Top 25 Best D&D Villains of All Time: Page 7 of 7
1. Count Strahd von Zarovich, the First Vampire
In 1983 a module for AD&D called Ravenloft was published, bringing the story of a village around a sinister castle governed by an evil vampire called Strahd von Zarovich, and his obsession with his beloved Tatyana (and her reincarnations). The adventure grew so popular through the years, that it was recently remade for 5e, under the title of Curse of Strahd. Castle Ravenloft and the realm of Barovia gave origins to the campaign setting Ravenloft, and Count Strahd features as one of the most charismatic and unforgettable villains of all time.
Count Strahd was a strong warrior in his father’s armies, and from the lands he conquered in war he created the land of Barovia, on which he then built Castle Ravenloft. Life after war changed the warrior into a dark person, so he decided to make a pact with Dark Powers of the shadowfell in order to achieve eternal life.
Strahd then fell in love with a beautiful lady of the village, Tatyana, but she loved his younger brother Sergei instead. Strahd murdered his brother and drank his blood, sealing his pact with the Dark Powers and becoming the first vampire. Tatyana fled from him, and threw herself from the walls of the castle, dying.
Today, Strahd is cursed to live trapped in Barovia, which was transported to a demiplane surrounded by fog, whilst being tormented by the repeatedly resurrected soul of Tatyana, a love he is forced to reunite with and lose eternally.
- Strahd is the main antagonist in Curse of Strahd, a remake of the much popular module Ravenloft which originated the campaign setting of same name;
- He is a very charismatic character, although evil and soulless. He believes there’s no salvation for himself, and enjoys tormenting the people of Barovia;
- So popular is Strahd that he also appears in several novels and videogames;
- Strahd broke the stereotype of a mindless monster in a dungeon and became one of the first vampires with a true personality in the game;
Despite how interesting the Count might be, he is not as powerful as other villains on this list. His stats in Curse of Strahd depict him as a CR 15 enemy. Sometimes, the most memorable villains are not necessarily the most powerful ones. This is certainly true with Strahd von Zarovich.
The Dungeons and Dragons universe has some really fascinating villains, but sometimes our favorites are the ones our DM created just for our campaigns. Did you miss someone on the list? Who was the most memorable villain you ever faced? Tell us in the comments!
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