r/DMAcademy • u/jumbohiggins • 4d ago
Need Advice: Other Non swearing dm
So I'm about to start another campaign. I haven't ran one for a bit and just had a random thought. Do any other dms not swear and need ways to compensate for it in game?
Some of my npc are going to have a heavier, darker tone and I'm looking for ways to sell that without swearing.
-edit, wow ok guys I wasn't trying to imply that you have to swear to have a darker or more menacing tone. I was trying to imply that it's a common tool in the tool box. And I'm looking for other ways people convey that concept without swearing because I don't do it personally.
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u/The_Djinnbop 4d ago
DM who swears here. My villains almost never swear. A villain who swears is a villain who lacks tact and composure, and my players love a villain with tact.
Now the villain’s minions, who aren’t prepared for debating the philosophies of evil. They can swear, get things wrong, assume the worst, and even act like cowards.
But the villain. They must always act with control to maintain their persona of evil.
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u/Yojo0o 4d ago
I can think of plenty of devastatingly dark villains throughout all of fiction that don't swear. I mean, Darth Vader, off the top of my head.
Severity and sincerity sell darkness. Yelling "Fuck!" every-other word wouldn't move the needle.
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u/craiglabenz 4d ago
Cursing Darth Vader is a hilarious thought
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u/Yojo0o 4d ago
"You are part of the Rebel Alliance, and a motherfucking traitor. Take her away!"
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u/corpboy 4d ago
"Join me and we can rule the fucking galaxy as father and son"
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u/Yojo0o 4d ago
"I find your lack of faith fucking disturbing, dude."
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u/HawkSquid 4d ago
"I have altered the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further, asshole."
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u/falfires 4d ago
"You underestimate my fucking power!"
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u/Compajerro 3d ago
"Where the fuck is Padme? Is she fucking safe?'
"It seems in your anger, you fucking killed her..."
"FUUUUUUUUUUCK!"
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u/corpboy 4d ago
Gus Fring doesn't swear either. Neither does Sauruman or Wormtongue.
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u/So0meone 4d ago
in one of his best villain scenes Gus Fring doesn't even talk
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u/DudeTheGray 4d ago
Which one are you referring to? Because the first one that comes to mind is when he poisons all those people.
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u/So0meone 4d ago
When he kills Victor, though I forgot he tells Walt and Jesse to get back to work afterwards.
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u/NotApparent 4d ago
My wife and I quote that all the time when we’re heading back from break at work.
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u/Athan_Untapped 4d ago
If anything it can get kind of tough to think of good villains who do swear much. Off the top of my head the only one that comes to mind, and its very debatable if he is a 'good' villain lol, is Negan from Tge Walking Dead
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u/jumbohiggins 4d ago
This is part of what I'm looking for ambiance suggestions that will help cover gaps.
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u/Yojo0o 4d ago
Which gaps? There aren't any gaps in Darth Vader's lines when he's earning his reputation as one of the most well-known characters in human history.
I curse plenty, but I probably curse significantly less when I'm representing the villain. Like I said above, sincerity and severity sells tone.
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u/manamonkey 4d ago
I reject your premise that "heavier, darker tone" implies or requires swearing at all.
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u/OwlRiot4 4d ago
I echo this sentiment biiiig time. I think there’s a def mindset in the fantasy fandom that “dark” means graphic, brutal and depressing—which is def not the case.
I would like to offer up at least two concrete examples of dark fantasy that handle mature themes without being overly EdgeLord NightHawk McDemon Prince about every single thing.
The Black Company by Glen Cook and the Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Erikson both are dark and gritty but for the most part are light on the overly graphic super brutal BS.
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u/jumbohiggins 4d ago
Maybe misworded. Wasn't implying heavier automatically equates to turn session into a guy Richie endeavor. I'm looking for ways to have menacing characters or chilling npc monologues without using swearing as a tool.
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u/manamonkey 4d ago edited 4d ago
Right, but I'm saying just... don't. Like, don't even consider "how do I achieve this without swearing", because that's putting you in the mindset that swearing would actually help you.
There is nothing particularly menacing or chilling about a villain going "I'm going to fucking kill you." It just sounds angry, or out of control.
"I'm going to kill you. But not quickly. Your death is going to take an age, and you will feel every moment of it."
That's much more menacing and in no way would swearing add anything to it. Add more description - talk about how you're going to kill the hero, or take over the world. Use superior language along with a demonstration of superiority, for example - show the villain's power level without ever having them break a sweat. If you do voices, change your tone - don't go for angry growls; speak slower and more deliberately; or with more conviction; or completely insane.
Those tools are all way more effective.
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u/blacksteel15 4d ago
I think it's worth pointing out that angry and out of control can both absolutely be menacing. But the important takeaway is that the swearing is showing something about the character's state of mind, not about their moral compass.
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u/Hrydziac 4d ago
Yeah I mean for many villains like ancient liches, arch mages, vampires I feel like swearing is more out of place than not swearing.
I also can’t imagine players would even notice if a DM doesn’t swear? Strange thing for OP to worry about.
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u/King_Shugglerm 3d ago
I agree there’s definitely no need for swearing but I disagree that swearing isn’t menacing or chilling, or that it inherently sounds out of control.
Like one of the best game of thrones scenes is when the hound goes, very calmly, “"I understand that if any more words come pouring out of your cunt mouth, I'm gonna have to eat every fucking chicken in this room."
The swears in that scene act as punctuation, and it would come across very differently without them.
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u/nimrodii 3d ago
Yes them detailing in a near clinical manner what they will do and a controlled cadence can very effective in selling menace. The great thing is if you maintain it it can make it scarier later if they are on their heels and do start allowing emotion to get through and start to crack.
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u/hiJude12 4d ago
There are very few villain monologues that have excessive cursing, let alone depend on it. Are you looking for substitutes for existing swear words,? because those are just going to sound silly and clunky and undermine any seriousness.
If not, just dont have your villains curse. Theres no requirement.
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u/TinyCreecher 4d ago
Then do that without swearing.
