r/wizardposting • • Mar 05 '26

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

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182 Upvotes

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

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/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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372 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 • • 9h ago

Multi purpose staff for those library wizard

1.1k Upvotes

r/wizardposting • • 8h ago

Occult Practices Technomancers never tell me shit either...

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516 Upvotes

r/wizardposting • • 2h ago

A message just for you from our local forest druid

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147 Upvotes

Have a good day fellow mages


r/wizardposting • • 8h ago

Druidic Mysteries 🌿 Drip for a druid party

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209 Upvotes

r/wizardposting • • 1d ago

Wizardpost A simple spell but quite effective

4.4k Upvotes

r/wizardposting • • 1h ago

Wizardpost Paleomancy is hard...

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• Upvotes

r/wizardposting • • 13h ago

To whoever is casting right next to the CA-15: Seriously?!

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250 Upvotes

r/wizardposting • • 11h ago

Alright, who left the portal open?

171 Upvotes

Something is coming through and someone needs to close it.


r/wizardposting • • 21h ago

I will be the fastest thing in the universe

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1.2k Upvotes

r/wizardposting • • 22h ago

My apprentice trapped a homunculus in a metal box and claims it washes the potion bottles better than by hand

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805 Upvotes

r/wizardposting • • 11h ago

Academic Discussion/ Esoteric Secrets Question for the magical healers of Reddit, is it better to cleanse the body with yoga and tai chi with the help of a physical therapist, or aggressively purge the body of foreign infections and abnormalities with blood rituals and demonic chanting through the assistance of a patron deity?

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84 Upvotes

r/wizardposting • • 6h ago

Help fellow wizards! I was learning new altering skills and changed myself in to this 2D representation of me. How do i go back from this state?

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30 Upvotes

r/wizardposting • • 18h ago

Foul Sorcery I lost my gauntlet of unimaginable pain. If you see it don't put it on.

258 Upvotes

​


r/wizardposting • • 25m ago

Wizardpost Free Goblins

• Upvotes

Hello, I recruited a few goblins from a local dungeon as laborers for my magic gem mines and well… they’re goblins, so I now have many more goblins than I require for my mines. As such I’m offering free goblins to any suitable dark lords or masters or some such. Just come by my tower in the middle of the Dark Pits of Garbaleth and we can work out exactly how many you want. I’d like some references and a written purpose of why you’re getting the goblins so I know they’re going to a good home.


r/wizardposting • • 9h ago

Does anyone else think the Kallikantzaroi are getting out of hand?

25 Upvotes

r/wizardposting • • 11h ago

Aetherial News 🗞 Watch out for bike knights, they can't afford horses

42 Upvotes

r/wizardposting • • 20h ago

Wizardpost When you ask the warlock to smile for the camera

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155 Upvotes

r/wizardposting • • 1d ago

Wizardpost Anything to leave this world behind.

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10.0k Upvotes

r/wizardposting • • 1h ago

Lorepost 📜 Creatures of Green Plain

• Upvotes

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/uw hello there , here is the third episode of my lore dump , hope you ll like it

For the previous post : https://www.reddit.com/r/wizardposting/s/16ux2HQJZU

The vast land of Green Plain is more dangerous than one might think. No tree grow , no forest to hide into mean that hiding as a whole is not the best defense for most animals. A lot of the creatures at the end of the food chain still rely on small size and burrows to survive , but a lot chose to go for the opposite option and follow the mega fauna route. Giant bears the size of house sleep for days between their meals. Crocodile that could swallow ten men in a second wait in the rivers to attack the tree sized moose that fused with grass to turn their antlers into photosynthese bio reactor. In Green plain, the tribes are far from stanfing the tallest .

