1

Assassinate Leader with Accident. Villain is a leader’s direct heir or is the second in command of a hierarchy, and is planning to assassinate the leader by creating an accident.

2

Assassinate Leader with Assassins. Villain is a leader’s direct heir or second in command of a hierarchy, and is planning to hire assassins to remove the annoying impediment.

3

Behind the Throne – Criminal Power. Villain is building up a criminal organization to take over effective control of the targeted political organization, turning the existing source of authority into a mere figurehead.

4

Behind the Throne – Magical Domination. Villain is planning to dominate the organization’s king or boss using magic, turning him into a puppet leader.

5

Behind the Throne – Magical Friendship. Villain is preparing to charm the leader using magic (as opposed to utterly dominating his will).

6

Behind the Throne – Military. Villain has enough forces to influence the leader’s policies already, and is directing the organization’s activities behind the scenes to his own advantage. The villain threatens (subtly or not) that if the leader does not accede to the villain’s demands, the villain will use his troops to usurp authority.

7

Behind the Throne – Minion Shapechanger. Villain’s minion is using shapechanging of some sort to impersonate a kidnapped rival, or even the leader of the organization.

8

Behind the Throne – Simulacrum. Villain seeks to replace the political leader or a rival for power with a simulacrum he controls.

9

Blackmail Rival – Lies. Villain seeks to blackmail a rival with trumped-up facts.

10

Blackmail Rival – Truth. Villain seeks to blackmail a rival with true facts.

11

Build up Favors. Villain is in control of the police or has the power to prosecute crimes. He is using this power to make various powerful people indebted to him, so that when he makes his move for power they will support him.

12

Control Food Supply – Contamination. Villain plans to gain control of the food supply by stashing food stocks and then contamination everyone else’s.

13

Control Food Supply – Dietary Restrictions. Villain plans to gain control of the food supply by creating a hidden stash of a particular type of food, then imposing dietary restrictions on other kinds of food using religion, law, or heavy taxes.

14

Control Legal System – Bribes. Villain is trying to take control of the legal system in the target area by bribing judges. Note: almost all organizations have some sort of legal system for resolving disputes – this plot works for guilds and other organizations as well as cities and baronies.

15

Control Legal System – Intimidate Judges. Villain is trying to take control of the legal system in the target area by blackmailing or threatening judges. This works well for a villain who is the leader of a criminal underground, but can be used for any size or type of political organization.

16

Control Legal System – Replace Judges. Villain is trying to take control of the legal system in the target area by replacing independent judges with his own minions. His methods could include impeachment, assassination, rigged elections, or subverting/ recruiting the existing judges. He will likely need to use several methods in order to conceal the fact that lots of judges are suddenly stepping down or disappearing under strange circumstances.

17

Control Work Assignments. Villain seeks to control the assignment of jobs, giving them only to his supporters. This works well for a villain who is already in a position of some power – a guildmaster, a treasurer, or a labor leader, for instance. This sort of plot could affect jobs in areas as large as a kingdom or as small as a village, and the nature of the organization could range from royal courts to thieves guilds to religious organizations.

18

Coup d’Etat. Villain is planning a coup d’etat from the inside, with the help of allies in the community or organization.

19

Create Power Vacuum – Trap. Villain is creating a trap that will kill much of the leadership (collapsing the town hall, for example), and let him take charge when there is no one else offering effective leadership.

20

Discredit Superior Officer – False Accusations. Villain plans to spread a rumor to his own leader’s superior, indicating that his leader is involved in treachery.

21

Discredit Superior Officer – False Accusations to followers. Villain plans to spread a rumor to the public at large (or to troops, or other followers) that his superior officer is engaged in unsuitable behavior.

22

Discredit Superior Officer – Inciting. Villain plans to set his superior officer up for failure by creating and inciting particular situations the superior officer is supposed to prevent from happening.

23

Discredit Superior Officer – Information. Villain plans to set his superior officer up for failure by giving away vital information about the superior officer’s operations and plans. This will allow the leader’s enemies or rivals to continually outwit and outperform the leader (until the villain, as his junior, is asked to take the post).

