Part 2 is up now! kzitem.info/news/bejne/2YNsmI1sgpOdeGk
@kodytiffany5686
2 жыл бұрын
I do believe that there are a small number of actions that are vile enough to label a person as evil forever afterwards if in fact they actually happened. I can't see how some one can put a positive spin on things like rape or slaughtering of the innocent. You know the extreme actions of evil. To list such actions as merely selfish is to justify things that should not be. That is what is meant by "Black and White exist but are rare" morally speaking. I agree with the rest of the video; but I believe in a mostly gray outlook on the world not that there is only. Now on to part 2.
@colorpg152
Жыл бұрын
the thing is in my experience its almost never the evil player that is the problem its the other players who decided they have to make it a problem specially paladins and clerics who insist they will kill the player because he is evil or something similar even if in theory a lg paladin should be bound by the law as we see in canon they just do go on rampages in the middle of cities whenever they see a person that pings evil
@valory13
2 жыл бұрын
I have a warlock who is evil, but Only when it comes to her end goal she must save the world so it will still be here for her Patreon to eventually consume it. It doesn't impact standard party interactions, infact she is probably the most moral of the bunch, but it is hard to be a murder hobo with only 2 spell slots.
@PlayYourRole
2 жыл бұрын
Classic evil motivation, and one I love: "YOU can't take over this world, that's in MY plans!"
@Bladezeromus
2 жыл бұрын
My warlock started as lawful evil because her cult has a strict code that she follows and her method of evil was generally being selfish. Her patrons goals were always pretty negative in the party's opinion. However, as a sheltered, 4 year old Aarakocra she had a cute innocence about her that was endearing. But the events of the story led her down a path of cruelty and paranoia. Where she is in her arc now is definitely a low point. She's ritually sacrificed an arm and an eye to create a legendary staff and after saving a city from a monster incursion the Guard Captain tried to arrest her for openly using necromancy and other dark spells. And in response she blew his brains out with Eldritch Blast in front of all of his men and several towns folks then intimidated them all into just fucking dropping it.
@theapexsurvivor9538
2 жыл бұрын
@@PlayYourRole "WHAHAHAHAH!!! I, the mad scientist of madness, Osa Tarinaa, admit it! You are moderately mad!" “So you'll join my organisation and help us rule the world? Working together, we could bring world peace and order.” "I Refuse!" “Wha-” "Because I am Osa Tarinaa! A mad scientist must always be a solitary creature. He must never belong to anyone or any thing, at any time. That is his destiny..." 'Isn't he embarrassed to say those things?' «Don't worry, he used to be even more of a weaboo» 'Oh, I see...'
@chriscamaratta1
2 жыл бұрын
Lmao that’s literally my character
@quailish2
Жыл бұрын
@@chriscamaratta1 JESUS?!!? WHAT ARE U DOIN HERE LOL
@indrickboreale7381
2 жыл бұрын
Most of the PCs: "We must stop the bad guy, because he is destroying the kingdom!" That one chaotic evil PC: "He stole my magic sword. It's mine!"
@greygoblin9491
2 жыл бұрын
Or *thinks of the political fallout after a king is killed* "yeah! I'll bring the popcorn."
@PlayYourRole
2 жыл бұрын
I mean, a magic sword is sacred, you can't just take that and not expect consequences
@gaming2000-xh7xu
Жыл бұрын
@@PlayYourRoleit still shows how an evil character CAN work with a group as long as its a benefit for them to do so
@therealx1ras453
2 жыл бұрын
Runesmith had a pretty good take on evil in his video on writing antagonists. He basically described it as something that can be applied to an action that puts others in a state of tribulation.
@nemonomen3340
2 жыл бұрын
This works for _becoming_ an evil character, but what if you want to _start_ as one and have a redemption arc?
@PlayYourRole
2 жыл бұрын
.... Damn it. Um. Well. Maybe I'll have to make a part 2.
@newtondood
2 жыл бұрын
Imagine being a former tyrant or member of an evil faction. You had a disagreement with the higher-ups and are now fighting along with the party for the sake of destroying the competition. That leaves plenty of room for your character to grow.
@nemonomen3340
2 жыл бұрын
@@newtondood That's a good idea! I guess the trick is to have a scenario in which your character feels they need the party's cooperation so they must "play nice." After that, they'll need to have a genuine change of heart. That's probably the trickiest bit. Something very important would have to happen to change your character's view of the world from that of a selfish cynic to an altruist. Preferably, something specifically conflicting with part of their background that led them down that dark path in the first place.
