Main Villain Ideas

[Error]

I am running a campaign this summer, and I need some ideas for my main villain(s).

The setting is going to be 60-70 years before TPM, and at least two of the characters are going to be Jedi.

I was thinking some sort of rogue Jedi (perhaps one that refused to take the trials since he knew he wasn't good enough?) or some other character with substantial command of the force.

Some things I need to consider:
- Appearance (I was thinking a mask, perhaps due to some disfigurement...longer hair...some kind of strange clothing/armor?)
- Motivation (guy/gal has got to have some reason to be an evil b@st@rd*)
- Occupation (perhaps sells services as bodyguard, spy, bounty hunter?)
- Fighting style (I was thinking two lightsabers...both green...or a darth-maul style saber in another color)
- Bad-@$$ factor (some random stuff that just makes this character bad-@$$...an accent, reputation, something)

Anyway, I would greatly appreciate any thoughts that people have on the matter.

[Rerun941]

Force ghost who can inhabit hosts for a short period of time, but is motivated to return to the land of the living... permanently. He/she eyes one of the PCs as a suitable (permanent) host.

Said Force Ghost could be tied to a place, person or object. Holocrons or cursed lightsabers would be an excellent choice, IMHO.

The Force Ghost could be a failed Sith apprentice or maybe just a primitive mystic. Nightsister?

Hope that helps.
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Han - "How're we doin'?"
Luke - "Same as always."
Han - "That bad, huh?"

[Error]

Hmm...that is something to consider. If not the main villain, one of his cronies.

Thanks rerun!

[Hellcat]

In the Three Musketeers Cardinal Richelieu is supposed to be the main villian character. And certainly in the Disney version from '93 he comes out as seeming to be a lot more like the type of villian you want, though without any disfigurments or things that might disguise his identity. But in the book, he's more of a behind the scenes type of villian, and is in fact the one who signs the letter of recomendation for D'Artagnan to become a Musketeer at the end of the book even though D'Artagnan was one of those who disrupted his plans. The point is that the main villian may not have to be a real BA, you could set them up as more of a behind the scenes type and let the PCs know exactly who they are but have no way to openly prove to the public who they are. And they could know that it's the PCs who thwarted their plans and have them let the PCs know so while revealling that they can't openly do anything about it. Basically have it be a standoff, if the PCs go after them without public proof, then the PCs look very bad and may well be hunted by everyone in the galaxy for going after someone whom the entire galaxy believes to be innocent and is being attacked because their such a noteable figure within the galaxy. And if they, the villian, try to do away with the PCs, then their attempts can link directly them to what the PCs have been saying about them.

On a different note, take a look at some of the games you play, particularly the video games. Maybe you can find some big bosses that would really be pretty impressive for the PCs to have to go upagainst. Or maybe you can weave together some characteristics from bosses from different games to form the character you're after.
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FLUFFY for President!!!!

Wanted Poster

[Error]

I think I'd like a villain with a more direct involvement, though a "puppet master" of sorts is not out of the running for inclusion.

I thought up a name last night, but I don't know if I'm going to use it yet:

Oe Tahl (owie tall)

I was thinking that perhaps a rogue Jedi trainee who could never quite hack it (or build his own lightsaber, for that matter) stumbles upon a lightsaber with a force ghost attached. This ghost could begin to inhabit the unsuspecting youth, perhaps because of the young man's ability to use the force.
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The only words of explanation you need for any concept in the entire Star Wars universe are the words Science Fiction and Space Opera.

[MA-3PO]

If you can get your eyes on the book "Wanted by Cracken" it has many great potential villians.

[Error]

Hmm.

An excellent suggestion, but I tend to shy away from pre-made characters.

Plus, if this Kerr guy ages at even a relatively human rate, he might not have even been around this far in the past.
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The only words of explanation you need for any concept in the entire Star Wars universe are the words Science Fiction and Space Opera.

[Hellcat]

Well, folks in the SW galaxy appear to live longer than folks in the real world. Especially if their Force-users using the light side of the Force. Vima-da-Boda was around 200 in Dark Empire and there was another character, human at that, who was around four hundred in Courtship of Princess Leia.

However, there is nothing to say you have to use Danaan Kerr as himself. You could use him as a template for your character. Change a few stats up or down, maybe drop a Force power or two and substitute or add some you don't see, and you could have a new character based on a pre-exsisting one.
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FLUFFY for President!!!!

Wanted Poster

[MA-3PO]

[Hellcat]

I was just thinking about Halagad Ventor from the Classic Adventures Volume II book. He'd be another good one to modify and create a new character from. And the adventure he appears in, Domain of Evil, also has something I like the looks of, dreambeasts. They appear to be creatures Halagad creates with his mind that appear real to the PCs but aren't even there and the damage they inflict is strictly in the mind of the PCs. Though if you used the idea, you may have to set part of the adventure, probably the last part, on the planet Trintia. Check in the PDF Sharing thread for the Classic Adventures Volume II book if any of that intrests you.

Would love to see Wanted by Cracken in there as well.
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FLUFFY for President!!!!

Wanted Poster

[Error]

Hmm. I am definitely getting some good suggestions for this, thanks so much

Some stuff I was thinking about last night (smoked too much, I think):

Perhaps this villain has chosen to augment his natural physique with organic and mechanical parts, and as a result is constantly needing to inundate his system with anti-rejection drugs and pain medication, perhaps he even depends on a constant flow of stimulants (synthetic adrenaline?). I was thinking stuff along the lines of denser muscle fibers and skeletal reinforcements, perhaps even different eyes or other sensory or internal organs. These could be derived from many different sources...perhaps a Mon Calamari or Quarren heart to withstand extreme pressure...muscle fiber from a rancor...synthetic alloy joint caps...etc. You get the idea.

