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If you could take one or two villians from another setting or genre and use them in your Pathfinder campaign, who would you choose and why? I personally lean towards Warduke, from the old D&D action figure line and Dungeon #105. I would pick him because he is an iconic villian that has been in the genre for a while, but his motives and background are mysterious enough that he could be plugged into a Golarian campaign with minimal effort. My other choice would be Harry Lime from The Third Man. Here is a villian that for most of the adventure the characters think is not only their friend, but dead as well.
And Nyarlathotep. He's got that multiple avatar thing going. Lotta range possible with that guy.
I'll second you on Nyarly there, Heathy - a thousand avatars or something, the BBEG that Never Goes Away. The Cthulhu Mythos as a whole are ripe with potential in Golarion, and Chaosium has done very well in 'keeping the faith' going, as well as crafting some truly horrific adventures for CoC.
Warduke would, for me, have to become the "Darth Vader" of Golarion to be really appealing and effective IMO.
As far as villains I would import...
- Hannibal Lecter
- Krauser (from an animated martial art movie series derived from a video game series, I don't remember the name of any more - he loved a good fight, had a thing for organ music and was Gothic - not the modern incarnation of Goth, but the real deal)
- Darth Vader (as Warduke, see above)
- Khan Noonian Sing (Star Trek II as well as his first appearance in Space Seed from the original TV series)
- Zod (Superman II)
And Nyarlathotep. He's got that multiple avatar thing going. Lotta range possible with that guy.
He does in away, being a very strong canditate for the corrupter of Zon-Kuthon.
I like the NyarAv guy with the snout and bat wings that sucks out lungs.
It's good you can share such feelings Heathy...
Shugoran! That's him.
No Shugoranite in my coffee,
No Shugoranite in my tea...
is it a full moon today?
Just a tad batty from the cold med's.
It will be soon enough ... ^_^
There is a New Moon or sometimes called the Dark of the Moon on the 25th and 26th. It is a good time to end projects and clear out unwanted ideas and habits.
Just my 2 cp.
I though you said 'a tad battered from the cold meds...'
There is a New Moon or sometimes called the Dark of the Moon on the 25th and 26th. It is a good time to end projects and clear out unwanted ideas and habits.
Just my 2 cp.
I'll go and sluce Logue down the sough then...
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I though you said 'a tad battered from the cold meds...'
Deep fried bacon; deep fried grill cheese sandwiches at the Texas State Fair last year.
I though you said 'a tad battered from the cold meds...'Deep fried bacon; deep fried grill cheese sandwiches at the Texas State Fair last year.
Would that explain your terrible wind?
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I'm not really sure what you mean. Do you mean he would have to become the enforcer to an even greater evil, and end up as the father of one of the PCs who at the end of the campaign betrays his master and becomes good? In a way, this is how he came about This was his badckground in The Shady Dragon Inn.
Warduke would, for me, have to become the "Darth Vader" of Golarion to be really appealing and effective IMO.
Warduke wears a suit of half-chain and a black, winged helmet. His shield bears the sign of a demon’s head. He was an old friend of Strongheart’s (good paladin), but now the two are enemies. Both were exposed to the Heartstone, and Warduke’s cruel nature was brought out while Strongheart’s just nature became stronger….
[He] especially hates Strongheart, who he feels wastes his time protecting the weak and helpless. “A true fighter,” Warduke feels, “makes himself rich and powerful by the strength of his sword arm. He takes what he can—if you would keep your possessions, kill those who seek to take them.” He calls his sword “Nightwind.”
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Would that explain your terrible wind?I though you said 'a tad battered from the cold meds...'Deep fried bacon; deep fried grill cheese sandwiches at the Texas State Fair last year.
No....Oklahoma just sucks so bad; that's why Texas is windy.
I'm not really sure what you mean. Do you mean he would have to become the enforcer to an even greater evil, and end up as the father of one of the PCs who at the end of the campaign betrays his master and becomes good? In a way, this is how he came about This was his badckground in The Shady Dragon Inn.
Warduke would, for me, have to become the "Darth Vader" of Golarion to be really appealing and effective IMO.
Warduke wears a suit of half-chain and a black, winged helmet. His shield bears the sign of a demon’s head. He was an old friend of Strongheart’s (good paladin), but now the two are enemies. Both were exposed to the Heartstone, and Warduke’s cruel nature was brought out while Strongheart’s just nature became stronger….
[He] especially hates Strongheart, who he feels wastes his time protecting the weak and helpless. “A true fighter,” Warduke feels, “makes himself rich and powerful by the strength of his sword arm. He takes what he can—if you would keep your possessions, kill those who seek to take them.” He calls his sword “Nightwind.”