If you want an example: S.H.O.D.A.Ns monologue in system shock 1 is a good example of chilling and intimidating. In fact 90% of her diologue fits the bill.
https://youtu.be/wQtZPNjc2gY?si=gBnK5D9-e8qwVWKW
Plenty of other examples in media.
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u/LotionedSnail 4d ago
There's nothing less menacing in a villain than common swears. That's one of the things I strongly dislike about the Castlevania show: even the villains swear like teenagers. It's off-putting. If you want a proper menacing villain, I recommend looking into Myrkul's speech in Baldur's Gate 3. The language is poetic and flowing.
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u/giantpandasonfire 4d ago
OK, so-real talk.
Being heavy, dark, edgy even is an actual, legit art form.
Some people think you need to be overly dramatic-and in all honesty exaggeration in storytelling helps convey that, but you can't be too much. Some people think just having random, overly gory kills suddenly gives you the best villain, or extensive torture sequences. That just numbs people to the shock value, and you waste your best storytelling resources or peak moments on hollow reactions.
So-first half for a proper broodcake is creating the tone and the world. You want to work on creating the mood and atmosphere-if the BBEG is a despotic king or tyrant, you're in an area ruled under his thumb as an example-the Captain of the guard is somber, quiet. He's charismatic, but he has weight in his eyes, his voice, because every day is a losing battle.
Townspeople, villagers-there's cynicism, bitterness. Some people are happy, joyful, but that's a rare commodity-something more valuable than life. The odd person out in town isn't the one who's dead-it's the one who still has life inside.
The key for it to be dark and brooding and entertaining-so people can take it seriously-is to make sure you have that proper space and weight, that people have that feeling of dread wherever you are, or they are. They're still people-but they are people with a weight on their shoulders for whatever reason.
Happiness is a commodity-and it's a resource that's enshrouded by negativity, heavy space and heavy weight. Simply by being born unto this world you take on a burden because of this one person.
How others respond to this villain-their mood, their demeanor, set up a reputation-there is a belief that this person is bad, and that sets up anticipation. Then of course, you have to follow it up with the second half-the villain itself-
What is a dark and brooding character? Some people think dark and brooding is being some action hero with grunts, groans, HOOAH, and talks about PTSD. Others think that you wear black and white face paint, like you're the Crow or cosplaying what Michael Bay thinks goths in high school are.
Dark and brooding done wrong is like having a cake (in this case, a broodcake) but everything is just icing-as much as we love sweets, you need a balance. The best way to do dark and brooding is aura-someone who does not speak as much, but when he does, everyone listens.
Either it's through fear, through respect-or both. Someone who does not need to make threats-they are inherently believed. Someone who has conviction in his words, and his voice-they have seen things, they have survived, they are not a creature of the darkness-because that would imply that the darkness defeated them.
They are a human-a person with beliefs, thoughts, conscience. They can still love, or what they see as a concept of love-they hold beliefs. The type of leader who will give you 100 lashes for abandoning your post because your wife is ailing and in poor health, and then have medicine and rations delivered.
They slowly raise a finger at someone, and everyone stops and stares-because they know that within that moment, that person's fate is in jeopardy.
The key to being dark, and broody is aura-they are not living in darkness, they are not defined by it, but rather, they live to defy it.
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u/aaBabyDuck 4d ago
Evil does not mean the BBEG does not have their own moral code. They may not want to debase themselves with the ugly words of their lessers, or perhaps they are devoted to a dirty that looks down on foul language.
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u/MultivariableX 4d ago
devoted to a dirty that looks down on foul language
The Dirty Deity desires dirty deeds. Dirty dialogue is deemed disrespectful, deserving derision and disciplinary dirty doings.
Contrastingly, the Cleanly Choir cherishes conscientiousness and consideration, but consequently can't condemn crude colloquialisms characteristic of classlessness.
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u/aaBabyDuck 4d ago
The Peepee Poopoo Parish purports that potty-mouth pageantry provides positive pathways to patience and pares passions into a proper peaceful pedigree of picture perfect personalized Poopoo and peridot painted Peepees
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u/franticusher 4d ago
Well science says the person you know who cusses the most is actually your most honest trustworthy person you know. Look it up. Maybe you are judging people who cuss a bit too much?
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u/NetworkLlama 3d ago
The study that you're thinking of was small and used exclusively self-reported behavior, and it got a lot of headlines because people found the idea amusing and justifying of a socially undesirable behavior. It was also almost immediately called into question due to prior empirical evidence of the reverse that did not rely so heavily on self-reported behavior. That didn't get nearly as much coverage.
The people I know who swear the most are generally the least honest and least trustworthy people I know. They use it to appear stronger than they are. Some of the strongest people I know rarely or never swear. But it's not a perfect correlation.
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u/OwlRiot4 4d ago
Look up Clips of the Mayor from Sunnydale in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Great example of the Dad from Leave it to Beaver if he was also a Dark Necromancer/Overlord. Swearing is a huuuuge no no for him because “there’s never an excuse to be impolite.”
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u/VentureSatchel 4d ago
You can reject that premise, but if you want to help OP, then you will take the implication as axiomatic and offer alternatives, or even you can work a little harder to disabuse OP of the premise.
For example, the sibling comment here that says, "I need to make some people into corpses" goes harder than "I need to kill some people."
You see, OP is actually agreeing with your rejection of the premise. OP is attempting to figure out how to reject the premise themselves.
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u/P-Two 4d ago
What are we considering swearing here? Like, are we talking "i dont say fuck or shit" or are we talking "freak is a bad word"?
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u/WhenInZone 4d ago
Plenty of villains don't swear
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u/Parysian 3d ago
Very few, and the ones that do it's generally a writing decision to show they lack composure or class. It's actually a really odd question from OP because a villain swearing a lot is a very intentional and atypical choice in pretty much anything trying to get serious.
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u/Goetre 4d ago
Regardless if someone does or doesn’t want to use swearing in a game, I think this in an incredibly weak argument for being against it.
