Allow an evil cleric and other evil characters??

[gariig]

I was wondering how DMs handled people who wanted to play evil characters. Also, I posted it in the General group because I want to see how players felt as well.

I'm running a FR game that had a spin off from the Sunless Citadel. We have a good mix of PCs and one of them is a cleric of Mystara(goddess of magic). We is starting to be seduced by the darker side of some of the cleric spells, he is occasionally using inflict wound spells and is talking about getting vampiric cohortts(controlling them) and using some of the really evil spells. I don't mind TOO much about evil characters...except I don't see evil clerics. Most other classes can put their evil tendencies aside, but a cleric must uphold the greater good(or evil) of his god. I'm afraid that his character will become a NPC soon because he won't work with the party.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Gariig

 

[~Joseph~]

This is kinda long, so here goes.....

I don't think it'll be that much of a problem, first and for most, you need to decide if mystra will alllow her cleric to be evil, you may consider changing her gods from mystra to shar, once you get that out of the way..........

Evil does not mean CE. Just because the character has a different out look on life it doesn't mean they can't work with good characters, just because she's evil she doesn't have to run around killing the weak, stealing, and torturing the innocent. If you've ever read the DL books, raistlin is an evil character, but for most of the books he still works well in a party that is donminated with LG and NG characters.
An evil character can do good things, they just need to be getting something out of it. For instance, the LG paladin rescues the kidnaped princess from the evil dragon lord and destroys the evil there for the sake of justice and prosperity, he is then amply rewarded for by the greatful king and begrudgingly accepts his offer for it would be rude to refuse.
Where the NE cleric desides to rescue the princess and kill the dragon lord because he, in one act, can further his own carrer and the cause of his god by killing off the competition, while at the same time getting a mountain of loot that he can then use to raise an army and take over the kingdom he helped to save.

You can stil have a normal campaign, the cleric just needs different incentives, just the same way a wizard will help because he knows of a powerful spell book in the castle dungeon while the fighter wants to get the magical armor worn by it's protectors. It's in the best intrests for a cleric to heal his party members, as long as they continue to protect him, and they do not impead on the goals of his god.

of course, PC comflict can always lead to a GREAT roleplay session

 

[Crothian]

My problem with evil PCs is that few players will actually play evil. They play characters that do whatever they want without thought or conscequence. They get made when people tell them it's wrong and they can't do that. So, for the most part I don't allow evil or CN characters. People just use them as an excuse to disrupt the game all the while claiming "I'm playing my alingment". I'm just sick of it.

 

[Bastoche]

My problem with evil PCs is that few players will actually play evil. They play characters that do whatever they want without thought or conscequence. They get made when people tell them it's wrong and they can't do that. So, for the most part I don't allow evil or CN characters. People just use them as an excuse to disrupt the game all the while claiming "I'm playing my alingment". I'm just sick of it.

Check their wisdom and intelligence scores. If they are high, they probably aren't playing their character well. Taking the easy way out, no matter the alignment shows a lack of character (low wis and/or low int). Intelligent and wise people no matter how twisted (i.e. evil) won't disrupt the party all the time for sake of moral motivations.

I've seen very very nice character being played very very VERY evil. Bouwahahaha...

 

[evileeyore]

Yeah, I am currently playing in an evil dominant campaign. Our group works to uphold the Law (even though most of us are Neutral-the party leader is Lawful/Evil). In my opinion only two truly evil acts have been committed (and one about to be committed), in 6 months of game play. Mostly because the PC's are endeavering to uphold the laws...

TTFN

 

[The Purple Dragon]

It is my experience that most people want evil so they can do what they want when they want and that my friends is Chaotic/Neutral.

People who truly play evil characters must have a detailed backstory explaining their evil motivations so that there is a frame of reference for the DM. I have seen some really good evil paladins played (yes I allow that because if a good god can have em, why not evil?) Playing Lawful Evil requires some touch as Lawful indicates strict adherence to a system of rules, now how you apply that is up to interpretation. An evil Paladin would never stab someone in the back or strike down an unarmed foe. Lawful evil is one of the hardest alignments to play.

I do allow evil aligned characters in my game, but if I game campaign after campaign with someone and all they want to play is evil characters, I have to nix it.

Most DM's know that most prepared mods are written for good at heart, moral characters. Having a party of majorily evil characters throws 5000 monkeywrenches in the works.

My advice, allow it, but use it with caution, like Sulphuric Acid.

 

[Gizzard]

I had mixed experience with Evil in the campaigns I have played in.

First, I had a character with a similar concept to your Cleric, a 2E Cleric who worshipped the god of death and gradually became more entranced by necromancy. He wasnt really concerned about his actions in this life; he generally hung out with the Thief and backed the Thief up because it was the expedient thing to do rather than the moral thing to do. (Actually, I was a bit surprised to take some random web "alignment test" for this character and have him turn out NE; he always just considered himself a pragmatist. But I guess thats the definition of NE -- "Me first.")

Anyway, if the rest of the party is LG or NG then a NE faction is going to be a constant irritant. In character, both factions have to ask themselves why they would continue to adventure with people who's goals exactly oppose their own. You can invent some crazy series of pressures to keep the party together; but two different adventures with our group ended with two different parties splintering apart. That can be bad if your gaming group takes the in-character infighting personally. (And its hard not to if you are butting heads with the same people every game session. Human nature.)

On the flip side; I ran a sucessful LE campaign where everyone was an Orc. There was a rigid dominance heirarchy, co-operation was actually very high because you do what the bigger Orc tells you to do or recieve a butt-kicking.

Nowdays, I attribute the sucess of this campaign to the strong "Law" component and the disaster in previous ones to the "Neutral" and "Chaos" factions. Maybe thats too simplistic, but its my working theory for now.

 

[KingThorvar]

The main thing to remember when running an evil campaign is to have everyone on the same page.

Have everyone in the party be evil or at least non-good. Then make sure you have backgrounds that will keep party strife from slowing down the game.

Even if it's just a simple, "Your characters realize that they need each other's assistance to keep alive and away from the Harpers that are after them."

We've done a few evil campaigns... they are fun for me as a DM because I have no qualms about slaying evil PC's.

An anti-paladin was going through the town killing people left and right... the priests of lathander tracked him down, held a trial, and executed him.

 

[gariig]

Ok, the campaign is generally good. Three of the PCs are good, one I can't remember because he just remade his character(but I think he is more neutral) and our cleric friend is right now good(he hasn't done anything TOO wrong). Honestly, if he didn't pick a god(dess) like Shar who wants to destroy everything or picked a more neutral god that would allow evil deeds it might work. However, our cleric basically flipped through the book and saw some spells(Death Knell specifically) and said "I want to cast that on dying creatures" and "I want to control a vampire". That's it, his character really doesn't have a background or anything. Maybe if he studied necromanctic magic to help promote magic knowledge and not wanted to do "evil" spells(Death Knell) just because they are cool it might fly with me. I think if he does do a background that will work, then ok(but our Druid and Cleric of Tyr(justice) will definitely be butting heads).

Gariig

 

[gariig]

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