How to write a great D&D villain (BBEG)

Ready to create your next D&D villain? In this video, I cover four key steps to writing a great Dungeons and Dragons antagonist, also known as a BBEG.
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Music Credits: "Papov" by Yung Logos
Link: • Papov
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All artwork used in this video was either created by me using Inkarnate (inkarnate.com/) or is official artwork from 5th Edition Dungeons And Dragons - ALL copyright for these images belongs to Wizards of the Coast LLC (I own nothing) and is used here for the purposes of entertainment and education.

[@JazzJackrabbit]

If the BBEG gets killed early, I like having the lieutenants step up to take his place. Maybe have some factional power struggles. Makes things interesting!

[@TalesArcane]

TIME STAMPS & SUMMARY ⬇ [1:42] 1: Develop the villain's origins by writing (1) a rough timeline of their life so far, (2) a relationship they have with a place or person, and (3) a key event that set them on their current path. [4:53] 2: To ensure that the villain's motivations clash with the players', watch what your players respond to and care about, and then edit the villain's goals behind the scenes so that they directly conflict with the players and their values. [10:17] 3: Create a hierarchy of underlings and minions that the players have to fight through first, before finally facing the villain; this means the villain's influence can be felt in the world and challenged, long before the players actually meet them in person. [12:43] 4: Develop a plan for what the villain will do every 5 sessions; the players might not be actively fighting the villain yet, but they will hear rumors of the plan unfolding (cities being conquered, evil minions searching out strange artifacts, and so on).

[@fractal_gate]

This is the best, most straightforward video on making a BBEG I've seen.

[@crucifixroarband8838]

I’m currently building my first homebrew campaign, and for the big bad, he’s going to be introduced at the beginning with very subtle hints and then make his actual appearance near the end by destroying the parties town essentially.

[@greedavaricious7760]

Currently running an ‘evil’ emperor as my big bad in my campaign. His methods are indeed evil, bringing carts of people to his citadel to sacrifice to him and boost his own power. However what no one knows is that he needs that power to stave off Tharizdun from consuming the world. He hates it, but knows without these sacrifices then tharizdun will destroy everything

[@TalesArcane]

LOVE that idea - someone who hates the methods he uses, but feels he has no choice. When the players find out, that's going to be an amazing moment!

[@greedavaricious7760]

@@TalesArcane thank you so much! You’re videos have been a great help to me as a dm so the fact you like this idea makes my day even better 👍

[@vanillemor5009]

I love that!!!

[@greedavaricious7760]

@@vanillemor5009 thank you!

[@lesouth0348]

I love how his pirate bbeg example is almost just Akainu from One Piece

[@dungeonpastor]

I always enjoy a classic evil villain. Great tips! My current campaign is doing a classic Lich villain. He is currently stuck as a demiLich waiting on a Soul sacrifice to revive him, but his worshippers are out spreading influence and blowing up taverns to raise zombie armies. They already have attacked cities. The players are scared. Last time this dude was around, he actively ruled most of the world.

[@TalesArcane]

I adore liches! Cackling, evil, and just loving every minute of it. Lich with an army of zombies? Eeeven better.

[@dannyleo5787]

As a dm currently doing homebrews i agree with this. With my story, my BBEG is a soul knife rogue within the capital, fully dedicated to exploiting the injustices of both its kings of the nation, its royal lines and the cabinets to fuel doubts with both its citizenry as well as its palidens that have truly made oaths to the gods to protect. Thus far the oath breakers came in many and forced the players to really get a grasp that this very journey is entirely centered in the grey spot, eliminating the good and evil mindset, therefore i made it up to the players on who they believe is deserving of trust. Little do my players know that the ruling nation itself is the center fold of vecnas very cult hierachy and the ever looming threat beneath is spewing out effecting everyone... im actually really proud of this story since i based this on dishonor

[@flowey2u107]

Thank you for the great advice! I'm actually just now writing a campaign and I designed a villain who isn't even introduced as a villain. He's going to be with the group, helping them out and stuff from the very beginning, but at some point, he's going to betray the group for personal gain, getting far enough from the players to start building his own empire with the help of something important I'm just gonna drop into the game, probably inside a dungeon, or even as a reward for so thing the group just randomly did, insignificant at first sight, but important enough for the villain to need it for his plans (yes, he did plan that from the start and yes, he does have underlings and has fought his own underlings while with the group to appear more likable) it's a bit much to explain in a yt comment, but yeah, just felt like I needed to share it... (also, if you have some peace of advice that may help me make the whole thing a bit better, please hit me with it)

[@Teraclon]

I like to make my villains almost relatable. They are evil, yes, but you can kinda see where they are coming from. That way, they aren't the basic "I'm evil! Fear me!", but instead a character with depth. I once made my players even question if the villain was just a sad hero in their own right with the villain's actions, making me feel accomplished. Every villain is a hero to themselves and those they represent and the hero is a villain to them in turn. That moral debate is what makes it feel realistic to me.