24

Discredit Superior Officer – Sabotage. Villain plans to set his superior officer up for failure by sabotaging his operations.

25

Dominate Population – Addictions. The villain is using an addictive substance (or an addictive event or experience) to bring members of the population under his thrall.

26

Dominate Population – Mental Domination. The villain is setting up an event that will have a tremendously powerful magical or mental effect, rendering everyone in the vicinity malleable to the villain’s will.

27

Eliminate Advisor with Assassins. The villain is an advisor to the leader (not second in command), and is eliminating other advisers. Current method for eliminating the next adviser is to have him assassinated.

28

Eliminate Advisor with Frame-up – Crime. The villain is an advisor to the leader (not second in command), and is eliminating other advisers. Current method for eliminating the next adviser is to frame him for a crime actually committed by the villain.

29

Eliminate Advisor with Frame-up – Adultery. The villain is an advisor to the leader (not second in command), and is eliminating other advisers. Current method for eliminating the next adviser is to frame him for committing adultery (possibly with the top leader’s wife)

30

Eliminate Advisor with Frame-up - Lying. The villain is an advisor to the leader (not second in command), and is eliminating other advisers. Current method for eliminating the next adviser is to frame him for lying to the top leader (or some other serious lie)

31

Eliminate Advisor with Frame-up – Cowardice. The villain is an advisor to the leader (not second in command), and is eliminating other advisers. Current method for eliminating the next adviser is to frame him for cowardice.

32

Eliminate Current Commander – Frame-up for Crime. Villain is not yet an heir or second in command, but is working his way up the chain (if he has been committing crimes to do so this might be a reason why the party is getting involved). He plans to eliminate his current commander by framing him for a crime the villain has already committed.

33

Eliminate Current Commander – Frame-up for Adultery. Villain is not yet an heir or second in command, but is working his way up the chain (if he has been committing crimes to do so this might be a reason why the party is getting involved). He plans to eliminate his current commander by framing him for adultery.

34

Eliminate Current Commander – Frame-up for Cowardice. Villain is not yet an heir or second in command, but is working his way up the chain (if he has been committing crimes to do so this might be a reason why the party is getting involved). He plans to eliminate his current commander by framing him for cowardice.

35

Eliminate Current Commander – Frame-up for Dishonor. Villain is not yet an heir or second in command, but is working his way up the chain (if he has been committing crimes to do so this might be a reason why the party is getting involved). He plans to eliminate his current commander by framing him for some dishonorable act – lying, for instance.

36

Eliminate Current Leader – Insanity. The villain is somehow causing insanity in the leader so he can shake up the hierarchy to his own advantage. He is not necessarily the heir to power, but he expects that his position will be significantly advanced by the leader’s removal.

37

Eliminate Rival – Magical Domination. The villain is planning to magically dominate a rival, turning him into a fall guy, causing him to resign, causing him to advance the villain in the hierarchy, etc.

38

Eliminate Rival – Magical Friendship. The villain is preparing to charm a rival into becoming his friend and ally, although the villain does not have enough power to completely dominate the rival.

39

Fake Miracles. The villain is fooling people into believing that he is performing wonders (these are actually staged events, staged attacks, staged healing, etc.). Note that these are not necessarily magical miracles – they might be military “victories” against the villain’s own forces, for instance.

40

False Claim – Dynastic Succession. Villain plans to establish a false (or perhaps even real) claim to power based on the villain’s family tree. Villain’s purported ancestors were overthrown by the current leader’s ancestors. This is probably done with forged documents “proving” ancestry or with a last testament and will.

41

False Claim – Family Succession. Villain plans to establish a false (or perhaps even real) claim to power based on the leader’s family tree (as opposed to the villain’s). Supposedly, leader’s ancestor was adopted and named as the heir, while villain’s real or purported ancestor actually had the right by primogeniture. Or vice versa. This is probably done with forged documents.

42

False Defense – Leader’s Base. The villain will stage an attack on a superior officer’s base of power, and be in the right place at the right time to “defend” it from his own attack (the ght might be staged, or might be real), and thereby earn his superior officer’s gratitude.

