D&D advice

[walkertexasdruid]

I have been playing D&D for a while now, and I usually have a fun time. My natural alignment is chaotic good. I have recently challenged myself to play an evil character, but my DM keeps saying, "those are interesting actions, but you are still not evil." I kind of of feel like Scotty Evil, when his father chastises him for not being "evil enough". I guess I feel uncomfortable about being mean for no reason. I guess what I am doing would be similar to Elan trying to play Nale. The only time I come close is when my character is feeling vengeful. So what should I do? The best D&D players are able to play characters that are completely different from who they are in real life. Hopefully, I will be able to do that too.

[Tev]

Originally Posted by walkertexasdruid

The best D&D players are able to play characters that are completely different from who they are in real life.

Fist and foremost, this is not correct in any way, nor is it the point of D&D, nor does it make anyone a better roleplayer than anyone else.

That being said, how evil are you shooting for here? I mean, there's "cultist level" evil where your main goal is to summon up some eldritch abomination that serves your obviously evil deity. Usually this couples well with the evils of kidnapping and murder as you have to get your virgin sacrifices from somewhere (double points if it's a princess). Also you get the collateral evils of random pillaging, murder, and scare-tactics that come part in parcel with having a cult of crazed idiots rampaging around for you.

If you're more a "singular evil" type of person, you could always work the assassination circuit. Only take jobs from truly evil people who want to see the forces of good killed off to further their own dark plans. You even get bonus points again by taking contracts out on your own masters by their own evil rivals.

Then there's just stuff like "bandit level" evil where you're some callous thug or murderer.

I mean, evil games usually devolve into players not getting along because of the common flaws of being evil so it's not like you really have to worry about having to deal with an evil-based game for too long. But yeah, if you're not really comfortable being evil just tell your GM that this setting just isn't working for you and either ask him for some advice or wait it out until it collapses around the party. But don't for one minute think that you somehow have to tap into some imaginary evil just to be a good roleplayer.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Blow up the sun

[Krylo]

Originally Posted by Smarty McBarrelpants

Blow up the sun

Now that's just ridiculous. Blow up the sun.

This is D&D, we're talking about. Not some Bond flick.

...Blow up the material plane.

[CelesJessa]

Originally Posted by walkertexasdruid

I guess I feel uncomfortable about being mean for no reason.

If you feel bad about acting mean, just remember it's just roleplaying and secretly everyone loves that evil bastard character.

For some reason when I play DnD I always play massively bitchy characters, when, normally, I try to be nice. Once you get past that awkwardness of acting like a total douchebag it's a lot of fun. Or I'm just secretly a huge bitch.

[Shyria Dracnoir]

I'll admit, I'm probably even worse than you at faking evil, but to provide some general characteristics, evil characters are more concerned with their personal interests and feelings than those of others (like, even moreso than the typical gang of PCs). They also never take responsibility for their own actions, but instead blame external forces for their personal shortcomings or unhappiness. Vengance could be a good expression of this; an evil character may burn down the inn because the bartender failed to mix their drink properly.

Basically, hang around the Internet for long enough, you'll find some good sources of inspiration.

[bluestarultor]

You know, evil is not always evil on the face of things. For all purposes, a truly evil person will look like a pretty good example of a good person, doing things that appear good, but in reality further their evil goals. Kill an evil despot, not to save the people, but to take all his shiny stuff and leave a huge power vacuum that destabilizes the whole region and leave the place in utter chaos as factions fight for power. That causes more death and destruction than teaming up with the guy ever could. If there's a good guy ready and waiting to take his place, just make sure he tragically gets killed in the crossfire. Free a ton of slaves and incite them to revolt, then watch them all get cut down in battle or recaptured and executed. Or worse yet, turned back into slaves, cutting their freedom short and dashing their hopes. Rescue a princess from orcs, but feed her a love potion or something so she falls in love with one of their people of power. Dragging her away will cause her great distress, and the orc tribe might try to get her back, causing a battle that wouldn't have needed to happen. Even if not, it's lose/lose for her kingdom. If the king lets her stay with them, short of the DM pulling another heir out of his ass, his kingdom is done for, and if not, he starts a battle with the orcs anyway, they get wiped out, and his daughter either dies taking an arrow for her love or is forever scarred by his death.

But hey, you saved the princess.


