Introduction
Azeroth is in turmoil and strife, with cosmic powers beyond mortal comprehension toying with the lives of thousands to fulfil their evil goals. And thousands stand up to these threats, offering even their lives to stop them. Azeroth is a place where Heroes are made.
But how long can one fight against cosmic horrors? How long can Heroes operate, knowing that while everything they do is vital in a certain scale, they are but insignificant foot soldiers in the larger picture, major lore figures stealing all the spotlight us Heroes rightfully deserve? Hours, days, weeks, months of fighting, working our fingers to the bone and what do we get? A lordly "thank you, Hero" from our oh-so-glorious leaders before they reap all the benefits?!
This makes me mad!
Mad!!
I'll show them!!!
I'LL SHOW THEM ALL!!!
And this is why every Hero needs a Villain to match. Even if – like in this case – they are one and the same person.
What is a Villain?
Villain, miscreant, dastard, evildoer, ruffian. Even though the so-called "anti-villains" become more and more popular, the traditional image of the Villain is too deeply imprinted into the collective consciousness to be removed. Some associate villainy with widely perceived “evil”, but I believe this is not the case.
The Villain, above all, is a role. The Villain is as much a foil, a mirror reflection of the Hero as the Hero is to the Villain. A phrase often used to describe this relationship is “two sides of one coin”. It's a good phrase and certainly holds much truth. But an even better comparison would be two players unconsciously playing a game with each other, a game with victories and defeats small, large and dramatic, a game neither can end, in which there can be no final victor.
We call this game “roleplaying”.
Who wins?
This is the beautiful thing about roleplaying: characters are in conflict, but players cooperate with each other. As long as there is amity OOC, when both sides know it's about the story, not who “wins”, everyone is the winner. The reward? You take part in a beautiful, touching, action-packed storyline which fully satisfies your creative needs. On the flipside, if players get into character too much, if hatreds their characters tend to get out into the OOC area, everyone loses. Heroes and Villains are not supposed to win, players are. It takes but one selfish player to ruin this whole foundation.
What are Villainous Wiles and Flaws?
At their core, Wiles and Flaws are the same thing to a Villain Virtues and Flaws are to a Hero. Just like Heroes, Villains are not normal people. They do things no other would dream of. But while Heroes generally do the Right Thing, Villains have a trace of madness lurking inside their minds, madness which makes them do unpredictable things.
Sometimes this helps the Heroes such as when the Villains feels the irrational urge to confess the details of their evil schemes to them. At other times, this can seal the Heroes' doom, like when a Villain is perfectly willing to die to see his plans fulfilled.
Wiles and Flaws reflect this madness, while also helping with characterisation or, some might say, shoehorning the Villain into a certain archetype.
A Wile is some kind of strength, cunning or madness which allows the Villain to be larger than life, a real threat to the Heroes themselves, to their families, lands and maybe to the whole world.
Hint: aim low at first. No one likes a Villain who jumps from around the corner proclaiming himself Dark Overlord of the Twilight Cult or something.
Conversely, a Flaw is a character trait that does decidedly not fit a Villain. It can make your character a comic relief Villain, an ineffectual Villain who certainly never read the Evil Overlord List... or a humanised Anti-Villain.
Remember that just as in the case of Virtues, Wiles are not superpowers or RP guarantees. They are merely aspects of your Villain's character which, if played right, can make him or her stand out among the crowd and be a true menace to the Heroes.
Alphabetical list of Wiles And Flaws
Flaws
Ambitious: You crave power. Money is good, but what you really want is power and it does not matter whether it is magical, military, social or otherwise, as long as it puts you in charge of other people. You are likely to be brought down by attempting a risky chase for power you so desire.
Arrogant: You think you are better than everyone. Your clothes are the most fashionable, your sword the sharpest, your armour the shiniest, your ideas the best and you have to let everyone know how much better you are.
Careless: For some reason Heroes always manage to escape your clutches. You don't understand how it's possible. After all, you throw them into easily escapable deathtraps before leaving them alone with your bumbling guards while you wander away for no apparent reason...
Cowardly: Perhaps a better word would be “has a strong sense of self-preservation.” You often hesitate to put yourself at risk, even if there is a good reason to do so.
Cruel: You have a sadistic streak that causes you to perform acts of cruelty for no good reason. Of course, this does not endear you to your followers. Expect a Henchman, sick of the treatment he receives to betray you. Maybe not right away, but the very moment it's feasible. And if possible, you'll likely kill the Henchman the moment you find out about his betrayal.
Envious: For some reason everyone has it better than you. They have shinier armour, better toys of war, more money and a prettier wife. You tend to get envious over the smallest things.
Extravagant: You enjoy living in the lap of luxury. Ale is never good when you have fine wine instead. And you aren't happy with anything less than the finest room in the inn.
