All Creatures
Abilities | Monsters | NPCs
All | Families | Theme Templates
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | R | S | T | U | V | W | Z


There is a Legacy version here.

Villain

Source NPC Core pg. 152
Villains pursue selfish and cruel goals, trampling over anyone in their way.

Members

Champion of Rovagug (Creature 5), Conspiracist (Creature 0), Deluded Mob (Creature 4), Despot (Creature 5), Fiend Caller (Creature 3), Fleshwarper (Creature 7), Gang Leader (Creature 7), Hero Hunter (Creature 13), Interrogator (Creature 6), Mastermind (Creature 4), Propaganist (Creature 3), Reckless Scientist (Creature 6), Saboteur (Creature 2), Toady (Creature 0), Warmonger (Creature 10), Wealthy Vigilante (Creature 8), World Ender (Creature 16)

Sidebar - Additional Lore Golarion's Most Wanted

Here are a few of the most notorious villains in the history of Golarion.

Queen Abrogail II: The ruler of Cheliax devotes herself to Asmodeus, and tyrannically rules her diabolic nation completely confident of the supremacy of herself and her country.
Tar-Baphon: The ancient lich called the Whispering Tyrant invaded nation after nation with his undead hordes, slayed a divine herald, and even now has arisen again and regrouped in the Gravelands.
The Runelords: The seven rulers of ancient Thassilon mastered powers of magical runes, letting them rule in ancient times and return again and again in centuries since to try to take back the power they once had.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Manipulative Evil

Villains who use the power of ideas— like the conspiracist and propagandist found here—aren't particularly effective combatants. Instead, they rely on dupes or other villains (like the deluded mob or warmonger) to physically enact their evil ideologies. They're also adaptable, though the conspiracist usually keeps their conspiracies and themes centered around themself and close allies, while the propagandist typically works their machinations with the consent of the state, using half-truths and manipulative framing to serve those in power and be well paid for their trouble.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Recurring Villains

Villains are just as devoted to their evil schemes as heroes are to justice or freedom. Villains make excellent recurring NPCs. The section on NPC advancement is especially useful for villains. To tell more varied stories, a GM can have the villains join up with new groups of followers or be under the employ of new benefactors, using their villainous skills for a new cause.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Relative Villainy

These characters are clearly set out as villains within the structure of a Pathfinder adventure's story, but that doesn't mean the people in the world see them as such universally. Villains often work best when otherwise well-meaning civilians are unable to see their malice, or when the villain is so charismatic or powerful they can bring others under their sway. You can use an influence encounter to play out the player characters trying to sway a powerful person away from the villain's influence, or even have both the PCs and the villain racing to influence the same person.