In Which The Warlock Indulges His Villainous Side...

One of the greatest things about gaming, which I've always really enjoyed, has been the villains that have the heroes have faced down over the years. Whether behind the GM screen or in front of it, villains have always stolen the show for me. After all, how can you be heroic if you don't have a proper villain to face down?

I mean, I was always proud of guys like Jaegren Lern--the One Living Man--and the illithid mastermind of the Saltmarsh invasion, Xil'ti'Carn. These were creatures that the PCs could really get behind and genuinely hate. And that hate? It's a powerful motivator.

Fred, in his GMing debut, really hit home with his villainous portrayal a few campaigns ago. My old swordmage-artificer Unsere was absolutely paranoid about her boss, Kezar Uzariza, and the corporation he had at his disposal. Kezar always seemed to show up at the most inconvenient times, providing a constant threat of menace that she had to overcome. For a character who was, in essence, a pacifist (at least in terms of humanoids!), this made for high drama.

I've been pleased so far, in Chris II's game, with his portrayal of Nynerin--an NPC from Keep on the Shadowfell that normally would fall by the wayside. As a fellow Valenar, Cyrid absolutely loathes everything that Nynerin pulled, particularly leading numerous villagers into the deathtrap of the titular Keep.

D&D, more than any other game, has always had its classic villains. From the demilich Acererak, to Lord Strahd von Zarovich, to the death knight Lord Soth (a personal fave!), enemies abound!

And, y'know? That's really what drives the campaign.

When I was in Liverpool, studying abroad, my professor for "Chaucer's Narrative Verse" once said something incredibly insightful. He told us, as students, that at the root of all great literature is conflict. After all,

"what would King Lear be like if everyone just sat around saying 'Pass the Cornflakes'?

So tell me, oh devoted few? What are your favorite villains? What makes them so magnetic for you? And, if you're a gamer, how do you carry that into your games?

In Which The Warlock Gets Back to Where He Once Belonged...

Man, oh man. First level.

For anyone who's ever played an RPG, it brings on ton of mixed emotions. It brings excitement--that first rush of adventure, as kobolds or skeletons fell beneath your sword. It brings fear--memories of being so fragile, so frail, that those very kobolds or skellies might bring you to your knees (oh, the horror!). And, for some, it brings outright frustration, particularly for anyone who played a 1st level wizard, and could be taken out (legitimately!) by a housecat.

It's been absolutely ages since I've actually played in a campaign starting at 1st level. Most of the games that I run, or have been involved in, have been starting at a low-middle level, in what this Age of 4e has been calling "late heroic tier". Mainly, this was to avoid those last two issues: no one wanted to play a game in which you could be ganked by a tiny little lizardman with a loincloth and a stick.

So, when Chris II took over the GMing reins, I was a little shocked and...well, nervous. While he mentioned wanting to start the "actual" campaign at 6th level, he wanted to run a few flashback sessions, starting us at 1st level. It had been so long...and my concept for Cyrid was one for a scarred veteran...and first level sucked, right?

I'm happy to say I was wrong.

Yes, level 1 brings its own challenges, but it's spectacular to go back to it--to the core of what D&D is: setting out on an adventure with your good friends, not knowing what might be around the next corner, finding that first +1 weapon, and having fun.

We just hit level 2 at the end of last week's session, and Cyrid actually came away with the first magic item of the game. (Sometimes it helps to be the only character wearing heavy armor, it seems!) We're marching our way off to the actual Keep on the Shadowfell, and my Valenar warrior already has a vendetta out on a betrayer-elf named Nynerin.

Can't wait to see how it turns out!