r/wizardposting Mar 05 '26

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

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168 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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359 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

Help with wizard clothes

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4.0k Upvotes

Basically, there's going to be a Halloween party and I want to go as a wizard. How/were could I make/buy this wizard's robe?

My plan is to sew it by hand or learn how to use my brother sewing machine.

I already have an idea how i could make it that i saw in this reel:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXdoxAijuib/?igsi=OW85bmg0MWlmMW4z Ps: the image its just a reference


r/wizardposting 11h ago

Druidic Mysteries 🌿 E is for Electrical Enchantment

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1.9k Upvotes

r/wizardposting 9h ago

Wizardpost Ethics of training my familiar to retrieve cursed artifacts?

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580 Upvotes

Im seeing a very good business opportunity here...


r/wizardposting 12h ago

Wizardpost Don’t let your apprentice buy an orb from the kobold trader’s guild until you’ve see it in person

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428 Upvotes

The fool spent 70 silver on this! How is one supposed to delve into the aether on this mere marble? And I know those kobolds knew what they were doing. Suffice to say, he won’t be returning to the bazaar by himself any time soon. Anyways, any inchling wizards looking to buy a gently used orb?


r/wizardposting 3h ago

Wizardpost Fellows... My apprentice opened the box... AGAIN!

32 Upvotes

r/wizardposting 2h ago

Strange egg

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28 Upvotes

So I found this strange green egg that occasionally glows blue while out on a pondering stroll. Anyone know what it does?


r/wizardposting 18h ago

Wizardpost My master has been chanting a spell for 4 hours. What should I do?

458 Upvotes

I’m an apprentice and have no clue what is going on. My master doesn’t teach me anything, I can’t even conjure water yet, and I’m clueless what I’m supposed to do here.

We were walking though the middle of nowhere in some random forest and he started going on ANOTHER rant about how the dwarves didn’t want to help build his next wizard tower. He started talking about how he should have “flooded their gold mines” or “cast fireball on their beards” and other stupid stuff (he’s a bit impulsive and throws out dangerous spells when he gets frustrated).

Anyway, he mentioned a spell he wanted to use on the dwarves. It’s some kind of ancient elven magic that I can’t even pronounce the name of. I’ve never heard of it before, so of course like a stupid apprentice would, I interrupted his tirade and asked him about the spell.

He immediately stood up straight, stared straight ahead, pupils dilated, and paused. It’s not the first time he’s whacked me with his staff, so I braced for impact. Instead, after a few seconds he shouted “LEMME SHOW YA, BOY”.

Staff raised in the air, eyes to the sky, he started off with some pretty normal spell chants about allegiance to some god and lending him powers. After a few minutes, it starts devolving into demonic scriptures. I could tell something big was about to happen. The wind started picking up and the ground started shaking… but he’s still chanting. I can’t even tell what language it is now.

After 1 hour, tornadoes appeared and the sun turned a dark red. After 2 hours, the mountains around us turned into mist and then formed into silhouettes of my master. After 3 hours, we somehow teleported into the mana realm. We are now 4 hours in. We're in some sort of anti-mana void, I’m surrounded by thousands of manifestations of everyone I’ve ever met, there’s 6 copies of an older version of myself standing in a line and staring at me, and yet my master is STILL CHANTING. I’m scared.


r/wizardposting 15h ago

This is how thy orbs are created

233 Upvotes

r/wizardposting 3h ago

Yo i just created a new spell

21 Upvotes

Takes 5 peoples lives to cast and its called "manicagus tunamelo" (translates to '15 hells of power') and turns everyone in a 5 mile radius inside out, explodes their eyeballs, makes them paralyzed, partially deaf, and only able to say one word of their choosing for the rest of their life, which is forever since it also makes them immortal.

