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Current Poll Results

Which Villain do you feel is over-used?

Acererak2 %2 %2 % 2.25% (15)
Eli Tomorast and the Seekers0 %0 %0 % 0.60% (4)
The Great Kingdom2 %2 %2 % 2.54% (17)
The Horned Society0 %0 %0 % 0.30% (2)
Iuz, Iggwilv, Grazzt, the Boneheart...31 %31 %31 % 31.59% (211)
Kyuss2 %2 %2 % 2.40% (16)
Rary the Traitor3 %3 %3 % 3.89% (26)
The Scarlet Brotherhood18 %18 %18 % 18.41% (123)
Stalman Klim and the Slavers2 %2 %2 % 2.10% (14)
Tuerny the Merciless0 %0 %0 % 0.45% (3)
Vecna35 %35 %35 % 35.48% (237)
Other, (Please Comment)3 %3 %3 % 3.44% (23)

Total Votes: 668


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"Which Villain do you feel is over-used?" | Login/Create an Account | 17 comments
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Re: Which Villain do you feel is over-used? (Score: 1)
by Duicarthan on Tue, May 09, 2006
(User Info | Send a Message | Journal) http://www.greyhawkonline.com/duicarthan

I feel Iuz and his forces have dominated many of the plots within the last decade or so, while many other good villains are out there that may be used.
Anyway look forward to seeing everyone elses results as well.

Cheerz,

Rick "Duicarthan" Miller


Re: Which Villain do you feel is over-used? (Score: 1)
by MichaelSandar on Tue, May 09, 2006
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Vecna Lives, Die Vecna Die...Beyond these obvious titles, he seems to show up everywhere, even as one of the 'core' deities in the new PHB.  Acererak at least is a lich that stays in one place (mostly).  the Tomb and Fortress of Conclusion.



Re: Which Villain do you feel is over-used? (Score: 1)
by Wolfsire on Tue, May 09, 2006
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“Overused.”  Several named are used with great frequency, but their abilities might make such frequency appropriate.  I voted for the Scarlet Brotherhood because their use has been over broad.  They should have remained as schemers and not a true power.


Re: Which Villain do you feel is over-used? (Score: 1)
by Hunter103 on Wed, May 10, 2006
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Tharizdun. Or rather, his myriad cults. Whenever a generic evil cult is encountered, it always seems to worship big T. It smacks of unoriginality to me.


Re: Which Villain do you feel is over-used? (Score: 1)
by NathanBrazil on Thu, May 11, 2006
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Tharizudun us overused

...Arrh.

No.

Tharizudun is the all nothingness. One day...


Re: Which Villain do you feel is over-used? (Score: 1)
by TwiceBorn on Fri, May 12, 2006
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Cults in general. From 1e TSR adventures to 3.5e adventures in Dungeon, it seems that evil cults are involved in 90% of published adventures.  I have nothing against any of the most heavily used Greyhawk villains (Vecna, Iuz, Scarlet Brotherhood, etc.), and feel that all of them have their place and that a skillful DM can make good use of them, whether within the bounds of canon or beyond... indeed, it would be odd for these major powers to be inactive.  But having a dark cult behind everything is sooooooo unoriginal... especially when these cultists appear evil for the sake of being evil (their motivations are as uninteresting as their cult membership).  I mean really... do that many people out there want to sell their souls, become thralls to demons, or bring about the end of the world or the reign of their evil god on Oerth (my, what an enjoyable prospect this idea of living in a totally devastated world)? Meh...

On a related note, I really hate high level "the characters must save the world from destruction" type plots.  How many times has the Flanaess been brought back from the brink of destruction in the last twenty game years, or from domination by demons and evil gods? Let's see, we've had Vecna's bid for divine supremacy, the threat of Tharizdun awakening, the threat of Kyuss's rebirth, the threat of Lolth dragging Oerth into the Abyss, and now the threat of the world being overcome by Demogorgon's savage tide... I'm not knocking the quality or the "fun factor" of the above adventures (I make use of some them too), but I think these kinds of themes are overused (and yeesh, there even more overused in other campaigns, like Dragonlance... which I happen to play in).  

End of rant...  



Re: Which Villain do you feel is over-used? (Score: 1)
by btgrover on Sun, May 14, 2006
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Vecna.  For sure.

From the above list, I'd cite the Horned Society as 'most potential'.  Would very much like to see more about the Heirarchs.


Re: Which Villain do you feel is over-used? (Score: 1)
by Varthalon on Wed, July 12, 2006
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I voted for Vecna... The guy is the god of Secrets!  Why is it that everyone seems to be running into his plots all the time.  Sure he should be up to no good, but he should be VERY good at making sure nobody finds out about it.



Re: Which Villain do you feel is over-used? (Score: 1)
by IronGolem on Wed, July 19, 2006
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I voted other as I think evil cults and/or priests are overused in general.


Re: Which Villain do you feel is over-used? (Score: 1)
by basiliv on Thu, August 10, 2006
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Tharizdun.  I think the last straw for me was making the EEG an aspect of Big T.  It sorta works, but I really prefer the EEG as this enigmatic thing that even the DM has questions about.

Anyway, far too much Tharizdun in both official and unofficial material.



Re: Which Villain do you feel is over-used? (Score: 1)
by Telas on Fri, October 27, 2006
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I know... I'm posting late.

I use the Big T, but as a sewer drain that catches the crazy and weak as they spiral downwards.  He's behind a lot of plots, but most of the plotters have no idea he's the real power behind the leader... they're just promised "a better world, when all these phonies, hypocrites, and greedy people are cast out".

He speaks to his followers in dreams.  He knows their dreams... their desires... their hatreds... their weaknessess.  He's Eric Hoffer's worst nightmare (he wrote The True Believer, on the nature of mass movements.)

In today's world, he would be whispering his promises to terrorists of all flavors, from abortion-clinic bombers, to radical environmentalists, to schoolyard snipers. He's Tyler Durden, Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedong, and Big Brother, all together and on steroids, but safely ensconced where nobody will suspect until it's too late. 

And he has all the time in the world...


Re: Which Villain do you feel is over-used? (Score: 1)
by CelestialBarbarian on Thu, November 09, 2006
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I have to add my voice to the chorus singing for Vecna as the most overused. Vecna started out in original D&D, Dungeons and Dragons Supplement III: Eldritch Wiardry as no more than the mysterious source of the artifacts know as the Eye of Venca and the Hand of Vecna. (In fact the pamplet detailed only one of the two, and just mentioned the other in passing.) But now Vecna has reached the status of a great god, and seems to appear all over the place. So even though I've always thought he was cool, I think he's been overused.

I agree with those who say that the survey should have listed Tharizdun, as he might have gotten a bit too much use too now with Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil. I wouldn't have voted for him, but he's one of the logical choices.

I also agree with those who have made the point that the published sources have probably made too much use of cults of evil gods. It would be nice of the sources made more use of Greyhawk's rich political history. Of course with an evil cult module, the company (TSR or Wizards) doesn't have to redraw the political map of the Flaness depending on the outcome, whereas with a political module it might have to. Still, they've done a lot with the political map too in the years since Gygax's ex-wife helped oust him from TSR (and he hates what they've done, though I couldn't get him to specify what he hates), so since they're redrawing the map from time to time anyway, they might as well get some decent modules out of it. :D


Re: Which Villain do you feel is over-used? (Score: 1)
by SirXaris on Sat, April 23, 2011
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