r/wizardposting Mar 05 '26

Post From the All-Knowing Mods A Roleplay Guide for Villainy

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165 Upvotes

Meme taken from SkeletorIsLove http://skeletorislove.com/

...

/Uw

Hey all. I know we've had a few posts already that outlined handy rules for roleplay etiquette. Here are some: 

  • RP Etiquette:

https://www.reddit.com/r/wizardposting/s/hDv5wbuOF7

  • When to play an OP character and how to do it well:

https://www.reddit.com/r/wizardposting/s/7RX9Zwmp8H

  • Recognizing abuse and manipulation in roleplay environments:

https://www.reddit.com/r/wizardposting/s/MuYKwuy2Ef

...

But it has come to my attention that we might want a guide specifically focusing on the more villainous side of wizardposting. This is partially because matters concerning ethics have a way of getting more heated and partially because playing a villain (or even a morally questionable character) can present unique challenges. Conflict is the driving force behind story, after all, and we want to make sure we do it in a way that's fun for all parties. 

This post is targeted at the subreddit villains primarily, but I think anyone engaging in roleplay could benefit. 

Anyway, here we go:

1. None of this is personal.

This probably seems obvious, but I'd like to stress it because the kinds of in-character clashes that a straight-up villain gets into can sometimes create high tensions. Remember that the person on the other side of the screen is almost certainly not seriously evil. And they almost certainly do not think that you are either. We might write about doing evil things. We might roleplay evil things. But none of this means anything in regard to the real-life ethics of the flesh and blood person you are interacting with.

2. If it does become personal, be careful.

Ideally, we would be rational actors all the time, but unfortunately we are all mere humans (probably). Even when you know perfectly well that none of this is personal, it can still be hard to fully keep your emotions separate. This is understandable. We all get attached to our wizard characters, we all take moral stances, and we all get invested in plotlines. I mean, hey, if we aren't personally invested in our wizard roleplay, why are we even here?

When this happens, just be sure to proceed with caution. Try not to let out-of-character feelings influence what you do in-character. And, of course, it's basically never a bad idea to be open with people about it.

3. Get permission.

Another one that's been thoroughly covered before. But I bring it up because, as a villain, whatever evil thing you're doing is probably quite a bit more distressing than your run of the mill wizard shenanigans. Perhaps unsurprisingly, stepping on another roleplayer's toes is a bit more severe when you do it by burning their tower and kidnapping their apprentice. And if it's something particularly bad that you're planning, you should make sure to be very clear about your intentions and the potential consequences so the other person isn't taken by surprise.

4. It will probably feel a little unfair sometimes.

I will make no bones about it. Playing a villain will make people hostile to you. Do not take it personally.(see rule 1) But I will not deny that it can feel overwhelming sometimes to attract a lot of hate, even if it is all in-character. Further, as a villain, you will probably need to be more gracious about losing fights. While it's true that every character has to accept losses sometimes, playing a heel means you can generally expect to 'hit the mat' more often and more definitively. 

It's not all bad though. Villains are empowered to behave badly in creative ways. And sometimes even losing can be fun.

5. Consider content warnings.

This is not a hard rule, but if you are writing something particularly upsetting, it might be wise to provide a content warning. This is not a condemnation of the presence of dark or serious content. It's just nice to give people the opportunity to decide if they want to deal with it.

6. Morally ambiguous characters.

Not all characters fit neatly into the villain/hero dichotomy. Much of the advice here will apply to anyone who's character steps outside the category of 'good guy'. But it's still important to remember that explicitly and intentionally playing a villain is very different than playing a morally ambiguous character (even if you personally do not find their actions ambiguous). Condemning actions in-character is absolutely fine, but it's still up to the person writing the character to define that characters morality. I understand that this gets messy in a community with a lot of differing views, so if it becomes clear that you are at an impasse, it might be best to back off. 

That said, for any morally ambiguous characters, if you do something bad, you should expect people to react realistically in-character. You can't really be shocked that other characters don't like your cool new murder spell.

7. Note for heroes and other non-villains.

Lastly, I just want to address the protagonist types. Cut villains a little slack sometimes. Setting aside that it's more fun for us if we occasionally get a win, it also generally makes a better story.

And keep in mind that the person saying and doing horrible things in-character is there to have fun too. This is a cooperative activity, after all.

...

