Dungeons & Dragons often put the party in heroic roles during the campaign, but that doesn’t always have to be the case. Sometimes, a campaign calls for a party of characters who are a bit lacking in morals and ready to commit evil deeds. Alternatively, they could band together to take down a greater evil. There are plenty of reasons that can lead to the creation of an evil character, and part of that creation is finding a fitting class.

Playing the hero can be rewarding, but playing a character that follows an evil or more chaotically ambiguous alignment might be a fitting choice in some settings. However, not every class option makes sense in terms of lore and mechanics for an evil character. Then, there are some options that are better choices for evildoers than they might seem at a glance.

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Oathbreaker Paladins Turn Away From The Light

A paladin that becomes an Oathbreaker is an evil character, and that’s part of the subclass’ design. Paladins tend to be on the more righteous side, following the tenets of their oath, and most oaths require at least a neutral alignment to keep. However, Oathbreakers are defined by the fact that they broke their oath and gave up the power of light they once had.

According to the Paladin subclass’ description, Oathbreakers snuff out the light inside themselves, letting darkness take over. Since these paladins usually break their oath for the sake of pursuing an evil ambition or power, the background to create an evil character already exists in most cases. With this setup, it’s easy to see how Oathbreakers can fit into an evil campaign because their description provides a reason that can be adjusted as needed for each individual campaign.

9

Necromancy Wizards Are Perfect For Dark Pursuits

Wizards who choose the school of necromancy aren’t evil by default, but because they work with taboo magic, most default settings see them as evil. Animate dead and command undead are both great tools since a necromancer isn’t complete without a few corpse lackeys. Plus, creating a background for an evil character whose magic would already have them viewed as a villain by most standard societies tends to be easier.

A necromancy wizard also brings a lot of utility and power to a party. Just like any wizard, they have access to powerful spells, such as fireball, and can learn additional spells by spending gold and time on them, which gives them a lot of variety outside their school of necromancy abilities. These wizards also get perks that increase survivability in certain environments. Specifically, they have resistance to necrotic damage, and their maximum hit points can’t be reduced starting at Level 10.

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Circle Of Spores Druids Are Nature’s Necromancers

In general, druids are usually seen as the protectors of nature, and druids who are considered evil are typically reduced to nature extremists. However, the circle of spores subclass has everything needed to create an interesting druid with a flavor that suits an evil character. But while the design is great for an evil character, the subclass itself isn’t the easiest to play.

Circle of spores druids use fungus to continue life after death, and they view this process as part of the natural cycle. Their circle spells are full of useful tools, but this subclass puts less of a focus on wild shape, which also means that they aren’t as durable without those extra health bars from beast forms. The result is that this subclass has a lot of flavor for an evil character, but playing them in combat is difficult and requires the player to make the most of every turn.

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Assassin Rogues Are A Quiet Evil

While any subclass of a rogue can be used for an evil character, the assassin option feels the most fitting among them. Rogues are a friendly class for new players, but also devastating in the hands of an experienced player. When it comes to creating an evil character, they might have the most versatility since these subclasses tend to be rather neutral and lean towards good or evil, depending on the details of the campaign.

Assassins have a lot of tools, and they get proficiency with both the disguise kit and the poisoner’s kit, making them masters of infiltrating and killing without being caught. Their Level 3 ability is also strong throughout the game, but it’s a particularly nice power boost at a low level, giving the rogue advantage against targets who haven’t had a turn in combat yet and making any hit they land a critical strike. Naturally, a well-trained assassin can be a force of evil depending on their goals or who they serve.

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Death Clerics Worship Evil Gods

Cleric subclasses also affect which deity they worship, and they tend to have the same alignment as their deity. Because of this, clerics of the Death Domain are generally evil as almost all their options for deities are evil and include those like Shar and Myrkul. When getting their powers through the worship of an evil deity, it’s easy to see how these clerics would share their gods’ alignment and work towards fulfilling their ambitions.

Having a cleric as part of a party is essentially always helpful as well. A death cleric can deal a fair amount of damage, especially when they reach the levels required for abilities like reaper or their divine strike, which adds necrotic damage to weapon attacks once each turn. Of course, they also have abilities that weaken enemies and provide utility for the party, making them a solid choice for both combat and roleplaying.

