Dungeons and Dragons. They've had dozens of villains grace theater screens, from the dulcet tones of the Fairy Godmother to the most recent sinister slashings of the bounty-hunting Wolf. The characters are larger than life, and it's for that reason that they're so beloved. They would make for a diverse and vicious bunch of characters to wreak havoc on the tabletop. DreamWorks tends to have a fondness for these over-the-top villains, and even the most stoic of them will end up bloodthirsty sooner or later, fitting the mood shifts of an average Dungeons and Dragons game.
All of the bizarre classes that any Dungeons and Dragons party is bound to have would fit right into the elaborate worlds of a DreamWorks movie. These classes are fun because they allow players to create unique characters and explore imaginative worlds, collaborate with others to solve problems and make decisions. In this case, however, villains would give opportunities for players to use their creativity, problem-solving skills, and strategic thinking towards significantly more nefarious means that few people would have expected. Players can explore the complexities of the villain's personality and make decisions that are in line with their character's motivations and morals, much like how DreamWorks explores their villains.
10 Wolf (Puss In Boots: The Last Wish)
Echo Knight Fighter 20
Dreamworks’ greatest and most intelligent villains, suring many of Shrek's rogue's gallery. To build this sinister character in 5e, start as a Bugbear Echo Knight and focus on building up Dexterity and Constitution. Wolf's role in the party would be an avatar of death for enemies, dealing damage with unorthodox flanking maneuvers.
Echo Knight perfectly captures the supernatural speed and teleportation of Wolf. Many times, it appears he is in more than one place, so this subclass fits. For feats, make sure to pick up the Slasher feat, since it makes Wolf a more effective Chaser, much like in the movie. Another one to get would be Skill Expert, and pick up Expertise in Intimidation, flavored as his unforgettable whistle.
9 Tai Lung (Kung Fu Panda)
Open Hand Monk 20
In Tai Lung's fighting ability is among the best in the franchise, so much so that even Oogway was shaken by news of his freedom. He was a master of martial arts that took out the Furious Five by himself. As a party member, he would be a damage-dealing monster, taking out swathes of foes with his fists. A Tabaxi Open Hand Mon is the best fit for Tai Lung. Stunning Fist perfectly represents Tai Lung’s specialty, his paralyzing strikes.
Pick up the Mobile feat to represent Tai Lung’s incredible swiftness in battle. Another great feat to pick up is Alert for the bonus initiative. After that, start maxing out Dexterity and Constitution to shore up Tai Lung's primary stats. Tai Lung should be a physical powerhouse first and foremost.
8 Big Jack Horner (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish)
Hexblade Warlock 1/Thief Rogue 13/Rune Knight 6
With Jack Horner's bag of magic items, something D&D is quite fond of, he terrorizes the fairy tale heroes in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Outside of his magical items though, he's still a mastermind criminal with a huge empire. His role in the party would obviously be that of an arrogant and versatile criminal. To build this boisterous thug, start as a V. Human Hexblade Warlock with the Eldritch Adept feat for Agonizing Blast invocation.
After that Hexblade Dip, shift to Thief Rogue, and max out Charisma. Jack Horner, despite his evil nature, is pretty charismatic. Thief Rogue’s 13th-level feature is the key here, as it allows Jack Horner to use any magic item. After gaining this, shift to Rune Knight 6 for the Giant’s Might features, reflecting Jack’s “Alice in Wonderland” potions.
7 Lord Shen (Kung Fu Panda 2)
Battle Master Fighter 20
As the primary antagonist of darker tone Kung Fu Panda adopts on Netflix. Instead of just being good at fighting, he was cunning and used everything to his advantage, taking out fighters far more adept than him. As a party member, Shen would be the most versatile fighter, fulfilling any role needed of him. To reflect this cunning nature, Battle Master Fighter makes perfect sense.
Lord Shen would be an Aarakocra Battle Master Fighter. For feats, pick up Martial Adept for even more maneuvers, and Polearm Master to represent Shen’s signature weapon. After maxing out Dexterity, prioritize Charisma, as this is how Lord Shen was able to intimidate his enemies.
6 Captain Chantel DuBois (Madagascar 3)
Hunter Ranger 20
The DreamWorks’ impressive roster of villains. In the third movie of the Madagascar franchise, the gang is being chased by the borderline unstoppable animal control officer Chantel DuBois. Chantel's role would be that of the investigator, somebody the party can rely on to fulfill the needs. Hunter Ranger is basically the 5e version of animal control, so that would be perfect for Chantel.
