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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CruelSummerLord" data-source="post: 3254806" data-attributes="member: 48692">Another possibility is to hint at or show just why the character is a miserable SOB to begin with.  Maybe he was bullied as a child, and has become antisocial and mistrusting as a result.  Maybe he climbed his way up fang and claw from the bottom, and had to sacrifice and work like hell to get where he is today.  Maybe he's being constantly badgered by people who want to curry his favor, and initially views the PCs as more of the same, before they earn his respect through their fairness and competence.  Maybe he's actually trying to do some good, but people tease, razz and mock him anyway because he's in a position of power (how many political satirists IRL could actually put up or shut up, sitting in through the onerous meetings, endless debates and stressful decisions, all while needing to keep up a happy face, even as they're getting insulted and mocked by cartoonists across the country and around the world?).  Maybe he's just suffered too much unpleasant treatment as a result, and now he's dishing it out instead of receiving it.  Maybe he lost his wife or children, and throws himself into his work to try and dull the pain.  If it becomes more apparent why the guy is a miserable jerk sometimes, maybe it'll be easier for the players to sympathize with him.</blockquote>