DMs, Do you allow your group(s) to play Evil PCs and/or parties, & why?

[Cyberon]

Basicly i allow the players to play either an evil group with allowance for a Neutral Good, or a god group with allowance for a single Neutral Evil character..

Any other mixing of alignment leads to conflict.. and even allowing a single character of Neutral Evil/Good causes some conflicts if the group contains any of the extreme Good/Evil alignments.

 

[Ziggy]

I voted shades of gray.

In my experience a too big aligment spread in the party will cause it to break up, especially along the good-evil axis.

.Ziggy

 

[IceBear]

I voted shades of gray.

In my experience a too big aligment spread in the party will cause it to break up, especially along the good-evil axis.

.Ziggy

Same here. I know that intelligence is a factor, but in the end if someone is *accurately* playing their alignment there is going to be conflicts among the good and evil PCs that will lead to party dissolution. I like the party to stay together for the long haul.

IceBear

 

[Tom Cashel]

I voted "shades of grey." Neutrality is fine by me, as a DM or as a player. Hello again, Rub!

My philosophy for D&D alignments has always "generally" been that "Good & Evil" are merely a perception based on ones goals, & morals in relation to another persons goals, & morals.

I completely disagree with this. My philosophy of the real world is what you've stated above.

In D&D, "good" and "evil" are absolutes. You have to do quite a bit of houseruling to make it otherwise, which I imagine you have done.

So, if I am playing an "evil" character in your campaign, I would feel that I am justified in whatever actions I take to promote my cause, because I believe that it is "good" for me and mine? If you're going to make it relativistic, why bother having alignments at all? Why not just have a personality for each individual character?

 

[Vaxalon]

There's enough moral ambiguity in the world, I don't want it in my game, too. I require that the PC's be heroes... which pretty much lets out any evil alignments.

Some of the PC's have got peccadilloes, however. One of them hates her own culture with a vengeance, but otherwise is a decent person.

 

[Magic Rub]

There's enough moral ambiguity in the world, I don't want it in my game, too. I require that the PC's be heroes... which pretty much lets out any evil alignments.

Some of the PC's have got peccadilloes, however. One of them hates her own culture with a vengeance, but otherwise is a decent person.

So question, If she meets up with (good) people of her own culture & some type of conflict happens (some one gets killed). Is her "Goodness" in question. "hates her own culture with a vengeance" is not a Good choice for a PC "peccadilloes". Hates Orcs, hates evil liches, hates Sea Bass are all good but your own kind. Sounds like someone is on a dark path.

 

[Tom Cashel]

I'd say yes, absolutely, in that situation the character's goodness would be in question. But it leads to interesting role-playing: does the character attempt to atone (preserving the goodness) or keep walking toward the "dark side"?

 

[Magic Rub]

Re: Re: DMs, Do you allow your group(s) to play Evil PCs and/or parties, & why?

why bother having alignments at all? Why not just have a personality for each individual character?

The PCs, & NPCs in your group don't have personalities as well as alignments?
*Snicker* sorry

 

[Tom Cashel]

I can only assume that post is an example of what passes for "maturity" in your game. Thanks for getting me involved in what I thought was a fine discussion and then pissing me off.

Have fun!

[EDIT]

 

[IceBear]

This is getting pointless. In the D&D world "evil" and "good" are distinct things. They aren't moral states of mind like in real life. That's why you can detect someone as being evil or good with a spell.

Obviously, Tom isn't saying that his PCs and NPCs don't have personalities he is just stating that the way alignments are defined in D&D, these alignments define a personality.

If you want to create a "good" character with an "evil" personality trait that's just a hook for good role playing.

IceBear