Need to Create a Villain Fast?
No problem! Here's Your Solution!
The Concept
The idea is simple. Draw three cards, one from each category deck: Villain Plots, Villain Tactics, and Villain Traits. From those drawn cards are the basic concepts that will spark your imagination and from which you will determine your villain's main objective, how they go about it, and what their distinctive trait is. These cards can be used to generate all kinds of villains, from a henchman or corrupt official to the big bad villain.
By the way, as a bonus, I've included a free Villain Name Generator (usable as a macro or rollable table).
The Decks
There are three decks, each containing a different category result that will ultimately build your villain..
Villain Plots
This is what it's all about, what the villain wants to ultimately achieve. Their master plan.
Let's use an example: I drew the Destroy an Organization card. Nice, lots of ideas there. So let's say an organization of knights serve as a force for good in the area. Our villain knows that the knights would try and stop whatever master plans she may have. So, her plan is to eliminate the knights.
Villain Tactics
How does your villain plan to achieve their objective? That's what the cards of this deck determine. Feel free to draw one or more cards, if, depending on the level of villain, to make their method more complex.
In keeping with the example in the Villain Plots section above, I drew the Impersonation card. Excellent card for this plot. So our villain plans to destroy the organization by impersonating one of its members. I decided to draw one more card and got the Drowning card. Okay, our villain drowned one of the knights--a female about her size and shape--and took the knight's equipment---maybe even the knight's identity--in order to infiltrate her organization.
Villain Traits
This deck determines the trait that distinguishes your villain in the eyes of your players, making the villain memorable.
Proceeding with the example we've been using, I drew the Pathological Need to Leave Clues or Calling Card card.Okay, our villain leaves behind her calling card--let's say it's a headless doll--wherever appropriate. I imagine her leaving a headless doll on the body of the knight whom she had drowned and stripped.
Okay, three decks have been drawn from. It's time to name our villain. I'll use the bonus Villain-Name macro included to instantly generate a name for our new villain. I clicked the macro button and got Moradra. Nice!
Now to flesh it out. So, here goes:
Moradra the Warlock has plans to take over an area. She knows that the Order of the Sun--knights who are a force for good in the region--will stand in her way. So she decides to destroy them (Villain Plots card) by infiltrating their order (Villain Tactics card). She manages to ambush a lone knight about Moradra's size and drowns her (Villain Tactics card). The knight had recently been accepted into the order and was heading to their base to meet her fellow knights. Moradra takes her armor and equipment in order to infiltrate the Order of the Sun. She leaves a headless doll--her calling card--upon the body of the knight whom she had drowned (Villain Traits card). Using the stolen identity and equipment, Moradra has now successfully infiltrated the Order of the Sun as one of their knights. Next, she works on destroying the order from within.
Villagers discover the knight's waterlogged body. That evening, in the village tavern, adventurers hear the villagers talk of the grim discovery and the mystery of the headless doll that was left on the body. The adventurers decide to investigate. The have two clues: they quickly learn that the drowned knight was a member of the Order of the Sun; and the headless doll which will require a bit more investigating. In the course of the adventure, the adventurers learn of Moradra and her headless dolls as well as her plot to destroy the Order of the Sun.
We didn't just create a villain here, but an adventure!
All of that from simply drawing four cards! I could've drawn more from one or more of the decks, but I'm happy with the results.
This goes well with Instant Story Cards: https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/gameaddon/512/instant-story-cards
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