Acts of Villainy

Villain Points

Instead of hero points, your characters earn villain points, which work somewhat differently. Like hero points, you start each session with 1 such point and can have up to 3 at any given time, but lose any unspent ones at the end of a session.

A player can spend a villain point whenever he or she makes a check. The player can spend the villain point after the roll is made but before any of its results are applied. Spending the hero point allows the character to roll the current Doom Die (see below) and add it to the result, possibly turning failure into success. A player can spend only 1 villain point per roll, as it counts as a fortune effect.

As well, you can spend all your current villain points (minimum 1) to avoid death. You can do this when your dying condition would increase. You lose the dying condition entirely and stabilize with 0 Hit Points. You don't gain the wounded condition or increase its value from losing the dying condition in this way, but if you already had that condition, you don't lose it or decrease its value.

Villain points can also be used to create narrative contrivances, like having the right piece of equipment for a challenge, a useful environment feature, or even a connection with a certain NPC or organization so long as it does not contradict any of the established fiction. This is best when framed as if your character had planned for it, representing a classic villain's gambit. It can be used much in the same way as Blades in the Dark’s flashback feature can be used.

For every 3 villain points spent, however, the Dungeon Master gains a hero point they can spend, which uses the Hope Die rather than Doom Die. The DM loses all unspent hero points at the end of a game session, just as PCs do, but can pool as many as they like during a session. Hero points can be spent in the same way that villain points are used. The DM can also spend a hero point to bring a dead hero back to life (Talingarde is thick with divine magic, after all), or guarantee a hero's escape from the clutches of the PCs, within reason and the bounds of what's fun.

Doom/Hope

The Doom Die represents the cycle of encroaching evil and the slowly rising success of a caper. Villain plots need time to incubate before they hatch, and this is to encourage people to think in the long-term. The Doom Die is set at d4 as a default, but can increase in the following steps: d4 to d6, d6 to d8, d8 to d10, d10 to d12. Players can increase the Doom Die's rating by pursuing heinous actions that provoke and risk exposure, but please the lords of the Nine Hells. Thus there is an in-fiction representation of the feeling of surging Doom as the lords of the pit become more and more interested in the events unfolding.

These acts of Doom are:

• Avernus: Challenge a champion of Good. This means demonstrating that you serve Evil and going out of your way to confront them and letting them know what you stand for. This pleases Zariel, Lady of Hatred.
• Dis: Betray someone useful. Indulging in paranoia and the idea that you must be first to betray before being betrayed. This pleases Dispater, Lord of Fear.
• Hades: Steal something of known worth. It's not enough that it has objective value, it must be something cherished by the world at large and will be missed when you hoard it. This pleases Mammon, Lord of Greed.
• Phlegethon: Leave a dangerous foe alive to suffer. This doesn't mean showing mercy, it can also apply to capturing them to torture, but it creates an opportunity for the DM to engineer their escape. This pleases Belial, Lord of Pain.
• Gehenna: Destroy something beautiful. It must be done with the intent of hurting others and bringing them sorrow, and taking away what is worth fighting for in the world rather than attacking them directly. This pleases Malagarda, Lady of Despair.
• Cania: Violate something sacred. Whether desecrating the hallowed grounds of a church, or seducing a pure and innocent soul to sin, this has to be a singularly dangerous move and you must make your intent known by the end. This pleases Levistus, Lord of Atrocity.
• Abaddon: Reveal a terrible secret. It is not enough to hoard away deep and dark knowledge, the Hells want blasphemies to be voiced and spread, corrupting those who hear it, and this includes a villain explaining their evil plan. This pleases Baazlbul, Lord of Lies.
• Malebolge: Corrupt a hero to Evil. The penultimate Doom is to turn one of the champions of goodness to the way of the wicked, though it is never a simple task. This pleases Mephistopheles, Lord of Betrayal.
• Nessus: Subjugate a people. This doesn't mean simply winning a fight or capturing an enemy, it means enslaving a settlement or group of people to your will, whether it means a group of minions or a nation held hostage in fear. This pleases Asmodeus, Lord of Tyranny.

Increasing Doom from D4 to D6 requires one act as above, while increasing it from d6 to d8 requires two. Increasing it from d8 to d10 requires three, and increasing it from d10 to d12 requires only one, but it has to be particularly heinous (DM's discretion.) Doom resets back to d4 whenever Evil triumphs in a grand way, usually at the end of each adventure.

Hope works slightly differently. It ramps up much more slowly, representing how backed into a corner over time the heroes have become, and thus providing a slowly increasing difficulty over the course of the game. Generally, it will increase by one step at the end of each adventure. It does not reset normally. The players will rarely be given a chance to turn the tide back, usually through side-plots that corrupt the sacred places of Talingarde that provide a connection between the forces of Good and the material realm, but they will rarely be easy. It is assumed that by the end of the campaign you will be facing a Hope of d10 or d12, and that's appropriate.

Inspiring Villainy

In addition to increasing Doom, there is one other mechanical incentive for acting like pulp fiction cackling Skeletors. You can gain villain points by acting in a certain way within the fiction, which is not as risky as a lot of the acts of doom listed above, but definitely encourage a certain kind of character fiction, and are limited in how many times you can benefit as follows:

Curses!

Once per encounter, whenever you have failed an ability check, saving throw, or attack roll, you can declare what kind of vengeance you are going to visit upon whomever you blame for the failure, and take a villain point after you've gone into detail. You need not act on it, but they may respond accordingly.

All According to Plan!

Once per session, you can have your character go on an extended monologue in the scene, usually expounding upon how your evil plan is coming to fruition though feel free to be creative. Take a villain point at the end of it. This can be used outside of combat. It must be a real monologue, not just a few pithy words.

We're Not So Different!

Once per adventure, you can engage a named NPC or monster with a villainous dialogue. They are forced to converse with you, even if it's not appropriate, staying their attacks to speak with you. While at the end of this dialogue you take a villain point, the real opportunity is the chance to do some corruption or throw them off balance to set up some other gambit. This can be used outside of combat.

You Have Failed Me For The Last Time!

Once per adventure, you may spend an action to kill a minion who has failed you in some significant way. In addition to any effects that might have on your Conspiracy, you may take a villain point.

All Will Know My Glory!

In between sessions, if you write any character fiction (whether in the form of a journal, vignette, or something else), or help contribute to the game recaps, you start the next session with an extra villain point to start.