Manipulative Bastard

Basic Information

A Manipulative Bastard is a character - often, but not always, a villain - who excels at getting what he wants by manipulating the emotions and perspectives of others. They rarely dirty their hands themselves, but often cause heavy emotional damage in their victims.

See Also

• Anti-Hero - Manipulative Bastard protagonists are likely this at best.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer
• Casanova
• Con Man
• Consummate Liar
• The Charmer
• The Chessmaster
• Clock King
• The Corrupter
• Devil In Plain Sight
• Et Tu, Brute?
• Evil Gloating
• Evil Matriarch
• False Reassurance
• Femme Fatale
• Flaw Exploitation
• Guile Hero
• Hannibal Lecture
• High School Hustler
• Horrible Judge Of Character - preferred victims.
• Karma Houdini
• Let's You And Him Fight - the frequent result of the manipulations of the Manipulative Bastard.
• More Than Mind Control
• My Beloved Smother
• The Reason You Suck Speech
• Trickster
• Sarcastic Confession
• The Vamp
• Xanatos Roulette

Sources

Bibliography

1. TV Tropes Wiki entry

Game and Story Use

• These are the perfect foils for physically very powerful characters, as they attack them in ways they are not prepared for.
  • If in doubt, attack the player characters via their pride, as that's often the one thing they tend to have in abundance.