@theepicmagikarp9621
2 жыл бұрын
I play an evil character. He's selfish, he's egotistical and he thinks the whole world should bend down to their knees and give him whatever he wants. The way we make it work is that he knows that being with the party makes him stronger, and helping them out makes them help him out later. He also enjoys their company. He also has a strong moral code, with some of his morals being socially reprehensible, but one of the things he has is "Don't mess with my friends". That's what I feel makes an evil character work. He's evil, yes, but you cannot direct the animosity towards the party, otherwise you're just unfun to play with. You don't have to be a goody two shows with them, and you may ask for favors if they ask you to do something you don't want, but you don't need to want to kill or steal from them constantly. Your character is evil for a reason. Give him a reason, and give him goals, don't just be evil for the sake of evil, and you're pretty much set to go
@PlayYourRole
2 жыл бұрын
Giving strong Vegeta vibes from this, and I absolutely approve
@theepicmagikarp9621
2 жыл бұрын
@@PlayYourRole Best part is that he's an evil Kobold Necromancer that suffered from some sort of brain altering magic/curse/disease, still don't know it. So he's Vegeta, but extremelly small and confused.
@redsnake188
2 жыл бұрын
I'm currently playing a warlock who's lawful evil. The thing is he believes he's a cleric so at a glance everyone thinks he's chaotic good based on his personality. A good example of how he's evil is once we were captured and in order to leave we had to be punished. given the option of "cut off your hand or kill a child" My character starts talking makes his way to the NPC the entire campaign is based on saving puts a knife to her throat and flat out threatens to kill her yes the BBEG will kill the party but he'll also kill the fools who let his love be killed under their watch. He wasn't bluffing iether he was full on ready for everyone to die just to kill a few hags
@TheMoosePad
2 жыл бұрын
I really love the idea of an antivillan, the person who does good things for evil reasons. For example my warlock often gave food to the poor and volunteered at orphanages, not because he cared about them, but because he knew they where vulnerable people ripe for manipulation. He would basically groom kids into becoming his minions, little jobs here and there, give them money and the praise they desperately needed and they would do anything for him. His motives for this where simple, he wanted to rule the world. He believed since he was the only one actively trying to make a difference in the world that he deserved to rule it. He saw himself as the paragon of virtue because he was doing these things and he thought he deserved to be powerful. He worked with the party until they found him out and he faked his death, that campaign is over but I like to think he's still in the background, planing revolution and manipulating vulnerable people for his own goals.
@bayardmartins
2 жыл бұрын
Sorry for the bad english, not my first language. Great video, I think u get to the key point of character creation. Often the players want to play a 'finished' character instead of create together in game. The guy who lose the whole family, or the one who have a crazy concept like a armless fighter who use a magical arm, etc. And they create the character ready from the begining, first session and everything already happened... As a DM I try to encorage the players to aloud me to make that stuff happen in game. It needs a higher level of dm-player partnership, but it's awesome. I'd never thought about the evil character in these terms, the next time that the one player in my group that always want to be the lone wolf/lawful evil came up with a new character I'll offer the possibility of telling the story of how he became evil. That's personally one of my favorite arcs.
@trevorwingard
2 жыл бұрын
My favorite character I ever played ended up being the main villain of our campaign. From the start he was the real BBEG and the guy the party thought was the villain was his puppet. But in order to lure the party into his trap, he had to work with them. He played the goof; a harmless drunk who was primarily the comic relief of the party as well as the healer. He went with them all the way through the final boss fight (very carefully conserving his resources) and after the “villain” was defeated he turned on the exhausted party, and the real final fight was pvp. The reveal shocked everyone, but they were super into it. It was such a satisfying arc I didn’t mind ultimately losing because it was just so much FUN.
