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Message: <blockquote data-quote="William Ronald" data-source="post: 2212735" data-attributes="member: 426">Even if the NPC has been acting in a generally good way, domino, the action you described is evil.  The fact that the advisor is trying to eliminate any possible tie to his actions with the murder of the family compounds it.  Also, the reason that the advisor seems to be commiting this act through his proxies is to curry favor with the king. (As the advisor supports the existing order, I would argue that lawful evil is the most appropriate alignment.  Lawful evil characters can feel loyalty to someone, seeking to advance themselves underneath someone else's banner.  The advisor may realize that although he can never become king, he still has an important rule to play in the kingdom.)Even a "good" person may cause the death of an innocent person -- but should be expected to atone for it to maintain this status.  (I can think of a prominent example, but it would perhaps veer too closely to the rule against religious discussions.)The NPC may well see himself as a patriot, and could well justify his actions on a legitimate feeling of patriotism. Sometimes villains can be made more interesting by having their faults stem from what would normally be a virtue.  So, the advisor may well be legitimately concerned with his nation's security.  However, he can also be someone who will use brutal tactics to get the job done.  For example, the advisor may believe he has to ensure that he maintains good relations with the king.  Possibly he has a proposal he wishes to sell to the king  -- one that may well benefit the nation.  So, perhaps ensuring that the king is happy can be justified by the advisor as necessary.Also, the advisor may not see himself as evil.  However, you might consider giving the advisor an item to mask his alignment and other detection spells on him.  Thus, the PCs will have to figure out whether he is evil or not. I suspect that in a world with detect evil spells, at least some percentage of people will hide their alignment auras.The players may have a few dilemmas in how to deal with the advisor.  This is the sort of situation where diplomacy and alliances are more important than a sword.  I suspect that if the advisor may be a likely adversary, there may be someone in the court who opposes his plans.  Possibly the PCs could gain a potential ally down the road.  (Presume that any potential ally is as competent.  A potential ally could also be testing the PCs, to determine where their true loyalties lie and whether he can trust them.)  Of course, the PCs may end up becoming the king's advisors and champions.  The player of a rogue character might have a long term goal of replacing the advisor as the nation's intelligence chief.  Domino, good luck with your players!</blockquote>

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