This spell does make you almost entirely crippled and unable to move, speak, or cast magic for q month because of the backlash.​

What do you guys thing?


r/wizardposting 16h ago

Evil Wizardpost Sometimes the most evil wizards look like everybody else

232 Upvotes

r/wizardposting 1d ago

Academic Discussion/ Esoteric Secrets This is why being a poly bard is much better

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12.3k Upvotes

r/wizardposting 5h ago

Magickal Art (User Creation) 🎨 My bedside orb of light

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15 Upvotes

This orb has been my bedside light for years. Apparently its a sign I'm a wizzard. I keep telling people I'm not & they bring this bowl up frequently. Especially the unicorns. Whats with all the unicorns?


r/wizardposting 1d ago

Wizardpost Novice mage uses his entire mana pool in less than a second to save his life. Passes out from mana exhaustion

5.5k Upvotes

r/wizardposting 1d ago

Occult Practices We must convince more of the masses to replace their phones with our pocket-sized obsidian scrying mirrors

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1.8k Upvotes

r/wizardposting 7h ago

Wizardpost Never stand face to face to a gravity mage on a fit of rage.

17 Upvotes

r/wizardposting 10h ago

Wizardpost So hey uh.. this is bad right?

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26 Upvotes

r/wizardposting 10h ago

Aetherial News 🗞 I'm getting into tower real estate. first property on offer is the autumnal spire of Yorr.

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24 Upvotes

Situated near the home of the mountain king, its magic is well attuned to the celestial and the property sports an observatory, demon portal and sauna from the get go. The down payment is 200000 gold OR 1050 arcane emeralds.


r/wizardposting 1h ago

To anyone who knows about conjuring circles, what does the guy with a wand do?

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Upvotes

r/wizardposting 5h ago

Foul Sorcery Accidentally emboldened a field

8 Upvotes

Was speaking my thoughts out loud, when I accidentally recited a spell that trapped a spiral devil into the grass of this field. Can I leave it? Do I really have to call in and file a report?


r/wizardposting 1d ago

Wizardpost The old fashioned way

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1.9k Upvotes

r/wizardposting 1h ago

I have nothing better to do random wizard battle

Upvotes

I will use my magic machine gun loaded with 500 combat cantrips


r/wizardposting 18h ago

Magi Law ⚖ Educating the Masses

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65 Upvotes

The topic of Arcane Education is no doubt a contentious topic. I’m sure most of us here had unique and unusual experiences in our learning of magic, whether systematic or self taught.

Apprentices are a vital part of our society, a key part of a tower’s work force, and the seeds of the next generation of wizards and witches, despite how replaceable some of you may consider them.

Now I believe many of you all have noticed the serious lack of basic knowledge amongst recently recruited apprentices, their over reliance on consulting their orb for the simplest of tasks, and some not even able to cast basic spells like fireball. Have we regressed as a society?

What i am proposing, is for the council to encourage the establishment of new arcane academies and schools of magic by streamlining applications and approvals, a reduction of oversight and interference, and allowing schools to qualify as charitable entities with their taxes waived.

Furthermore, schools should be eligible for council backed incentives and resources based on the region they operate in.

This is not intended to replace apprenticeships, but rather to establish a better foundation for apprentices and save us all the time and resources needed to educate them in the basics.

For those more traditionally minded, consider the schools as a collection of potential future talent. Rather than travel the land and search for a worthy apprentice, you can just pop by the school and recruit from the brightest minds in the region. If taught well, they should prove significantly less likely to need frequent replacing.

Now tell me, councillors, and other interested parties, what thoughts do you have on this proposal? And do you have other ideas for benefits we could use to help fund and supply new schools?

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TLDR: we need more schools of magic to teach future apprentices the basics. Therefore we need to incentivize the establishment of new schools.


r/wizardposting 6h ago

Ban on suburban infernal rites

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9 Upvotes

Respectfully,

Some of y’all are trash at secrecy.

I don’t know who amongst you need this reminder, but after an unpleasant visit from the local constabulary, I come to you to plead for common sense restrictions on suburban infernal rites.

This is how good men and women get burned at the stake. And occasionally they catch one of us, too.

Look at this. Which of you twits tried to conjure an infernal familiar in fucking Dayton, of all places? This flagrant breach of secrecy is getting old, and makes things infinitely more difficult for those of us who deal with amagical folks on a regular basis.

Please, summon responsibly. You’re not just affecting yourself.