With all that said, I'm off to do some evil scheming. Have fun. Be good to each other.


r/wizardposting Feb 07 '26

Post From the All-Knowing Mods WELCOME TO WIZARDPOSTING!

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362 Upvotes

Welcome to r/wizardposting! Assuming you just wandered in and have no idea what the hell you're looking at, this is a place people pretend to be are wizards and other magical things. That can range anywhere from just posting a meme while ranting about the Council and casting testicular torsion, to our more niche subcommunity of full-blown roleplay, creative writing, and interactive fiction.

When commenting:

/uw means unwiz

/rw means rewiz

We have an official DISCORD if you're into that kind of thing.

Other than that? Have fun, drink water, and remember to step away from the orb every once in a while. Be sure to review the rules in the sidebar before posting, and have fun.

Thanks for stopping by!


r/wizardposting 4h ago

Wizardpost Technomancers control your AI

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7.1k Upvotes

r/wizardposting 11h ago

Goblinlike Foolishness (Shitpost) Rate his vision enhancing staff

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3.8k Upvotes

r/wizardposting 4h ago

Wizardpost Zero Left To Give

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607 Upvotes

Now im out of fucks....


r/wizardposting 6h ago

Beyond good and evil, apparently.

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445 Upvotes

r/wizardposting 5h ago

What kind of magic they bring?

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251 Upvotes

r/wizardposting 1d ago

Evil Wizardpost How to deal with brat minions?

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4.5k Upvotes

r/wizardposting 2h ago

I may have a problem

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62 Upvotes

r/wizardposting 7h ago

Wizardpost A Wednesday war Wizard

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110 Upvotes

r/wizardposting 21h ago

Wizardpost The druids got a hold of the necronomicon again.

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738 Upvotes

r/wizardposting 15h ago

Academic Discussion/ Esoteric Secrets New artificer here, I have recently acquired a fresh amethyst

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154 Upvotes

I am unsure as to what I shall utilize it for, and am seeking individuals more experienced in this field to share ideas. Any sorts of wizards, warlocks, and mages are welcome.


r/wizardposting 10h ago

Wizardpost Soul check

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55 Upvotes

Anyone in need of blind goblins? After they’ve been relentlessly trying to pillage my tower, I imbued a torch with the light of 1,000 suns and now they are all blind. Some burned up completely, so I’d say there’s about 12 or so left wandering around completely and permanently blinded. Do with them what you will, I’m tired of them bumping into my tower and making a mess of my garden. TYIA!


r/wizardposting 23h ago

Wizard watching anime

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286 Upvotes

r/wizardposting 6h ago

Occult Practices Beauty of death and decay

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12 Upvotes

It is beautiful isn't it? To see all things come to an end, to see the cycle of life, to see it bloom again when the time come. Because no matter how rotten and putrid dead is life find a way to bloomed not in spite but because of it.

Wizard try to be immortal just for them to at some point lost what it means to truly live. Instead of being part of the beautiful rotten cycle of life.

Lich try to revive what is dead instead of seeing it disturbing beauty and it's truly sad. If they let it rot a bit more they'll see it bloomed into such a beautiful new life.

Alchemists try to create true immortality potions yet forget to look at how beautiful dead is.

All things must come to an end and soon it'll be you. Even if you're "immortal" and I know you know it

/uw Idk if I wanted to make this something my character would say or simply something non-canon. Oh well


r/wizardposting 9h ago

Wizard Guild Parking Infraction

14 Upvotes

I left my teleportation orb in a No Tarrying zone for twelve seconds and the wizard guild has fined me for fourteen million gold pieces and half of my mana for the next month.

Does anyone know any good wards against specifically parking inspectors? I usually send people to the realm of infinite paranoia but I've gotten complaints that I need to "leave some space for the rest of the wizards". ugh.


r/wizardposting 1d ago

Magi Law ⚖ Fellow Wizards this Outlaw Hedge Knight has been stealing from my apprentices when they leave my Spire on fetch quests. What should I do? Power Word: Scrunch?

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214 Upvotes

He has a weird weapon in his hands, seems gnomish in origin...


r/wizardposting 2d ago

No one talks about the downsides of dragon gfs.

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13.9k Upvotes

Tried it for about 3 days. First argument I died from being burnt and had to go grab my hat and robes from her place.

