Players and Sacrifice

[Viashimo]

I'm about to start running another campaign, set loosely around the Egyptian pantheon to start off with. One of my players is planing on playing a cleric and going into the Walker of the Waste PrC(though it isn't normally a PC-style class, he'll be able to do it alright). The Walker of the Waste is generally evil, and that in itself is not a problem. The problem is that he's a cleric devoted to Apep(akin to being devoted the Erythnul, god of slaughter), is CE, and plans on conducting an inordinate number of sacrifices based on the sacrificing rules in the Book of Vile Darkness. I'm not really opposed to it being used on the rare occasion, but he plans to sacrifice people in every village they walk through.

The PCs are obviously going to be hunted for this sort of thing, even if it is on the low-down. What else can I do to make sacrifices less worth-while for that player to perform?

 

[Psion]

I'm not really opposed to it being used on the rare occasion, but he plans to sacrifice people in every village they walk through.

The PCs are obviously going to be hunted for this sort of thing,

I was about to say. Perhaps I am biased by my exceedingly strong preference for good PCs, but I don't see this behavior persisting for long before someone takes notice. And if numerous adventures are any indication, it's only a matter of time before an adventuring party hunts him down and deals with him.

 

[Torm]

I'm inclined to agree with Psion.

However (sigh), if your player intends to pursue this, you and/ or they might find looking into the history of the real world Cult of Thugee useful. They were a cult that worshipped Kali, goddess of death and destruction. They would con and gain the confidence of travellers and when a good opportunity presented itself, they would strangle them by throwing a handkerchief or noose around their necks. They then plundered and buried them. All of this was done according to ancient religious forms and rites, in which they sacrificed sugar, as well. The British Empire all but wiped them out around 1837 - some say they DID wipe them out, but there are those who claim the heritage around today, so....

 

[Felon]

Well, if they can make people disappear effectively and move on, then welcome to the wonderful world of serial murder. People get away with that sort of thing. Of course, every DM llikes to think that towns have lots of brave, expendable young males to throw their lives away teaching PC's a lesson, but that's often not the case, particularly in a desert civilization I should think.

If the other players find it to be beneficial or at least entertaining, go with it. If they find it to be a time sink, do you think they'll be reluctant to have a little intervention?

"Look, Ahmen-Bob, we all love you and want to support you, but your ritual sacrifices arre starting to get out of hand."

"Oh, I can stop any time I want to!"

"Dude, you're strangling a small child as we speask!"

 

[Errant]

All you need is one witness to get away & its not secret anymore. A beggar, a local guard, a fleet footed peasant...

Even if they discredit the witness to the authorities, a good church may believe them & send someone to investigate. The PCs eliminate the first team, another stronger team investigates, they disappear, spies are despatched to track the PCs & gather intel until the culprits & their tactics/strengths are identified & a strong strike force are sent. They get taken out, the first church calls in other churches...

PC: What? ANOTHER follower of Ma'at? Thats three this week! Who keeps sending them?

Then again, Apep was traditionally opposed by Set and Mehen. If the PC is recognised as a follower of Apep they could find (evil?) Setites or (good?) Mehenites crashing a sacrificial ritual...

 

[DM_Matt]

The problem is that he's a cleric devoted to Apep

I think I'd have a bunch of guys in camo pop out of an ancient artifact and blast him with P-90s

Seriously, though, call me judgemental, call me stodgy, call me a bad roleplayer, but I just can't comprehend how sane people can enjoy routinely acting out human sacrifice of innocents. Really, thats just creepy.

 

[Brain]

... and plans on conducting an inordinate number of sacrifices based on the sacrificing rules in the Book of Vile Darkness. What else can I do to make sacrifices less worth-while for that player to perform?

Sounds like he is trying to abuse the rules from BoVD. Maybe change those rules or disallow them?

 

[Viashimo]

Thanks for the feedback, it is really is an abuse of the BoVD. I've already put a mostly-ban on it, and most other books. I'm thinking he'll just be sacrificing people and won't necessarily get the stuff for it (ie. bull's strength for a day and shadow exp/gold). Look's like it's learning the hard for the both of us.