Why Do You Play Evil Characters?

[Rechan]

It is Halloween, after all, and in December WotC is releasing a book that talks about dealing with evil characters and evil campaigns. So, let's do this!

I want to talk about the motivations for why players play evil characters. Some people on the boards (and that I've met in RL) can't seem to understand why you would want to.

This thread is not meant to be a place to complain about how you don't like evil-themed characters/games. The intention is to explain why some people would want to play evil characters.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Because eeeevil.

Spoiler

And no, I actually don't normally play evil characters, because I've never seen them work out in the long term. But they are fun for a one shot for a little intra-party backstabbing.

 

[Rechan]

First, I'll say I enjoy playing heroes. If the game is about being a Hero. If we're supposed to be heroes but really we're just raiding tombs and wandering around, that's not very heroic to me. I'll be Good, if being Noble and Heroic is what the story calls for. If not, then I'll play a character who doesn't need to be.

I should differentiate that I don't play (or like to play with) the type that murders or does other heinous things "just because", or who goes on a lark to burn the town down. The same with trying to kill party members. I don't want to derail the Game, and IME these sorts of "I'll do what I want and other senseless, wanton evil, and no one can stop me" does often result in a downward spiral that kills the campaign, or at least everyone's fun. Often these actions have no consequences, or it's harder to enforce consequences for that type of behavior. As long as the party stays cohesive and it doesn't result in going too far-afield, I'm happy as a player or a DM.

Beyond that, it seems that it's more what the system (and DMs) define as evil. For instance, I love undead. And I love necromancers. Death and undead and immortality are interesting. But D&D has traditionally said "All undead are evil, casting Necromancy spells is EVIL", so the response from me is "Well, then I guess if playing around with that stuff is evil, then I'm evil."

Also, I like assassins. I mean you can't swing a dead goblin without hitting a Hollywood movie about a hit-man as the main character, so it's a natural trope. But assassins, once more, are evil because killing people for money in cold blood is evil. Even Dexter, someone who kills murderers who have escaped the justice system, does so by knocking them out and then murdering them when they are defenseless. Not exactly Good.

But there's also mob movies, and since mafias are Lawful Evil organizations, to play in those, you again, have to be evil.

Finally, playing evil allows for a level of practicality. You don't have to act on the forced good response. "I dont' care about the orphans, we're here for the treasure. Get it and go." Perhaps that's more Neutral, actually - a mercenary attitude. But again, you do not see that all that often in campaigns. But Evil also permits "Ends Justify Means" play.

Although I will say that, while LE can be enjoyable, it's more fun to walk on that fine edge. Evil-Leaning, but never tipping over. Working for that Evil patron, but never quite succumbing. Playing Elric, or whathaveyou, where you're rebelling just enough to have a sliver of a soul left.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Because of vincent price and gary oldman.

 

[Doug McCrae]

To cynics, like me and my friends, evil seems more realistic than good.

 

[Cor Azer]

The few evil characters I've played have been less megalomanical and more... uncaring might be the best word. It's not necessarily that they wish others harm, but they have no problem with inflicting such if it serves their own ends. Typically, to differentiate this just from neutral characters, I've added a pragmatic approach to this - ie, sure, knocking out the guard gets him out of the way just as easily as killing him, but - barring magics - death is less likely to result in someone following me for payback. Also, killing is easier - no need to judge how hard to hit someone or any of that - go for the throat, full force, so to speak, and job's done.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Because I'm the DM.

I suppose I have played a few PCs that might qualify as evil. I had a horror character who went of the deep end but maybe horror shouldn't count.


In principle, why wouldn't you play evil characters? There are evil people. They are every bit as interesting and as important to the setting as anyone else. It's not as if the actions of an evil character (up to the point of being in good taste) represent the player's beliefs. If you look at dramatic art, many of the best performances are of evil characters. Hannibal Lecter. Gollum. The Joker. My biggest concern for evil characters in D&D is that you need to have a game that lets all the players play, and evil doesn't always play well with others. That said, as long as you play a character well and everyone is having fun, I don't see that alignment matters.

 

[Kaodi]

Where would fiction be if people did not want to explore the villains?

But really, does there have to be a rationale beyond, " I find a character concept or imagine a situation to have cool possibilities, and it happens to be evil, but why am I going to wait around for the DM to use it? "

Hell, some of the best evil archetypes depend on the rest of the party leaning towards good. The tempter who is always there to point out how much better things would have gone had they just put aside their qualms. He fights alongside the party until the bitter end, and exists not to throw a wrench in their plans, but their souls.

Also, I think the most epic betrayal scenarios employ a player eventually working in concert with the DM. Not every worthwhile evil character is best handled by the DM.

Besides, there is something a little odd about saying that the point of D&D is to play a hero. How exactly does that translate to the DM though? If D&D is about heroes, then why is the DM saddled with the expectation that he will provide evil threats for the PCs to face? After all, there are plenty of threats you can intoduce that do not rely on " bad guys " and yet DMs are not encouraged to avoid playing insane cultists and gruesome necromancers.

 

[Vegepygmy]

For the same reason I like to play an elf or a dwarf on occasion: because it's different. As Ahnehnois says, evil characters are just as interesting as non-evil characters.

We all have a dark side. It can be fun, sometimes, to let it come out and play (especially in a game where it can do no real harm).

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

I don't. I might play an a$$hole, but not to the point of actually being evil. Unaligned is great in 4e that way.

Brad