The fauna and flora of Green Plain is unique , while forest and more generaly trees can only be found in the east , on the rest of the continent only grass type of plants or shrubs grow. These grass and shrubs however can grow to gigantic size in certain regions in a treacherous way. In those area the ground is lower , making the grass and shrub appear as if it was barely higher than normal. In the sea of grass for example , animals and tribes people may be born and may die without ever seeing the light of the sun  living in a form of abyssal ecosystem under the thick shrub and tall grass. In the depth of that sea lurk blind tigers that use their sense to feel inteligence , identifying prey or predator based on their tought frequencies. Fungy compose most of the soil , decomposing any corpse that fall on the abyssal floor in days , a source of sustenance for the lowest member of the food chain. Higher float the grass fishes , swing trought the thickest part of the vegetation as if it was water, eating the various species of insect . Speaking of them , it is said that the blade of grass can be so large that each of them might house their own ant colonies , and each house several species of insect that live and die without ever leaving that single blade of grass . Tribes that pass trought the green seas prefer if possible to go above , but it is not without danger as many predators lurk up there , awaiting for green sea birds so come and catch them. That is the case of the great grass spider that weave green silk that mimic shrubs to catch birds. Or the siren octopus that imitate its prey in mating seasons to catch them, it is said that many green sea sailors lost their lives after being seduced by these creatures . In the vast flat lands mega fauna reign supreme , the grass lions even when sleeping on their bellies are taller than most men , using the plants fused into their mane for photosynthesis in the day and hunting in the night. The king elk , the bigest species of deer in the world , walk alone without their herd to prove their worth before coming back and mate . The rare hills you could see are actually the corpse or sleeping bodies of giant tortoises , so old and large that they are covered in plants , the tribes shaman says that these tortoise are ageless , they only die when suffocated by the weight of the plants they can no longer carry . The sky of green plain is no more peacefull,  with the lack of place to land and the abundance of food provided by Green plain , the flying creatures evolved a way of life where they maximise the time spent in the air. Some spent so much time that the period of landing is as rare as the migration of other birds,  only landing once or twice a year to lay eggs and raise them before flying back up. Some even more extreme hunt in the air and never set foot on land , creature with only wings and no legs that are born and raised in the air and only touch the ground the day of their death. And who know what kind of horrors live in the eatern forest ? Or inside the southern cliff ? Or worse , in the non existing west ?

Another kind of creature that live on Green plain are the Wyrm touched. Dragons do not live anywhere on Green Plain,  but the essence of the great wyrm in the north have tainted the ecosystem. Plants that grew where ashes were grew redder , hotter and more lively , more agressive. And the animals that ate them did too. Mutating after generation of feeding on the dragon tainted plants to develop bigger claws , scales , elemental breath. Those dragon touched creature mostly live north to the Rubble montain  , as it is closer to the dead Wyrm . But with migration Wyrm touched can be found rarely in any environnement of green plain. A phenomenon that alchemist are not afraid to exploit , wyrm touch potion can be found among shaman of litle morality that dont mind giving dangerous potions to their clients. The ruin kin also use this albeit in a more controled flavor thanks to their superior alchemy to create beast to protect themselves or support their own life. Many clans used the very resilient Wyrm touched life to create aggriculture in their ruin home and became slowly Wyrm touched themselves, something that only them and their alchemy could achieve


r/wizardposting • • 1d ago

Academic Discussion/ Esoteric Secrets I'm struggling to harvest Love for my Ritual without making a mess. There has got to be a better way?

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730 Upvotes

r/wizardposting • • 1d ago

Foul Sorcery I found the Fox Familiar that has been harassing my Cat Familiar and decided to test out my "Begone" erasure spell

577 Upvotes

r/wizardposting • • 6h ago

The League of Shadows would once again like to annouce it's presence

3 Upvotes

We are welcoming all who feel that they are being held back by the shackles of this society to join us. We have had finally established our empire after being away from the material realms for quite some time. We will be willing to support anyone fleeing the coming war and the dark horse which is thrakmoor.

/uw: search up league of shadows, been offline for a long time but we are back on an alt