Literary Villains

Literary Villians

Classic literature and fiction has always been a source of inspiration for role-playing game enthusiasts, For decades, the creators of role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons have incorporated various literary characters and settings into their games. From the inclusion of King Arthur and the knights of the round table to the epic adventures of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser by American author Fritz Leiber in the original AD&D “Deities and Demigod” manual, fictional characters have inspired the minds of players and game masters alike.

Smiling Orc has revisited these literary connections and turned some of literature's most infamous villains into powerful bosses for your campaigns. Here, we take a fresh look at classic literary villains and adapt them for fifth edition gameplay to create a book that will help game masters bring these literary villains to life in their campaigns. We’ve created detailed stat blocks for each villain and their key minions, as well as providing maps of their lairs to help inspire your campaigns.

Each villain is unique, with their own set of strengths and weaknesses, making them challenging bosses for any adventurer to face. Whether you want to recreate scenes from your favorite novels or create entirely new quests, this manual is designed to help you bring these literary characters to life.

So, whether you're a seasoned D&D player or a new game master, we hope this book will add some literary flair to your tabletop world and provide the tools you need to create a campaign setting that your players will never forget.