[@TalesArcane]

Definitely, some of the greatest villains in fiction fall into that category I think. I love when players see that someone is evil, but then realize that, under different circumstances, they could have ended up on the same road.

[@Teraclon]

@@TalesArcane a villain or a hero is defined by perspective and timing :D

[@Karak-_-]

Ehh, not really fan of those "fate has been cruel to me and didn't gave me another option". I preffer tragic villians, those that could go on with their day but couldn't just help themselves. And so they become the victims of their own pride, greed, glutonny, envy, wrath, sloth and lust.

[@lucaschin2584]

Thanos is the perfect example. He is powerful, menacing, and brutal. But he has good reason for doing what evil things he does.

[@erusean8492]

​@@Karak-_-this exactly! Thats how I write my villains, I just hadn't put it into words

[@thegoodthieves]

Truly inspiring, I get lost in the thoughts you provide

[@VestigialLung]

One of my best villains was of the unsympathetic sort. That’s probably partially owing to where I often run the more sympathetic sort, so the contrast was a factor, but also, his actions and motivations were perfectly aligned, and while he in no way tied into the PC backstories, who he was as a person was exactly the sort of person they would despise. The PCs had all established that consent was critically important to them after in a holiday game they were essentially kidnapped by an archfey who wanted to let them celebrate the winter holiday in his realm of whim and joy, and they immediately took umbrage at being jerked out of their reality to an extent that entirely derailed the module I was running for that (but like derailed in a good way). So I made a villain who was an entitled noble who took offense that he was rejected by the woman he wanted, took that to the sort of absurd extreme you can only see in fantasy stories (his ploy involved releasing a magical plague in the city which would eventually lead to the entire city becoming a necropolis with him at the head as a newly formed lich, where the target of his fixation would be incapable of rejecting him, as she and all of the city’s denizens would be under his control). I’ve never before or sense seen a party get that irate at a character. It was incredible. It was also probably the most anticlimactic boss fight I’ve ever run owing to some excellent rolling on their part (the rogue got the drop on him and rolled a crit round 1 before the druid finished him off by hurling his own dark altar at him, so I leaned into the anticlimax. They’d already spent multiple sessions trying to track this guy down after he’d covered his tracks fairly well, growing angrier and angrier the entire time, so this pathetic skid mark on society met an ending every bit as pathetic as he was, as his body was accordioned by his own plot device. So there’s two pieces of common goals/advice not followed (deep sympathetic villain and epic climactic battle) that lead to a moment my players still revel in to this day whenever the subject comes up.

[@deadsparrow132]

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[@TalesArcane]

Yessss I'm buzzing about it! That's our third sponsor on the channel, and more in talks 👏

[@deadsparrow132]

​@@TalesArcane That's amazing! So glad to see your channel doing well :)

[@thehungrylittlenihilist]

I always like to have whatever villains my players are currently facing be an underling for another villain, and flesh out the villain as the players go up the chain of command. So they're cleaning out a bandit camp in a nearby cave for a village: those villains are tomb raiders looking for an artifact for a smuggler for an organized crime ring. Alternatively, the bandits may be led by a cultist looking for a portal in the cave to the Shadowfell to summon their master. Maybe theyre scouts for a pirate captain looking for an ancient map. Bandits are generic enough that it gives the players time to develop their characters so I can see what direction they might want to go with the story.

[@BeanLord69]

Absolutely love this video, and gave me some great advice for my first campaign. You earned a sub!

[@TalesArcane]

Thank you, and I appreciate the sub! I need to do some more videos on villains soon, it's a fruitful topic.

[@dungeonpastor]

Tales Arcane? Click!

[@TalesArcane]

Heeeey you're too kind! Always appreciate the support, mate 💪

[@MattRumm]

This is really well put together. I'm definitely going to watch your other videos.

[@foxbroha]

This is some practical stuff. Definitely subscribing!

[@thelametwo]

great video, i'm taking in all these tips for my own campaign

[@tvn525]

I really appreciate these videos man. I have never ran a homebrew campaign before. I have only ever run modules. The more you put out videos like this the more inspired I get to try and start one. I have even started to think about and write out a potential villain to actually give this a try. So thank you

[@funnyblog100]

A villain doesn’t have to go into direct opposition to the party. I prefer the more affably evil type. They could be the one giving the party quests and pulling a Xanatos gambit so completion of the quests benefit them in some way. They offer the best loot and rewards and present your party with a sales pitch. They actually want the party to succeed because with each big bad you defeat you’ve eliminated their competition. You’ve left a power vacuum for them to fill. You’ve worked to help a charismatic leader away the public and take power and they’ve been using you from the start since you’ve first took the call to adventure.

[@CelticCubby]

Thank you Malcolm

[@maxherzog3287]

About to begin the arc in Icewindale where the party journeys to the BBEGs island/lair. Definitely going to have some evil things happen!