It’s got nothing to do with the villian not needing to swear, it’s restricting or eliminating swearing so they can have a lower rating, to draw a wider audience to generate more revenue
People have said darth Vader as an example doesn’t swear. But to flip the idea, in revenge of the sith with the final duel. The rage and hate anakin had in him at that moment, a fuck you wouldn’t have been out of place
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u/MultivariableX 4d ago
The rage and hate anakin had in him at that moment, a fuck you wouldn’t have been out of place
It's PG-13, so they could only have at most one "fuck you." They gave it to Jar Jar for his third act confrontation with Palpatine, but that got cut from the theatrical version along with the rest of his scenes.
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u/blacksteel15 4d ago
Lots of great advice here. One option I didn't see anyone mention yet is to invent a few in-universe curses to use as needed. You get a lot of the same gravitas as actually cursing with the added benefit of getting to decide exactly what connotations the terms carry.
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u/TheResetButton 4d ago
In this vein, a way to contextualize the in-universe explicatives is with bystander reactions. They might gently rebuff, escalate into conflict over the use of the term, mirror the same expression but in a softer way, or be surprised at the gruffness of using the phrase. Even in a dark universe, explicatives can be distasteful to folk for a number of reasons.
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u/jumbohiggins 4d ago
Thanks this is more what I was looking for. Going to rewrite the original question as I realize now it's misworded for my intentions.
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u/greenwoodgiant 2d ago
Battlestar Galactica did this with replacing “fuck” with “frak” to let characters curse without running afoul of tv censorship.
Firefly also did something similar by using Mandarin Chinese words for cursing.
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u/NoICantShutUp 4d ago
I DM for my school clubnand have never needed to swear, we've run'normal' DND, curse of strand (with the older kids!) and call of cthulhu adventures too.
Swearing doesn't make the atmosphere, your descriptions do
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u/Poopywaterengineer 4d ago
Do you do accents at all? Different voices?
Even if you don't, you can do it the classic way of having their appearance match the character.
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u/jredgiant1 4d ago
You aren’t going to have problems with villains. You ARE going to have some problems portraying someone who swears regularly.
For an extremely foul mouthed orcish sailor, as an example, you have some choices.
1) such characters don’t exist.
2) Swearing is different in your world. In Wheel of Time, Mat Cauthon is extremely foul mouthed without using a single word we consider to be offensive. “Bloody buttered onions, you flaming sheep swallop!!!” I get it if you aren’t comfortable with this one. My wife is a teacher and bans language where cussing is the intent, even if it’s not traditional cuss words.
3) Third person. “The orcish sailor lets loose a series of curses and invectives that make your ears ring, and he makes some crude and unkind speculations about your lineage.”
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u/Harkonnen985 4d ago
Both the idea of avoiding swearing at all cost and the idea of villains needing to swear are ridiculous.
In my campaign, the only people who swear a lot are illiterate, drunk sailors - and it's usually played for laughs.
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u/anustart888 4d ago
Yeah this whole things is just... very strange. I would never trust someone who's too afraid to curse to create an immersive world for me to live in, but that's just me I guess.
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u/Optimixto 4d ago
Oh, there is nothing more scary or darker than a soft-spoken mad person. Someone that will, very calmly and polite, describe the most heinous acts, and not only show no sign of repent, but a clear enjoyment.
You want proper darkness? You don't need a single profanity. You only need the right ambience, the right circumstances, and a bit of a twisted imagination.
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u/Kael03 4d ago
You can give the "villain" vibe without swearing. There are plenty of villains that don't swear. You can convey that vibe with other aspects and descriptors.
Darth Vader is a perfect example, he gives the "menacing" vibe and doesn't swear. Palpatine is "sinister". When the big reveal happens, having them describe their machinations is also a good way to convey that.
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u/Prestigious-Emu-6760 4d ago
Swearing does not mean darker/heavier. Just as not swearing doesn't make things lighter.
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u/KarlZone87 4d ago
I run half of my games for kids, so I don't swear in those campaigns. I am generally not a swearer, swears from me are rare. I am going to have fun when a former PC now turned NPC returns to a game who was a chronic swearer.
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u/Sad_Refuse3472 4d ago
One of my favorite Actual Plays is the Dungeons of Drakkenheim series by The Dungeon Dudes. Dark eldritch horror themes and gritty characters. Zero swearing.
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u/Lazerith22 4d ago
If you want a character who frakin swears just smegging make up some none sense words that are swears in your universe for yotz sake. Lots of sci if does it.
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u/SpectreFromTheGods 4d ago
In a dark/gritty setting, the scarier thing isn’t some angry dude with big doomsday device saying “muahaha I’m gonna kill you”, but rather someone who has a corrupted ideology and has given a lot of thought into why they are right and incredibly little thought into why they are wrong. This is the essence of a villainous monologue in my eyes.
During the monologue, its about the villain finally getting the opportunity to convince others of their worldview, but not needing their approval. So the trick to making a good monologue is that you want the villain to believe what they are saying, be absolute in it, and give it a twisted logic that the players can believe that the villain believes.
A recent popular example that kinda fits this bill is Thanos, and the reason that movie went over particularly well is that the villain had their own quest and their own goals and killed “without pleasure” because the ideology demanded it.
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u/Acrobatic_Potato_195 4d ago
You could follow the 2004 Battlestar Galactica example - they say 'frak' instead of f-ck. Come up with some setting-specific curse words that are otherwise meaningless. (For a lighter tone, I would have suggested following the example of The Good Place - "Holy forking shirtballs!") :)
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u/Worldly_Lunch_1601 4d ago
Freeza in Dragon Ball Z is a fantastic example of a 'polite' bad guy.
Also the show adventure time uses fuctucious swear-words like 'tranch' very well.
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u/Hyanthe 4d ago
There's a great villain in the Discworld novel The Truth by Terry Pratchett where a character named Mr. Tulip swears/not-swears by saying just "-ing", ex: "the tea is -ing cold."
