How would you play... (long)

[Akhkharu]

In a game I'm playing there is a little problem me and the DM are having. It's about how I'm playing a character. Basically, I gave the DM a brief description and he agreed that it was OK to play so I finished the history. Now a few games later, the DM doesn't want me to play the character that I've made.
It should also be noted that this is my second character in the game.

The history of the character is thus (I'll try to be brief):

He was a thug type of rogue who fell in love and quit theiving and became a guard. Him and the girl got married then he was reassigned to a different part of the country. During the voyage to new station, his wife gave birth to their child. Got to town, and everything went OK for awhile. Soon after, Axis (my character) started getting supicious about the way the goverment was acting. He brought his concerns to the front and he was told it was because they were not very popular with some people. Axis agreed and was going to let it drop when he was asked to perform a special task for them. To hunt down and kill the party Them People Which Fight Good (the players). Axis agreed.
He went searching of them, and before long he found their trail. He soon realized that he was heading back to home, where his wife was. When he got home, he descided to stop and visit his wife and child, but they were not there. He went looking for them when he was directed to the cementary. He found the fresh graves of both his wife and child. He was terror stricked and wanted to know what happened. It was explained to him that the mayor came out, told him that he was working for the enemy and was taking everyone's money and giving it to them. The people went crazy and killed. When they went looking for the money, they found the body of Axis's wife and child. The people told him that it was the enemies doing.
Axis then swore that he would hunt down the murderers and kill them all off if it takes the rest of his life.

What really happened is thus: His wife and child were killed by the sorceress's fireball (one of the PCs) she casted inside the mayor's building. Axis has since joined up with the party and is finding clues on the murderers whereabouts.

Now, the problem is thus: The DM now doesn't want me to play the character that I made up and he agreed to. They way things are going, Axis is starting to think that it was the party who murdered his family.

Any suggestions on what I, DM or combination thereof should do?

Thanks
Akh

 

[Piratecat]

Urrrgl. Great NPC, problematic PC. If I were you, I'd turn him over to the DM, but ask for some special roleplaying benefit for your next PC.

 

[wrabbit37]

I agree. Speaking as a GM whose last two campaigns were ruined by the PCs turning against each other, I must say I sympathise with your GM. He may have agreed with your character's concept, but often the direction the player sees his character going is vastly different from the direction the GM sees the character going. It sounds like a great history, and I applaud you for that. It just doesn't seem like it would fit in this group very well.

Maybe you could work out with your GM a way by which your character figures it out, makes an attack on the party or something, and then escapes from them when they overpower him. After that, your character will become a recuring NPC-- the thorn in the players side and the reminder of the consequences of every action the players make.

-Mike

 

[JacktheRabbit]

I would stick with the PC. If he is moved to the status of an NPC it really cuts into some of the effect of the situation.

Leave him as your PC and the player of the sorcerer really has to come to grips with the actions that killed a woman and infant.

That is true rollplaying.

 

[Akhkharu]

I would like to keep the character, if at all possible. The person playing the sorseress is playing her like she is all high and mighty. She beleives to be superior to everyone and does not care about taking of innocent lives if it accomplishes her deeds.

I emailed the DM and told him that basically it will depend on when my character finds out and what the other characters do.

Any further suggestions and comments welcomed.

 

[Kichwas]

The other alternative is to scheme it out with the DM, yourself, and the player of the sorcerer and find a list of things that will keep putting off the event 'just one more day'.

Two examples from fiction come to mind:

In Wheel of Time Mat can't stand being around all of his old friends and the Aes Sedai. Yet everyday something happens to keep him there. To keep him from running off just yet.

In the anime Lupin I believe the samurai character is sworn to kill Lupin in an honorable dual. Problem is he has to make sure of two things: The only he kills Lupin, and that it's honorable. So he spends every episode saving Lupin's life so that eventually he will be able to kill him. I think this example is from Lupin but I'm not sure. It's from an anime I watched around the same time if not Lupin.


As much as characters are 'people' with motivations and reasons and all. They are also puppets for you to pull the strings of. If you work at it you can keep finding ways to put off the innevitable until such a moment where it's very dramatic and very fitting in how it resolves. It it doesn't have to finally resolve in the way you think it should now.

 

[Umbran]

My honest appraisal - both you and your DM goofed. Setting one PC up against another usually doesn't enhance a game. A bit of conflict among party members can be fun, but not if it is likely to lead to blows. Some parties make it work, but usually it merely causes acrimony among all concerned.

To continue putting the final confrontation off is a mistake, in my opinion. Because it's likely that at some point, you won't be able to put it off, and some PC will die at the hands of another PC, and someone's gonna end up unhappy.

I'd say you should make up a new PC that doesn't have a reason to kill other PCs.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I agree. If one of my players made up a background for his character that would have to have him try to kill the other PC's then I would tell him no. Too disruptive.

 

[Quickbeam]

I agree with Umbran. A little intra-party strife is fine -- even fun at times -- but this is headed for disaster. You sound like a very creative player, capable of putting together another equally cool (if not moreso) PC concept in pretty short order. Like Piratecat suggested, turn the character over to the DM and come ready to play another character.

One other comment, though. I sense a bit of frustration with the person playing the sorceress based on your remarks. If you designed this PC to take her down a notch, you are both going to end up sorry. There are ways to humble other characters without a bloodbath .