Writing Evil Characters

tim-cain narrative-design rpg-design character-writing evil-characters dialogue villains

Abstract

Problem: How do you write compelling evil characters and evil dialogue options in RPGs, especially when writers themselves struggle to "go evil"?

Approach: Tim Cain draws on his experience as a project lead on games like Arcanum, Tyranny, and South Park to share practical philosophy on crafting evil NPCs and player dialogue options.

Findings: The best evil characters aren't cartoonishly villainous — they have understandable motivations, explain their reasoning, and make the player question whether they're truly evil at all. Evil dialogue options work best when players can justify their choices within context.

Key insight: A great evil character is one that makes you think "I might join them" — not because you're evil, but because their reasoning makes sense.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeZE8UBsfrs

1. The Core Challenge

Tim acknowledges upfront that many developers struggle with writing evil content. He recalls that during South Park: The Stick of Truth, several animators opted out of working on certain animations because the content was too gross, offensive, or disturbing to sit with for hours every day for weeks. This difficulty — finding it within yourself to create evil content — is the starting point of the discussion.

2. Study Evil Characters You Admire

Tim's biggest recommendation: find evil characters you like from any medium — games, books, movies, TV shows — and analyze why they work. Ask yourself:

  • Were they well-spoken?
  • Did they have an agenda you could relate to or even agree with?
  • Did they have a compelling background that explained how they arrived at their current state?
  • Were they simply interesting characters despite being evil?

3. What Makes a Great Evil Character

Tim identifies the qualities he's personally drawn to in evil characters:

3.1. Provide a Way of Thinking Beyond Simple Evil

The best evil characters make you question whether what they're doing is truly evil. They reframe their actions as something else — necessity, pragmatism, mercy, or a different moral framework entirely.

3.2. Explain Their Reasoning

Great villains don't just monologue "I'm going to blow up the city!" They explain why: the alternative is worse, they have no choice, someone they care about is threatened, or they see a bigger picture others can't.

3.3. Make Logical Sense

When an evil character's plan makes sense, they become compelling. Tim uses Thanos from the MCU as a counterexample — someone whose plan doesn't hold up to scrutiny. If you have omnipotent power, why halve the population instead of doubling habitable planets? What happens in 200 years when the population rebounds? The plan doesn't survive basic questioning, which weakens the character.

4. The Kerghan Example (Arcanum)

Tim highlights Kerghan from Arcanum as a villain he loved, written by Chad Moore. Kerghan works because:

  • Subverted expectations — the player is led to believe someone else is the villain throughout the game
  • Explained his philosophy — life is suffering, perhaps life was a mistake, perhaps the universe was meant to be lifeless
  • Allowed interrogation — the player can ask him questions, challenge his reasoning, and hear his full justification
  • Made Tim want to join him — Tim told Chad Moore that if he were playing, he'd probably side with Kerghan, despite not considering himself evil. The villain simply had a good reason for what he was doing.

This is the gold standard: an evil character so well-reasoned that a non-evil player genuinely considers joining them.

5. Games Can Go Beyond Other Media

RPGs have a unique advantage over books, movies, and TV: the player can interact with the villain. They can ask "explain to me again why you're doing this," suggest alternatives ("why don't you do this other thing instead?"), or even ask to join them. Tim cites the Temple of Elemental Evil as an example where the player can express interest in joining the evil side.

This interactivity means writers should think beyond linear storytelling when crafting evil characters and dialogue.

6. Writing Evil Player Dialogue Options

When writing evil dialogue choices for players, Tim's key principles:

  • Make it make sense in context — the evil option should feel justified within the situation, not random cruelty
  • Let the NPC react — NPCs can push back ("wait, you're going to kill everyone in this town?"), creating a dialogue where the player can justify their choice
  • Allow player justification — "You killed my companion, so now everybody dies," or "I came here for this item and you all acted like jerks, so I'm wiping you out." Even "I'm not feeling it today" is a valid player motivation
  • Don't think linearly — you're writing a game, not a movie script. Leverage the back-and-forth of dialogue systems
  • Don't just write what you'd do — instead ask: "This is a player who wants to do this thing — how would they possibly justify it?"

7. Tyranny as a Case Study

Tim mentions Tyranny as an excellent reference for evil content across the board. The entire game operates in an evil framework: the overlord is evil, his lieutenants are evil, the player character works for the evil side. The game explores what happens after evil has won, making it a rich resource for studying evil NPCs and evil player dialogue options.

8. The Writer's Mindset Shift

The fundamental shift Tim recommends: stop asking "what would I do?" and start asking "what would a player who wants to be evil say to justify this?" This reframing makes it easier for writers who personally struggle with evil content to craft compelling evil options — you're not channeling your own morality, you're empathizing with a different perspective.

9. References