The only way to (semi)fairly compare villains/antagonists
After years of villain research, we’ve constructed the Villain Matrix scoring system. It consists of 8 categories, as you see above: Charisma, Strength, Resources, Intellect, Wisdom, Endurance, Flipflop, and Evil Factor.
Below is the full description. Get the streamlined, math-free spreadsheet by signing up for the Research Team. You’ll also get our newsletter and it’s exclusive content and updates. Use the sheet for your own studies, or score a villain/antagonist for us and submit a report. See an example: Jareth the Goblin King’s score.
Charisma : a special charm or appeal that causes people to feel attracted and excited by someone (such as a politician) – Webster’s
Components:
Ability to control or manipulate others without special powers or tech:
Nill = 0
Minimal = 1
Average = 2
Moderate = 3
Significant = 4
Looks, select all that apply:
Intimidating = 1
Handsome/Beautiful = 2
Scary = 1
Dominant mannerisms, choose one:
Suave = 2
Scary = 1
Deceptive = 1
Intimidating = 1
Charm, select all that apply:
Appearance of trustworthiness on face value = 1
Likability = 2
Max Score = 13
Score level rankings:
3 = 1 stars
4-6 = 2 stars
7-9 = 3 stars
10 – 11 = 4 stars
12-13 = 5 stars
Strength
Components:
Physical, non augmented, compared to average person:
Weak = 0
Average = 1
Moderate = 2
Significant = 3
Augmented: as above, but enhanced with armor, magic, tech, etc.
N/A = 0
Average = 1
Moderate = 2
Significant = 3
Extreme = 4
Max = 7
1 = 0-1
2 = 2-3
3 = 4-5
4 = 6
5 = 7
Resources
Components:
Money, minions, territory, manna, powers, favors. Averaged out (so someone could have minimal minions but all the gods owe him a favor, which ranks at 5):
Nill = 0
Minimal = 1
Average = 2
Moderate = 3
Significant = 4
Extreme = 5
Intellect
Components:
IQ:
Nill = 0
Minimal = 1
Average = 2
Moderate = 3
Significant = 4
Extreme = 5
Wisdom
Components:
Worldly wisdom/knowledge of how the world really works:
Nill = 0
Minimal = 1
Average = 2
Moderate = 3
Significant = 4
Extreme = 5
Knowledge of human behavior and psychology:
Nill = 0
Minimal = 1
Average = 2
Moderate = 3
Significant = 4
Extreme = 5
Foresight:
Nill = 0
Minimal = 1
Average = 2
Moderate = 3
Significant = 4
Extreme = 5
Ability to prioritize, overlook, move on:
Nill = 0
Minimal = 1
Average = 2
Moderate = 3
Significant = 4
Extreme = 5
Max = 20
1 = 0-4
2 = 5-8
3 = 9-13
4 = 14-17
5 = 18-20
Endurance
Components:
Physical:
Nill = 0
Minimal = 1
Average = 2
Moderate = 3
Significant = 4
Extreme = 5
Mental:
Nill = 0
Minimal = 1
Average = 2
Moderate = 3
Significant = 4
Extreme = 5
Tenacity in the face of problems:
Nill = 0
Minimal = 1
Average = 2
Moderate = 3
Significant = 4
Extreme = 5
Max = 15
1 = 0-3
2 = 4-6
3 = 7-9
4 = 10-12
5 = 13-15
Flipflop
Components:
How likely would it be that they ally permanently with the good guys:
Not at all = 1
Maybe = 2
Neutral = 3
Somewhat = 4
Completely if it was a benefit = 5
Evil Factor
Components:
Restraint = -1
Moral Code = -1
Limits = -1
How far to the dark side are they are willing to go to achieve their ends:
Nill = 0
Minimal = 1
Average = 2
Moderate = 3
Significant = 3
Extreme = 5
Needless/gratuitous violence/crime/cruelty:
Nill = 0
Minimal = 1
Average = 2
Moderate = 3
Significant = 4
Extreme = 5
Max = 10
1 = 0-2
2 = 3-4
3 = 5-6
4 = 7-8
5 = 9-10
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