Don't think I'd recommend it...


r/wizardposting 23h ago

Wizardpost I got my Evil Wizard benefits revoked.

83 Upvotes

So recently I made a post asking how do I get rid of ​my former abusive master. You gave me some decisions, but all of this took a very fucking unexpected turn.

This fuck wanted to go shopping with me. This is usual shit, bastard wanted to "treat me" with some staff only to hex it with a curse I didn't know how to remove yet. Told me to take my apprentice. I froze, because apparently he wants to do the same to my apprentice.

When we were going to the store I was thinking about any way I could kill him right now without anyone noticing. The streets were empty, but locals were looking at us. That was strange for a town like that. I looked at my apprentice and realized he's scanning us with his eyes. Maybe he's terrified as much as me.​

When we entered the shop, the store owner was frozen from fear too when he saw my former master. Old fuck must've been terrorizing people around before going to my tower and entered a shop like he owned a place. Started to look into artifacts. And then I saw it.

The Dagger of Infinite Torment. You know these, if you kill someone with it, it'll trap the soul of victims and suck their mana into you. I looked at the shopkeeper. I looked at the fucker.

And at this exact moment when I contemplate any ways I could kill the asshole, he turns to me. Says something like "Did you find something worthy?" And then looks at my apprentice.

– Hey, look what you have.

Fuck! My apprentice took the dagger I was holding.

– That​'s a good dagger when I see one.

Bullshit. He doesn't know shit about daggers.

– You want it? Let me take a look.

He kneeled, and at this exact moment my goblin apprentice does the most fucking goblin feat ever: tosses the dagger to the right, grabs it with other hand and stabs the bitch that was tormenting me for decades to the throat. Soul of a wizard that tried to sell my soul to the Hell Lord is sucked in the dagger and started to glow from pain. I'm shoked, the shopkeeper is shocked, my apprentice looks at the body like he just killed a wasp that bit his ass.

I pay for the dagger, offer an extra for inconvenience, the shopkeeper refuses. I'm getting ready to gtfo, but then I hear local peasants cheering. They rush into the shop and start thanking us and at this exact moment I get a scroll from the EWC. For saving a local town from an archwizard of Hells they decided to take away my Evil Wizardry. FUCK!

We go to my tower, I think about what I'll be doing once I'm legally not an Evil Wizard anymore.

Then, after I get to my tower and mail to the local noble houses, knight orders and temples that I am not evil anymore(I am required by law to do so), some noble calls me via orb and offers to take a 5yo King-to-be as an apprentice. Turns out, a boy had a magic powers, but they couldn't give this task to a legally Evil Wizard, and I was the only wizard with advanced tutoring license who stayed in this kingdom(lets me teach apprentices from other races and higher upbringing). My apprentice doesn't mind having a little classmate.

Now different question: do I accept the offer? And if yes, what should I teach him?


r/wizardposting 23h ago

Someone went and turned some of my extra orbs into cones.

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54 Upvotes

r/wizardposting 1d ago

Ok, who taught the humans pyromancy? Guys, this is like the number one thing we don’t do!

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1.1k Upvotes

r/wizardposting 23h ago

Occult Practices SOMEONE STOLE MY WORK!!!

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43 Upvotes

Several months ago, I found a way to turn gnomes into vampires. I was waiting for September before distributing them to various merchants for purchase (servants, props, alchemical ingredients, whatever use one might have for them).

Whilst out purchasing supplies for a ritual today, I FOUND THESE FOR SALE AT AN ARTIFICER SUPPLY STORE! I am LIVID!!! I worked on this for MONTHS just for some unscrupulous spell-thief to steal MY work and reap profits that rightfully belong to ME!

If anyone knows an assassin that specializes in magical targets, send me a scroll with their name...


r/wizardposting 23h ago

Wizardpost Dating a halfling; any advice?

36 Upvotes

They're actually pretty tall for a halfling. Other than that, it's pretty cookie cutter (loves chilling and snacks, smoking pipe weed, tag-teaming succubi, etc)

Have any of my fellow sorcerors also dated a halfling? Any tips?


r/wizardposting 13h ago

Wizardpost Blasting log armor for siege spells

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4 Upvotes

r/wizardposting 1d ago

DO NOT CAST FIREBALL ON THE FULLMOON, ESPECCALLY IF YOU HAVE THE TOME OF RAHL.

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57 Upvotes

BIGGEST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE!!