Your Local Villains
Each Adventurer gets to create their Local villains. They are the kind of trouble that belongs to your world, so they follow its themes and rules. They don’t want to blow everything up…Instead, they’re usually funny, mischievous, and a little jealous (because you have friends). That’s why they’re a threat… and a treat!
Each episode will see you face one (or sometimes multiple!) of these local weirdos, so we put together three questions that you can answer to quickly to create a villain.
For each question we also created a table of answers that you can choose from (or roll a random number from 1 to 10 on it). Feel free to come up with your own answer!
And don’t forget to give them silly names! We recommend cheesy wordplay.
Who are they?
In your Pocket world, who is your Local villain? Do they belong to a community? What do they look like? Do they have any specific trait outside of being mean?
Build a Local villain with an identity that is fun to interact with.
| 1 A grumpy elder… |
| 2 A playful trickster… |
| 3 A large beast… |
| 4 A former hero… |
| 5 A strict rule-keeper… |
| 6 A lonely hoarder… |
| 7 A perfectionist artist…. |
| 8 A tyrannical child… |
| 9 A delusional savant… |
| 10 An enigmatic stranger… |
Why are they powerful?
Local villains are obviously not regular fellows. They have certain traits that make them a threat to the Pocket world and its inhabitants.
The power of your Local villain helps create interesting challenges when facing them during play.
| 1 …that controls corrupted magical powers… |
| 2 …that is wickedly clever and always prepared… |
| 3 …that uses haunted forbidden knowledge… |
| 4 …that is almighty and kinda spooky… |
| 5 …that manipulates others to do their bidding… |
| 6 …that wields a dark, powerful weapon… |
| 7 …that inspires chaos simply by existing… |
| 8 …that commands a loyal army of goons… |
| 9 …that uses deadly gadgets no one understands… |
| 10 …that spreads corruption everywhere they go… |
Why are they big meanies?
Local villains aren’t born mean. Something drives them to cause trouble in the Pocket world. It might come from a past hurt, a bad idea taken too far, or a belief that puts them at odds with everyone else.
This reason helps shape emotional stakes and gives your Local villain depth beyond being “the bad one.”
| 1 …because they were ignored for too long. |
| 2 …because they play an outdated role. |
| 3 …because they believe the world owes them. |
| 4 …because they lost someone dear to them. |
| 5 …because that’s how they survived. |
| 6 …because they want to protect something. |
| 7 …because they cannot forgive themselves. |
| 8 …because they are chasing a dangerous ideal. |
| 9 …because it makes them feel alive. |
| 10 …because someone has to be the bad one. |
The Big Bad Evil
The Big bad evil is foreign to Pocket Worlds and has true nefarious intents. They are the Adventurer’s ultimate nemesis, and every good story has to have one.
The Big bad evil is omnipresent, can travel across different Pocket worlds with ease and usually causes trouble by influencing Local villains to do their bidding.
The Big bad evil doesn’t have to have a motive. They are here to dominate, control or flat out destroy your Pocket world. Feel free to extend on their backstory if you so desire, but know that it is okay for them to simply be mean, no reason required!
Here is a table to help you come up with a good flavour of evil.
| 1 Chaos, whispering about false freedom. |
| 2 Deepness, losing souls in infinity. |
| 3 Dazzle, subjugating people into submission. |
| 4 Tyranny, giving the lost a sense of purpose. |
| 5 Doom, executing their unstoppable plan. |
| 6 Silence, swallowing voices and memories. |
| 7 Wither, draining strength little by little. |
| 8 Echo, driving madness through regret. |
| 9 Greed, corrupting hearts with power. |
| 10 Stillness, stopping life in its tracks. |
Fear Cards
In Pocket party, challenges are represented by the type of fear they inspire. Rather than facing a blade or madness, kids face their own fear, preventing them from being awesome and achieving their goals.
Fear cards are the core of the Guide’s Trouble cards. They are present in every Action draw and help manifest the type of challenges Adventurers are facing.
💀 Fear of danger
The fear of danger is represented by the Skull card. Add it to the stack for an action draw if:
- The action has any chance of leading to obvious harm.
- An Adventurer is facing something spooky.
- An Adventurer dives into the unknown.
Simply draw a skull on a card.
To craft the Skull card, draw a skull on a card. Don’t worry if it looks goofy, that is kind of the point of this whole process.
🧩 Fear of failure
The fear of failure is represented by the Puzzle card. Add it to a draw if:
- The action requires specific knowledge.
- The action is performed under heavy stress.
- The action requires a very tight execution to succeed.
To craft the Puzzle card, draw a puzzle piece on a card. Promess we won’t judge if you draw a corner piece.
💔 Fear of solitude
The fear of solitude is represented by the Heart card. Add it to a draw if:
- An Adventurer needs to connect with another being to succeed.
- The action could lead to bad outcomes for people the Adventurer cares about.
- An Adventurer acts against the will of their allies.
To craft the Heart card, draw a heart on a card and then rip it in half. It’s okay to cry a little in the process.
Other Trouble Cards
During play, additional troubles can stack on top of Fear cards.
Shadow card
The Shadow card represents the looming threat of the Big bad evil. It is by far the most dangerous Trouble card and enters play when Adventurers face a direct manifestation of the ultimate villain in the story.
Tension card
The Tension card represents the unknown threat and appears right before the crisis card. It represents the momentum shifting against Adventurers and promises serious trouble down the road.
Crisis card
The Crisis card appears when a scene escalates in danger. It represents a new dramatic story element that comes in to make Adventurers life difficult and is added to every draw until the scene ends.
To craft any of these cards, just write “Tension”, “Crisis” or “Shadow” on separate cards. Alternatively, you could draw 3 monsters from smallest (tension) to biggest (shadow).