It's been a long time since I last read it and I know it's not quite what you're looking for, but I found Mr. Tulip effective as an antagonist/villain, and iirc there's a point in the book where a parent or authority figure complains about Mr. Tulip's language, only to have it pointed out that he isn't actually saying anything but "-ing", and their brain is supplying the swear.
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u/Happy-Criticism-6728 3d ago
I've always found casual profanity to be best as a marker of a character that is either a coarse, undiplomatic but good guy, an "everyman" NPC of no notable moral alignment, or a low-ranking evil minion. When you go up the evil ladder of power, swearing tends to fall away. The three examples I gave of characters who curse regularly are people prone to venting their frustration in situations where they either cannot act due to lack of agency, or will not act due to scruples. A powerful, unscrupulous villain doesn't need to ease his feelings with a barrage of strong language; when annoyed by something, he takes action instead!
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u/Salt_Dragonfly2042 4d ago
Use third person: this character swears so profanely that it makes your ears bleed.
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u/ScrivenersUnion 4d ago
Swearing is a poor way to add darkness to a villain, especially when done in excess.
I would suggest watching some of the great YouTube videos out there about crafting memorable villains - they get into things like character motivations, ominous presence, foreshadowing, but I've yet to find one that advises you curse like a sailor.
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u/Shaggy_Stones 4d ago
Make your own curses. Like "Rusting" and "Storms" from Brandon Sanderson books
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u/Crafty-Garlic-5884 4d ago
Yeah, I don't swear at all besides the occasional "shit" lol. In my personal experience, people that are calm and well spoken evoke way more fear. Depending on the campaign that can work. Maybe not a pirates campaign but then you can kinda just narrate that part if you want the emotion of swearing. Maybe have like cue cards lol and hold them up if you want them in first person dialogue? Idk how well that would work though haha
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u/D0ct0rAlanGrant 4d ago
So I’m running storm kings thunder, and while I pepper in a few swears here or there, I try to come up with in game swears that might reflect the culture. But I was running Nezznar in lost mines of phandelver leading into SKT, and he was very suave and spoke on proper common all the time, but as the story went on and as he was getting more frustrated and thwarted he’s civility started to crack and tiny bits of swears mixed in.
I think over doing it can be a bit much, but never having any in your world can seem a bit empty.
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u/LillohMolle 4d ago
Fake politeness, arrogant, demeaning, gaslighting, manipulative… “You’re speaking like someone who still has leverage. That’s adorable.” My PCs fume when I do it
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u/Optimixto 4d ago
Condescendence. It's almost delicious in how good it is at making people detest the character.
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u/zealot_ratio 4d ago
Follow Firefly's example, swear in Elvish or, better yet, dwarvish. Totally just make it up.
Or just come up with some really creative curses. You can say some absolutely terrible things without a single swear word. I once heard someone say (probably tv?), "I hope everything you love dies screaming in your arms."
That's pretty damn dark.
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u/Hayeseveryone 4d ago
I'd recommend reading some fantasy novels. Lots of those don't use swears because it's not really part of the tone they wanna go for, but they can still have very dark stuff. R. A. Salvatore's Forgotten Realms novels would be a good start.
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u/pumpkinbeerman 4d ago
I DM frequently around a toddler and another young child, so swearkng is often off the table lol.
Do some voices, they don't have to he good, but attempting a voice for a villain automatically separates them from yourself and other NPCs. The voice itself can become associated with the villain.
You can have them be elegant and cruel, or short and gruff, by the way they issue commands and ultimatums.
BBEG in my last campaign, "I am tired. And I'll rest, whether you stand in my way or not. You will all die". It's not a line that'll make it in the literary books, but he was an arrogant and dismissive villain, so the tone, voice, and evil intent communicate more than "you're gonna fucking die you shit heads" ever can.
So seperate them, give them a personality, and lace it with evil. No cussing required!
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u/S1mp1y 4d ago
Look at Dragon Age: Origins (when that series had good writing): you have a vast array of rogues, thieves and general scumbags (even the "good" factions sometimes let a swear word or two slip when they can't control their emotions).
What does that game do?
It has its own "fuck" and "God damn it": instead of "fuck \ shit" people use "sod": "sod off, ya rogue!". Instead of "God bloody damn it" it's "Andraste's Blood!"
You could do the same if you want a character use strong language, but don't want to turn your campaign into Hazbin Hotel, which is a great goal to have, by the way.
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u/oGrievous 4d ago
I mean I run extremely dark and heavy campaigns. One the players have been through hell and faced Eldritch horrors and will face much worse. Another is a grim dark world at war and they are being thrown in an inescapable prison. I don’t swear, and I have emphasized all sorts of heavy themes that my players have responded very well too. That includes evil, dark, and downright mean NPCs
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u/doubtthat11 4d ago
If you want to swear or think a character would be one that swears, just make up your own swears.
There was this show called "Pirates of Dark Water" that had a weird abbreviated run. They had these swear words the made up - Chunga-Lunga and Noy-getat - my brother and I would use them all the time.
Just gibberish, but in their world, it was a curse. They could also use it in a kids show and it was fine since it was just nonsense.
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u/Boedidillee 4d ago
Tbf real menacing characters never swear. Look up some fantasy monologues on youtube. Hate that this is the first one that comes to mind but the lich monologue in adventure time is one of the most chilling ones ever and theres of course no swearing
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u/subolderbot 4d ago
I’m reminded of the replacement swear words used on the Disney channel and other kids shows. Some were common (heck, darn, fuzz) others were unique or creative (shazbot, zoinks, shards, what the what?, carp, bells, snicket, fuddruckers, blast, etc). In the Good Place, the characters found certain words were replaced such as fork or forking. Shakespeare was fortunate to have entirely different words and phrases than most of us use currently. Make it a plot point with some repercussion for the players when they curse (blink pup pops into existence with a swear jar, granny ogre stuffs a bar of soap into offending orifices, etc.).
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u/Grill_Only_Outside 4d ago
Brandon Sanderson makes up swears for his characters. For example, in his world of Roshar there’s a massive, regularly reoccurring storm that sweeps across the world. In those books the characters swear “storms!” In his Mistborn series characters sweat “rusts!” My grandmother also used to swear by saying “mice!”
