Thank you, everyone. Very helpful and insightful. Let me respond where I can:
Robert, I see your points. I often wonder if I'm being a bit too controlling in this situation. Your suggestion of incorporating a neutral druid has already been taken care of, so it was a very refreshing suggestion. One of his many mentors is Lucian, an epic level druid NPC that the same player once ran in a previous campaign. Kragg hasn't sought him out since the curse, so maybe I can nudge him in that direction. Also, during the next module, I plan on introducing another mentor for Kragg, an advanced, neutral good brachyurus from the Epic Level Handbook who will take Kragg on a "high hunt" through the land, showing him examples of what he perhaps should and shouldn't do as an exalted champion of Selune (and Kharash to a more direct extent). The brachyurus can speak to wolves, so that will make an even deeper connection to Kragg's situation, I hope.
Irdeggman and Drowbane, I agree with you as well. In fact, I'm carrying around the Exalted Deeds book, re-reading the opening chapters, the chapters covering Guardinals and Kharash, and the stalker PrC just in case I missed or overlooked anything. I'm also going to photocopy those sections and pass them off to the player, which is something I should have done over a year ago.
Concerning backstabbing, I used that term to specifically avoid confusing it with sneak attack or sudden strike. I thought it might be valid to bar him from striking from behind using surprise and stealth, as that seems like an underhanded and evil act. However, like I said after my initial post, I think my initial code of conduct is a bit heavy handed, so I'm doing away with that, especially since the PC has hide in plain sight. And yet, I wonder if I shouldn't press the idea that he move from hiding and attack to trip and subdue rather than slay. Kragg tends to go for the jugular, not because he's combating evil on a moral level, but because he prefers "icing" targets, doing as much brutal damage as possible for shock value at the table, showing everyone how much damage he can do and they can't. That's fine if he wants to deal max damage, but if he's doing 100-200 more damage than the other PCs who don't make use of the Exalted Deeds book, there must be a balancing factor, and that's the code. He can still diffuse the situation without gibbing the target.
Take for example the situation with the chaotic good elf scout possessed by the evil sword. Kragg's solution was to kill the elf (which is throwing out the baby with the bath water... evil) and expect the lawful good cleric to resurrect the elf. That's the player's mentality, that Neverwinter Nights mentality where alignment means nothing aside from a class or PrC requisite. I'm trying to change that mentality without having to alter reality and deny everyone the Exalted Deeds book.
Thoughts?
Robert, I see your points. I often wonder if I'm being a bit too controlling in this situation. Your suggestion of incorporating a neutral druid has already been taken care of, so it was a very refreshing suggestion. One of his many mentors is Lucian, an epic level druid NPC that the same player once ran in a previous campaign. Kragg hasn't sought him out since the curse, so maybe I can nudge him in that direction. Also, during the next module, I plan on introducing another mentor for Kragg, an advanced, neutral good brachyurus from the Epic Level Handbook who will take Kragg on a "high hunt" through the land, showing him examples of what he perhaps should and shouldn't do as an exalted champion of Selune (and Kharash to a more direct extent). The brachyurus can speak to wolves, so that will make an even deeper connection to Kragg's situation, I hope.
Irdeggman and Drowbane, I agree with you as well. In fact, I'm carrying around the Exalted Deeds book, re-reading the opening chapters, the chapters covering Guardinals and Kharash, and the stalker PrC just in case I missed or overlooked anything. I'm also going to photocopy those sections and pass them off to the player, which is something I should have done over a year ago.
Concerning backstabbing, I used that term to specifically avoid confusing it with sneak attack or sudden strike. I thought it might be valid to bar him from striking from behind using surprise and stealth, as that seems like an underhanded and evil act. However, like I said after my initial post, I think my initial code of conduct is a bit heavy handed, so I'm doing away with that, especially since the PC has hide in plain sight. And yet, I wonder if I shouldn't press the idea that he move from hiding and attack to trip and subdue rather than slay. Kragg tends to go for the jugular, not because he's combating evil on a moral level, but because he prefers "icing" targets, doing as much brutal damage as possible for shock value at the table, showing everyone how much damage he can do and they can't. That's fine if he wants to deal max damage, but if he's doing 100-200 more damage than the other PCs who don't make use of the Exalted Deeds book, there must be a balancing factor, and that's the code. He can still diffuse the situation without gibbing the target.
Take for example the situation with the chaotic good elf scout possessed by the evil sword. Kragg's solution was to kill the elf (which is throwing out the baby with the bath water... evil) and expect the lawful good cleric to resurrect the elf. That's the player's mentality, that Neverwinter Nights mentality where alignment means nothing aside from a class or PrC requisite. I'm trying to change that mentality without having to alter reality and deny everyone the Exalted Deeds book.
Thoughts?
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He's right. I don't understand how he could think that. Arguing with him is like talking to a brick wall, so it seems that I need to enforce some rules. Am I wrong in my thinking?
