Table of Contents
Villain Creation
Each character in Underlings serves a Villain. This may be one of the Villains defined in one of the Genre pages, or a Villain you come up with yourself. Your character may be their only Underling, may be part of a group of Underlings but the only member of the Union, or you may share your Villain with other Underlings in the Union.
Once created, the Villains are not your characters - they will be NPCs under the control of the game team, with motivations informed by the description you give us, but determined by us. Underlings is a game about tensions in the relationship between Villains and their Underlings, so it can be expected that the Villains will act in ways that may not be in your character's best interests. This will include regularly giving you tasks to complete to further their own goals (and failure to achieve this is likely to result in consequences!)
GM- and Player-Defined Villains
If your character serves one of the GM defined Villains, or serves a Villain which is being defined by another player, then you need to provide the following details:
- Villain Name (and pronouns if it's an individual)
- Genre1)
- Your relationship to the Villain
- Creator (GMs, or the player you are expecting to submit the Villain's stats)
The Iconic Villain in each Genre is definitely going to be in the game, whether or not players choose to serve them. The other Example Villains defined on the genre page or elsewhere on the wiki are also available if you wish to create a character that serves them, but may not appear in the game if no-one chooses to do so.
Creating Your Own
Creating your own villain requires the following information:
Villain Name
(and pronouns if it's an individual)
Genre
If a villain doesn't fit neatly into a single genre, just pick the closest or the one which has the best vibes for the kind of plot you'd like to see. On a mechnical level, this mostly impacts what genre-specific bits and pieces of news you hear about during the course of the game, via the social circles you're in (each genre gets a personalised news page in addition to the general news). It won't keep you locked out of any particular part of the game.
Description
A paragraph or two summarising the villain, similar to the descriptions on each Genre page. This will be posted publicly, and linked from the Villains page.
You can also submit a longer description, or secret elements which you do not wish to be posted publicly - if this gets particularly long, we don't promise to read it all.
Public Bio
A short description of the villain, which will be visible to everyone - explaining who they are and what they are known for.
Profile
Each villain has three statistics, which broadly define their ability to influence the world.
- Power
- Influence
- Flexibility
Each of these is represented by a number from 1 to 5, and the total of all three stats can be at most 8 (e.g. P:5, I:2, F:1 would be valid, P:4, I:4, F:2 would not as those sum to 10)
| Stat | 1 | 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Power | This villain has limited ability to affect the world either personally or through their own organisation. They tend to lose in direct confrontations, so may need to be more subtle about their plans to achieve their goals. | This villain is a credible threat on a global scale - in direct one-on-one confrontations, they will normally come out on top. They are not undefeatable - group efforts or significant planning can still thwart their plans |
| Influence | This villain has few allies, and fewer friends. Where others are working with them, this is almost always out of necessity, threat of force, or excessive bribery. Betrayals are common, and other villains will oppose their grander plans on principle. | This villain is well-connected. They can rely on assistance of other villains where required, and while betrayals still happen2), they are rare and will usually cause others to rally behind this villain in support. |
| Flexibility | This villain is set in their ways - they tend to pursue their plans long after better ideas have come around, and struggle to understand elements from other Genres | This villain's plans constantly shift and change, as required to achieve the best advantage for their overall goals. They are very comfortable working with aspects of other genres, where required. |
Notable NPC
If your villain is a group or organisation, an otherworldly presence, or something else that would not be able to attend sessions without sending a representative, you may also define a notable NPC (e.g. company president, high priest, human communications conduit to the enormous alien head, etc.). Please give them a name, pronouns, and a brief description.
Goals
What is your villain trying to achieve? What drives them to their acts of villainy? Give us a couple sentences to motivate your villain's actions
Your Relationship
The relationship between a villain and their underling is always somewhat imbalanced - when push comes to shove, they are the ones calling the shots. However, this could vary from a close partnership where they will listen to your character's advice (even if they don't always follow it), to a romantic relationship where their authority in matters of villainy contrasts with a more equal personal relationship, to a distant functional relationship where orders are handed down from on high via a series of middle managers and there are severe penalties for disobedience.
Note that there will be tension between underlings and their villains over the course of the game - and in close personal relationships this may result in potentially distressing themes as detailed in Conduct and Themes, particularly the section on Domestic Abuse. If there are particular dynamics you would prefer to avoid between your underling and their villain over the course of the game, then let us know.