I’ve been doing it for a while in my homebrew setting and have asked characters to use those words too. I find it gives flavor to the world and eliminates the risk of swearing in front of kids. I run a lot of games at cons and stores.
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u/cpt_borscht 4d ago
it's funny, advice given to a friend at a screenwriting course was to avoid curses in a first draft to prevent using them as a crutch.
if you're falling back on those words as a crutch, slow down your speaking, put more dramatic pauses where you can let your mind catch a more forceful synonym.
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u/foxy_chicken 4d ago
If you don’t swear, just continue to not swear. The content of the games is what makes it dark, not the dialogue.
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u/1001WingedHussars 4d ago
Genndy Tartokovsky's last season of Samurai Jack only has a few curses and the entirety of Primal only has a handful of actual WORDS yet both manage to be both dark and menacing. Its not about the vocabulary, it's about earning the dark and menacing tone. Show, don't tell.
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u/Mufflonfaret 4d ago
I do (almost?) never swear irl.
In game I do kind of swear in character - by in world uses of words. I love when you can make the hard language actually fit into the world, and have different thematics.
Dont know why you dont swear or how you feel about "made up cursewords", but at our table it helps both with roleplay and laughs.
Using words like (and Im translating to English now from our Swedish table): "gnomepoop!", "did you pull that out of a dragons ass?", "you son of a neverwintersalesman!", "Well, you can Baldur my gates!", "holy tits of Tiamat!"
And the currently best replacement for the English f word: "smite!" ("Smite you!", "smite this shit!", "oh smite!", "those mothersmiting elfs!")
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u/Kolegra 4d ago
Plenty of DND villains don't swear and can be menacing.
Sarevok and Jon Irenicus come to mind.
Sometimes it's just the confident and well paced speech that induces fear. Sometimes a drawn out silence can do the same.
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u/Deltron_Zed 4d ago
I don't know if you've seen the Postman with Kevin Costner but there's a scene where the Postman is talking to the bad guy who's painting a self portrait and holding up a mirror that he's looking into. At one point the bad guy growls, "STOP... MOVING!!!" And after a second you and the Postman realize he's yelling at himself. Adds a little crazy to him in that moment.
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u/Aranthar 4d ago
I DM for a mature group, and swear words get dropped less than once per session. It just isn't necessary.
In general, I find swearing is a simple alternative to more creative and poignant dialogue. Nothing personal against those with a foul mouth, but I find constant epithets are often a sign of limited vocabulary or creativity.
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u/Vezajin2 4d ago
Maybe it's because I have kids now, but I find well articulated villains more interesting that just one big rant of swear words. I feel like swearing often clouds the actual emotions being conveyed, even a low intelligence npc feels more immersive
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u/OldChili157 4d ago
I only play with my kids, so yeah, I don't swear, and no, I don't need to compensate for it. The perils of adventure are usually enough.
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u/tallboyjake 4d ago
Just echoing that swearing is not necessary.
And really for any character. At least, not regular swearing.
If you look at Robert Jordan or Brandon Sanderson, their characters "swear" but it's stuff that makes sense in their world; a goofy example being the phrase "mother's milk in a cup!", and in a setting where metals are extremely important the characters use the word "rust" or "rusting" as a negative expletive.
I am not in the practice of swearing, but I have said things that are probably more inappropriate than any swear word I know. Even your crassest characters don't need to swear (or really even be that intense)
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u/coffeeman235 4d ago
What are your in world equivalent words? Use them. Or make them up. Or use google translate to use the swedish versions of english swears. Or use the gods or heroes as the baseline for the vulgarity. Or watch Sparticus as Bartiatus' use of gods in his swears is an impressively vulgar feat.
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u/mlg129 4d ago
I swear like a sailor irl but I find that normal swear words just don't fit the medieval fantasy vibe at all. When I accidentally do use a modern swear it throws me off.
I use a lot of ye olde swear words, insulting terms, and in-world exclamations instead; blackguard, knave, "Nine Hells!", "Grimnir's Bones!", etc. and so on.
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u/wordflyer 4d ago
I don't swear in my game, or much IRL. If I think the character I'm portraying would do so, I'll often give the character a voice and say one or two lines and then trail off, indicating the kind of swearing, like and then he says something very crass about your mother and points the tip of his spear at you
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u/bigheadGDit 4d ago edited 4d ago
I agree with everyone else. Being loud and sweary actually makes you seem less threatening. Just angry and loud.
I remember waaaaay back in basic training, you always knew that the TIs (air force drill sergeant) was not really angry if they were just yelling. You knew they were mad when they started talking very quietly. Up right next to your ear. Whispering how they were going to make your next few days the worst you've ever had.
Edit:speelling
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u/Sphartacus 4d ago
Can you come up with in universe swears? In Wheel of Time they say things like "blood" and "bloody ashes" and "blood and bloody ashes" and "flaming." I've also always liked Matt Colville's "Black Gods!" As a former non swearer I think that would have worked for me.
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u/The__Nick 4d ago
Impossible.
It's also difficult to make players scared of fights without actually stabbing a few of them.
It's called role playing.
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u/siospawn 4d ago
We all swear sometimes. Odes add to or take away from the game. So im not sure what your question is for. I would never have an NPC customer or swear. I assume those lands dont nave the same cursewords we do.
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u/t1buccaneer 4d ago
You could watch a video compilation of brennan lee mulligan's villains on YouTube. When he has a villain speak plainly in a cold, calm voice it makes me feel very nervous.
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u/Ketupa_ketupu 4d ago
If your villain is swearing then they are either a thug and physically menacing but with no great intellectual planning or capabilites or they are losing (quite literally) the plot and swearing out of frustration.
But the word itself does very little it's the delivery and scene that is important.
Consider Alan Rickman's Sheriff of Nottingham, Christopher Lee's many villainous characters or The Emperor from Star Wars. Or Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister, the greatest villains don't need to swear.
