Is this evil enough?

[ph34r]

A good plot hook isn't good anymore when it annoys the player of the character you effected. If you think she would have a hard time over it and get discouraged, don't do it. You're there to make sure the players have fun. If you go and nuke her family like that, she may no longer have fun with the character or the game in general.

 

[Brisk-sg]

A good plot hook isn't good anymore when it annoys the player of the character you effected. If you think she would have a hard time over it and get discouraged, don't do it. You're there to make sure the players have fun. If you go and nuke her family like that, she may no longer have fun with the character or the game in general.

Or she may have more fun. It will either make her character hate the villian and/or hate herself (the character, not the player). Especially if roleplayed right, I can see the villian becoming very deep.

"Well... this is what you wanted, no? LollipopKingdom can now be a safe place, without the fear of destructive wars. Unrestrained, you will lead the kingdom into a era of prosperity I am sure. Ah... and so we are clear. My debt to you is repaid. Pray we do not meet again."

Its what happens when you make a pack with the devil. You may get something... but at what cost. I think it is a good idea.

 

[Spike]

make sure to tell us how it ends up

 

[clark411]

It's evil alright, but as a player I'd consider it heavy handed and perhaps a little out of tune with my sense of logic.


Considering it Heavy Handed
a) Firstly, blatting families is usually pretty poor form if it's done in an instant. Instant changes, except for when the party realizes they're surrounded by werewolves, vampires, or illusioned rakshasa, aren't necessarily exciting. Most off camera stuff isn't.

b) Blatting a player character's family also victimizes that player character. Go ahead and say the NPC is "helping" her gain power, but push comes to shove, the NPC probably could tell the princess was kind hearted and wouldn't respond well to having her family slain. Furthermore, I consider victimization to occur when the PC has absolutely no say in something, no way to see it coming and no way to possibly intervene.

c) Killing a PC family with an NPC badguy enforces the relationship with the NPC at the expense of ending numerous other relationships that could have been just as meaningful. Especially in a court intrigue session. Wiping them all out to make things interesting can ultimately undermine the campaign.

Sense of Logic
a) My father, being father to a princess, is probably pretty powerful. He likely got that way through a degree of skill or simply luck. Either way, he's been in that position and alive long enough to not be killed, and have me, his daughter, "the princess."

b) This person who the princess let go was caught. If he was caught by the skill of the PCs, then there is reason to believe that the PCs are more skilled than him or got the drop on him. If it's the former, then it is likely that a man of power and princesses has the resources necessary to garner similarly skilled people to his side / in his employ on a regular basis and wouldn't be offed so readily. If the case is the latter, the NPC in question has set a precedent of being less than fully competant. He has not been shown to be capable of escaping a party of PC's with limited resources save the mercy / naivete of a single member... and if he can't do that, no way he's offing a royal family.

Alternatives
a) I'd have the bad guy be far less direct about it. Let him work his magic in subtle ways- maybe killing off someone here or there but not bringing down the entire family. Leaving the Princess as sole survivor will not make her powerful - it'll leave her extremely vulnerable to political adversaries.

 

[Mark]

Re: 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...

You'll eventually find that wears pretty thin with players and get a reputation as a bad DM. You might want to come up with things that don't simply twist the ambitions of players into the worst case scenario or they'll stop trying altogether. It might be fun for you but you can count on it not being fun for long for the players.

 

[Alzrius]

I'd say this is definately good drama. It calls the character's morals into question on a very practical scale. The situation is very reminiscent of Peter Parker letting go the burgler that, totally randomly, later that day killed his Uncle Ben. Same thing here. Go for it.

 

[Tsyr]

Re: Re: Well...

You'll eventually find that wears pretty thin with players and get a reputation as a bad DM. You might want to come up with things that don't simply twist the ambitions of players into the worst case scenario or they'll stop trying altogether. It might be fun for you but you can count on it not being fun for long for the players.

Tell me about it. I just quit a group that the DM was doing that to me. It's really not fun after a very short point.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Well, I thin as a one-time plot twist, that might be a good idea.

It must not neccessarily be that harsh like killing someone, maybe he lances some rumours that discredit her father and her older brother, so that her position strengthens. Maybe they even lose an important ally through it, unless they rely on the princess (giving her more power).

The "evil" thing here would be that, if the princess finds out who lanced the rumours and that they were false, it is her to decide if she still wants to use the new gained power or if she tries to explain the truth.

Mustrum Ridcully

 

[satori01]

The plot twist itself is fine in my opinion, but you might give your player a chance to find out the assasin's intentions and stop it.
By no means make it a sure fire successful way to stop the assasin, and for good or ill the PC should be somewhat implicated in the plot to kill her relatives.

In ancient time the death of a ruler was often fortold in oracles: a sacred bird dying at the feet of the king, Lightning striking a temple or statue of the king or the god of Kingship topling or damaging the temple, unscheduled ecplises and whatnot.
Throw a couple of those in there, along with the proclomation by a High Priest that the omens point to the kings demise.

Suddenly you have your own Night of the Jackal scenario, with the king as Degaul, and you PC's as investigators trying to stop the assination. sounds like fun.

 

[jeffers]

Actually...

I have decided that Vengar was going to send her a letter. (The original scene was written to include him standing right in front of her, so I could roleplay his response to her reaction, but he wouldn't live long enough to see it, based on my other players, one of which is my impulsive 15 year old son!!)

The letter goes something like this:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To Her Majesty, Princess Kyanna Parhoon,
I send you this to inform you that your dreams of a peaceful Empire are soon to be reality. Conflicts such as the Civil War fought by your grandfather, the Wars of Expansion, and the Struggle against Voor are at an end forever. Rejoice, Elfblooded!

I have dispatched my most able retainer, Rinlas, to the Capital to remove those who stand in your way. By the time this letter reaches you, he will be safe aboard the Airship Emperor Djarka Karn II . He will have completed his mission within the week. You will be Empress, able to pass the laws that will cause all of Serantia bow before you and lay down their arms. Peace shall reign.

Thus I repay the kindness you have shown me. Consider the debt paid. Stand in my way no more. The remaining Caleon Tarot will be mine, I will go back to Arkoon and return with my people. The ravages of that plane upon our blood ended, we shall cross over knowing that we have an ally on this side of the gate.

Yours Always,
Vengar
Hirojol of the Shellassi Triad.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah, whacked out extradimensional wizard thinks enough of the Princess to tell her up front... the chase is on...

(Ample credit to those messageboard members whose fine words I heeded in making this decision. You know who you are!)