I'm more referring to the 'air' accompanying good ol' Vader. Menace, competence, the voice, the whole package of behavior coupled with his voice is what makes Vader stand out from the crowd in my mind. I couldn't care about the 'I am your father' or 'enforcer' - it's the sheer 'OMFG he's nasty!' part. Warduke's behavioral description is, in this day and age, pretty cut and dry and not all that much of a standout other than his relative antiquity.
Vader is a BBEG with a template or two tucked under his helmet in 3e terms - Warduke is a useful window dressing to package him in, but redefining (or merging) the two into a memorably hybrid I see as the key to the character.
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I'm not really sure what you mean. Do you mean he would have to become the enforcer to an even greater evil, and end up as the father of one of the PCs who at the end of the campaign betrays his master and becomes good? In a way, this is how he came about This was his badckground in The Shady Dragon Inn.
Warduke would, for me, have to become the "Darth Vader" of Golarion to be really appealing and effective IMO.
Warduke wears a suit of half-chain and a black, winged helmet. His shield bears the sign of a demon’s head. He was an old friend of Strongheart’s (good paladin), but now the two are enemies. Both were exposed to the Heartstone, and Warduke’s cruel nature was brought out while Strongheart’s just nature became stronger….
[He] especially hates Strongheart, who he feels wastes his time protecting the weak and helpless. “A true fighter,” Warduke feels, “makes himself rich and powerful by the strength of his sword arm. He takes what he can—if you would keep your possessions, kill those who seek to take them.” He calls his sword “Nightwind.”
I'm more referring to the 'air' accompanying good ol' Vader. Menace, competence, the voice, the whole package of behavior coupled with his voice is what makes Vader stand out from the crowd in my mind. I couldn't care about the 'I am your father' or 'enforcer' - it's the sheer 'OMFG he's nasty!' part. Warduke's behavioral description is, in this day and age, pretty cut and dry and not all that much of a standout other than his relative antiquity.
Vader is a BBEG with a template or two tucked under his helmet in 3e terms - Warduke is a useful window dressing to package him in, but redefining (or merging) the two into a memorably hybrid I see as the key to the character.
I agree with you there. That can easily be done if you have a good enough DM running the game. If I was to use him in a game, which I very likely will, I would change the demonic stuff to devilish and have him be a high ranking Chelaxian warrior. Either that or have him be a warrior who sold himself to one of the more powerful demons from the Worldwound in an exchange for power.
Easy choices for me. I'd import Rowyn Kellani (for her wonderful backstory potential) and Tyralandi (for her uniqueness and evil 'cool' factor) from the Savage Tide AP. Maybe Olangru and his mates too - I did have great fun terrorizing my PCs with his antics... >)
Your Friendly Neighborhood Dalesman
"Bringing Big D**n Justice to the Bad Guys Since 1369 DR"
Lord Soth is already the Darth Vader of RPGs...
Nasty, wrong, competent, cruel and disciplined... and pretty much unrepentant
Warduke after death = Lord Soth, sounds good to me. ^_^
The Joker. He could totally do this gig. I taught him well!
Closer to home, I'd save Elaith "The Serpent" Craulnober from the Crapocalypse that has come over Faerûn.
Since there are no Moonblades on Golarion, we'd just need something else to shatter young Elaith to turn him into a villain.
The Dark Fate could work well: Someone he adores as the epitome of elvendom, or his closest friend, or a child he brought up to represent the very elven ideal could suffer the Dark Fate.
Finally I'd like the (nameless, as far as I know) Operative from Serenety - someone who is convinced that the End Justifies The Means, but has no illusion what that makes him.
"The Operative: I'm sorry. If your quarry goes to ground, leave no ground to go to. You should have taken my offer. Or did you think none of this was your fault?
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."
Give Cheliax such an operative or three and chaos is in for a hard aeon.
I though you said 'a tad battered from the cold meds...'
Battered by the old ones?
Lord Soth is already the Darth Vader of RPGs...
Nasty, wrong, competent, cruel and disciplined... and pretty much unrepentant
The unrepentant thing went wrong in the end there.
And I didn't know that Soth was a complete dunce in youth. ;-)
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Finally I'd like the (nameless, as far as I know) Operative from Serenety - someone who is convinced that the End Justifies The Means, but has no illusion what that makes him.
"The Operative: I'm sorry. If your quarry goes to ground, leave no ground to go to. You should have taken my offer. Or did you think none of this was your fault?
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."Give Cheliax such an operative or three and chaos is in for a hard aeon.
o great villainandgreat movie... just saw it... but I seehim asjust Neutral... he does as he is told... what ever the means... butwhen they broke his bubble decided not to follow orders...
its not good for Cheliax... they know they are evil... and they will go all to hell in name of order...
but Taldans with their inflated ego... or even better... Andoran... they have an ideal...and they have already operatives that will go to any lenght to further such ideals... just some of their darker Eagle Knights could become this type of operative... someone with access everywhere and answering to a single man... his commander... of course you can't count in a congress for this... they would muddle things
Lord Soth is already the Darth Vader of RPGs...
