67 lines
2.5 KiB
HTML
67 lines
2.5 KiB
HTML
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/css/book-page.css" />
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<link rel="stylesheet" href="/css/book-page.css" />
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<h1>THE ART OF VILLAINS</h1>
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<p>
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If the Player Characters represent a heroic and positive force in the world,
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Villains are the opposite. Being the Game Master, it is your responsibility to
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create, introduce, and portray these characters.
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</p>
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<p>
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You already know about what differentiates a Villain from a typical Non-Player
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Character in terms of rules: that is to say, the access to Ultima Points. This
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section, on the other hand, contains advice on what you should focus on when
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creating and portraying an antagonist within the story.
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</p>
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<p>So, let’s get to it: what makes a good Villain?</p>
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<h2>GOALS</h2>
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<p>
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This is the most important aspect of any antagonist: they want to accomplish
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something. Be it reshaping the world, exacting revenge upon those who made
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them suffer, or conquering a neighboring region, Villains must have goals.
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</p>
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<p>
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Goals are extremely useful for you as a Game Master: when you don’t know how a
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Villain would act or react to a given situation, look at their goals and you
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will most likely find an answer.
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</p>
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<ul>
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<li>
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<strong>Minor Villains</strong> generally have simple or at least very
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personal goals, such as saving someone's life, stealing a magical artifact,
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or seizing control of a village.
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</li>
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<li>
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<strong>Major Villains</strong> should have complex goals that can affect a
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large number of people, such as conquering a kingdom, or destroying a divine
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being.
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</li>
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<li>
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<strong>Supreme Villains</strong> have goals that can affect the entire
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world and change the laws of reality: rewinding time, erasing soul energy,
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or even becoming a deity.
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</li>
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</ul>
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<p>
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Remember that Villains can also escalate: perhaps a young wizard (minor
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Villain) suddenly realizes he must steal magical energy from an entire country
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to revive a loved one, thus becoming a major Villain. Then, when the attempt
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fails — likely due to the Player Characters’ intervention — the desperate
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wizard seeks a way to merge with the deities of time and space, erasing
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reality and creating a timeline that never was... a fitting and tragic goal
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for a supreme Villain.
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</p>
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<p>
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Having some Villains turn into allies throughout the campaign is just as
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important: this encourages Players to seek dialogue with their adversaries and
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to consider both sides of a situation, instead of simply assuming that
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everyone is either good or evil.
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</p> |