Exemplars of Evil

CHAPTER 1
GREAT
VILLAINS
30
masters. Minions can employ similar spells, use magic items
that fit a particular theme, or employ lackeys that resemble
or reflect the nature of their master.
LACKEYS
Beneath minions in the pecking order are lackeys, less significant
characters who live only to serve and protect their
master. Lackeys are less impressive than minions and have
lower Challenge Ratings. They might have levels in NPC
classes, and they resemble the usual types of cannon fodder
that player characters fight on a regular basis.
A villain’s number of lackeys depends on her Charisma
modifier and her Challenge Rating. Add the two values
together and consult Table 1–2: Typical Lackeys. (For example,
a villain whose CR + Cha modifier equals 14 typically has
twenty lackeys of CR 1, four lackeys of CR 2, and two lackeys
of CR 3.) The table is meant only as a guide, so feel free to
modify the numbers to meet your needs.
Table 1–2: Typical Lackeys
Villain’s CR — Number of Lackeys by CR —
+ Cha Mod 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
9 or lower — — — — — — — — — —
10 2 — — — — — — — — —
11 5 1 — — — — — — — —
12 10 2 — — — — — — — —
13 15 3 1 — — — — — — —
14 20 4 2 — — — — — — —
15 25 5 3 1 — — — — — —
16 30 6 3 2 — — — — — —
17 35 7 4 2 — — — — — —
18 40 8 4 2 — — — — — —
19 45 9 5 3 1 — — — — —
20 50 10 5 3 2 — — — — —
21 75 15 7 4 2 — — — — —
22 100 20 10 5 3 1 — — — —
23 125 25 13 7 4 2 — — — —
24 150 30 15 8 4 2 — — — —
25 175 35 18 9 5 3 1 — — —
26 200 40 20 10 5 3 2 — — —
27 250 50 25 13 7 4 2 — — —
28 300 60 30 15 8 4 2 1 — —
29 400 80 40 20 10 5 3 2 1 —
30 500 100 50 25 12 6 3 2 1 1
Each +1 +100 +30 +10 +5 +2 +1 +1/2 +1/3 +1/4 +1/4
Assembling the Lackeys
You have a lot of freedom when choosing the types, classes,
and races of the members of a villain’s organization. Although
any monster or character could be found in the group, keep
in mind the villain’s theme and alignment, as well as the
alignments of the lackeys you select.
As a rule of thumb, lackeys should have a uniform alignment;
when selecting monsters, always use the monster’s
listed alignment. You should reserve unusual monster and
alignment combinations for the minions and villains.
No matter how many lackeys constitute the villain’s organization,
do not define them all at once. Instead, use them
the way that a wizard uses a spell slot. When you build an
adventure that features the villain’s group, select lackeys that
are appropriate to the adventure and the PC levels. When
lackeys are slain, simply remove them from the villain’s pool
of servants.
Minions, Lackeys, and the Leadership Feat
The Leadership feat (PH 97 and DMG 106) is primarily
intended to address how player characters accumulate followers
as they gain levels and garner a reputation for greatness.
As such, the feat is unsuitable for villains, who often spend
more time building a network of servants, brokering deals
with monstrous entities, and putting terrifying plots into
motion. Furthermore, villains—by their very nature—are
not the sorts of individuals who accomplish heroic deeds or
have impressive qualities, so their leadership scores often
suffer due to bad behavior. Still, if you choose to give your
villain the Leadership feat, she gains a cohort and followers
in addition to any servants she accumulates by dint of
her villainy.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Taken as a whole, a villain’s lackeys and minions constitute
her organization. They work on behalf of the villain,
undertaking missions, gathering information, protecting
her lair, and performing countless other duties and tasks.
A villain’s servants are representatives of her will in the
setting, and the PCs must fight them before they confront
the major adversary.
Hierarchy
The villain’s hierarchy defines how she organizes her lackeys.
This arrangement should reflect her goals and alignment:
Chaotic villains have loose hierarchies, and lawful characters
have rigid ones.
Loose (Chaotic): A loose hierarchy has no formal structure,
and members can come and go over time. For these groups to
function, they must have a unifying purpose, a common goal,
or some other aspect that is shared by all members. Examples
include worship of the same deity, hatred of a particular race,
or devotion to a common ideal.
Arranging a loose organization requires little preparation.
Simply use the lackeys as you need them, assembling them
in whatever structure works best for each situation.
Authoritarian (Lawful): In an authoritarian organization—the
opposite of a loose hierarchy—everyone knows
their place. The leaders issue orders to various lieutenants,
who pass them along to their subordinates, who finally
give the commands to the grunts. This kind of organization
is the most common type for villains who have a
militaristic bent.
An authoritarian hierarchy is easy to assemble. Place the
villain at the top, with her minions directly beneath. To each
minion, attach one of the highest-level lackeys in the organization.
To each high-level lackey, attach an equal number of
lower-level lackeys, and continue until you reach the 1st-level
lackeys, who should be divided evenly among the 2nd-level
ones. Lackeys or minions on the same tier communicate with
one another.
Segmented (Any): In a segmented hierarchy, a villain
divides her servants into smaller isolated cells. Most members
of a particular cell are not aware of the members of any
other cells. The villain can have multiple cells perform the
same task to ensure that her minions achieve the desired
outcome, or she can weave a complex web of orders so that
cells unknowingly assist each other. In each cell, one member
also belongs to a different cell, and one member from that