Archetypes - The DM's Favourite Tool
I got this link from
writers_lair, and it's very useful in plotting effective and memorably wicked NPC villains and antiheroes for your game:-
A Primer on Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious
Use the Jungian model of archetypes as your guide to create rivals and villains that are effectively mirror images of your player characters. The Shadow is the archetype of each of our own boogeyman: analyse your player characters and develop, with this useful guide, enemies whose motivations and actions are effectively dark reflections of the players' own twisted ambitions and dreams.
The players will never forgive you. But they'll never forget your NPCs, either.
X-posted to
fiat_knox.

Use the Jungian model of archetypes as your guide to create rivals and villains that are effectively mirror images of your player characters. The Shadow is the archetype of each of our own boogeyman: analyse your player characters and develop, with this useful guide, enemies whose motivations and actions are effectively dark reflections of the players' own twisted ambitions and dreams.
The players will never forgive you. But they'll never forget your NPCs, either.
X-posted to