With all of these modifications this guy would undoubtedly need to be contained in a suit or other apparatus, but I don't want to turn him into Darth Vader, so much of his body should somehow be left uncovered. He would need at least some kind of filter/pump system to regulate the appropriate drug/toxin concentrations in his system. I am thinking that this guy is going to be horrific to look upon...perhaps even his nose has been removed and only the two vertical holes in his face remain.

His history would be kind of dual, as he is really a failed student of the Jedi inhabited by a force ghost tied to his twin green lightsabers. Nothing is left of the original mind of Oe Tahl, the frustrated padawan who stumbled upon the lightsabers at an archaeological site in the ice belt of an uninhabited system in the deep core.

The spirit that took over his body is that of an evil Jedi (not a Sith, I don't think...but something else) who has some kind of vendetta or grudge to appease. The motivation for the spirit is what I haven't gotten to yet.

Anyway, feedback would be much appreciated. Also, please let me know if any of this is too tired or cliche.
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The only words of explanation you need for any concept in the entire Star Wars universe are the words Science Fiction and Space Opera.

[Xzil Maru]

Hmm sort of reminds me of that droid bounty hunter who somehow started repairing itself with various aliens bits or you know General Grevious from Ep3.

Does the guy have to be a force user? You could always have somekind of powerful bounty hunter. Hell you could have a powerful crimelord who has a circle of assassin/enforcers that can directly oppose the PCs while the crimelord remains a puppetmaster in the background. Or instead of a puppetmaster maybe an influencial noble or the matron of a noble family.

As for ideas for individual opponents you could have a glitterstim addict who uses different sorts of spice to enhance his mental and physical capablities but the withdrawals leave him incapacitated for long periods (which is a secret to all but him, and his custom medical/bodyguard droids).

Perhaps throw in a mad doctor who is obsessed with grafting on various alien organs or genetically engineered symbiots/parasites to enhance his patients, perhaps one of his patients is actually holding him hostage and forcing him to use sentients as raw materials for the operations.

If you do decide to go with the (IMO) cliche darkside user route perhaps use someone who dominates groups of innocents (with Affect mind) and sends them up against the PCs. So that the PCs have to make moral choices when dealing with the villain because the bad guy is willing to sacrifice virtually anyone for his goals. You could use a Columni or Bo'marr force-user that is telepathic and treats anyone he/she can dominate as a slave no better than his/her droid servants. Maybe have the villian brainwash people around the PCs to commit acts of sabotage, and even murder.
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Plook Bomdarb says "Will Kill for food."

[Error]

Well, the reason I seem so bent on using a force user is because at least two of the PCs will be Jedi, and one of the NPCs is going to be their master. In my opinion, the only thing that could possibly pose a challenge to three Jedi would be another force user.

This is something I am trying to work out. I do not want the villain to use the dark side specifically; perhaps he merely misuses the light. I find the whole "dark lord of the sith"/"dark jedi" thing to be kind of overdone as well.

What I am really trying to determine is motivation, and I think everything else will fall into place after that. Does the villain hold a grudge? If so, is it against a group or an individual? What is the reason for his "evil" actions? What "evil" actions would he commit, anyway? Is he a remorseless killer? If so, why? What are his goals? How did he become so powerful, and why does he want power? Does he even WANT power? These are the things I need to determine.

Generally, if we look at the world around us, we see much that we regard as "evil". However, this is a very subjective term. I don't believe in the search for power without motivation...thus, this villain needs a realistic plot line behind him. Crime lords and madmen are not really what I'm looking for, though they would make excellent sidesteps from the main adventure.

Perhaps this character "gets off" on extinguishing the life force of sentient beings, and the stronger they radiate the force, the higher he gets when he kills them. This seems a little like the madman type to me, though (more specifically, an addict). But it is a thought.

I also find the bounty hunter route to be taken too much. There just can't be a huge market for trackers/killers in a galaxy that is ordinarily so orderly and self-contained (especially so, given the setting of this campaign). If they exist, they must be very rare. Besides, what would a respectable bounty hunter (or his employer, for that matter) want a pair of padawans and their buddies for?

I do, however, like the idea of this guy being a drug addict who is incapacitated for long periods of time. The extensive modifications of his body and mind would leave him as sort of a vampire, resting for long periods but wreaking havoc when he grows "hungry".

As far as domination of innocents goes, I guess I still need to develop some kind of motivation. But I will give it some thought.
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The only words of explanation you need for any concept in the entire Star Wars universe are the words Science Fiction and Space Opera.

[Error]

I think I've come up with a good name...Carroa Nohg (cah-ro-uh nogue).

Either that or something as equally funny-sounding. Some other possibilities:

Aom Sah Tob
Xiotxe Kheeb (zot-zuh keeb)
Ehkta Lish
Gausk
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The only words of explanation you need for any concept in the entire Star Wars universe are the words Science Fiction and Space Opera.

[Gry Sarth]

I think the best way to involve the group with a nemesis, is NOT to put the nemesis against the group. I mean, it's not the nemesis who sets out to be pain for the group, but rather the other way around. Maybe create a perfectly innocent adventure, where the group, probably inadvertedly, ends up stepping hard on your villain's toes. Maybe they thwart one of his plans, maybe they kill one of his relatives or loved ones. Maybe the villain isn't even evil at all to begin with, he was just minding his own business and through some misunderstnding, it was the group that did something evil upon him. Now he's not one to talk things out so he makes it his goal in life to make the group's lives a living hell.

I don't know... just keeping the ball rolling...