| abstract | - Running The Empire is hard work. No Dark Lord, no matter how powerful and feared, can manage everything on his own and a military-style hierarchy is usually the best of delegating tasks to the various henchmen and minions. As a result, if the heroes wind up having to topple The Empire, they'll end up going against a Standard Evil Empire Hierarchy. Unlike a Five-Bad Band, which tends to be fought as a group, a Standard Evil Empire Hierarchy is defined by the roles they have within a larger Imperial hierarchy. Each member will be encountered individually, either with their assembled mooks or by themselves. In addition, the members rarely deal with each other unless the Emperor calls them for a joint meeting. Infighting is common as they all attempt to assert their authority and it's not unheard-of for one boss to aid the heroes, only to turn on them afterward. One of the hallmarks of the hierarchy is that there is often no clear-cut Dragon role, as all of the bosses answer directly to the Emperor himself. The hierarchy usually consists of:
* The Emperor: The Big Bad himself. Although he might not be an actual Emperor, he is the undisputed ruler of The Empire and the heroes won't reach him until very late in the game, if not the very end. His Imperial Highness will very rarely do much himself, putting things in the hands of his generals and various subordinates. Is very likely to be The Chessmaster and Evil Overlord, naturally.
* The Right Hand: Commonly the Emperor's bodyguard, the Right Hand will often exist outside of the official military and police structure. While his position makes him most likely to be a clear-cut Dragon, it's also possible for him to be dumb muscle that's sent to calm down a particularly troublesome situation. A common device is for him to face the heroes mid-way through, sometimes winning, and then pop up again right before the Emperor. If he is The Dragon, having his own agenda or plans to take over will be much more likely due to his more independent nature.
* The General: Leader of the Empire's military. Most likely to be portrayed sympathetically, The General could very well be a Worthy Opponent, though a General Ripper is also common if the setting runs on Black and White Morality. A Mook Lieutenant is rare, as The General is usually portrayed as being competent, morality aside. Common for him to be The Dragon, The Brute and The Smart Guy rolled into one, though never an Evil Genius since his smarts come from his strategical and tactical abilities. In settings with more than one military branch (army, navy, air force) there can be more than one General.
* The Guard: In contrast to The General, who is in command of the field armies, The Guard is in command of a high-profile prison, fortress or other stationary strong-point. They will likely contrast with The General and be portrayed far less sympathetically, sitting back in their comfy, well-protected stronghold. Expect him to be any combination of Ax Crazy, a Dirty Coward or simply incompetent. They will usually be encountered and defeated early on, to make it clear that The Empire is evil before the heroes encounter a more sympathetic member of the hierarchy.
* The Evil Counterpart: Whether he's a Rival Turned Evil, Sixth Ranger Traitor, Turncoat or simply someone who happens to have similar powers and abilities, he's someone with similar powers and abilities as the heroes, often times creating a Mirror Match. Could fall under any of the other slots depending on the setting, but most commonly The Right Hand or The Oddball.
* The Oddball: If The Right Hand or The Psycho Ranger don't fall under this, expect The Oddball to be a Dark Chick or Evil Genius, wielding powers far different from the others, either dark magic or science. They will have their own agenda and they will be unpredictable, even for their own allies. Alternatively, they could be a mercenary or other form of lowlife hired to track down the heroes, in which case they'll employ the standard weaponry but use unconventional tactics. Either way, the emphasis is that they're connected to The Empire but different.
* The Man Behind the Man: If The Emperor really isn't the True Final Boss, expect this one to be. Often times The Man Behind the Man will be allied with The Emperor, promising dark powers and victory if The Empire aids him in his quest to recover an Artifact of Doom or unlock some Sealed Evil in a Can. The Man Behind the Man is far more common if The Empire is shown to be in command of forces that would be outside what's considered mundane by the standards of the setting. Compare and contrast with the Five-Bad Band, Standard Evil Organization Squad and Power Stable. Examples of Standard Evil Empire Hierarchy include:
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