Greedy: Money makes your eyes light up with joy. Pecuniae obediunt omnia! (“All things yield to money”)
Hot-headed: You have a chip on your shoulder and a bit of fish too! Your fuse is short and you're ready to get in a scuffle at the slightest hint of insult or things not going your way.
Lecherous: You just can't keep from chasing skirts. A fair woman (or handsome man, however your tastes run) is an almost irresistible temptation.
Megalomaniac: You want to rule the world. You believe you are the only person on the planet worthy of possessing power. You are quite willing to play your Henchmen along for the saps, but you would never allow them to share in your victory.
Merciful: For a Villain, you have a terrible weakness: you don't like to hurt people. Given the choice, you'd rather exile your deposed brother than to finish him. Whether it's because you want your enemies to live knowing that you beat them or because you just have a small soft spot in your heart, the result is the same: your enemies come back again and again.
Obvious: For some reason, everyone seems to be able to identify you as a villain immediately. You aren't sure why, after all, you do everything right: your moustache is sufficiently twirly, you practice your cackle and hand-rubbing daily, you dress in regulation black and wear the regulation top hat...
Unfortunate: Your luck isn't terrible; you'd be already dead if it was. It's just that lucky breaks happen to other people. Look at it this way: if you need some blind luck to get out of some funny affairs, expect to have some fun for a while.
Misled: You don't know that you're a Villain. You honestly believe that you are a Hero, that it's you who is doing the Right Thing. Sometimes, though, you have your doubts... Just at that crucial moment...
Overconfident: Nothing is beyond your capabilities. You could conquer all of Azeroth single-handedly, it's just you haven't yet found a reason to do so. And that spell will surely only tickle a bit.
Paranoid: Everyone is waiting for their chance to betray you. Make sure you get rid of them before the they have the chance!
Petty: You got the drive, you got the funds, you got the people too, but instead of world domination or a similarly villainous goal, you spend the majority of your time and effort attempting to bully one, select person or a small group of people. And while you might be able to dispose of them in one fell swoop, your plans ultimately focus on causing mild inconveniences to them.
Proud: Don't they dare pity you! If a gift or offer has the slightest feel of charity, you grow indignant and refuse it.
Scheming: You like big, convoluted plots. The more complicated, the better. In fact, your schemes are so hard to grasp that your Henchmen screw them up entirely. It's hard to get good help these days. In addition, you never do things the easy way: why stab the Hero if you can lower him into a maze full of your Goons and deadly traps?
Squeamish: You don't want blood on your hands. Oh, it's okay to have blood on others' hands, but you don't like to do the deed yourself. If course, you don't always check up on followers to make sure the job is done – after all, the sight of blood disturbs you.
Stubborn: You don't change your mind often – if you do at all. Once you've decided on a course of action, you will pull it through no matter what the consequences. Attempts to convince you will usually wash off you like water off a duck.
Talkative: You have a problem you can't keep to yourself. Actually, you can't keep anything to yourself. Your ideas are simply so clever that you want to tell them to other people so that you can watch astonishment creep across their faces before they tell you how smart you are.
Wiles
Adaptable: Thanks to lightning-quick mental reflexes you adapt easily to sudden changes around you. If someone jumps from a height directly at you, you casually step aside. If scything blades come out of a wall, you have the presence of mind to get out of the way.
Beguiling: You sure don't look like a Villain. In fact, most folks would trust you with their grandmother's life savings. Play your cards right and the Heroes might never discover that you are a Villain... until it's too late.
Brilliant: Do the words “criminal mastermind” ring a bell? Elaborate plots and schemes are your bread and butter. Your plots are so deep and far-reaching that not even your Henchmen can keep track of them. Whenever it seems the Heroes have figured you out, you pull some twist out of your pocket and throw them off-guard.
Careful: Your plans are extremely well thought out and you design clever ambushes and traps. Your plans have always a back-up contingency and there are never obvious flaws in them.
Charismatic: You are an exceptional public speaker. Your men will follow you to the death. While pretending you care for them annoys you, it helps keep the morale up.
Commanding: You exude confidence and composure. This has a tendency to unnerve your opponents.
Deceitful: You don't strike others as a villain. They never suspect you until it's too late. Even magical probing has trouble discerning your true nature.
Fanatical: Your cause means everything to you. Death is acceptable if it helps finish your goals. The most dangerous man in the world is the one who is not afraid to die for his cause.
Focused: You can concentrate all your efforts on a single task. Your world narrows until only your work remains. This allows you to accomplish much using limited resources.
Fortunate: Those annoying quirks of misfortune that plague others... plague others. Your horse won't throw a shoe during a chase, now will you stumble while performing an easy combat manoeuvre. Your luck is good, but remember that even the luckiest people can have a bad day.
