It's really difficult for someone to become evil without some tragedy behind them. Sure, people like this exist, but if a person is so mean that they enjoy making others miserable or are willing to kill someone to get what they want, tragedy is likely to occur.
Dungeons & Dragons' biggest villains are no different. Most of them have tragic upbringings. Now, we're not here to show them any sympathy because many of them know what's coming for them. But even though this is an epiphany, it doesn't change the fact that these people have a tragic story behind their evil actions.
Strahd von Jarovic
jealousy and obsession
There's no better place to start than the main villain of the most popular adventure, Curse of Strahd. Strahd is a man who wasted his youth on war, conquering a land he named Barovia.
He was jealous of his younger brother Sergei, who was living the life he wanted, and in Strahd's mind, his brother's fiancée Tatiana became a symbol of the life he wanted, and he was obsessed with her and what she represented to him. This is how he made the pact that killed Sergei, caused Tatiana to end her life, and brought suffering to the entire land of Barovia.
Zariel
from heaven to hell
The main antagonist of Descent Into Avernus is Archduchess Zariel, an angel who is tasked with observing the blood war between demons and demons, but chooses to fight within it and end the war once and for all.
This action and her time in the Nine Hells corrupted her, which is why she is now an evil creature and even became the ruler of the first Hell, Avernus. She has lost and regained this position over the years, but now she is the ruler.
Vecna
whisperer
Vecna started out as a man who wanted revenge for his mother who was murdered for being a witch. However, his fear of death and intelligence greatly worsened the situation, and he became one of the first lichs in D&D lore.
His choices about who he trusted often culminated in further problems, and many people suffered during his reign. Plus, he inadvertently creates his own enemies, which is both ironic and tragic.
Cass
bloody hands
Speaking of Vecna's antagonist, he's also a villain in his own right that deserves to be here. Kas was the perfect lieutenant, becoming Vecna's right-hand man and conquering many people in his name.
For his service, he was gifted the Sword of Kas, but the blade was so evil it was sentient and had its own agenda, which included taking Vecna out of the picture. Kas succumbed to the weapon's corruption, leading to a clash between the two monsters.
Acerelac
master of fear
Acererak got off to a bad start as he was a human child of Baelor, and his mother was also killed for having such a relationship with a demon. Acererak, like Vecna, became obsessed with defeating death.
So he studied under Vecna and stole the secret of Lichdom from him. This is why Vecna becomes obsessed with keeping secrets, and so these two help each other in their tragedies. Acererak has become his own monster, infamous for its dungeons filled with deadly traps, allowing him to guard the souls of those who died there.
rolls
Tragedy for an entire species
Arushnee betrayed her husband, the elven god Corellon, out of jealousy that he was the ultimate elven god. This is what triggered all the events that led to Arushni's downfall as she transformed from a goddess to a demon and eventually to a demon goddess.
Her corruption came with her ex-husband's curse, turning her into a spider demon. Now named Lolth, she became the Spider God after killing her previous spider, and became the primary deity of the Drow, leading the species and their culture to centuries of tragedy.
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death knight
Loren Soth is a man who has made quite a few mistakes. After having an affair with Isolde, the woman he saved, impregnating her, killing his first wife, and being sentenced to death, he sent on a sacred quest to stop the cataclysm on Krynn and redeem himself, but abandoned the quest after hearing that Isolde had deceived him.
He then left her and his child to die, and she cursed him to live one lifetime for everyone who died in the cataclysm. He then went on to make even more crappy life choices, but if we sprinkled them all together we'd be here for a while.
Erandis Kwon
Lich Queen (not to be confused with Lich-Queen Vlaakith)
In the world of Eberron there is Erandis, the daughter of an elven woman and a dragon. Erandis had her intentionally to understand the mixing between species. However, when her identity was revealed, she was used as a way to bring peace between elves and dragons, and it worked.
However, both sides were wary of the half-dragons and their powers, eliminating House Vol in the process. Erandis, who had done nothing wrong, became a victim of this incident, and her quest for revenge made her a powerful villain.
- original release date
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1974
- number of players
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2+
- length per game
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It lasts from 60 minutes to several hours.
- Age Recommendations
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Ages 12 and above (young children can also play and enjoy)
- franchise name
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dungeons and dragons
- publisher
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Wizard of the Coast