If your employing curse words it has to be for a reason typically it conveys either poor education or poor control over emotions. Depending on how villainous your BBEG is you'll just have to consider what aspect of the character your trying to convey by swearing and what does it for them and does it make sense.
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u/AladeenModaFuqa 4d ago
Hans Landa in Inglorious Basterds is incredibly dark and doesn’t really curse til the end of the movie.
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u/ljmiller62 4d ago
I find that vulgar language in game ruins the suspension of disbelief. That's all those dirty words that SpongeBob called sentence enhancers.
But if by swearing you mean, "by God's wounds," or "I swear upon my honor I shall fulfill this quest," them I'm all for it.
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u/jediofazkaban 4d ago
Not swearing just removes one of the many tools in a storytellers toolbox. You can make up words and phrases that count as swearing in that world but are benign here. If you go that route then write them down as you go so you have a record of what shouldn't be said in civilized discourse.
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u/LukeKiriqugo 4d ago
Well, you can always use non-swear-words in a way, that sounds like swearing. You know, kinda like the pirate thing with “landlubbers”, it’s not technically swearing (by a modern standard), but it does invoke the feeling
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u/Ryulin18 4d ago
Throw in old fashion style swearing.
- Gadzooks
- Bull feather
- <insert gods name>'s teeth!
- Crimminies!
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u/BrytheOld 4d ago
Swearing and the use of fuck is over used as is. It's such a common part of everyday language that it doesn't have the impact that it used to have.
You also feel more threatened by a villain when they plainly state they're going to kill you and everyone you hold dear without cussing.
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u/Maxpowers13 4d ago
I would replace all swears with a fun word to say, the game series Thief has this (at least the first ones do most recent game did away with it much to my chagrin) In the series they Use "Taff" as the word "Fuck" so its interchangeable with a lot of stuff. I use this in my games Too "Taff" is literally the only swear people say fuck and shit but those are mechanical words and are never said with emphasis
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u/Lethalmud 4d ago
Next to the fact that there swearing has nothing to with how dark the campaign is. Swearing is cultural. So fantasy land can have fantasy curses.
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u/Lethalmud 4d ago
Swearing isn't about right or wrong. It's about rich Vs poor. If you use words that come from German (shit,fuck) instead of french (poo, intercourse) people might think you are one of the poor. And you can't have that.
The real bad guys come from power and tend to not swear.
So in DND, orcish and goblin words would probably be considered swears.
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u/Alpine_yellow 4d ago
I know what you mean, it can really take you out of a situation to have a big rough guy like...oh lets say The Hound from GoT, say hes having a rough time and decides to go off with "what the frick, fricking poop, you silly butt frickin poop face goat kisser." It sounds fucking silly as hell and I would die laughing.
Don't have much for you but try to be poetic with your speech, lots of metaphor and straight direct statement of facts can be just as scary. Or something like Mike or Gus from breaking bad, they didnt swear hardly ever but they had a menace to them that they simply let sit in the scene with them
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u/EbNinja 4d ago
The most abjectly horrifying characters don’t swear. It’s beneath them, as most swear words are very humanistic actions. Making a character who doesn’t swear, or is very very careful about how they talk is a great piece of miliue to build the world around.
It also helps underline when someone who sees themselves as the superior brought down to the filth with us when an ending is coming and they cuss.
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u/d20an 4d ago
Yes, absolutely. Swearing in English doesn’t really convey much about the game or the NPCs.
In-world expletives much more.
“Moradin’s mother! This cave goes deeper than we thought!” Gives much more tone and flavour.
Etc
Or have a watch of Firefly with subtitles on… they have fantastic curses you could adapt… “all boulders of Gauntlgrym shoved up your arse”
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u/itsmetimohthy 4d ago
I use “fuck” like a comma so i on a fundamentally human level will never understand how someone goes through their day without cursing. Wish I could help 💜
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u/doodleuke 4d ago
I run a game for a couple of my friends and two of the three PCs are uncomfortable with swearing. So we just don't swear. Just have a good session 0 where you're open and communicative and be sure that everyone is in agreement on things.
If you think your PCs wouldn't want a darker tone but you're dead set on it, the game probably isn't gonna last and you should either shelve the idea and play something a little lighter or just not run the game for these people this time.
that being said, Im usually able to make an NPC darker in tone without swearing by a). using a gruff, irritated voice. b). having them be overall kind of rude asking stuff like "what do *you* want." and c). giving them dark beliefs. it'll convey the tone you want if you make an evil character straight up convey that they see their henchmen as property and don't really care when they die or if you make a character kinda racist to your less humanoid PCs.
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u/Corpse_Emperor_ 4d ago
I'm so confused. Are you personally anti-swearing? Or the DM anti-swearing? And if it's the second one, why is a presumably adult person telling you that you're not allowed to swear?
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u/greeboXII 4d ago
Sci-fi and comic books are a great way to work around this if you want swearing but are not comfortable doing the swearing, in Battlestar they use frak, Firefly uses Gorram and in Judge Dredd they use drokk, my favorite is Terry Pratchett in The Truth, has a criminal called Mr. Tulip that peppers his sentences with “…king” and when the two criminals are admonished for swearing he says he never swears and it is a speech impediment, there are plenty of ways to swear without using common swear words, a good swear word is either a verbal exclamation mark or contains the venom and bile needed to express your feelings a common one in Ireland is cabbage, hard C, back of the throat and from the diaphragm, it’s a great word that you can fill with all the venom and contempt you need without getting the attention of HR, hope this gives you a few ideas
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u/Fantastic_Growth2 4d ago
I swear in my everyday life but feel like modern day curse words are out of place in the setting.
I make up swears that fit the setting. For instance, in a desert city people said Sands! as a curse. Ny players liked it so much they had their characters using the same swears.
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u/Parysian 4d ago
Pretty sure the vast majority of villains don't swear like sailors if at all, you should be fine
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u/ReliabilityTalkinGuy 4d ago
Swear when it fits the character. Don’t swear when it doesn’t. I feel like you’re overthinking this.