@WilliamWhyles
2 жыл бұрын
Hey! Thanks for the video. Appreciate you. After I made a comment on that video, I've found a discord D&D group and we played almost everyday (I was quick and snatched the spot almost evey time, I actually played D&D with 8 other players and a DM when I got the notif, it was a wild game), and even though DM ban an evil alignment, I've found a lot of fun in Xavier, a Half-Elf Goolock. See, when I said that I can't talk on discord is quite misleading. Sure, I can't do it on laptop, but I just enter calls from my phone and dual-wealding phone + laptop. Anyways, have a great day, and great video as always
@YaMaTo999Vir
2 жыл бұрын
Not excactly the example of evil, but intresting story. Ive in party very stricted under rules circus assassin. His goal was to kill a paladin in the city. He cloaked himself under the mask of the bounty hunter. But he was young and wasnt sure of what he really desired. Long-short story, the group and paladin have a fight against demons in the orphanage and paladin there saved group and tried to help People in poor district. Asassin was amused by that fact, cause he never interacted with targets very close and thought he should kill a "bad guy". Then main demon killed the paladin and party had a Last fight against him. The asassin boy kept broken paladin sword after battle. And when they finished deals in town - he left his asassin circus cause the paladin opened his eyes in a new way. It was a cool Journey!
@spicy5129
2 жыл бұрын
I will play an Oathbreaker Paladin that used to be a part of the elven army but got corrupted by a cursed crown and became evil and cruel. But I also dont want to ruin anyone's fun at the table, so thank you, this video was really helpful. :)
@pdubb9754
2 жыл бұрын
As a teen, the games I played often featured evil characters and PVP and really short campaigns. The only long campaign was the one where the player of the evil character moved away around Level 3. He was already on a collision course with the LG ranger; i'm sure it would have been a short campaign, otherwise. However, I think a mature person can play an evil character without sinking the ship. It could be a descent arc like you describe or a redemption arc or neither. The DM may need to work a little to make sure that players evil goals also somehow align with the more well-intentioned goals of the others. When you get down to it, killing other creatures to get powerful is actually pretty evil. Take that, Paladin!
@Midnight3Wonder
2 жыл бұрын
In my second group I played a lawful evil character who has gone through a redemption arc and is now lawful good. I defined her "lawful evil" as her willing to commit nearly any sin needed to fulfill her end goal. She had some redeeming qualities, such as not wanting to hurt children or parents who truly loved their kids, but she was defiantly NOT someone you wanted to get on the bad side of. She kinda has a record of burning people's faces off when they cross her. Her story is that she was born into a cult that had abducted her father and the two were tortured everyday throughout her childhood. Her father was the one good thing in her life and she wanted to become a proud and kind healer like him. Unfortunately for her, her prayers to the goddess her father worshipped always went unheard and she feared that it was because she was a "monster" (her father was an aasimar, but her mother (who was a powerful cultist) was a drow who kept insisting that she was a "monster"). When she was about 13, they attempted to escape the cult but were captured. She helplessly tried to fight back against the cultist dragging her back to her cell while her father was taken to be sacrificed. After losing her father, she fell deeper and deeper into despair and lost all the hope her father had once given her. Just before she was to be sacrificed, a fury appeared before her, drawn to her by her desire for revenge against her cruel mother for killing her father, and granted her powers. She had just enough strength to escape, but not enough to destroy the cult. She set out on a journey to grow more powerful and destroy the cult, willing to use others to get what she wants and strike down anyone who gets in her way. While her redemption arc happened a lot faster than I would have liked, I had a lot of fun playing my evil character. The rest of the party were made up of good/neutral characters, so I was the only evil one. Despite this, we actually managed to work well together. My character was driven to work with them so that she could fulfill her personal goal and none of them ever got in her way, so there were no issues between our characters. Not even with the lawful good paladin. Actually, the paladin was one of the first in the party to make her feel welcomed and grant a chance at a change of heart. Funnily enough, it's the two characters you wouldn't expect my character to get along with at all that she built the strongest bonds with and made her want to change for the better: the lawful good paladin and our goofy, fabulous frog prince bard (literally, he's basically Prince Naveen from The Princess And The Frog, AND WE LOVE HIM!!!). It was actually an interaction between my character and the frog bard that really sparked her change of heart when she threatened to kill him if he ever crossed her (we had just run into a witch from his backstory responsible for his froggy form who, as it turns out, was part of the cult that imprisoned my character, and my character didn't like how "friendly" the bard was to the witch). As a player, I was worried that I was taking things too far but knew that this was something my character absolutely would do. Turned out that it ended up being such a great roleplay moment that it inspired the rest of the party to really get into roleplay themselves and delve more into character interactions. The bard managed to calm my character down enough to merely promise to kill him if he ever proved himself a threat to her goals, but his words did leave quite the impact on my character and make her question herself. The bard really is an amazing roleplayer and he handled the situation VERY WELL. I applaud him for rolling so well with the scene and even turning the tension to make my character