drew/fabula-ultima-html
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Pull Requests Actions Packages Projects Releases Wiki Activity

bug: Pages numbered correctly in books/core

Browse Source
This commit is contained in:
Drew Malzahn
2026-06-06 22:44:37 +00:00
parent 75c6ab9975
commit 1de1377033
296 changed files with 8156 additions and 8192 deletions
Download Patch File Download Diff File Expand all files Collapse all files

29
books/core/257.html
View File

@@ -1,21 +1,20 @@
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/css/book-page.css">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/css/book-page.css">
<h1>THE DARK MIRROR</h1>
<p>If you think about the most memorable villains in movies, comics, and games, you will soon find that many of them share a peculiar quality: in one or more ways, they are polar opposite to the hero(es) of the tale.</p>
<h2>CHAPTER CONFLICT ABILITIES</h2>
<p>When you create an antagonist, consider how they will behave during conflicts.</p>
<ul>
<li>Where the heroes are a group, the antagonist feels alone and abandoned.</li>
<li>Where the heroes fight for justice, the antagonist now believes that justice is an illusion, and that the world belongs to those strong enough to take it.</li>
<li>Where the heroes are willing to give up their life for the cause, the antagonist is frightened by death.</li>
<li>Where the heroes believe in second chances, the antagonist has been denied one.</li>
<li>Where the heroes represent hope, the antagonist represents despair.</li>
<li>Each Villain has one or more preferred conflict types: some might favor social occasions; others may prefer to engage the heroes in battle. The most obnoxious antagonists are the ones that avoid conflict scenes at all costs — but even then, Ultima Points aren't an infinite resource.</li>
<li>To properly challenge the heroes, Villains should be elites or champions (see page 295) or be accompanied by some allies: this is to ensure they can perform multiple actions during each conflict round.</li>
<li>Because of their importance, a battle against a Villain should be treated as a <strong>boss fight</strong> (see page 300 for details on how to design one).</li>
</ul>
<p>Powerful antagonists might also be protected by a “plot armor” that prevents Player Characters from fighting them unless they have a specific item, spell, or other assets at their disposal. Generally you don’t want to overdo this — one or two such “tricks” over the course of the entire campaign are more than enough.</p>
<p>When you create a Villain, try to think about at least one aspect of their character that makes them the dark reflection of one or more Player Characters.</p>
<p>As you introduce that antagonist and whenever they are part of a scene, focus on portraying that they are a negation of what the heroes stand for, or as a grim warning to what they might become if they ever lose their way.</p>
<h2>AND FINALLY, A DRAMATIC ENTRANCE</h2>
<p>A Villain’s entrance should be an intense moment that sets the tone for their role in the story. Think of it as a video game cutscene: you get a few seconds to show your audience what this Villain looks like and hint at the kind of forces and weapons at their disposal — soldiers, forgotten technology, powerful magic, or a healthy dose of supernatural strength.</p>
<p>During your preparation stage before a session, it may be helpful to focus on the reveals key moments — you have to condense everything important in a couple of sentences. It should be something like this:</p>
<p>Approaching with heavy footfalls, the figure rests a hand on a sword the likes of which you’ve never seen... a delicate gesture, but her grip is steady.</p>
<p>“It appears we are here for the same reason,” she says. “Unfortunately, I cannot let you have that which I need. Stand back, and no one shall be injured.”</p>
<p>With a few words, you have communicated that this is likely a proud and honorable adversary who is also very determined. That sword of hers? That’s bad news!</p>
<h2>STYLE AND MANNERISM</h2>
<p>Spend a few minutes thinking about how a Villain speaks, acts, moves and dresses. Are they dashing and refined, or do they care little for appearances? Do they wear a specific uniform? Do all of their henchmen emulate them?</p>
<p>Please note that “mannerism” has nothing to do with acting Skills or the ability to do different voices — it means that each Villain should behave in a peculiar and recognizable way, and you should describe that. Then again, if you’re good at coming up with unique accents and your group enjoys it — and provided those accents do not mirror harmful stereotypes — then feel free to take advantage of that Skill!</p>
<p>Philip Forlenza (Order #)</p>
<p>"When you chose to fight not to protect your people, but to prove them wrong... that is what made you a villain."</p>
<cite>— Philip Forlenza (Order #)</cite>