Is this evil enough?

[jeffers]

Okay... one of my players, Alaina, has this pacifist character. The Princess of her Empire. Her Dad and older brother do not share her views.

She let this bad guy go last week. He's gonna help her politically. Setting up a situation where she can enforce her politics on the Empire.

He's gonna kill her dad and brother. Nice guy, huh?

Am I punishing 'Laina for letting him go? Or is it good drama?

 

[Greatwyrm]

Does this bad guy have some existing reason he'd want to bump off her family? If not, it will look like just thumping the PC for letting him go. If she new this guy was a threat to others, she should have at least had him Geased or imprisoned or something.

 

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

Depends.

What's the guy's motivation? Why would he make an enemy out of the PC when he's currently in a position to slowly gather favor?

If the motivation isn't really good, then you're just dissing the player and being evil for the sake of it. Kind of like when a cliche bad guy kills a messenger just to show off to his buddies how evil he is.

So, from what I know of the situation, I'd leave Dad & Bro alone. The bad guy can become a kind of power behind the throne as things stand. Why would he give that up?

 

[Mark]

Looks like a DM just screwing with the players, IMO. If the players like that sort of thing, you're on the right track!

 

[ejja_1]

It's kind of the diet Coke of Evil

Evil would be if he poisoned the drinking water of the town, and then returned with a small army once most of the population was ill. With half the guards and soldiers of the city sick, it would be no trouble for him to then invade. Then once in power he tortures her and her family slowly, not doing enough to kill them but definatley keeping them in a constant state of agony.
You know like making several thousand shallow cuts along her back and then rubbing her down with the juices of a handfull of freshly cut habenero peppers just before a light salting. Then throw her battered form into a room full of rabid gilla monsters, and dire lobsters with gout. Sprinkle liberally with hungry maggots and you have yourself one fine gumbo!

 

[Happiest_Sadist]

The villain should continue with what he was doing before, but using the princess as a resource.
For instance, he may try to become a trusted advisor with her help. And then it can't really be helped that the king is suffering from dementia (caused by poison) and needs to rely more and more on his trusted advisor. Using this to actually serve the king he may become more trusted. Thn when the king finally loses his long, tragic battle with illness, who better than his trusted advisor to rule (by now he should have been able to take care of the brother). Since the princess is an adventurer, there is no reason for her to stop simply to administer a kingdom. Then he can sabatoge a mission, hopefully leading to her death (for instance by aiding her foes or gifting her with cursed items from the royal treasury. After she tragically dies without a heir, he can then step in as king.

 

[Olive]

Okay... one of my players, Alaina, has this pacifist character. The Princess of her Empire. Her Dad and older brother do not share her views.

She let this bad guy go last week. He's gonna help her politically. Setting up a situation where she can enforce her politics on the Empire.

He's gonna kill her dad and brother. Nice guy, huh?

Am I punishing 'Laina for letting him go? Or is it good drama?

i'm not sure that letting others do the killing for you falls into the definition of pacifism i have but there you go...

it's good drama, but if Alaina wants to play it that way, then make sure some sort of holy liberator or paladin comes after her. sounds pretty evil to me.

 

[Caliban]

Re: Re: Is this evil enough?

i'm not sure that letting others do the killing for you falls into the definition of pacifism i have but there you go...

it's good drama, but if Alaina wants to play it that way, then make sure some sort of holy liberator or paladin comes after her. sounds pretty evil to me.

I think the point is that Alaina doesn't know that this is how he's going to "help" her in the political arena.

 

[jeffers]

Well...

Yeah... she's pretty ignorant of the situation. It's great... she liked the habenero suggestion. I haven't told her what's going on, but she agrees I'm being a jerk... whatever it is I'm doing...

 

[Olive]

Re: Re: Re: Is this evil enough?

I think the point is that Alaina doesn't know that this is how he's going to "help" her in the political arena.

ahhhh... sorry. silly me. interesting idea, and a good plot twist IMO.