question herself like that. Up until these developing bonds with these characters, mine had simply accepted the fact that she was a "monster" destined for destruction. But they made her realize that she was so much more than what the cult had made her into and she began to become the healer she dreamed of being as a child instead. She's still going through quite a bit of growing pains, struggling with some trauma from her past that resurfaced shortly after she gave up her fury powers and became a healer (the paladin ended up dying in our first major encounter after her ascension into becoming a healer in a manner very similar to her father's death, so that was pretty triggering (paladin's okay now, we revived him)). She still set on destroying the cult, but now understands that she doesn't have to play the role of a monster to do so and cares more for protecting her allies. I actually lost count of how many times she's chosen to heal and use her own body as a shield to protect her allies instead of striking down their enemies like she used to. She's still blunt as heck and doesn't hold back on insults, but she's defiantly a lot more caring and trying her best to be a good person now. I'd really like a chance to play this character again, hopefully with a slower burn for her redemption arc. I'll be changing some things about her now that I have a better understanding of what exactly I wanted to go for with this character. I'm the kind of person who generally tries to keep my anger and frustrations to myself as I'm always worrying about accidentally hurting someone's feelings or giving people the wrong idea of me, so it's so cathartic to be able to play such an angry and aggressive character. I guess that's why I enjoy playing an evil character. Let's me let out my anger in a healthy manner, but I still keep it within reason so that I don't destroy the game. I'm actually impressed that I've been able to play my character so well I've actually been able to help shape the game to what it is. My DM actually admitted that he hadn't yet prepared anything for our BBEG or what exactly the plot would be until I came in with my character. It's not all about her and everyone does have equal importance in the game. My character and I just happened to help give the DM the inspiration he needed for the big story of the game.
@RoanRetro
2 жыл бұрын
I'm creating a campaign where the PCs are investigators searching for a serial killer changeling who has raised a gargantuan Mimic that takes the form as a massive mansion. That mansion changes shapes and confuses the PCs once inside and takes flavor from Saw, true crime cases, and known serial killers. I'm really looking forward to our soon approaching recording session and hope that everyone is ready for a bloody gritty story 😁
@eidod23
2 жыл бұрын
i had a idea for a character. you play as a mind control parasite inside the brain of a lawful good cleric. the player must act lawful good around the party however they are actually chaotic evil when no one is looking. make little slip-ups like executing helpless prisoners, killing guards when the party is in trouble with the law things that normally a party would accept but would feel bad about doing. finally after a lot of sections have the paracite hatch from the character and become the next bbeg
@skeletromebone6412
4 ай бұрын
Once did an evil bard character in a campaign, who was a priest of an evil god. Played him as more power hungry and slightly sadistic, but (to make sure that I wouldn't annoy anyone else), I gave him things that he wouldn't do. He would taunt enemies mid-fight w/ those that failed to kill him and would attempt to bring npcs to his side/religion (when it fit), but saw backstabbers as "beneath him." Sadly there wasn't many opportunities to show him being power-hungry or for moral struggles that wouldn't jeopardize things.
@nabra97
2 жыл бұрын
Playing as a part of smugglers crew which main idea is finding their place on the frontier is one of the best game experiences for me. Though, I believe we are chaotic-neutral, not evil. Don't know if "anti-heroic" is good description for such sort of character, we just act in our interests that aren't always the best for everyone else (though also aren't always the worsts).
@tophatoctopus1997
2 жыл бұрын
in a dnd game i have in a custom setting, im playing a chaotic evil sorlock who doesnt have an end goal as much as shes just bored and doesn't have a moral compass or value for the lives of strangers. funnily enough shes not a total murderhobo because she understands the idea of self-preservation and not stabbing the merchant or the guards stab you
@Adam1602
2 жыл бұрын
I'd argue that an Evil character will always make the decision 'for themselves 100% of the time', on two principles. No one ever asks how to play a 'Good' character, one who should be the opposite of Evil and thus should be selfless and giving and never take rewards or act for selfish interests, but people are seemingly much more willing to say 'I'm a good guy, but just once I'll do something for myself', the idea a Neutral Good fighter might ask for gold or tell a lie seems to sit much better with people than a Lawful Evil wizard helping save someone from a bear. We seem to have this set idea of what an Evil character should be and just won't let people deviate from it mentally Two, as Good and Evil are subjective, it's fair to say most Good and Evil characters player by players would be more morally grey or neutral, and you're spot on saying we need to get away from Alignment, it's a mechanic I don't think we really need anymore. You can have an Evil character at a the table if they agree to the social contract to work with the party, the same way people play Lawful Good without being a stick in the mud abide by the law no fun for you paladin. An Evil Campaign of murder and destruction however, that can be fun as hell
@giraffedragon6110
2 жыл бұрын
I believe 2 things that help define if a character is evil is 1). What goal is being aimed at and 2). The method that it can be achieved. You can have good intentions but go about solving it in an amoral way, or have a selfish goal utilizing a method that while detrimental to some is also beneficial to others.