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School Of Enchantment Wizards Can Make Powerful Villains

Although the school of necromancy subclass tends to be seen as the evil option, the School of Enchantment wizards have abilities and specialties that make them frightening opponents, especially if they’re on the side of evil. The School of Enchantment focuses on using magic to control others. While this ability can be used for good purposes, it can also be used to force people into the wizard’s servitude.

Perhaps the ability that can be used for the greatest evil is alter memories, which enchantment wizards unlock at Level 14. Not only can the wizards make creatures unaware that they’re being magically influenced, but they can also force a creature to make a saving throw or forget a portion of the time they were charmed. Combined with the destructive power of a standard wizard, these characters can become a terrifying threat.

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Fiend Warlocks Have Destructive Patrons

Like death clerics, warlocks with a fiend patron don’t have to be evil to form a pact with them, but it makes more sense that an evil warlock would have a fiend patron. Fiends are beings that want to destroy and corrupt the world, so if the warlock doesn’t match their alignment, then the fiend has them on the list of creatures to corrupt. Depending on the set-up of the campaign, this would be a great choice for a character that becomes progressively more evil.

Of course, there are benefits to making a pact with a fiend. Even at Level 1, the warlock can get temporary hit points equal to their charisma modifier combined with their level if they bring an enemy to zero hit points. Later, fiendish resilience can be used to give the warlock more durability against the damage types that the party is likely to run into until the next rest. For both roleplaying and combat, a fiend warlock is a strong choice.

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Way Of The Long Death Monks Are Obsessed With Death

An obsession with death doesn’t have to make a character evil, but it can certainly be used to do so. Plus, these monks take their obsession rather far and even capture and experiment on creatures to record their deaths and use that information to advance their fighting. Through their lore alone, the way of the long death monks are terrifying, and it’s easy to see how they could provide the perfect background for an evil character.

This is also a solid subclass for combat. At Level 3, the monk can gain hit points by reducing an enemy to zero hit points, much like the fiend warlock. They also gain an ability at Level 6 that makes creatures around them terrified at the sight of the monk if they can’t pass a wisdom saving throw. As a result, these monks deal damage but also have durability and ways to help control the battlefield.

2

College Of Whispers Bards Are An Underestimated Option

Bards have a reputation for being lighthearted and often act as a support member of the team, providing valuable utility to empower their party. However, a College of Whispers bard could be used as a foundation to create an evil bard. These bards tend to be hated by other colleges because they use their talents for performing to gather information that can then be used against their enemies.

Like other subclasses, a College of Whispers bard is more likely to play a supporting role in the team, but they have abilities that are designed to terrify enemies. At Level 3, the bard can use an innocent phrase to instill terror in an enemy, keeping them frightened for up to an hour if they fail the saving throw. Then, mantle of whispers is the perfect tool for infiltration, since it lets the bard take the disguise and general memories of a dead person for up to an hour.

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Aberrant Mind Sorcerers Carry Hidden Horrors

Aberrant mind sorcerers can become evil characters with a Lovecraftian vibe to them, gaining their powers from an alien influence whose origin is up to the player to decide. These sorcerers get additional psionic spells at certain levels that don’t count against the number of sorcerer spells they know, and they include options like Arms of Hadar, dissonant whispers, and summon aberration. They also start with the ability to form a telepathic bond with another creature for a few minutes, which depends on their sorcerer level.

However, it’s the truth of the sorcerer’s form that’s uncovered through revelation in flesh that provides the perfect set-up for an evil character. This ability uses sorcery points to cause body transformations, such as making the sorcerer’s eyes turn into sensory tendrils or having them grow gills to breathe in water and increase their swim speed. Like many options on this list, aberrant mind sorcerers don’t have to be evil, but they provide one of the choices that allows for a lot of creativity in their design.

Of course, it can be fun to play the hero and save cities by defeating the villains. However, there are times when a campaign calls for a party of less-than-heroic characters to spread evil rather than fight against it. In those cases, there are plenty of fun options and combinations that can be used to create a unique evil character in Dungeons & Dragons.