BBEG Name Generator

A BBEG (big bad evil guy) is the villain a whole campaign bends toward, so the name has to carry weight the first time the party hears it whispered and still sound right when they finally meet. The best ones follow a few habits. Hard consonants and dark vowels (Kazrathul, Vorozhan, Ghaszarath) read as ancient or inhuman; a title plus a mortal name (Archlich Nekhoran, High Inquisitor Adrastus Morne) tells players what kind of power they face; and an epithet (the Unburied, the Pale Shepherd, the Thousand-Eyed) hints at a backstory you can reveal later.

Match the name to the villain's role. A lich or archfiend can wear an unpronounceable name because nobody says it casually. A cult prophet, corrupt cardinal or scheming duchess should have a name that fits the setting's human cultures, because the party will meet them as an ally first. Dragons, hags and aberrations each have their own music: long wyrm names with hissing syllables, homely Granny and Auntie names that turn sinister, and apostrophe-broken names for things from outside reality.

Keep the name easy to say at the table, even if it is hard to spell. Write down how you pronounce it, give it a shortened form the NPCs use (the Red Widow, Old Marrowtooth), and avoid names that rhyme with a player character.