Nasty, wrong, competent, cruel and disciplined... and pretty much unrepentant
The unrepentant thing went wrong in the end there.
And I didn't know that Soth was a complete dunce in youth. ;-)
I keep the Ravenloft Soth... unrepentant to the end...
err well covering his fathers infidelities by craking his bastard brothers head with his mace... does a bit for dunce :P specially if you let yourself convince of this by "drunk father" and your "shield bearer"
also he is offered peace but he prefers murder to the peace of his soul... even when he was wrong :P
still totally cool character
I keep the Ravenloft Soth... unrepentant to the end...
I was referring to Vader.
He repented in the end. And in his youth (as shown in Episodes 1-3, especially 3), he was probably the most gullible person in the Galaxy far, far away. It seemed that only after he got that black suit did he get some sense and got in control.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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I keep the Ravenloft Soth... unrepentant to the end...
Agreed, Thus my qualifier about the James Lowder version ;-)
I love Knight of the Black Rose and Spectre of the Black Rose. KotBR has some 'unRavenloft' elements in it, like the red dragon, but it really brought Soth to 'life'. And the depection of the battle of Palanthalas from his POV was worth the price of the book alone. A half elf, as a knight! Why in my day...
Jirel of Jorey
How is Jirel a villain? She was pretty heroic in a rough around the edges way in the stories Miss Moore wrote about her.
Lord Soth (James Lowder version)
I really would like to see death knights in Golarion/the Pathfinder setting, even if not specifically Lord Soth.
Marlo Stanfield (scariest villain ever) & Stringer Bell (most sympathetic villain ever) from The Wire.
The Mayor (most entertaining villain ever) from Buffy.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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Jirel of JoreyHow is Jirel a villain? She was pretty heroic in a rough around the edges way in the stories Miss Moore wrote about her.
Ok, part of it was snark, to get a rise out of Erik. I didn't like the stories in Black God's Kiss. Jirel seemed too, well, shallow. Jirey get in trouble, Jirey get mad, Jirey smash puny plot device! Jirey seemed to be more real, whole in Quest for the Starstone.
Plus look at the story Black God's Kiss itself. She doesn't want to defeat her captor, she wants to utterly destroy him and literally risks her soul to do so. And is it to liberate her people? no it's for revenge, plain and simple.
Not very heroic to me. *shrug* But no one liked my villian, so what do I know ;-)
Gerard Tarrant from the Coldfire Trilogy FTW
for a badass and cool villain who would sacrifice everything to keep living...
That would be my choice; but his motives and objectives are MUCH deeper than that.
Still, he's a polite, genteel, and perfect gentleman -- who wouldn't think twice about killing off you and your entire family if it suited his needs.
Finally I'd like the (nameless, as far as I know) Operative from Serenety - someone who is convinced that the End Justifies The Means, but has no illusion what that makes him."The Operative: I'm sorry. If your quarry goes to ground, leave no ground to go to. You should have taken my offer. Or did you think none of this was your fault?
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."Give Cheliax such an operative or three and chaos is in for a hard aeon.
Aren't these guys called Hellknight's? Except they aren't stupid to stand and talk to the protagonist, they'll simply hunt you down.
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I know I'm not the only poster who thinks the Vader/Soth/Deathknight thing is about the most boring villain concept imaginable. They're the gravel voiced, low-lit, red eyed, muhahaha end boss on the side of a Taco Bell cup.
Lord Soth is the villain equivalent of the girl who poses with a rose in her yearbook photo.
I would add the goddess Hecate as she appeared in the Hellboy comics.
And Koschei the Deathless from Darkness Calls.
Heck, I'd add a lot of the villains from Hellboy!
Aren't these guys called Hellknight's?
A Hellknight's what? ;-P
No, Hellknights are all about order, and they say so. They do it because they want order.
The Operative wanted to make the world a better place, not necessarily a more orderly one.
Except they aren't stupid to stand and talk to the protagonist, they'll simply hunt you down.
Which disqualifies them as proper villains. A real villain will always stand and talk. How else to properly apply Intimidate checks?
Heck, I'd add a lot of the villains from Hellboy!
I just know the movies (and it's been a while since I saw the first one), but Golden Army showed again that Elves make good villains.
Hm... speaking of which I have another villain: Pratchett's Elf Queen! She cannot be an elf queen, since Golarion elves aren't the badass villains they're on the Discworld (wait, no, I have to take that back. I know of no elf sightings in or near the village of Bad Ass), but sidthe, uh, I mean she, would make a great Unseelie Court fey lady.