DM's Quest: Turning a Good PC Bad

[Halivar]

Ooop... the name of the CG cleric being tempted is Addelina. Her object of hatred is the LN Delia.

The secret is to make (true) evil seem attractive, seductive. Maybe the Hextorites come looking for revenge against the party en masse, and the Blackguard helps Delia slaughter them? Then he advocates attacking the Hextorite castle(s) "to eliminate the threat at its source". The whole situation could swiftly escalate into all-out war between nations and the triumph of whatever CE forces the Blackguard serves.

Replace all occurances of Delia with Addelina, and you have a brilliant idea, that I will implement. Already the player has asked me if it was ok for her to abandon Pelor for someone more aggressive or active... or powerful.

Also, I want to give Addie some good warnings, probably in the form of dreams with metaphoric imagery warning her what is going on. I want her to have every chance to avert danger.

 

[Goobermunch]

Looks like a case of Schroedinger's Alignment.

--G

 

[Elf Witch]

I have a question for you. It is about dynamics at the table. You have three players does it pften happen that the ones playing the thief and the wizard often agree on what to do and the player playing the cleric is often on the other side of a decision?

The reason I am asking this is because it could be one reason the player of the cleric seems to be heelbent on killing the NPC without bothering to investigate if the NPC is evil. I have seen this happen sometimes in the games I play in you start to feel that no one ever listens or wants to do what you want to do and this can color how you play your character.

Now if this is not going on then I think your plan is great. Using good against themselves is what evil will do. This character is choosing to walk down the path leading to losing her abilities. She is not investigating if this NPC is evil nor is she stopping to think hey paladins don't knife people in the back a simple religion check should tell her what she needs to know about paladins of a lawful god and how thye would behave.

 

[Halivar]

I had a conversation with the player yesterday and explained to her that her original plan to kill Delia while she was helpless was an evil act. I also explained to her that Pelor prohibited the indiscriminate slaughter of evil people (at least, in my campaign he does). I feel like I have made my position on this subject very clear, and she assented that what she had wanted to do was not in character with someone of her faith.

Later in the conversation though, she's telling me how her character is going to plan out putting the evil magic dagger in Delia's back. My thought: evil and without remorse.

Later in the campaign, before she commits this act, I will make sure she understands that it is evil. But at the same time, the BBEG is going to play on her character's dislike of Delia and her own personal greed for power. Addelina will have made up her mind long, long before as to what alignment she really is.

BTW, there's like this whole other plot out there, not even about the cleric that has to do with defeating undead armies, a liche king and his blackguard cronies and a reluctant ghost questing for eternal rest. So, I'm not exactly singling the cleric out, as some may fear. There's plenty of... dare I say it... "adventure in the offing" (name that quote) for everyone.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

Okay I'm skipping about 20 posts with this response, their first couple where very negative and I want to give my honest opinion before public opinion could soften them.

The cleric of PELOR (as in... GOOD), sees a girl in black (and before she notices any Hextor sigils), says, "She's evil! Let's go kill her and take her stuff!" Oh.... yes...

Sounds like someone has seen to many westerns... Not everyone in black is evil, but lets say that they are, maybe the person was capatured and the only clothes the evil people had where black? Hence the poor soul that needs rescuing.

If the person was evil wouldn’t it be the cleric that would suggest testing the weapons for evilness? I've always seen clerics as being there to destroy blasphemous objects and prevent them from corrupting others. Seems like the above cleric was blatant disregarding her robes and her oath.

Since then, Delia has done nothing to the cleric of Pelor other than look menacing and wear black and be helpful at every opportunity. But the cleric refuses to heal her in battle, and actively plots against her. She also is growing resentful of the shine the rest of the group is taking to Delia.

Again blatant disregarded for her robes and her oath.

So now I'm going to turn this cleric of Pelor bad. I have some clerics of "Hieroneous" contact our cleric friend about a secret meeting. Our cleric lies to her group, saying she has to visit a sick friend. At the meeting, she meets the paladin prince of Hieronea (or so she thinks). All I have to do is say, "Picture Collin Farrel. He sort of looks like him, but in shiny, beautiful full plate." Hook, line and sinker. The "paladin" plays on the cleric's hatred of Delia, and eventually asks her to plant a dagger (with one-time true strike and Power Word, Kill) in Delia's back at a future date (when the adventure climaxes) and give him a powerful relic.

Again blatant disregarded for her robes and her oath.

He also asks her to lie to her group about the knife and the meeting. She eagerly agrees. By this point, I think she's ready to sell her soul to Orcus for St. Farrel (the blackguard, had she bothered to cast detect evil). Even though it was a private meeting, I let the other players sit in and listen. The looks on their faces was priceless; they couldn't say anything but they were absolutely incredulous, while the cleric is beaming with happiness ("Oh yes... now she dies...").

Again blatant disregarded for her robes and her oath. Looks like you aready have a "rogue" preist on your hands... Or atlest a totaly stupided one that doesn't cast know alignment or what not.

Now if she does due it I suggest you remove her link from her god/goddess and giver her nightmares about a quest from her god/goddess and a chance to redeem herself...

But I need more. How can I more firmly entrench this cleric into a web of evil, deceit, and treachery? I've never run a campaign so focused on character development before. What would you do?

First the backgaurd though nice is far from awesome... Go pick up The Unholy Warrior handbook By Green Ronin Publications.

Second, let her do it to herself... Only add more if her character wants it... Like she attracted to the blackguard, etc, etc, etc.

Hit me up on chat if you need to know more about it.

 

[S'mon]

Ooop... the name of the CG cleric being tempted is Addelina. Her object of hatred is the LN Delia.

Replace all occurances of Delia with Addelina, and you have a brilliant idea, that I will implement. Already the player has asked me if it was ok for her to abandon Pelor for someone more aggressive or active... or powerful.

Also, I want to give Addie some good warnings, probably in the form of dreams with metaphoric imagery warning her what is going on. I want her to have every chance to avert danger.

Delia/Addelina, hmm.

Glad you liked the idea!

 

[Halivar]

First the backgaurd though nice is far from awesome... Go pick up The Unholy Warrior handbook By Green Ronin Publications.

Second, let her do it to herself... Only add more if her character wants it... Like she attracted to the blackguard, etc, etc, etc.

I'll have to leaf through that. Not much cash to fork out for sourcebooks, but I'll see if my local gaming shop has it.

As for the cleric, she is indeed enamored with the blackguard. When we left off, she was having a late-night dinner alone with him (a date, really). I think I may have the blackguard give her an amulet with some sort of sending cast on it that lets him communicate with her, so that she always has his "advice" whenever she disagrees with the group. Of course, his advace will be more and more blatantly evil over time. But will she notice?

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

I'll have to leaf through that. Not much cash to fork out for sourcebooks, but I'll see if my local gaming shop has it.

Whole book wants to make me DM again... *LOL*

It's very awesome, what you have going on above with the attractive blackguard would transfer seamlessly over. Including the Nightmare for a mount. Emworld reviews.