Playing at Evil: Consequences of an Evil PC

[Lord Zardoz]

The character I am playing at the moment is most certaintly an evil character, specifically a Changling Rogue in an Eberron game. I try to keep from derailing the game to any signifigant degree, and have no problems with going on typical good adventurer type quests (ie: Find out what happened to the body of a local man).

My character is working towards an unusual goal. I am trying to create the impression that there is an ancient evil cult called the Unholy Order of Dagon (No, not that Dagon, I just stole the name because its easy for me to remember) which has existed for a very long time. Of course, this Cult is in no way real. It is fiction. Pure bull plop.

But, if I can create the impression that it exists, and it is powerful and that it is dangerous. I hope to be able to position the character as someone who has access to the higher powers within this cult, and to use the fear and influence of this cult as a means of power. Someone who wont talk to Jack Blackblade, Adventurer, might be inclined to speak with Emmissary of the high prefect of the Unholy Order.

So to spread word of this cult, I have been attributing every evil and mysterious act that I can to this cult, and scrawling the symbol in places where it might be appropriate. I have even written up scrollls describing unholy rites, and desecrated dead bodies and abandoned temples with the Symbol of Dagon.

About the only thing that can go wrong is for the DM to decide that the order is indeed real. Or to be found out and executed for heresy.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[TheGM]

I don't allow evil PCs in my games. I don't like that others play games in that fashion, but it's their game, as long as it doesn't spill over into mine.

Simply put, what's the point? Turn on the news, get your belly-full of evil, then go be the hero in the game. I also restrict CN because - as someone said about evil, that is the alignment to try and avoid consequences. Well, there are consequences... Maybe not alignment, but trust, legal, etc. to your actions in-game or out.

Sorry if I sound preachy, I don't understand the desire, so it makes me shake my head and wonder when people want to be the one killing people off for sport.

Don.

 

[Kurotowa]

I play evil characters about as often as I do female ones, which is to say when the character concept really calls for it. But I hold them to the same standards of being group friendly as all my other characters. For instance, the last one was a freelance special agent that specialized in eliminating problems with extreme prejudice. He was a patriot who mostly did government work, a war vet who was totally loyal to his comrades, and firmly against another war. He also took great joy in blasting threats to peace and enemies of the state, lacked almost any sense of mercy, and had a strong power-hungry streak. He toed a line he knew the other PCs would tollerate and was a valued member of the party, while being a blast to play.

The problem with most evil characters is what Umbran said. It's treated as an escape from consequences and the responsability to play well with others. As long as the player remembers that everyone's there to have fun and their PC has to be part of the group, evil tendancies shouldn't be a problem.

 

[pawsplay]

I see playing an evil PC as an embrace of the consequences. In real life, those consequences would be potentially life-destroying. In a game, you can see the whole thing play out.

 

[Sheyd]

I currently am playing an Evil character in a homebrewed campaign. Like most have stated I prefer the 'realistic' evil tact. Cartoony evil is just nothing that would or should last in any solid game world. Kephri (my character) is NE due to the fact she has one hell of a temper. She's willing to work by the rules, even play 'nice' with the other PCs. She infact often is the primary reason they have the magic items they do. 90% of the time she's not 'doing' anything evil and is a solid and staunch party member... Until something gets her angry THEN she's unholy hell on two feet. Case and point:
One recent adventure found our party doing 'individual mini missions' in the capital city of the Nimbian Unification (A nation ruled over by a Dragon God-king). An artifact (Which my character wanted to dump in a barrel of tar and toss it off the ship) the party found and sold to a group of arch-mages was the bone of contention between the God-king, the wizards and all the nobles. Everyone wanted it and no one wanted to leave it in the hands of anyone else. Armies were marching on the city to try to claim it. Now through all of this Kephri was trying to get the components to enchant an item for herself (A pair of bracers to keep her from getting hit so often) and she couldn't get key ingredients because of the problems. Well that set her off, she ended up hijacking one of the flying ships that guard the town, slaughtering the crew, raming said ship INTO the tower of the arch-mages, killing two of the mages and getting the blasted artifact. She proceeded to call on the Primal elementals that created the darn thing and giving it back to them. Now in the process she knocked down the tower onto a neighborhood, along with the burning ship, killed several pegasus-riding knights and a Lammasu. Now she knew she was gonna be in trouble after it was all over (She ended up banished) but she just didn't give a damn at that point.

The whole point is that Evil should be played both realistically and intelligently by the players. It has a place and I fully expect when Kephri becomes an NPC on this world she'll be taken out by PCs (probably us) later on.
Silly, campaign-derailing evil PCs under my DMing tend to catch the rare and always fatal 'Exploding head Syndrome'. *Evil DM Smile*

 

[Rackhir]

I miss my evil PC game.

It's been awhile since Saduul wreaked havoc on the unbelievers, and used their spilled blood to power foul arcane.

I think we all miss Saduul.

