Top 25 Best D&D Villains of All Time: Page 3 of 7

Best D&D Villains
The most memorable villains we loved to hate.


15. Zuggtmoy, Demon Queen of Fungi

The Demon Queen of Fungi, also called Lady of Rot and Decay, Zuggtmoy if one of the demon lords of the Abyss. She shares a layer in the Abyss with Juiblex, the Faceless Lord (demon lord of slimes and oozes), where she has built her lair, Shedaklah, a gargantuan palace made of dozens of giant mushrooms. Zuggtmoy is always driven by an insatiable hunger to devour and destroy others.

The Demon Queen’s only desire is to spread her spores through all of the mortal world, turning the entire landscape into a single fungi realm of her own. Zuggtmoy’s spores have the power to mentally control the infected, which she can use as a tool to further spread her domains.

Zuggtmoy struggles to keep cults on the Material Plane, since worshipping fungi is not appealing to the human population. Many of her cultists, indeed, follow her unwillingly and unknowingly, since she also has fictitious cults which she manipulates to serve her wicked desires. True followers of Zuggtmoy are either mad academics and clerics, or mind-controlled slaves infected with her spores.

  • Zuggtmoy is one of the demon lords of the Abyss, which makes her one of the most powerful entities in the D&D universe;
  • The Demon Queen of Fungi seeks to spread her spores and dominate the entire Material Plane, turning all the land into a vast sea of fungi;
  • She takes an important role in the Out of the Abyss adventure, having strong influence on the fungi of the underdark;
  • Zuggtmoy has a rivalry with Juiblex (for their shared layer in the Abyss) and Lolth (for their strife for control of the Underdark);
  • Her spores can create mindless servants to fight for her and spread her domain;

The Demon Queen’s stats may be found in the Out of the Abyss adventure book, as well as in the Mordenkainen Tome of Foes, being a Chaotic Evil fiend of CR 23.

14. Szass Tam, Zulkir of Necromancy

One of the most fearsome organizations in all of Faerûn is the Red Wizards from the magocratic nation of Thay. The Red Wizards were led by the Council of Zulkirs, eight powerful wizards representing each school of magic. Among this Zulkirs, the mightiest and most intimidating is by far Szass Tam, Zulkir of Necromancy and the ruler of Thay.

Szass Tam achieved eternal life through lichdom, and thus he is the oldest of the Zulkirs. The necromancer is also the commander of the Legion of Bone, an enormous army of undead led by his vampire and lich generals.

Besides being an undead, Szass Tam presents himself as a calm and cultured individual, and sometimes even pleasant. He is polite, but does not tolerate insults against him or the Red Wizards.

  • Szass Tam is a Lich, and a powerful necromancer, commander of an army of undead and a nation of evil wizards;
  • He has not only magical but also political power, influencing in wars through all of Faerûn;
  • Tam conquered the rulership of Thay by challenging and destroying other Zulkirs in the past;
  • Szass Tam is described as “always spinning more simultaneous intrigues than most Faerûnians have years in their lives”, being a master plotter with the infinite patience of a Lich;
  • He also possesses a great amount of magical items and artifacts, being a very versatile opponent;

As a lich AND a Red Wizard at the same time, Szass enjoys huge amounts of magical power. His stats in 3.5 describe him as a CR 31 necromancer, but only homebrew versions of his 5e stats can be found.

13. Iuz, the Evil

Also known as "The Old One", Iuz the Evil is the demigod of Deceit, Pain, Wickedness, Oppression and Evil, and his symbol is a grinning human skull, or a human skull with blood-red highlights. His other titles include Old Wicked, The Old One, His Most Profane Eminence, Lord of Pain, Fiend of the North, Child of the Evil One, Master of the Dread and Awful Presences and Iuz the Old.

Iuz is a half-demon born from the profane relationship between Iggwilv and Graz'zt. Besides being a demigod, he’s decided to make his home on Oerth (the planet of Greyhawk), where he rules the Empire of Iuz, a large realm in the northern part of the Flanaess.

Originally described as a very handsome Cambion, his form was split in two when Graz'zt attacked Iggwilv to free himself. One of the forms is an old man with a disgusting spittle that withers all that it touches, and the other is a hulking 7 feet tall red skinned demon.

  • Iuz is the son of two of the greatest villains of all time, born as a half-demon and ascended to the title of demigod through acts of Iggwilv, Lolth, Zuggtmoy and Graz'zt;
  • His soul amulet is kept in the Abyss by Zuggtmoy, the Demon Queen of Fungi, who is his ally and sometimes lover;
  • His alliance with Graz'zt and Pazuzu allow him to summon hordes of minion demons to fight for him;
  • A road of skulls lead to his capital, Dorakaa, which is not called City of Skulls without a reason;
  • He aims to conquer, enslave and inflict pain and suffering to the entire world of Greyhawk;

Iuz stats are not available for 5e from any official version, but his stats for 3rd edition can be found in Dragon #294. He is described as a Cleric 20/Assassin 10 with Divine Rank 3, more than enough to make for a respectable enemy!

12. Kas, the Betrayer

The stories of Kas and Vecna are deeply interconnected. Long ago, when Vecna was still a mortal, Kas was his most trusted lieutenant. He was rewarded for his services by Vecna, who gave him a sentient black-metal sword infused with tremendous power. Kas’ strength grew up, and so did his hubris, and the sword convinced him to betray Vecna.

Kas battled Vecna, and the fight was so ferocious that it left Vecna’s tower in ashes, and both enemies were flung across the planes. Only The Sword of Kas remained in the Material Plane to remember of his betrayal.

Kas’ main participation in the game comes through his sword, which can be acquired by a player looking like a very powerful artifact, just to turn him into a bloodthirsty warrior who can - and probably will - betray his friends at one point.

  • Kas is also known as The Blood Handed, and the First Vampire, as some stories tell that the god Nerull blessed him with vampiric powers as a reward for hurting Vecna;
  • Kas is considered one of the most powerful humanoids who is not a deity;
  • According to the 4th edition files on Kas, he travels across the planes, having a kingdom in Shadowfell and a hidden dominion within the Astral Sea;
  • Only a creature attuned to the Sword of Kas might be able to destroy the Eye and Hand of Vecna, since it was Kas the responsible for their “creation”;
  • He commands armies of living and undead followers, and is worshipped by humans and other mortals alike.

The Betrayer’s stats can be found for the 4th edition at Wizards official website. The Sword of Kas is described in the Dungeon’s Master Guide, at the artifacts session, and is a sentient item with Chaotic Evil alignment whose sole purpose is to destroy what remains of Vecna and his cult.

More on this topic:


With all his expertise and knowledge on how to hack dragons with spells and swords, Gustavo never imagined adventuring could be ever funnier from behind a PC's screen.
Gamer Since: 1996
Favorite Genre: RPG
Currently Playing: AC Odyssey, The Witcher 3, League of Legends
Top 3 Favorite Games:The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dragonborn, League of Legends, Sid Meier's Civilization V: Gods & Kings


More Top Stories