Villain name generator
Villain names with a title and an epithet, tuned to six archetypes, plus an optional line on what the villain wants.
Make villains
How the names are made
Each archetype has its own naming sound, its own titles and its own epithets. A tyrant is a firm, short-syllabled Regent or Overlord, a schemer is a smooth Magister or Spymaster, a zealot is an Inquisitor or Prelate, a warlord is a Marshal or Warchief, a trickster is a Baron or Doctor with a mask, and a fallen hero is an Oathbreaker or Commander with a past.
Names come from the human naming traditions in our name data, so a villain sounds like they come from somewhere. The optional "what they want" line gives a motive in a sentence, which is usually what a game master is missing.
Using the results
- Pick the motive first if you can. A name feels different when you know the villain wants to avenge a forgotten defeat.
- Lock the title and roll names until you find one that fits the office. Lock the name to try other epithets.
- Make the epithet something the players hear secondhand before they meet the villain.
- Roll two archetypes and make them rivals. A schemer and a warlord both want the same city.
Questions
Are these names from stories or games?
No. A test blocks well-known villain names, and the names are built from our own tables.
What is a fallen hero?
A villain who was once on the other side. Their titles are military or knightly, with epithets that carry a broken oath.
Can I use the villain in a published adventure?
Yes. Results from this generator are ours to give, and you are free to use them in your own games and writing.
Does the generator make a full villain?
It makes a name, a title, an epithet and, if you tick it, a motive. The rest of the villain is yours to build.
More generators
dragon, drow, viking, kingdom, planet, the tavern generator and a name for each player species.