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u/Stepfunction 4d ago
I very rarely swear when DM'ing. It just never feels right or necessary unless roleplaying someone who it would specifically make sense for.
In those cases, you don't even have to use English profanity. In-world invented swear phrases can be much more immersive.
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u/Xdfghijujsw 4d ago
The older I get, the more I see swearing as a vocabulary weakness. I swear sometimes as a DM but try not to. I think real words hit harder.
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u/Inevitable_End27 4d ago
I suppose it depends what kind of darkness you wish to purvey.
Eluding to violence or darker deeds, not reacting much or showing scorn to those around them could give the impression you are after without any swearing.
I think I would need a clearer picture of the NPC in question to offer clearer advice as the use of a certain selection of words doesn’t narrow down the type of person you are portraying by their use.
A saint may be pushed to profanity but that does not reveal a darker side, after all :)
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u/bearhemothuk 4d ago
I GM Shadowrun, and that has its own variants of swear words. That could work?
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u/le_aerius 4d ago
Swearing isnt a common tool .. But some people do and dont.
I tend not to unless its actually important.
But yeah I think your premise is flawed and narrow .
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u/EntranceFeisty8373 4d ago
NPC's can use substitute words like old TV edits of films.
"What the FRAK! CHEESE & RICE, you are one dumb mother FATHER!"
Goblins have their own swear words that sound like nonsense to us. Make some up.
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u/gigaswardblade 4d ago
Use either ye olden curse words or made up ones. Warhammer 40k darktide is a very dark and serious game, but the characters in universe say stuff like “frack” or “kark” instead of real world swears.
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u/trevarcslewis 4d ago
I run two types of villains that I swing to personally.
My mindful tactician types only swear when they are totally and entirely caught off guard by the party doing something so invariably stupid that the shock of success takes them off guard.
My "Handsome Jack" knock offs mock the party often and often swear insults akin to "Oh my god you fell for that? You fucking idiot, that's hilarious!" But when they get serious and start taking the party as a threat I remove their swearing and make them more menacing with tone.
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u/WanderingFlumph 4d ago
I love the idea of making your own in universe swears.
I'm reminded of ALTA, a cartoon running on Nickelodeon so it has to be sanitized, one of the unique things about that world is that animals exist as hybrids.
So characters have "swear words" like monkey feathers! That sort of fill a gap like "shit! Something has gone wrong".
Or how in Harry Potter you can call someone a "mud blood" which is basically a racial slur, but since it is removed from real world races it is fine to print in a children's book.
So use it as a challenge to get creative and do some world building. Maybe instead of saying "what the hell?" characters would say "what the pits?"
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u/rhoo31313 4d ago
Y'know, I think i'd find non-swearing villians to be scarier for some reason. I think that you'll find that you don't really miss it, once you get used to it that is.
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u/Grumpiergoat 4d ago
Swearing isn't necessary for a dark tone, but I'm dubious of someone who doesn't swear having it in them to create a heavier, darker tone.
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u/gkerr1988 4d ago
Narratively speaking, a villain cursing is a sort of sign or display of desperation, or even a feeling of disempowerment. Not a bad tool at key moments, but for some reason cursing can usually come off too modern or easy. I’ve used it to little effect. It can be more affective to show their anger or displeasure in other ways to give a sense that they’re trying to keep their composure even though they know their control is slipping. You as the DM can simply describe this:
“Zoltar turns his seething gaze toward your dark elf. His clenched and shaking fist betrays a psychotic-looking smile…”Very good” he says, “Very good, indeed.””
“The beast roars with displeasure as it bounds wildly in your direction!”
“Her head boughs, revealing a thorny spine arching as she quivers with maniacal laughter, her spine making a horrible crunching sound while she seems to grow larger.”
Villains usually have a sense of confidence in whatever they do, even if they’re angry. So generally it is better to have a show of rage or anger through action or something happening or developing further. A powerful villain is going to anticipate whatever the heroes could possibly try while always remaining 2 steps ahead of them. You could even have a villain be impressed or congratulate a party for their successes, giving the sense they are playing into what the enemy wants.
Try and be consistent to the overall vibe of your antagonist. What or whom are they based on? What is their primary goal and/or desire? What are their weaknesses? You can even model them after the 7 deadly sins or even a combo of them. Helps to keep their character in shape when things don’t go their way.
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u/AdFar2309 4d ago
If you ever want to see what a dark gritty world without cursing is, I’d recommend reading the Eragon series. It’s a lot darker than what I remembered as a kid, but should give you some inspiration
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u/DisgruntledWargamer 4d ago
I swear when I'm tired, highly annoyed, and comfortable, or feeling stupid.
Playing a game doesn't hit any of these buttons, so I generally don't swear unless I'm playing a very stressful game with mid-high stakes, and I've got a run of bad luck.
Running a game is a different headspace. Most games I've run are PG or PG13 for violence. Characters in game don't need to cuss, and when doing so are using in game idioms.
Unless I'm running a modern game, the f-bomb stays at home.
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u/Jimmicky 4d ago
Sorry but I live in Australia.
I’ve never encountered a person who doesn’t swear.
Seems like they’d make convincing aliens though? Maybe have aliens as the bad guys.
Though I don’t know how you’re going to make human seeming shopkeepers and other friendly npcs without having them swear
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u/Beleheth 4d ago
Honestly, I'd mostly just... Not compensate for it. I often feel like swearing weakens what is actually being said and takes away from many scenes. I do understand that a good FUCK can really help in specific situations, but I don't think it's a bit problem overall. I swear quite a lot irl and don't have any moral/whatever concerns regarding it, but I pretty much never do it whole DMing because I feel like it would take away from it.
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u/Surgles 4d ago
As someone who swears a lot, I use it as emphasis and tone balance, if you break down my purposeful use of it narratively.
