needed during the times that I needed them, and I have generally gotten very good performances out of all of them. It is recommended that a BBEG with close followers or many followers at least brush up on their people skills.

The Schemer: BBEGS who are always three steps ahead

Villainous schemes are a part of the repertoire of many BBEGs, and as a DM it is your responsibility to make certain that these come across as both plausible and intriguing.

One method is this: start by considering what your BBEG knows coming into a situation, what your BBEG can deduce about it, and what your BBEG can intuit. Check those last two carefully: don’t have your BBEG perfectly predict the PCs’ reactions based on evidence that could indicate their plans… or a million other equally plausible other things.

Most BBEGs of this type have multiple plans and courses of action. They tend to survive based on preparation. Have your BBEG, given what they know, deduce, and intuit, come up with at least three specialized preparations for their desired scenario, a few more less specialized preparations that, while still useful, can quickly be adapted for other goals, and a number of general preparations that can be adapted for most any situation. This gives the feel of omniscience and thinking ahead while avoiding lame things like railroading or giving your BBEG omniscience.

Thinking on your feet is a necessary skill for this kind of work, however, so a BBEG of this type should be capable of thinking on the fly and improvising. Often, they will start with a general goal in mind, find a starting point, and just improvise from there. It can be surprisingly effective, especially if you happen upon something particularly advantageous. It is a bit of a crapshoot, but one that is weighted in your favor.

Conspiracies: The Three Un-‘s method

For the shadowy BBEG types who like to remain behind the scenes, there are three Un- things that they need to remain in order to continue their operation.

Unnoticeable: If they do things the right way, no one will even know that anything is up. This should remain the case as often as possible. If people don’t know about you, they can’t react to you, deal with you in a proactive manner, nor will they be aware of your machinations enough to resist them effectively. This is the first line of defense for a shadowy BBEG.

Untraceable: Someone screwed up. It happens, in the real world and on the tabletop when a roll goes badly. However, all is not lost: there should be nothing to link your BBEG or member of his organization to any sort of action or wrongdoing. No one should even have cause to suspect that you of such a thing, nor should they make such a connection in their mind. This is the second line of defense.

Untouchable: So they know it happened, and they know your BBEG did it. Too bad they can’t do jack about it. Your BBEG should have been working to make themselves untouchable: any case against them should be thrown out. The papers will print no scandal. The prosecutors will file no charges. The police will conduct no raids. This is the most difficult line of defense to set up, as the BBEG must essentially nullify all potential future threats or otherwise place himself effectively above the law. This is the last resort for a good reason: it will gradually crumble away as it is tested, and every time it is tested it makes your other two lines of defense weaker because people start to suspect you and begin to know where to look. This makes it the last line for a reason.

You know... I'm running out of things to say off the top of my head.

Any BBEG related questions?

>>14116428

>Enjoy your dinner. Your writing is good, and your understanding is solid if limited.
>Your writing is good, and your understanding is solid if limited.
>your understanding is solid if limited.

Confirmed for poseur, if friendlier than most.

*Twiddles thumbs, then goes to check /x/.

>>14118928
What about a Big Good Lawful Guy for an Evil Campaign? Any tips for those?

>>14119075

I would recommend making sure that your players are not playing as any sort of derp-evil alignment first.

Most of this advice can be inverted, however, I imagine that having a BGLG is a bit different than a BBEG. Hrmmmmm... I'll give this some thought and get back to you. I don't want to give bad advice, even off the top of my head.

>>14119075
Much of the advice is similar.

In much the same way that some old-fashioned BBEG tropes can be handled with care and realism, a BGLG can exhibit behavior that may seem stereotypical on the surface provided that the motivations for their actions is clearly defined.

For example, a BGLG that tries to "redeem" the party might seem overdone, but if it aligns with their goals and motivations, it can be rather convincing.

Overall, goals are one of the first things that should be discovered. To borrow the example of a Paladin, goals and intentions spell the difference between goody-two-shoes and... well, Miko Miyazaki. Even for a class defined by restrictions, there are many ways to approach it.

>>14119469
Like the anti-villain, it is not necessarily a bad thing for you to make your BGLG seem "sympathetic" to the evil-aligned party by making them into a gritty Anti-Hero. Again, the key here is to put yourself in the BGLG's shoes.

On that note, it is also important to define what your BGLG will and will not do.

A common misconception is that a BGLG cannot or will not kill. This is untrue, of course, but again consider the motivation. Simply because a BGLG will feel comfortable smiting down a lich does not mean that they will be able to strike down a cat burglar, even if she is known to be guilty of theft and murder.

It's good to know whether the BGLG would be more likely to tie up the evildoers for the police to find, or to deliver some gritty street justice with a .45 - but one thing that makes characters more interesting is that real people rarely think in absolutes.