Bad Guys

Even though a lot of Charmed seems to focus on the social lives and relationships of the Halliwell sisters, they are also in the bad guy fighting business. Lined up against them are the forces of evil and the minions of Hell, much in the same way as in Buffy. Each episode pits the Halliwells against a new and dangerous bad guy. These are usually Warlocks and Demons, but have also included the ‘one offs’ like Leprechauns, Dream Sorcerers and Ghosts that any Buffy fan is familiar with. You will find that with a bit of adaptation, pretty much any Buffy villain will fit into a Charmed game. Having said that, Vampires were a little different, but as they appeared in only one episode of Charmed you are better off just checking that episode out. It won’t be too much of a hardship as Paige makes a very good looking bloodsucker (which is not surprising for one of Marilyn Manson’s ex-girlfriends). However, before you go off to check out Monster Smackdown for your Charmed game, there are two particular enemies that need a bit more detail. The Warlocks and Demons are the most common foes faced by any group of Witches, so pay attention.

Warlocks and Evil Witches

The difference between these two adversaries is subtle but important. The apparent difference is that a Warlock is a male witch. While most Warlocks in Charmed seem to be male, it isn’t quite the case. A Warlock is the lowest form of life in Hell’s hierarchy. They are born as Witches, but sell their souls to Hell for greater power. They are still quite weak by demonic standards, but they are often more than a match for a Witch. Few Warlocks work well in a group, and they tend to rely on their magic powers rather than their magic spells. So I tend to believe that they can only cast spells as a group, or at least with less potency than a Witch. Their powers are a different story though. They often have rather nasty abilities which get more direct results, such as blasting fire or lightning. Many can move extremely quickly as well. The worst thing about them is that some can steal the powers of Witches they kill (regardless of their sorcery rating) allowing them to acquire a truly terrible selection of powers.

Evil Witches are just that, Witches that are bad and nasty through and through. Again, there is no need for them to be female, although most seem to be in the show. The difference between an evil Witch and a Warlock is that while a Witch may be bad, she is not a servant of Hell. Think of her as a freelancer, going about her business of causing evil and pain to further her own selfish ends. Hell doesn’t mind, as the more evil in the world the better. However, now and again Hell and an evil Witch may find themselves working against each other to get what they want. At times like these the fight can get very nasty indeed, as neither side is very good at compromise or sharing. Evil Witches tend to be less reliant on their powers, but truly powerful with their spells. So they often try to keep away from the good guys and curse them from afar. Many also invest a lot of power in artefacts, like a wand. Often they put so much energy and essence into these artefacts that their loss can sometimes render them almost powerless.

Demons

In Buffy, Demons are simply extra-planer beings. Some are good, some bad, some weird and some human. In Charmed, they are almost the complete opposite. Every Demon is a creature of Hell, and evil to the core, but they all look frighteningly normal. You need not always be born a Demon. Some very special humans impress Hell enough to invest them with demonic power. Sometimes a human who has given up their soul for such power can be redeemed, but this is very rare indeed. In Charmed, Cole is such an example, and several seasons on we are still not sure if he can be trusted. So in general, Witches should have no problem with killing demons, as they are doing the world a favour. There is no ambiguity; Demons are bad and only capable of evil.

Demons in Charmed, all look human, there are no horns and forked tails in Charmed. A few of the more powerful ones may have glowing eyes or taloned fingers, but such things are subtle and easily concealed. All demons are adept at taking human form and are very hard to spot in the crowd. So much of the Witches work is trying to uncover the demons in their midst before they can try to destroy them.

The hierarchy of Hell is very strict, and demons must work their way up it. Each demon takes such power as they are able to hold onto, and seeks to gain more. The higher up the scale a demon is, the more powers they will have and the more resistant to magic they will be. The greatest demon of them all is called ‘The Source’. This demon is invested with the source of all evil, and is an extraordinarily powerful demonic being. You are best off leaving him to the Charmed ones. They had their own way of dealing with him, once they’d finished kissing him that is.

If I don't get told to take this site down, I may produce some stats for the various bad guys the Charmed ones have faced. In the meantime the Buffy and Angel RPGs have more than enough nasties that are ripe for vanquishing.