 

[Sound of Azure]

I don't allow evil PCs in my games. I don't like that others play games in that fashion, but it's their game, as long as it doesn't spill over into mine.

Simply put, what's the point? Turn on the news, get your belly-full of evil, then go be the hero in the game. I also restrict CN because - as someone said about evil, that is the alignment to try and avoid consequences. Well, there are consequences... Maybe not alignment, but trust, legal, etc. to your actions in-game or out.

Sorry if I sound preachy, I don't understand the desire, so it makes me shake my head and wonder when people want to be the one killing people off for sport.

Don.

Yeah, I can understand where you're coming from. You don't have to believe me, but playing evil is the rarest character choice I've ever had. I'd rather play the hero 99% of the time. A hero is someone I can look up to, even if they do have flaws (and most of my Pcs do).

I talked to a friend I made this year, who is studying psychology. My reason for playing the hero (particularly the warrior and cleric-type roles) is that these characters are the kind of person I want to be, but know that I'm not. I admire warriors for their strength and perseverence, and I admire the religious-types for the fortitude of faith and conviction of belief.

As for the evil side, it's the actor side of me that's interested in that. It also forces me to re-evaluate who I am, by recognising these impulses in myself... and playing them out to their logical conclusion in a fantasy environment. That's the reason why I'm playing at a more human than cartoon-style villainy. It's also why I want my PC to fail, eventually (I have the feeling that our PCs from this game will be the villains in the GMs next one, though). Even in a fantasy, I want those consequences to be there (perhaps showing fantasy sometimes has more justice than real life does).

I hold many of the same reservations you do, TheGM. I did initially have a Lawful Good Dwarf character but when I heard the composition of the rest of the party, I realised I had a chance to explore something I seldom have done before. And so, Father Zelkyr was born as a way to explore the ideas of Vengeance, Sin, Avaraice, and the corrupting influence of power through a surrogate shell. It's a departure from my usual characters. I'm still not sure if it's really for me, but I'm trying. If not, I'll bow out gracefully.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

[Sound of Azure]

I play evil characters about as often as I do female ones, which is to say when the character concept really calls for it. But I hold them to the same standards of being group friendly as all my other characters. For instance, the last one was a freelance special agent that specialized in eliminating problems with extreme prejudice. He was a patriot who mostly did government work, a war vet who was totally loyal to his comrades, and firmly against another war. He also took great joy in blasting threats to peace and enemies of the state, lacked almost any sense of mercy, and had a strong power-hungry streak. He toed a line he knew the other PCs would tollerate and was a valued member of the party, while being a blast to play.

The problem with most evil characters is what Umbran said. It's treated as an escape from consequences and the responsability to play well with others. As long as the player remembers that everyone's there to have fun and their PC has to be part of the group, evil tendancies shouldn't be a problem.

Cool story, thanks for sharing.

I agree there. We had a problem a while back with a player who would bring in evil or neutral wizards to every game. He'd charm and dominate the other PCs to get them to do what he wanted. While a viable tactic, the other Players complained because to them, it broke the contract of teamwork and it upset them greatly. The wizard Player meanwhile said it was in character for him to do so.
I'm still unsure about the whole thing myself, but I can see where both sides were coming from. It does seem to come down to expectations in the end, though. At least to me.

 

[Sound of Azure]

The character I am playing at the moment is most certaintly an evil character, specifically a Changling Rogue in an Eberron game. I try to keep from derailing the game to any signifigant degree, and have no problems with going on typical good adventurer type quests (ie: Find out what happened to the body of a local man).

My character is working towards an unusual goal. I am trying to create the impression that there is an ancient evil cult called the Unholy Order of Dagon (No, not that Dagon, I just stole the name because its easy for me to remember) which has existed for a very long time. Of course, this Cult is in no way real. It is fiction. Pure bull plop.

But, if I can create the impression that it exists, and it is powerful and that it is dangerous. I hope to be able to position the character as someone who has access to the higher powers within this cult, and to use the fear and influence of this cult as a means of power. Someone who wont talk to Jack Blackblade, Adventurer, might be inclined to speak with Emmissary of the high prefect of the Unholy Order.

So to spread word of this cult, I have been attributing every evil and mysterious act that I can to this cult, and scrawling the symbol in places where it might be appropriate. I have even written up scrollls describing unholy rites, and desecrated dead bodies and abandoned temples with the Symbol of Dagon.

About the only thing that can go wrong is for the DM to decide that the order is indeed real. Or to be found out and executed for heresy.

END COMMUNICATION

Wow, that's cool idea!

My PC is trying to whip up some fervour among the Selunites, and get them to go on a full-blown crusade to liberate their temple in Murann, thus depleting their resources, and allowing more Sharrans to infiltrate the weakened Silverstars.

 

[Mercule]

The wizard Player meanwhile said it was in character for him to do so.

He's 100% right. So's the rest of the group. It's perfectly fine for the rest of the group to say, "That's nice, but we're tired of that concept. Play a different one."