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<blockquote data-quote="Fanaelialae" data-source="post: 7822042" data-attributes="member: 53980">Playing an evil character as being someone who is willing to exploit the perceived weaknesses of others is not realistic? It might be unrealistic if EVERY villain is this way. But never using any Machiavellian villains is quite unrealistic to me. That's part of what makes a villain a villain, even if they see their ends as justified. They're willing to cross a line to achieve those ends that a good character would not.What the good character considers strength (doing the right thing because it is the right this to do) the evil character will typically consider a weakness. That isn't to say that you can't have honorable villains who refuse to stoop so low. However, too honorable to exploit a perceived weakness and too stupid to perceive a potential weakness are but two options in a nearly infinite assortment of potential villains.If your game is based in part on Arthurian legend, and extreme nobility is expected of paladin's, then it's perfectly fair to avoid using such villains because they run counter to the themes of the campaign (or at least the survival of any paladins therein). Much as if I was running a light-hearted campaign based on Saturday morning cartoons, I would avoid scenes of graphic ultra violence. Avoiding either is not &quot;being realistic&quot;, because such things can and do happen in the real world. That said, it is in keeping with the established thematic elements of that campaign.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Fanaelialae, post: 7822042, member: 53980"] Playing an evil character as being someone who is willing to exploit the perceived weaknesses of others is not realistic? It might be unrealistic if EVERY villain is this way. But never using any Machiavellian villains is quite unrealistic to me. That's part of what makes a villain a villain, even if they see their ends as justified. They're willing to cross a line to achieve those ends that a good character would not. What the good character considers strength (doing the right thing because it is the right this to do) the evil character will typically consider a weakness. That isn't to say that you can't have honorable villains who refuse to stoop so low. However, too honorable to exploit a perceived weakness and too stupid to perceive a potential weakness are but two options in a nearly infinite assortment of potential villains. If your game is based in part on Arthurian legend, and extreme nobility is expected of paladin's, then it's perfectly fair to avoid using such villains because they run counter to the themes of the campaign (or at least the survival of any paladins therein). Much as if I was running a light-hearted campaign based on Saturday morning cartoons, I would avoid scenes of graphic ultra violence. Avoiding either is not "being realistic", because such things can and do happen in the real world. That said, it is in keeping with the established thematic elements of that campaign. [/QUOTE]

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