168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dungeons & Dragons could easily be described as a game of heroes and villains, almost e𒁃very quest ends in a confrontation with some sort of monster or nefarious schemer after all. You always want these clashes and the plots surrounding them to be engaging for your players, but that requires a great villain to begin with.

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Possibly no type of villain is more synonymous with high fantasy than the evil Necromanc🌳er, a wizard with the power and the will to raise the dead to do their bidding. The trope is so well known as to be a cliche, making it hard to avoid pitfalls of your Necromancer feeling like a parody. We're here to help, with some top tips to make sure your Necromancer hits the mark.

8 Make Them A Person 💖 🔯

Not Just A Villain

Strahd von Zarovich looks down from Castle Ravenloft.
via Wizards of the Coast

If all you make is an evil Necromancer, that's all you'll get. A two-dimensional and forgettable villain your players won't engage with beyond the fight against them. If you take the time to make them a complete person, however, you'll end u༒p with something far more satisfyin🅘g.

Think about who they are and what led them down๊ this path. Give them some character traits and consider whether they're cold or unsettlingly friendly, arrogant or cowardly. The more you invest into m🅺aking them a person and not just a villain, the more your players will be interested in them and their story.

7 Thi🅺nk Motivation ꦓ

Necromancy Isn't For Everyone

A female Necromancer with dark purple energy coursing through her.
 Liliana The Necromancer by Livia Prima

Any villain who became an evil Necromancer just to be an evil Necromancer belongs in a cartoon. Think instead about why your Necromancer has gone down this dark path, their motivations will inform their character and help you know how they'll react when your pl𒁏ayers inevitably do something unexpected.

Perhaps 🔯they fear their own death and are looking for a way to circumvent it, or have been deva🐻stated by the loss of a loved one and are hoping to find the power to bring them back. Their reasons might not even be related to Necromancy itself, it may just be a tool to achieve an unrelated goal.

6 ♓ Establish Tone 🎐

Make Sure Your Players Are Happy

A Necromancer motions for his skeletal warriors to advance.
Xathrid Necromancer by Maciej Kuciara

It's easy to get excited about your latest idea for a villain, but make sure that you don't get carried away with yourself. Always make surꦚe to match the tone of the game your players are looking for. A Session Zero is perfect for establishing this.

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1

Not everyone will enjoy gruesome descriptions of the rising dead just like not everyone will want their villains to be morally complex. Some players want to fight the bad guy and have a few laughs, while others want a layered villain and narration that leans hard on horror. Be sure to cater the experience♐ to match your player's preferences.

5 🎃Minions Are Everything 𒉰

Monster Mash

Dungeons & Dragons army of undead marching forward, led by a skeleton on an undead unicorn.
A Harrowing Hunt by Domenico Cava

Typically a Necromancer wouldn't be caught dead, or undead for that matter, without their minions to do their bidding. D&D has a wealth of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:incredible undead monsters for you to use, so take some time to pick out the ones that 168澳洲幸ౠ运5开奖网:make the most sen🌞se for your Necromancer.

Zombies and skeletons never go out of style, but if your Necromancer is more of a Dr. Frankenstein type then d🌜on't overlook Flesh Golems. If they need to call Undead to them somewhere without bodies to use then Ghosts materializing is a great option. You're only limited by your Necromancer's imagination.

4 Use 𝓀Them Again ♍

Never Say Die

dungeons & dragons image showing the lich Acererak summoning undead
Acererak by Tyler Jacobson

Just because your Necromancer is defeated by your players doesn't mean they have to be gone forever. Power over death is their specialty after all, so they could easily h🌞ave contingencies in place in case they're ever killed by a band of meddling🌄 do-gooders.

Killing them co🦄uld only be temporary, life returning to their body once the🦄 party is gone. Or they might rise as an Undead themselves, brought back by their own dark magic. A recurring villain is a great way to surprise your players, they usually don't expect it.

Especially savvy players might have the sense to destroyꦆ the body of your Necromancer, especially if killing them seems like it isn't sticking. If they do this and you want to keep using your Necromancer then just make them a ghost, influencing events more indirectly.

3 ๊ Give Them A Master 🎃

Everybody Has A Boss

Orcus from Dungeons & Dragons, a large demon lord with the skull of an animal and large horns.
Orcus 5th Edition via Wizards of the Coast.

Your Necromancer might be the final villain of your campaign, but if they're not then it's worth considering if there's someone more powerful than them who could serve as 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:your next villain. This p♋rovides a clear progression from one part of your campaign to the next.

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Perhaps they serve a vampire and hope to be🍸come one themselves, or are the apprentice of an ancient Lich. They might be in se𝐆rvice to Vecna himself, or even Orcus, Demon Lord of Undeath. Whoever you decide on, think about how they might react to word of your Necromancer's defeat.

2 ♌Use Other Tools 🌞

Necromancy Isn't All There Is

Dungeons & Dragons image showing a dunamancer beginning to cast a spell.
Dunamancer Art by Irina Nordsol

It's natural to want to lean hard on the theme of your villain, but remember that your Necromancer doeဣsn't have to use necromancy as their only solution to every problem. They will know other kinds of magic and have other resources available to them.

If you want to keep the theme strong, you can flavour these to be more thematic. A fireball spell can be made of sickly green flame, an assassin can have the pallid complexion of💮 a corpse, and the corrupt city guardsman might be able to talk to his departed love instead of getting paid in coin.

1 ♎ Tempt Your Players And Their Characters

Everybody Wants Something

The cover for Vecna Nest of the Eldritch Eye, from Dungeons & Dragons.
Vecna Nest of the Eldritch Eye cover, via Wizards of the Coast

The combat in Dungeons & Dragons is one of its strongest points, but don't default to it right away just because it's fun. When confronted by 🎃the threat of your player's characters, consider ways that your Necromancer villain might try to tempt them to the dark side.

They might offer powerful magical items of a dark nature, eternal life, or even the opportunity to reunite with a beloved NPC🤡 who has passed away. It doesn't 🔴matter necessarily whether they can follow through on these promises, letting your players grapple with temptation is what matters.

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🦩 Dungeons & Dragons: 10 Archetypes That Make Great Villains

These arc🍎🍬hetypes are perfect for villains in your D&D campaign.