It's really hard for someone to become evil without some tragedy behind it. Sure, these people exist, but when a person is so despicable to the point that they enjoy making others miserable or are willing to kill anyone just to get what they want, there's probably some tragedy involved.
The biggest villains in Dungeons & Dragons are no different, as most of them have tragic upbringings. Now, we're not here to show them sympathy because many of them got what was coming to them, but even if it's compensation, it doesn't change the fact that these people have tragic stories behind their evil deeds.
Strahd von Zarovich
Jealous and obsessive
There's no better place to start than with the main villain of the most popular adventure, Curse of Strahd. Strahd is a man who wasted his youth in war and conquered a land he named Barovia.
He was jealous of his brother Sergei for living the life he wanted, and in Strahda's mind, his brother Tatyana's fiancée became a symbol of the life he wanted, and he became obsessed with her and what she represented to him. Thus he made the pact that killed Sergei, resulted in Tatyana ending their lives, and condemned the entire land of Barovia to suffering.
Zariel
From heaven to hell
The key antagonist of Descent Into Avernus is Archduchess Zariel, an angel tasked with observing the bloody war between devils and demons, but who chooses to fight in 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 a demonic creature and has even become the ruler of the first hell, Avern. She has lost and regained this position over the years, but as of now she is the ruler.
Matter of fact
Whispered
Vecna started out as a man who wanted revenge on his mother because she was killed for being a witch. However, his fear of death and intelligence escalated things significantly as he became one of the first lichs in D&D lore.
His decisions on who he trusted often resulted in other problems and many suffered under his rule. Moreover, he accidentally created his own enemy, which is both ironic and tragic.
Cas
Bloody hands
Speaking of Vecna's nemesis, he's also his own villain who deserves to be here. Kas was the perfect lieutenant, he became Vecna's right-hand man and conquered many in his name.
He was gifted Kasa's sword for his service, but the blade was so evil that it was sentient and had its own agenda, which included removing Vecna from the picture. Kas succumbed to the weapon's damage, leading to a clash between the two monsters.
Acererak
Master Of Horrors
Acererak is off to a bad start as he is the child of a human with Baelor and his mother was also killed for having such a relationship with a demon. Acererak then became obsessed with defeating death, much like Vecna.
So much so that he studied under Vecna and stole the secret of lichdom from him – that's why Vecna was obsessed with keeping the secret, so the two help each other in tragedy. Acererak has become his own monster, infamous for his dungeons full of death traps, so he can keep the souls of those who die there.
Lolth
A tragedy for the entire species
Arushnee betrayed her husband Corellon, an elven god, out of jealousy for being the ultimate elven deity. This is what set in motion all the events that led to Arushnee's downfall, transition from goddess to demon—and finally to demon goddess.
Her fall from grace came with a curse from her ex-husband that turned her into a spider demon. Now named Lolth, she became a spider deity after killing the previous one and became the main deity of the Drow, leading the species and their culture into centuries of tragedy.
Lord Soth
Death Knight
Loren Soth is a man who has made quite a few mistakes. He cheated on his wife with the woman he saved, Isolde, got her pregnant, killed his first wife, was sentenced to death for it, and then sent on a divine quest to prevent the disaster in Krynn and redeem himself, but after hearing stories of Isolde cheating on him, he abandoned the quest.
He then left her and her child to die and she cursed him to live one life for every person who died in the Cataclysm. Then he proceeded to make even poorer life choices, but if we wrote them all off, we'd be around for a while.
Erandis St
Lich Queen (not to be confused with Vlaakith, Lich Queen)
In the world of Eberron, we have Erandis, the daughter of an elven woman and a dragon who purposely had her just to understand the mix between species. When her identity was revealed, she was used as a way to bring peace between elves and dragons, which worked.
However, both sides became wary of the half-dragons and their power, and in the process eliminated House Vol. Erandis, who had done nothing wrong, became a victim of these events, and her quest for revenge turned her into a powerful villain.
- Original release date
-
1974
- Number of players
-
2+
- Length per game
-
From 60 minutes to hours.
- Age recommendation
-
12+ (although younger can play and enjoy)
- Franchise name
-
Dungeons & Dragons
- Publishing Co
-
Wizards of the Coast
