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Fillerbunny34
Here for a while
(3/18/03 5:38 am)
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Evil PC in the Outer Fane
One of the players in my group has recently changed character based on the death of a previous character's death. His new character is an elven Wizard / Psion. The party rescued him from some Ogres on the way back to Mount Stalagos from a trip to Verbobonc. I allowed the player to create an Evil character because I believed he was more than able to do it well, and I also limited his choices to Lawful or Neutral, no Chaotic Evil. This was all fine and things went well as the party managed to get blessed for the Water Door and headed back towards the boats.
Last session the party entered the Outer Fane via the Water Door, and the evil character began to act a bit differently. Perhaps it was the excitement of finally getting into the Fane, but the character's player began to play him as decidedly Chaotic : Refusing to help the rest of the party against the Water Door guardians, throwing things at the Black Sun for laughs, firing a lightning bolt at the Tojanda (sp?) while one characer was in its mouth and one was attempting to hold onto its back, etc.
I wondered if anyone here had any ideas of any sort of consequences which his actions could have in this most evil of areas. Don't get me wrong, I do not want to 'punish' him materially or anything. I respect the player a lot and truly believe that he can play Neutral Evil (as he is supposed to be) well. I am more trying to come up with some in-game indicators that reckless Chaotic Evil behaviour is not going to get them far in the Outer and Inner Fanes. I'd like to try this way first, before talking to the player OOC.
Like I said, not necessarily an attempt to say HEY! NO! CHANGE NOW! ...... More like ways of showing the dangerousness of such behaviour in the circumstances.
If it's any help, they are up to the Black Sun room and already one minotaur and one dark naga has escaped. Nanquet has been warned and even now is rushing back to Hedrack, powering up beasties as she goes.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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 Infiniti2000
Still here? Wow.
(3/18/03 7:11 am)
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ezSupporter
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Re: Evil PC in the Outer Fane
"I respect the player a lot and truly believe that he can play Neutral Evil (as he is supposed to be) well."
No offense intended in any of this btw, so please view this as constructive, but it seems as if you misjudged the player or he let you down. Playing evil characters is very difficult to do well (to avoid monolithic evil for one thing) and playing an evil character in a good party is nearly impossible, as this event shows. If the rest of the party doesn't take action and kick this character out (not the player of course) then there is likely some amount of metagaming.
However, if you disagree with the above (you know your group, I don't obviously) I suggest you be very careful. You could use the dream thing, you know, Big T saying something like "You are switching to the right path...only chaos awaits you now! Join us!" but this is dangerous because the player might actually switch. Oops. And with the other players being (apparently) apathetic towards his roleplaying an chaotic evil character, your campaign will be ruined beyond repair.
Honestly, I don't see an in-game or in-character way to point out to the player what is happening. You need to bring this out in the open (to the player only though) very soon before it gets worse. If it cannot be done, then at the very next sign of the player taking actions 'against' the party (like he has already obviously done) take control of him and turn him into an NPC letting all the other players know so that they will no longer view him by default as friendly.
I hope you find some of this advise useful and I wish you luck. 
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Cordo Crowfoot
Here to stay
(3/18/03 7:12 am)
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Re: Evil PC in the Outer Fane
Before an in game solution is sought out I would try to talk to the player and ask him why the sudden change in personality.
"They were immediately and absolutely recognizable as adventurers. They were hardy and dangerous, lawless, stripped of allegiance or morality, living off their wits, stealing and killing, hiring themselves out to whoever and whatever came... They were scum who died violent deaths, hanging on to a certain cachet among the impressionable through their undeniable bravery and their occasionally impressive exploits" China Mieville, Perdido Street Station |
Fillerbunny34
Here for a while
(3/18/03 7:20 am)
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Re: Evil PC in the Outer Fane
Thanks to both of you, and of course I don't take any offense. I think you may be right about having misjudged, the more I think about it. Which is unfortunate, but then nobody's perfect. >sigh< Yes, I think I will have to have a talk with him. It's not at the stage right now where it is a really disruptive element, but it could well become that in the near future.
Thanks guys
I can tell you want me to wear a bee suit.
I know this because I know all things that make you happy.
I make you happy. Yes?
Yes.
WITNESS ME IN BEE-FORM! |
Fillerbunny34
Here for a while
(3/20/03 11:37 am)
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All solved
Well, I took your advice and had a word with the player between game sessions. I pointed out that his character's behaviour last session was extremely unexpected and was not what I had had in mind when I allowed him to be Neutral Evil. I told him that I had allowed him to be evil in the first place because I had truly believed that he could do it well, because I thought that his roleplaying skills were very good. I made the point that I had specifically disallowed Chaotic Evil, and yet his behaviour last session could only be described in that way. Finally, I told him that I thought such behaviour from his character would make an already very challenging section of the game much MUCH harder for the whole party, and would possibly take away some of the fun for the rest of the players (who told me later that the very much did care about his reckless behaviour - no apathy there).
Well, I was very pleased when he said that he saw my point. He promised to change his character's behaviour and to not put the party in jepoardy any more, and asked me if I would allow him to change the character's alignment to true neutral. I agreed to this, and I must say I really do believe that he will change his character's behaviour. I'll see for sure next session though.
I guess that was a long-winded way of saying thanks for the advice, and that having a calm informal discussion about problems like this with the player involved early on can really work. I'm glad I did, and I think the player himself appreciated it and reacted more favourably than had I simply 'punished' him in-game.
Thanks guys!
I can tell you want me to wear a bee suit.
I know this because I know all things that make you happy.
I make you happy. Yes?
Yes.
WITNESS ME IN BEE-FORM! |
Infiniti2000
Still here? Wow.
(3/20/03 12:52 pm)
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ezSupporter
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Re: All solved
I'm so glad things worked out! Also, thanks a lot for posting the update. Tell the player thanks for us, too, and we hope he (and everyone) has fun in the Outer Fane. 
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