43

False Defense – Leader’s Family. The villain will stage an attack on a superior officer’s family, and be in the right place at the right time to “defend” the family from the attack, thereby earning the superior officer’s gratitude.

44

False Defense – Leader’s Home Community. The villain will stage an attack on a superior officer’s home community while the leader is away, placing himself in the right place at the right time to “defend” it from his own attack. He hopes to gain the leader’s gratitude from the successful defense.

45

False Identity – Higher Authority (minion). Villain’s minion is posing as the representative of a higher authority (religious, feudal, etc) and is delivering “orders” to the leader. The imposture could be accomplished with shapechanging, forged documents, or sheer bravado.

46

False Identity – Higher Authority (villain). The villain is posing as the representative of a higher authority (religious, feudal, etc) and is delivering “orders” to the leader. The imposture could be accomplished with shapechanging, forged documents, or sheer bravado.

47

Financial Scheme – Debt and Foreclosure. The villain plans to put a rival into monetary debt to the villain. This could be done by a combination of financial scams and with the help of moneylenders who are a front for the villain. He might also be buying the rival’s debts from moneylenders. Foreclosure or gaining influence through the threat of foreclosure might be the leverage he plans to achieve.

48

Financial Scheme – Identity Theft. The villain is trying to create a financial disaster for one of his rivals, such as an equal rival, a superior officer, or even the top leader in the chain of command. His method is to use the opponent’s identity to borrow money and incur debts in the opponent’s name. The villain, of course, benefits twice: he not only eliminates his rival, but also he gets the fraudulently obtained cash.

49

Financial Scheme – Scams. The villain is trying to create a financial disaster for one of his rivals by targeting them directly with financial scams. Probably the villain is trying to pocket the money from the scams, too.

50

Financial Scheme – Theft. The villain is trying to create a financial disaster for one of his rivals by stealing the rival’s money.

51

Impersonation – Heir. The villain plans to pose as a lost or missing heir (possibly one that became lost or missing through the villain’s efforts).

52

Impersonation – Shapechanging. The villain is using shapechanging of some kind to impersonate a kidnapped rival, or even the leader of the organization.

53

Infiltration – Mental. Villain is in control of guards or other military force, and is corrupting their minds with charm, hypnosis, unbelievable charisma, etc. His goal is to use them as the shock troops for some sort of coup attempt.

54

Infiltration – Purge. The villain is (or has been) infiltrating troops, monsters, etc. into the community where the organization is based, planning for a sudden and coordinated purge of his rivals.

55

Infiltration – Takeover. The villain is (or has been) infiltrating troops, monsters, etc. into the community where the organization is based, planning for a sudden and coordinated takeover of key locations.

56

Kidnap Rival. The villain seeks to kidnap a rival. The goal is to get information, get the hostage to write letters that help the villain, etc.

57

Kidnap Rival’s Family. The villain seeks to take a rival’s family or friends hostage to influence the rival’s actions.

58

Manipulate Omens Against Rival. The villain plans to manipulate omens to suggest that his rival is evil or unsuitable for command.

59

Manipulate Omens for Self. The villain plans to manipulate omens to suggest that he (or his minion) is the best choice for something, the rightful leader, the only hope, etc.

60

Marry Heir – Magical Domination. The villain plans to seduce the top leader’s daughter (or son, as applicable) by using charm, hypnotism, love potions, etc. This part of the plot may already have occurred, putting the player characters into the position of having to stop the marriage or otherwise foil the plot.

61

Marry Heir – Seduction. The villain plans to gain the position of heir to political power by marrying one of the leader’s children. The villain is using traditional means to do so (presumably this is a villain with tremendous charisma).

62

Military Conquest. The villain has (or is building) enough military power (outside the community) to make a direct military conquest. This is fairly straightforward.

63

Military Interdiction. The villain is using military power to cut off supplies or exports – this is the classic brigand-villain who starves his enemies into submission and is given power when they surrender. In a more abstract sense, a sinister merchant could use a financial version of this scheme against a guild or another merchant, using thieves, bandits, and pirates to stop their exports and trade.

64

Military Intimidation. The villain is building up a military force inside or outside the organization/community, planning to reach the point where his military power is enough to allow him to influence policy.

