When you are a GM, there is always one thing that you are pressured to get right: the Villain. Be he an evil wizard, megalomaniac warlord, shadowy serial killer, or horrific entity from the great beyond, the PCs always expect their main opponent to be dangerous, unique, and most of all memorable. In spite of this, I frequently wind up playing or engaging in games where the villain becomes little more than a petty annoyance, a bump in the road that plays a background role to the heroes' antics.
Now, while this can work in more protagonist-focused adventures or stories, those are not usually the types of games that GMs and adventure path writers usually set out to create. Beyond the PCs, a larger story is usually taking place, and as this is an adventure game that story will very likely involve some sort of villain that the heroes will foil and be foiled by. Unfortunately, GMs who assume too much often wind up in scenarios where much more of the former is going on than the latter, and the immersion into the story and its characters starts to strain as the PCs feel that there is nobody interesting or powerful enough to test their might against.
Fortunately, many of the most common issues of insufficient villainy can be remedied if you remember a few simple rules. Although not all of these need to be implemented and some may not fit all villains, the suggestions listed below can go a long way from turning a generic baddie of the week into a legendary monster that your players will be reflecting on for years to come. Likewise, it isn't a necessity that every minion or random encounter be fleshed out in these ways, but when it comes time to face the big bad that you've built up for the last dozen sessions, carrying out at least some of these steps will have a tremendous payoff.
Without further ado, let's get right into the nitty-gritty that separates the Schmoes from the Saurons.
1. Be Knowledgeable
In the words of G.I. Joe, knowing is half the battle. If a person is going to pose a legitimate threat to a state, nation, or people, they need to have some idea of how they are going to succeed. Now, beyond the "evil plan" by which the villain is going to force his will upon the world, a successful tyrant should do a little bit of research on how to best achieve his goals. If he wants to take a city, he should figure out how the city prefers to fight and upend this (for example, fighting a war of attrition when the opponent's firepower is too great, or using stealth and guerrilla tactics when the city would rather deploy their huge army in open warfare). If the hero recognizes the PCs as a notable threat, they should get some info on them, maybe listening to accounts of how the heroes fight and organizing their forces accordingly (let's see how well the gunslinger steamrolls encounters once the bad guys learn of his limited range, or how deadly the wizard's fireballs are once the evil emperor invests in a few golems). Information can change the tide of a battle, and a big bad who knows what he's doing is far more of a threat than a nutball who only uses one or two strategies. This concept is especially applicable to casters, who usually have access to divination spells and can use them to figure out exactly what they are up against. A well-placed Scrying or day spent at the library can give the villain plenty of tools to work with, thus increasing his odds of success astronomically.
2. Be Proactive
Picture this: the fate of the world is in balance, the doomsday device is almost ready, the villain's evil plan is almost complete...and the heroes don't feel any sense of urgency whatsoever. After all, it's not like the big bad would really try to do anything before the big climactic encounter can get rolling. This sort of storytelling slaughters any sort of tension that has been built up, turning the potentially catastrophic master plan into an annoyance that can be put off as easily as the laundry. Not only is this trope a total mood-killer, it is also unrealistic. Regardless of whether or not they are actively being foiled, any sensible bad guy is going to keep his momentum going, cinematic value be darned. If the PCs take a day off to shop for magic items, put the villain one day closer to the completion of their master plan. If he seizes the initiative and obliterates the heroes in their sleep, it will have been the PCs' fault for not respecting the gravity of the situation. Real generals don't stop because their enemies want to take a siesta; if anything, they will spring at the chance to catch the enemy flat-footed. When the PCs actually get a sense that the clock is ticking, you can bet that they will get their priorities straight and save the world. Carpe Diem takes on a whole new meaning when the heroes can be trounced in a single night for taking too long.
3. Be Lethal
Saturday Morning Cartoon Villains, Bond Villains, and unsatisfying RPG Villains typically have one thing in common: they take too long to deliver the killing blow and as a result get royally screwed over for their negligence. If you want a bad guy who is a cut above the rest, the quickest and easiest way to show this is by killing his enemies rather than taking them hostage. Now, it may make sense for a few people to be kept alive for ritual purposes, but if they don't have anything that can't be obtained with a simple Speak with Dead spell, there is no reason that any intrepid heroes should be left intact. Don't gloat over the protagonists, don't give them a sporting chance, and don't take prisoners unless absolutely necessary. If you are going to do any of these things, at least be sensible about it and strip those defiant little idiots of their weapons, armor, and spellbooks beforehand. Every step of the way, make the heroes fight to survive, because very little can cramp somebody's style faster than watching their best friend get eviscerated for being a tad too careless. If the heroes learn just how far the bad guy is willing to go to get what they want, the threat level and hence interest level suddenly shoot through the roof.
4. Be Unpredictable
So let's say that the heroes have their hands on some sort of MacGuffin that the Mighty Evil Emperor needs for his Mighty Evil Plan. Suspecting that he will try to take it by force, the heroes head to the most fortified location on the continent and pray to their respective gods that the walls are strong enough to hold an invading army off. A foolish villain would do exactly what the PCs are expecting, expending copious resources trying to break in and take the doodad the old-fashioned way. On the other hand, any commander worth his salt would consider that the PCs have likely invested substantial resources in pushing off a forward assault, and so rather than wasting his time on that will instead slip a few talents to some mages or spies. Suddenly the Helm's Deep encounter becomes a frantic game of cat and mouse as elite agents are smuggled inside the battlements to take the unsuspecting protagonists out in close quarters, taking what their master needs with minimal hassle. This form of lateral thinking is the kind that wins wars, and it's the kind of approach that villains should take if you want them to be considered a threat. There is always another way to get what you want, and an effective villain should have a toolkit diverse enough to keep the heroes guessing. If one base is covered, hit another, and then go for a third way once the second becomes obsolete. If the heroes know exactly what you're going to do before you do it, the sense of danger drops by a fair margin. New weapons, new soldiers, and new strategies should be regularly employed to gain the upper hand, forcing the opposition to either adapt or perish. After all, nobody has ever won a fight by doing exactly what their opponent expects.
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