Hateful: You know how to hold a grudge. When someone makes an enemy out of you, he doesn't know what he's gotten himself into. You are capable of devoting your life towards the goal of utterly destroying a single individual.
Honourable: You are not the ruthless type. In fact, there is a well-defended line that you won't cross. You have subscribed to some romantic ideas that go around the courts these days. Some of them.
Prudent: Some Villains go after Heroes with reckless abandon. Not you. You carefully consider each and every step leading towards your goal. Every move is deliberate and designed.
Recurring: You are a slippery fish. Whenever the Heroes think they've gotten rid of you, you return to torment them another day. If they hack you to pieces, burn the remains and scatter the ashes, it wasn't you, it was a perfect double of yours. And there's no way you fail to survive falling off a waterfall where you've been battling the Heroes.
Regal: Most Goons work for the pay-check, but yours are different. You impress them. You inspire them. They believe in you and your cause and they draw strength from their confidence.
Resourceful: Heroes have a tendency to underestimate you. You've spent a lifetime becoming what you are, acquiring skills you know and no bunch of idealistic fools are going to stop you.
Ruthless: You never hesitate to do whatever it takes to accomplish your goals. Nothing is too evil for you, as long as it serves the purpose you desire. This often leaves your enemies reeling in shock while you finish them off.
Seductive: With whispered words of evil, you can convince a saint to lie, cheat, steal and kill. Your slippery arguments can twist a man's head around and make him believe he's doing evil for a good cause.
Self-controlled: The verbal slings and arrows people hurl at you roll of your back. You see through seduction attempts and laugh them off. And of course, nobody ever intimidates you.
Uncanny: Some people think you've got a sixth sense, others that your secret are sharp eyes and a keen mind. Whatever the reason, you can sniff out when trouble is coming and coming fast.
Victorious: If there was a god of war on Azeroth, you'd be his darling. Somehow, when it seems like you're doomed to fall in battle, you can summon up incredible reserves of strength.
Wilful: Simply put, there is nothing that can stop you from your goals. Nothing. You may back off for a moment, but only to muster more strength.
Appendix: The three tiers of characterisation in RP events
It's widely known that both Heroes and Villains come in packs. However, while Heroes usually prefer a company of their peers, Villains rarely team up with each other.
Generally, Villains prefer a pyramid of power structure, with them at the top, issuing orders to their Henchmen who, in turn, have squads of Goons doing the menial tasks. This gives Villains ample of time to plot and be generally menacing while all Henchmen need to do is to supervise Goons and threaten Heroes directly.
Please take the rant below with a tongue in your cheek! I know exactly you all want to be in the spotlight immediately, without gaining the experience and renown as RPer needed to go all the way from a Goon to Henchman to the full-blown Villain (or Hero, however strange it may sound).
Let's take a look at the three tiers, starting with the bottom of the heap:
Not every character can be the focus and spotlight of an RP event. Sometimes all that an event needs is someone for the Heroes to fight. That's why Goons were invented.
Goons are riff-raff.. They are nameless thugs, sword fodder Villains are employing by the dozens and who die by the dozens when Heroes show up. Goons are usually nothing but a nuisance, under normal circumstances it takes several of them to overpower a typical Hero.
Why bother mentioning Goons and even playing them if they are meant to be forgettable and easily knocked out?
It is a result of the mindset as described above. The Villain is at the top and everyone else listens to him, there can't be more than one at the top. Sure, other Villains can temporarily play along as Henchmen, but in all honesty, an RP event can contain only so much character development before everything breaks down and people start to argue.
With this said, I believe having a replaceable, “nameless” character which can act as a Goon for either side (because Heroes sometimes command Goon squads as well) or RPing an established character in a minor role as a Goon can allow more people to participate at an RP event without making the event feel cramped.
Henchmen are the lieutenants and hangers-on of both Heroes and Villains. They are generally more competent, more resourceful and more resilient than Goons, but the difference lies elsewhere. As opposed to Goons who are nothing more than extras, filth business and the occasional cameo appearances, Henchmen are actual speaking roles with characterisation and involvement in the plot on either side of the conflict.
Henchmen usually hail from the ranks of Goons who survive and reappear often enough in RP to be recognisable to the point where the Heroes' (or Villain's) attention is on them at least for a brief while. The ranks of Henchmen are sometimes temporarily fuelled by Heroes and Villains themselves if they somehow further the plot, but who are not central to the story.
It could be said that Henchmen are actually just on the verge of becoming Heroes and Villains themselves, all they need is a little push and they're on their way.
Villains are straightforward. They are the counterparts of Heroes. They possess the same abilities and the same potential to do evil as Heroes have to do good.
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