For the favored enemies, choose beasts and monstrosities. For each class feature level, pick up the following features: Colossus Slayer, Multiattack Defense, Volley, and Evasion. For feats, pick up Observant and Alert to showcase the Captain’s impressive tracking skills. With these tools, Chantel becomes a master animal wrangler.
5 Kai (Kung Fu Panda 3)
Astral Self Monk 20
As the then “final boss”, Kai was the most powerful of the Kung Fu Panda franchise’s villains to that point, effortlessly taking out master martial artists with ease with his iconic God of War style chain blades. As the former best friend of Master Oogway himself, and the only man Oogway felt threatened by, it's not shocking to see why he got that status. As the party's warlord, he'd make an effective damage dealer and tank. Start the build with a Minotaur Astral Self Monk, and pick up the Dual Wielder feat for the extra survivability and proficiency.
After that, max out Wisdom and Constitution for ASI. Astral Self makes the most sense for Kai, as he did come from the Spirit Realm. The spectral arms can be flavored as Kai’s iconic chain blades. The extended reach certainly fits the flavor for it, and it also has the bonus of looking intimidating to enemies.
4 Pitch Black (Rise of the Guardians)
Shadow Sorcerer 20
As the main threat of easily be built as a creepy Shadow Sorcerer. Charismatic he may be, there's no hiding all the shadows and general evilness emanating from him. To build this shadowy baddie, start with a Shadar-Kai Shadow Sorcerer, as Shadowfell would obviously be his domain.
Pick up the Eldritch Adept feat for Armor of Shadows. After that, max out the Charisma and Constitution stats. From here, it’s just a matter of flavoring spells to be more “shadowy”. Illusion and conjuration spells such as Darkness and Cloudkill work particularly well for Pitch Black’s style of fighting. Although he works alone, Pitch Black's perfectly willing to work with others, and his role in the party would be that of a damage dealer, distracting with his "nightmares" and dishing out the hurt with evocation spells.
3 Drago Bludvist (How To Train Your Dragon 2)
Totem Barbarian 4/Drakewarden 16
Drago Bludvist is How To Train Your Dragon 2, Drago's menacing army becomes a threat to Hiccup and his clan's way of life. This is because Drago dominates dragons with his physical might and cruelty, not understanding and empathy. Drago fulfills the role of a powerful half-tank for his party with his toughness and mount.
The extra resistance is flavored as Drago’s dragonhide cape. For the first feat, pick up Tough, then Resilient (Dexterity) for the 4th level. Shift to Drakewarden from here on out and max out the ASI for Strength and Constitution. Be sure to role play the relationship with Drago's dragon as a master, not a friend.
2 Megamind (Megamind)
Battle Smith Artificer 20
Despite his lack of common sense, Megamind is no fool. While it's true that Megamind does eventually become a hero, he was the villain of his own movie for most of the runtime. Megamind even creates his own meme-worthy villain before fixing his own creation. His genius-level intellect could only be captured by the subclass Battle Smith Artificer. His role would be that of a caster, doling out heals and damage with his tech. For his race, a “blue alien’ could just be a blue Baalzebul Tiefling.
Priority stats would be Intelligence and Charisma, as presentation is important. For feats, pick up Actor and Eldritch Adept for the free Disguise Self invocation. This should represent his “glamour” tech well, as only a feat could make his performances convincing. Flavor the Steel Defender as Minion, and don’t be shy to roleplay Minion as well by giving him his own voice.
1 Fairy Godmother (Shrek 2)
Glamour Bard 20
Fairy Godmother is the sinister yet charismatic villain of Shrek 2, with a penchant for hiding people’s true nature. Fairy Godmother's song number in the climax is one of the best songs in the Shrek franchise, so she’s an obvious choice for Glamour Bard. Much like in the movie, her role in the party would be that of the face, a charismatic front before a vicious attack. Start as a V.Human Glamour Bard and pick up the Fey Touched to learn the spells Bless and Misty Step without preparing them, which would fit her "Fairy Godmother" gimmick.
After that, focus on maxing out Charisma before picking up the Resilient (Constitution) feat to improve concentration. For the Magical Secrets spells, make sure to pick up Wish at the 18th level, as any Fairy Godmother worth their wand should be able to grant wishes. The earlier levels depend on the players’ preferred playstyle, but make sure to have lots of Illusion and Enchantment spells.
