forum reasons to villain

Started April 23, 2019 by @Leo-Valdez-Is-The-God-Of-Chaos

tune

any idea why someone would be a villain? other than the classic 'tragic backstory'?

I usually start with questions like: Are they mad at the protagonist for who they are, or because they're in their way?
What are some traits of this character? Are they committed? Then maybe they're reaching for a goal. Or maybe their reasoning isn't all that great and they've just taken it too far to go back.
Try googling a list of motivations and twisting them to fit your character.

wow that was good advice.
I think one of the best kinds of villains is the kind who thinks he/she is doing what they are for a good reason, but I think the most fun villains to write are the ones who kill people and topple empires for fun

Hell, the one I'm writing is kinda just a Military-Police Investigator who goes to any end to achieve his goals/missions. It's the protagonist but easily a villain. Due to the high amount of corruption. I'm still writing a bit of prologue on like how he is at the current setting/time. But I'll probably go into detail later about his fall to the corruption of the government. Or however I word that. Probably he was a normal cadet who was hopeful and wanting to be part of it and slowly learned how corrupt it was and how the darkness of the job really is, probably more or less doing more and more rash things and exposing himself as a villain and whatnot. I really am bad at wording it. For sure though like. He does it because he does what he feels is right (Even if he knows how immorale it is)

that sounds like some nice summer reading

I always just think feel like people will automatically see the one who gives your MC the most trouble as the villain no matter what the motivation. however, I like to give the villains for my DnD campaign a reason within the following categories:

• because it's a hell lot of fun
• because they lost a bet
• because someone said they couldn't do the thing, so no they're trying to do the thing
• they are doing something to help people but don't realize it doesn't help at all. (my current villain is a granny who adopts/kidnaps anyone who's a bid hungry when she meets them)
• taking over the world because the current leaders are dumb idiots
• because they want that thing
• because they hate that one person and do it to spite them
• because they want to draw attention