[@analyticsystem4094]

My campaign is an island hopping pirate adventure and the villain of the current story arc is a power hungry conquest Paladin King that wants to conquer the world for his children to rule. He’s not against using dirty tactics to gain power even controlling the previous king to attack the kingdom so he could ‘save them’ and easily claim the throne. (Think Doflamingo from One Piece). He doesn’t care about morals and even enslaved and dehumanized the Goblins and Kobolds (and other similar species) in his land. The party already hates him after he had his eldest child kidnap the party’s Goblin Artificer over night. The party has discussed many ideas of how to get their revenge for their friend and the other slaves in his kingdom.

[@DawnsonRPGs]

My BBEG in my brand new homebrew campaign is Asmodeus. This version of Asmodeus presents himself as sympathetic and even likeable. When he eventually gets introduced, he’s going to offer to work with the characters to destroy demons on the material plane and during that time he will get to know them as people, as individuals. This version of Asmodeus would have the PCs believe that the other gods (his “siblings”) betrayed him by casting him out and that he just wants his family back. In reality, Asmodeus blames mortal kind for his sibling’s betrayal and wishes to collect every mortal soul for use in his battles against demons and for him to torture for eternity. In other words, this version of Asmodeus presents himself as morally grey and sympathetic but is, in reality, a cruel manipulative psychopath. I basically ripped all of this straight from EXU Calamity and Brennan’s portrayal of Asmodeus as the true Father of Lies.

[@WinterMcDuck]

Lets go, sponsor :0

[@TalesArcane]

Every time I say "this video is sponsored by..." I feel like a real KZbinr 😂

[@henrikoldenborg86]

@@TalesArcane Great job, keep up the good work :D

[@silverturtle1105]

Good to hear support for different types of villains. DMs should note there is a difference between understood villains and morally identifiable/justified villains. Thanos is understood, but still must be stopped. Catwoman is an morally identifiable/arguably justified villain for many people. The joker is neither understood and must be stopped.

[@knz3eee]

Could use some BBEG inspo for a campaign where the PCs are evil or at least very morally challenged.

[@sadgeleaf_4915]

Great advice as always! Random question: Do you sit or stand while recording your videos?

[@TalesArcane]

I usually sit for most videos. I prefer to stand, but because I'm quite tall and my tripod is annoyingly small, we meet in the middle 😂

[@vanillemor5009]

I want a woman to be my bbeg who already is a "smaller" boss in between. So, she comes in as the King's adviser, but after helping finish the civil war that has broken out recently, it turns out that she is responsible for a lot of the chaos so she will be recognized by the "elite" for her deeds in "helping calm down the chaos" and taken into their inner circles. She wants this just to be able to follow her actual plan, bringing the elite down from within because she's unhappy with the social system (which is fair, it's shit). I want to surprise the players by having her be important again and make them feel a long-lingering hatred against her bc she turned on them and misused their trust and then made life harder for them, telling lies about them in the upper circles etc. Sorry for the long text, lmk what u think! XD

[@jimmybrook7119]

Very useful video. Lots of videos about villain creation out there, but you are succinct and on point. I’m not a huge fan of alignment and absolutes. My latest campaigns villain is modelled on Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. A treacherous (and pitiful) man whose power comes from wealth and a singular focus to inflict suffering, rather than a great stat block.

[@ashmanita3840]

Can I just share an idea I have in mind abouth a my main villain? It is a still a work in progress so there might be some Imperfections, but that is also why I decided to write this. My main villain was living in a times of plague and many people were dying. He and his sister were the only ones from their family that survived, but eventually the villain got sick as well. He was very frightened by the concept of death and his sister offered to help him by summoning a powerfull demon that could cure him. Although it was a huge risk and the sister had to find a secret book that contained the information to summon the demon. After she found it she got to work. In the middle of ritual, the sister realized it was a huge mistake and decided to end it, but it led to a huge impact that killed her and lost the book. The demon was not summoned fully, only his soul managed to get out of the portal as it closed. It needed host to survive and the closest living creature he was able to posses was the sick brother. The demon offered to cure the brother and revive his sister from the dead after one condition. The brother has to help the demon to open the portal back to the demon realm, so the soul can find its way back to the body. The demon offered to support the brother by extending his age, since he was too weak to get out of the host's body. The brother agreed and together they begun to manipulate their way to the top to be in control and find the book enough wizards, that could help them open the portal (wich is connected to one players story, as their sister was lost and never found again)

[@vanillemor5009]

That's such a cool idea! So the demon and man are co-inhabitating the body? Does the demon gain control when the guy slightly looses it, like when he's drunk? Or is the demon just chilling in the back of his head, being like "bro I really wanna eat an apple fr can we do that?" XD

[@ashmanita3840]

@Vanillemor well yes. They both would be partly in control over the body. But the demon currently lets the brother to be in control since he needs his help to get his body back. He still can talk to him and stuff thought. I also have in mind some kind of after effect? Like if any damage or aging happens to the body of the user while being with the demon, it won't appear or hurt. However if the demon leaves, the protection of the body leaves with it. Meaning the person would start to age rapidly and would experience extreme pain as every damage that happened to him would strike at the same time