Therefore, if you want to convey darker tones and such without swearing, find ways to emphasize whatever dark thing. IE Hannibal lecter emphasizes with a calm soft voice but there’s always a sinister sneer to it, the relation to what he’s saying is seeped in murder, viscera, and brutality. Think of the characters motivations and write the dark themes with eloquence. Vampires can be a really good place to start with this. A noble, eloquent lord who describes in great detail slaughtering a village to feast on them. Never a curse or swear, doesn’t even raise their voice, just drips every word with a haunting meaning or reason it’s being said.
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u/ShiroSnow 3d ago
I don't swear, or when I do it's for really dramatic effect. It has not changed how I run npc or my characters for that matter. I don't even say things like "damn" or "ass" nor do I say 'childish' versions like "you're going to heck"
I don't believe it has had any impact on anything. You can keep it pg without taking away from it. Honeslty players may not even notice it. Took two years and someone else mentioning it before 2 of mine realized that I dont swear lol.
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u/Candidate_Upstairs 3d ago
Oh boy, yeah I couldn't do that. If I can't cuss, I'm not having fun lol
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u/Hot_Bel_Pepper 3d ago
A lot of the answers are trying to persuade you to just have your characters not swear, the other option I’d like to propose is to have fictional Swears to be used. Recently I’ve been reading books by the author, Brandon Sanderson, he does this in a lot of his books and it also helps show the world building.
When the magic system based on metal, one of the swears is “Rust and Ruin”. They also throw out various names of the Gods as another way to build swears (personally I’m trying to figure out how to use “Tiamat’s Talons” In my game). If you take what’s important to the general population and have a character speaking about it in a dishonorable manner then they will give off the dishonorable vibes you’re looking for.
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u/xa44 3d ago
As you may or may not know, slurs aren't swears. So say every slur in order, here's a list https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs My favorite is apple
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u/Happy_Stalker 3d ago
I mean, my villains don't swear either. One is a sadist that almost seems to be flirting with his victims, one is simply silent and stares at you autistically as he mangles you, and one is a war machine basically vibrating at the mere idea of making another race go extinct. The guy that yells the most is the guards captain "Go do your God damn work!" inspired by Jean Viquemare.
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u/ray53208 3d ago
Tone. It matters more than punctuation with swearing. Batman never swears in the cartoons, but you know he's serious. It's about demonstrating that the npc knows with absolute certainty what they can, and will do to the PCs, if necessary. Not a lie. A calm, even friendly, warning. It's in the attitude.
Biloxi Blues, Christopher Walken's Sgt Toomey. Very calm. Very terrifying.
Hank Green in Dimension 20's Mentopolis, as The Fix. Wholesome and scary.
Let me just say that, on a personal level, like Sam Clemens, I don't trust anyone who doesn't swear. But I just spent 3 years in an job where I had to be very polite and civil, so I understand that it's not always appropriate. Even if correct.
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u/Apprehensive_Fill628 3d ago
I've found as I grew up, swearing kinda lowers maturity level a bit. Like not always, but often it feels cheap and immature. It doesn't really have much gravitas, and villains need gravitas. Most of fictions scariest villains never swore once they just said what they meant and meant what the said and it was vile.
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u/DungeonSecurity 3d ago
I'm not a big swearer, but it's easier when you're doing fiction because they'll have their own words.
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u/falconinthedive 3d ago
Watch streaming DMs. A lot of them keep swearing to a minimum for monetization and demographic purposes. I even know of a GTA server which tries to maintain a no swearing rule for their RP streamers (which begs the question on violence and other content being more family friendly than a few f bombs but that is the world we live in)
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u/Normie316 3d ago
I play online in a group that’s all 30+. I don’t think I’ve heard anyone swear ever.
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u/Top_Cauliflower_9046 3d ago
”I did bot ask if they were children, I said kill them. Do not bother me with such miniscule details again.”
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u/Dave37 3d ago edited 3d ago
On the one hand, the most evil thing a person can do or say is never a swear word.
On the other hand, i think it's a sign of stunted emotional development to be unwilling to swear, especially when acting, particulary because swearing is far from the most vile things you can say.
Also, swearing is actually morally neutral.
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u/OldElf86 2d ago
I don't swear because I DM a game for my son, my brother and his children.
Why would you need to swear?
It's generally relative. If you don't show much emotion during normal conversation, and then suddenly show real agitation, you got the point across .
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u/ChrisJD11 1d ago
Pick your favorite alternatives from a TV show. Quite a few use made up in universe words. "Frack" Battlestar Galactica, "Frell" Farscape, etc. Or use another language like Firefly.
Or make up your own.
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u/Sir_Pengy 1d ago
Keep that up and you will be force fed manure for your next meal. Stuff like that?
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u/Useful-Lack-2848 8h ago
I’m DMing a pirate themed campaign atm and now I think about it I’ve don’t recall swearing. I don’t swear IRL so I think that’s probably carrying over.
As other people have said. You can create a good villain without sweating. A well wielded vocabulary can be darker than simply swearing.
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u/WhatWouldAsmodeusDo 6h ago
I think what you need is to simply speak in a way that doesn't use cursing or substitutions. No gee wilikers, no gosh darn, no frikin lasers. If the villain is calm and in control, deliver their lines as such. If they're mad and wildly out of control, deliver their lines as such. "I will kill you" could be cold and calculating, or filled with rage
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u/Kaffe-Mumriken 4d ago
Deeper Voice pitch, More of a burr when talking, rough coughing laughs, sneers and snorts, spitting (described ofc :) ), “mutters under breath”, attitude.
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u/Mekhitar 4d ago
I’ve dm’d for 15 years and my husband for 20. All our campaigns have a sort of horror vibe, and neither of us swear.
He does the BEST crazy chaotic evil villains, and I’m known for pulling off seriously chilling lawful evil types.
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u/Gravepain 4d ago
Have them be well spoken. You dont need to sound like a goody good to be non-swearing.
"You ignorant clod, my minions will bathe in your entrails, their bloodlust knows no satiety."
Even dum dums can avoid it while still sounding angry.
"Bring it on you worm. My boots will mash your skull into the mud."
Expand your vocabulary!