Been trying to work on some campaign stuff but one problem I keep running into is end goals
Every player comes up with a reason his character does what he does and I can do that most of time but bad guy goals elude me
Besides the unleash deep dark evil or take over world with undead or Disney's bad guy just trying to destroy one particular town everyday
If anyone can post some end goals they or their gms have used or wanted to use that would help
Get rich quick by any means necessary.
* Classic would be some sort of monopoly using inside knowledge and destroying potential competitor
Revenge.
* Classic would be exterminating a race because an individual of that race did something bad to that person
Knowledge.
* Classic would be study of forbidden knowledge such as Demonology. Variant is to become obsessed with a field of study and doing unethical experiments.
Current campaign bbegs are looking to be a lich a vamp and a were dunno classes or motives yet but I'll get there lol
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Everyone is the hero of their own story. Since the main BBEGs are undead, perhaps they are simply looking to ensure survival at any cost. Perhaps they are trying to bring the enlightenment of undeath to the world with a (un)holy crusade in the name of the whispering way as a way to overcome death for all.
Were not all bad Jeff over there sparkles and bob turns into a Chihuahua don't kill us... I think that would work for survival in modern times lol
His family has been taken by a Demon/evil god and the only way to reclaim them is to lay waste to the land/serve him loyally for some amount of time.
He's child is dying and he needs to gain favor of the god of death to be able to save his child.
His land is in a drought and there's not food in his country so he's trying to take some from neighboring country.
His great great ... grandpa was in an adventuring group and slighted by the party's great great ... grandpa's and he's out to make it even.
He's been told he's the hero of legend that will "do some great good for his people" which is the bad acts he's doing to your people.
Ideas like this are good if you want to give a pause to your players. What would they do to save their family? is it justified to kill others for you family? Do we want to kill this guy or solve the problem some other way?
TV Tropes Motivation Index. Lots of the motivations there can apply to villains. There are way more motivations than that, but it's a good starting point.
I'm personally fond of Utopia Justifies the Means, as it's among the more believable tropes (being distressingly common in real life).
Some of the best long term antagonists are ones that aren't necessarily evil, but have grand goals that are somehow harmful to the PCs or their homes. I love villains like these, who believe firmly that they are doing the right thing, because they make for more interesting and dynamic characters than the typical Disney style villain-of-the-week. If thwarting the "villains" brings up some difficult moral questions, so much the better. One of the best feelings in the world comes when one of your PCs admits to sympathizing with the antagonist. Here are some examples:
A fallen paladin wants to bring down the power of the sun god's church because he thinks they have fallen from the true path. The church, he insists, is corrupt and has perverted god's message.
Decades ago, a rebellion deposed the mad king, replacing him with a more benevolent ruler. Now his exiled son has returned, seeking revenge against the oathbreakers who murdered his father. It may turn out that the rebels were less righteous than they claimed.
An arcanist is seeking a great power, and is willing to sacrifice anything to get it. The PCs see him as a power-mad sadist, but it turns out that he has learned of some great and terrible danger that is imminent, and is seeking the power to stop it.
Decades ago, a high priest betrayed his faith and killed his god. Now he has returned, seeking the means to ascend to godhood himself. It turns out that his true goal is to slay all the gods, and ascension is merely the first step in his plan. He believes that the gods are nothing but tyrants who use mortals as playthings in their cruel cosmic games, and he may be right.
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A good villain needs a good motivation. You can see in the most popular villains, look at Magneto from the X-Men, protecting his oppressed people. It can easily be done with any evil races oppressed in your setting.
Thanos destroyed the universe just to prove his love to Death (a physical entity in the marvel universe).
Mr. Freeze just want to cure his wife and has been victim of an accident.
The Riddler should have conquered by now but he wants people to know how smart and clever he is, doing everything in a flashy manner. (A sadistic dungeonkeeper villain could work here).
Galactus just wants to feed, that his reason to live. He doesn't even consider the other living beings of the universe.
The Joker is only obsessed with Batman and is by far the most popular villain ever made.
Not everything needs to be an epic goal or motivation, but as long as you have one, you will know how the villain operates.
So a wizard turns to necromancy ti resurrect his beloved pet dog who was only friend couldn't get enough power went lich? That work? Bad things good reason almost anyone can relate. Bad guy
So a wizard turns to necromancy ti resurrect his beloved pet dog who was only friend couldn't get enough power went lich? That work? Bad things good reason almost anyone can relate. Bad guy
...What?
I'm personally fond of Utopia Justifies the Means
'What's one more body amongst the foundations?'
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I'm personally fond of Utopia Justifies the Means'What's one more body amongst the foundations?'
See the Operative in Serenity.
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: I don't murder children.
The Operative: I do. If I have to.
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: Why? Do you even know why they sent you?
The Operative: It's not my place to ask. I believe in something greater than myself. A better world. A world without sin.
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: So me and mine gotta lay down and die... so you can live in your better world?
The Operative: I'm not going to live there. There's no place for me there... any more than there is for you. Malcolm... I'm a monster.What I do is evil. I have no illusions about it, but it must be done.
I'm personally fond of Utopia Justifies the Means'What's one more body amongst the foundations?'See the Operative in Serenity.
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: I don't murder children.
The Operative: I do. If I have to.
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: Why? Do you even know why they sent you?
The Operative: It's not my place to ask. I believe in something greater than myself. A better world. A world without sin.
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: So me and mine gotta lay down and die... so you can live in your better world?
The Operative: I'm not going to live there. There's no place for me there... any more than there is for you. Malcolm... I'm a monster.What I do is evil. I have no illusions about it, but it must be done.
Bingo.
So decided on one of three
Utopia
Destroy all #race#
Or free .race. or .person.
I am going to go with enslaved race lots of unsafe areas in world. Areas with undead or particularly bad people
I like the idea of lich or vampire or antipaladin for my baddies but dunno how any of those goals work for a lich or vampire so probably can't go with those
It would be pretty easy to make a country led by a Lawful Evil BBEG where the common peasant has good working conditions. No crime, no starvation, no disease, no individual choice. Alright, that last one may be less than ideal.
You could have a vampire in charge of a civilization build on necromancy providing the labor jobs via skeletons and zombies. No slavery, no menial jobs (unintelligent undead take those), criminals are put to productive service (after being turned into said undead). Oops...there is that nasty underside of the utopia.
The lich could be seeking to bring the benefits of magic to all of civilization. Creating a magical artifact that allows anyone to tap into it's magic. Too bad so many souls are required to activate it, but the good of the many outweighs the needs of the few. Few is a relative term, can be well under 1% of the total population after all...
Or could go with humans are stupid creatures I need to rule you for your own good so you dont destroy yourselves
I think that would work
Edit add'
Started out trying to make humanity better but gave up after meeting all the paladins that fall( which as we know is all of them) and rogues and what not lol went darkside to "cure" humanity of itself ...
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My monks objective is to better himself through punishment, trial and tribulation. Only by pushing oneself to the extreme and beyond can you find your limits and then exceed them. With this in mind, he favors Moloch over Irori and is lawful evil. His endgame goals are to become the right hand of Moloch; his precision instrument against all that oppose his will. Ultimately he believes in refinement and growth and that can't happen while coddling the weak. Mastery of self and others through discipline and conflict. Enlightenment comes when you have reached the top even if the top is a mountain of skulls and bodies you had to step over to get there.