65

Military Takeover – Circumventing Defenses. The villain has military power of his own, but his real project is to circumvent the target’s defenses. In the case of a fortification, this could include digging a secret tunnel beneath the walls; in other cases, it could be a preparation to poison or incapacitate defenders, hire a traitor to open the gates, etc.

66

Military Takeover – Removing Key People. The villain has military power and is ready to attack. His first step is to remove a few key people of power who represent a military threat to him. Note: in addition to controlling a government, this plot could also be applied to the takeover of a guild by means of a purge – the strongest guild members and their adventurer friends might be the targets of the purge.

67

Military Takeover – Stealing Key. The villain has military power, but is working on weakening the defenses of the target. His immediate method is to steal a key or password that gives him access to the defensive item. The item might be magical, or it might be, say, the password that lets people into the area where the catapults are located (so that they can be sabotaged just before the attack).

68

Military Takeover – War of Attrition. The villain has military power, but is working on weakening the defenses of his target by ambushing enemy soldiers or guards before the actual assault, thus reducing their numbers.

69

Minion Seduces Heir. The villain has a minion or an ally who is seducing the heir. The minion could possibly be a supernatural creature, such as a succubus.

70

Mob Charisma. By sheer force of charisma, the villain is whipping the population into a frenzy, preparing to mount a popular takeover in a series of riots.

71

Murder Own Powerful Spouse. The villain is married to the leader already, who is now his only impediment to absolute power.

72

Murder Threats. Villain threatens to kill people in the general population one day at a time until the leader surrenders control. Unless he is acting with a secret identity, the villain is either very powerful or very insane to think he can hold onto power after taking it this way – but perhaps he’s right. If he is not acting with a secret identity, he likely has a hidden stronghold to protect himself from attempts to stop him.

73

Overt Curse for Control. Villain has cursed the leader, one of the leader’s main followers, or a member of the leader’s family. Everyone knows that the villain created the curse. The villain will only remove the curse if the leader steps down in favor of the villain.

74

Party Misdirected. The “villain” is the good guy, and the leader is the bad guy, but this is not clear at the outset of the adventure.

75

Pied Piper Strategy – Heirship. The villain controls monsters or predators that are attacking everywhere in the general population. The villain offers to get rid of them if he is made the leader’s heir (he probably won’t reveal that he started the problem in the first place).

76

Pied Piper Strategy – Position of Authority. The villain controls monsters or predators that are attacking everywhere in the general population. The villain offers to get rid of them if he is given a particular position of authority (he probably won’t reveal that he started the problem in the first place).

77

Pied Piper Strategy – Marry Heir. The villain controls monsters or predators that are attacking everywhere in the general population. The villain offers to get rid of them if he is allowed to marry the leader’s heir (he probably won’t reveal that he started the problem in the first place).

78

Pied Piper Strategy – Total Control. The villain controls monsters or predators that are attacking everywhere in the general population. The villain offers to get rid of them if he is given control (he probably won’t reveal that he started the problem in the first place).

79

Prepared Purge. The villain is working on assembling all of his rivals into a specific, vulnerable location for a single, decisive strike. As the foundation for an adventure, the characters might have been hired as security for the event, as a bodyguard, or might stumble onto the plot before the strike takes place. Conversely, this plot could be used as a back story to explain why the characters have just entered a community thrown into chaos by a successful purge.

80

Prosecute Rivals. The villain is in control of the police, or has the power to prosecute crimes. He is using this power to eliminate his rivals, investigating them or charging them with crimes.

81

Replace Key Leaders. The villain is replacing key members of the population with shapeshifting minions who will support him when he makes his bid for power.

82

Rig Election for Ally. The villain is rigging an election to get a friend or ally elected into a position of power. The position might be a village alderman, the chancellor of the exchequer, judge, master of the revels, etc.

83

Rig Election for Minion. The villain is rigging an election to get one of his minions elected to a position of power.

84

Rig Election for Self. The villain is rigging an election to get himself elected into a position of power.

85

Rig Vote Against Rival – Financial. The villain is rigging a vote in favor of a law that will create problems for a rival if the law is passed – it will create oppressive taxes on the rival’s (but not the villain’s) main source of income, as one example.

