Long time lurker on here, this is my first post. I'll lead this preface by saying I've run a lot of evil campaigns, with very twisted villains and PC's alike, and likewise have some phenomenally mature players in my group.

Rape is never needed in a campaign under any circumstance.

A lot of stories on here include trigger warnings for Rape, and rightfully so. However so many problems would be directly solved by just, as DMs, never having rape in the campaign in the first place. There are supplements out there, like Tome of Vile Darkness for 3.5e, that have a TON of good information for evil PCs and creating some of the scum of humanity as your villains.

That being said, even Tome of Vile Darkness (and other such media) has a disclaimer about using rape in a campaign, such that it directly advises against it, and claims "one should tread carefully before using it". You can create evil NPCs or BBEG using cults, Self mutilation, sacrifice, child slavery, Necrophilia even (ToVD has a evil statblock in it for a creature that walks around with 4 child slaves chained to him).

I've used variations of these and while my players were horrified, it inflicted the mental image "okay, this dude is definitely evil AF, he needs to go down". I have a father in my group, who saw the BBEG using child hostages who became triggered in a different sort of way, where he raged about "how dare you (bbeg) use children!" And he felt it in his soul because he thought about his kids. This is the kind of mental imagery you can use to convey true evil to a player without scarring them using topics like rape that could potentially bring PTSD flashbacks.

This isnt me saying all your villains should be sunshiny and never doing horriffic acts, I just feel a lot of stories here wouldnt happen and the rape fantasy that so many DMs have would just end if so many didnt include it in their campaigns.

The crazy devout who is covered in scars and self mutilates with a spiked flail, gains 1 to damage and Attack rolls every time he loses 40 HP is much scarier as a villain than someone who rapes the local tavernkeeps daughter.

The Necromancer that wants to be a lich so bad, is such a weird necrophiliac that Undead literally ignore him because they think he is one (yes. Lich Loved is a feat that is in said ToVD that does this) would seem to me much more maniacal and psychotic than the Generic vampire #1245926 who rapes all his victims.

Thanks for coming to my Ted talk. Just my 2 cents. What are some ways DMs can make evil NPCs or PCs can be evil in your guy's minds that dont include Rape?