See, being evil doesn't have to be overt. You just have to make sure your good party members don't know what's going on behind the scenes. If you have worthwhile players who separate in-game and OOC knowledge, you can do just fine.

[Krylo]

Originally Posted by bluestarultor

You know, evil is not always evil on the face of things. For all purposes, a truly evil person will look like a pretty good example of a good person, doing things that appear good, but in reality further their evil goals. Kill an evil despot, not to save the people, but to take all his shiny stuff and leave a huge power vacuum that destabilizes the whole region and leave the place in utter chaos as factions fight for power. That causes more death and destruction than teaming up with the guy ever could. If there's a good guy ready and waiting to take his place, just make sure he tragically gets killed in the crossfire. Free a ton of slaves and incite them to revolt, then watch them all get cut down in battle or recaptured and executed. Or worse yet, turned back into slaves, cutting their freedom short and dashing their hopes. Rescue a princess from orcs, but feed her a love potion or something so she falls in love with one of their people of power. Dragging her away will cause her great distress, and the orc tribe might try to get her back, causing a battle that wouldn't have needed to happen. Even if not, it's lose/lose for her kingdom. If the king lets her stay with them, short of the DM pulling another heir out of his ass, his kingdom is done for, and if not, he starts a battle with the orcs anyway, they get wiped out, and his daughter either dies taking an arrow for her love or is forever scarred by his death.

But hey, you saved the princess.


See, being evil doesn't have to be overt. You just have to make sure your good party members don't know what's going on behind the scenes. If you have worthwhile players who separate in-game and OOC knowledge, you can do just fine.

Pah. That's all pointless chaotic evil stuff.

You're on the right track, but you're not finishing anything out proper.

For instance: Why just stand back when the power vacuum rolls in and causes infighting? Why not wait until each army has weakened themselves, and then use your fame as the slayer of the despot to raise your own army, join an alliance with some of the weaker factions, and then turn on them once all the credible threats have been dealt with?

If you're going to free the slaves and have them revolt, why merely watch? Why not use the revolt as a cover for something else, whether stealing a priceless artifact or assassinating the ruler of the slave owning kingdom so you can take over?

If you're going to feed the princess a love potion, why not make her fall in love with you, marry her, and then assassinate the king, ascend to the throne, and then kill her after the fact if she's not your type?

Being 'evil' is just a means to an end. With no end it's pointless and cliched.

[bluestarultor]

Originally Posted by Krylo

Pah. That's all pointless chaotic evil stuff.

You're on the right track, but you're not finishing anything out proper.

For instance: Why just stand back when the power vacuum rolls in and causes infighting? Why not wait until each army has weakened themselves, and then use your fame as the slayer of the despot to raise your own army, join an alliance with some of the weaker factions, and then turn on them once all the credible threats have been dealt with?

If you're going to free the slaves and have them revolt, why merely watch? Why not use the revolt as a cover for something else, whether stealing a priceless artifact or assassinating the ruler of the slave owning kingdom so you can take over?

If you're going to feed the princess a love potion, why not make her fall in love with you, marry her, and then assassinate the king, ascend to the throne, and then kill her after the fact if she's not your type?

Being 'evil' is just a means to an end. With no end it's pointless and cliched.

Well, he was already chaotic, so I figured he'd just stick with that. Besides, we're trying to ease him into this.

Also, I don't know how his DM operates, so I don't know if he could even get away with that much if whoever it is isn't up to properly accommodating him.

[Bells]

you point out your own problem right at the start man... you say you can't be evil for no reason. That's because you see no reason to be evil.

Some of the most evil people in history never saw themselves as evil. It's usually how everyone else perceived them, not how they perceived themselves.

So, if you don't want to roleplay as someone who is "sickly evil" (as in a full blown Psychopath or Pyromaniac) you need to find justification for your character to do things that others would consider evil, specially if the point of his actions is to advance his own personal agenda.

As in, to get the king do dispatch warriors to crush a Gang of Thieves that occupy a territory and are causing you and your party a ton of trouble, you could get a job as one of the guardsmen of the King, kill on of these thiefs, then kill the King's newborn baby, the bring for the king the corpse of that thief as "proof" that they did it. And there you go... see how the murder of a innocent child is just a "step" in the middle of a plan? That's pretty fucking evil right there.