86

Rig Vote Against Rival – Status and Standing. The villain is rigging a vote in favor of a law that will create problems for a rival if the law is passed. It will make the rival ineligible to hold his current office. Examples include votes that discriminate on the basis of race or gender, require minimum financial resources, require that the office holder has never been arrested for drunkenness, etc.

87

Secret Curse for Heirship. The villain has cursed the leader, one of the leader’s main followers, or a member of the leader’s family. It is not known who created the curse, but the villain will offer to remove the curse if he is declared the rightful heir to power. This is very similar to the Pied Piper strategy.

88

Secret Curse for Position of Authority. The villain has cursed the leader, one of the leader’s main followers, or a member of the leader’s family. It is not known who created the curse, but the villain will offer to remove the curse if he is granted a position of authority (possibly a very minor one).

89

Secret Curse for Total Control. The villain has cursed the leader, one of the leader’s main followers, or a member of the leader’s family. It is not known who created the curse, but the villain will offer to remove the curse if he is acclaimed as the new leader (this is unlikely to work if the target is a governmental organization but might work very well in a financial organization such as a guild).

90

Secret Curse to Marry Heir. The villain has cursed the leader, one of the leader’s main followers, or a member of the leader’s family. It is not known who created the curse, but the villain will offer to remove the curse if he is allowed to marry the heiress.

91

Seize Key Location and Interdict. The villain plans to seize a stronghold that controls supply or access to the targeted area, whereupon he will simply demand that the current leader surrender power. This is a preparation for a Military Interdiction, although the key feature is to improve that gambit with possession of the stronghold.

92

Sends Anti-Rival Dreams. The villain has the ability to influence another person’s dreams, and is broadcasting them to suggest that his rival is a bad person or otherwise unsuitable. The method used might be a magic item, a minion with this supernatural ability, or possibly influencing dreams in one of the villain’s own inherent powers.

93

Send Pro-Villain Dreams. The villain has the ability to influence another person’s dreams, and is broadcasting them to suggest that he or his minion should be in charge. The method used might be a magic item, a minion with this supernatural ability, or possibly influencing dreams in one of the villain’s own inherent powers.

94

Take Symbol of Authority. The villain is trying to take control of a particular symbol of authority (a crown, scepter, etc) that actually conveys the authority he seeks. This might be a tradition that has expired, but which could still be a big problem for the existing leader. As an example: “Whosoever holds the Sword of Karnak is the rightful king of Karnakland...”

95

Threat to Unleash Catastrophe. The villain has set things up (and must be able to prove it) so that he can unleash a catastrophe. Unless the leader surrenders control by a speci c time, the villain will cause the catastrophe to take place.

96

Threaten Food Shortage. The villain controls the area’s food supply, and threatens to cut it off if he is not granted a position of authority. Note that this might be a permissible and legal threat if the villain is a baron who supplies a town with food – or it might be completely illegal if the villain is an orcish chief who has conquered the nearby countryside.

97

Threaten Labor Shortage. Villain is in enough of a position of economic power that he can cause a guild or group of laborers to go on strike unless the villain is granted more power. Note that the villain can reverse the appearance of this plot, too, by creating a situation where the strike looks inevitable unless the villain steps in to solve it.

98

Undermine Leader’s Credibility. Villain is trying to undermine the leader’s credibility by spreading rumors and lies indicating that the leader is not the legitimate ruler, or that he is incompetent. Presumably, the villain has a way of stepping into power if the leader is removed.

99

Use Fall Guys. The villain is insinuating himself into the leader’s con dence by setting up dupes to oppose the leader – then giving information about their activities to him. The fall guys are either set up anonymously, or they were hired directly by the villain – in which case they have to die in order for the villain’s plan to remain under cover. A survivor would pose a serious problem for the villain if the survivor knows of the villain’s involvement. Player characters might get hired as the dupes...

100

Weaken Rival – Destroy Base. The villain is trying to destroy a community that forms the base of his rival’s economic or political power. For example, if the rival is a feudal baron, the villain might be targeting the rival’s fief or fiefdoms.