I love idea generators! Since I've recycled my old 7th Sea villains in my current witch hunter game, I need to come up with a new crop of villains for my next campaign. So in the meantime, I thought I'd start compiling some nice tools for GMs to create villains and can use some help.
I'm thinking about two tools in particular.
First, a collection of villainous archetypes, including those from the swashbuckling adventure Heroes and Villains book. This being an idea generator, I'm not really interested in stats. I'm thinking a template like this:
ARCHETYPE (Favored Trait: Strength or Influence)
Typical Goals:
Recommended Advantages:
Simple right? Helpful? I think so. Here's my current (incomplete) list of archetypes:
- The Betrayer
- The Bureaucrat
- The Fallen Hero
- The Fanatic
- The Fop
- The Mad Scientist
- The Mastermind
- The Monster
- The Pirate
- The Priest
- The Saboteur
- The Seducer
- The Spy
- The Weakling
- The Zealot
Second, I want to repurpose the Villain Schemes table from the 5e DnD DMG. Each entry will have a Motivation accompanied by a handful of sample "schemes." Here's an example:
Power
- Conquer a region or incite a rebellion
- Seize control of an army
- Become the power behind the throne
- Gain the favor of a ruler
Anyone interested in helping flesh these out?
TAJ-07: Technopriest And Justicar Of 7thSea2e
Heh. Example: Reis. That's straight out of the Swashbuckling Adventures book.
So here is an example of the a Pirate Villan Archetype might look like, since Netobvious brought it up. :)
THE PIRATE [Strength]
Typical Motivations: Aggression, Autonomy, Revenge
Suggested Advantages: Sea Legs, Indomitable Will, Reputation, Trusted Companion
A few more. Feel free to suggest changes or amendments.
The Betrayer [Influence]
Typical Motivations: Ambition, Revenge
Suggested Advantages: Connections, Disarming Smile, Leadership, Trusted Companion
The Bureaucrat [Influence]
Typical Motivations: Ambition, Exhibition, Vanity
Suggested Advantages: Connections, Disarming Smile, Friend at Court, Patron
The Fop [Influence]
Typical Motivations: Ambition, Safety, Vanity
Suggested Advantages: Friend at Court, Inspire Generosity, Patron
The Mad Scientist [?]
Typical Motivations: Acceptance, Achievement, Vanity
Suggested Advantages: Spark of Genius, Tenure, University
The Pawn [Strength]
Typical Motivations: Acceptance, Ambition, Autonomy, Safety, Order
Suggested Advantages: Disarming Smile, Opportunist, Slip Free, Survivalist
The Seducer [Influence]
Typical Motivations: Ambition, Autonomy, Revenge, Vanity
Suggested Advantages: Come Hither, Disarming Smile, Fascinate, Opportunist
The Spy [Strength]
Typical Motivations: Affiliation, Nationalism, Nurturing, Order, Safety
Suggested Advantages: Disarming Smile, Got It!, Psst, Over Here, Slip Free