@andrewsannar5328
Жыл бұрын
I'm about to play my first Neutral Evil character: a Reborn (UA) Barbarian whose only memory from before his reanimation is the paradisical afterlife he was ripped from. He needs a well-rounded party to back him up as he searches for both the one who created him and the most horrific form of undying revenge he can find. Holds life for himself and others in no value as he feels he has lost his eternity and that effort is meaningless when you can just return as someone's slave. I'm excited to see what happens with him and how my DM spins things
@TVMAN1997
2 жыл бұрын
Matthew Colville has a good video on playing evil characters Playing an anti-villain is good way of going about it
@cultofnatethemagnificent5879
2 жыл бұрын
I have a evil character that works with the party because he views them as powerful and valuable allies and better than most alternatives but tends to work with the villains as well and play both sides
@ssfbob456
2 жыл бұрын
I had an idea for a fiend warlock where the pact states that the demon in question can, at the DM's discretion, possess the body of the character and take over for a while, taking them from chaotic neutral to chaotic evil, though the pact will also state that the demon cannot harm people the pact holder sees as allies or impede their goals. Basically the demon would be there to sow chaos and watch the world burn just for the fun of it. I think that with the DM deciding when the switch happens could make for some super fun role play, plus trying to do good through evil means sounds like fun.
@AlderThorngrass
2 жыл бұрын
I have a character that goes on a long-winded positive arc that starts as an negative arc, because of one thing he did and he is a good person deep down
@Max7345-i8m
2 жыл бұрын
I haven’t had the chance to play D&D yet, but of the few characters I have created, one of them is a lawful-evil rogue who’s a traveling merchant. Whenever I do get the opportunity to play him, I plan on having him being a conniving, manipulative, deceitful, hypocritical, cruel, selfish scumbag concealed by a polite demeanor to hide his true nature and blend in… when it comes to most people outside of the party. Within the party, there would be elements of him being conniving and selfish more openly, but he’d also be more fair of a person towards them, allow them their agency if outnumbered when offered a quest or job, and have their backs to try to stay on good terms - purely because they provide protection for him at first as he’s just as inclined to ensure that they’re not a man down as they are, but perhaps growing close and developing a genuine bond with them as they adventure together. Kind of add layers to make him intelligent enough to treat the party differently for the sake of survival and keep him believable as a person capable of forming relationships despite his abhorrent morality. I know, I know. One of his defining traits is “selfish”, which would put him in the archetype you mentioned in the video. That’s not his only “evil” characteristic, however. He’s got a bit of a list of them, as seen above - too much to be considered “neutral”, yet he’d still be capable of being a team player that the party can faithfully depend on, and maybe even grow to care about if I play him right. And I _think_ I’d be able to.
@gaming2000-xh7xu
Жыл бұрын
one thing to note is at least when comes to neutral evi is thay you CAN work with a group. its just that the reasons for doing so might be you own. you arent doing it to help someone because that is the right thing to do but because YOU get something out of. Same hen it comes to party members. You PC of course can betray- them but you can support them if it aligns with your own personal goal. If you don´t betray it will never be out of loyalty but because it puts you in a favourable position
@BlazingDarkness
2 жыл бұрын
I've played evil characters. The character was an evil guy who acts without much empathy. However, the party needed his strength and he needed their skills to get done what they both needed to be done at first. Later on, he formed a bond with them. Because of that bond, he wouldn't wish any harm on them and would protect them. However, when one of them was kidnapped, he did hostage hold 2 little children to get the person to set them free because he's still an evil guy. He wasn't gonna go out of his way to butcher villages, but he had no empathy for those who he didn't have a bond with or had a use for him at all. So if it was beneficial for him to abuse those, he would.
@michaelciszewski86
2 жыл бұрын
Played an evil warlock with celestial Parton. He was power-hungry (for personal arcane might and force of personality). So to keep his patron happy he had to pretty much lead the life of a moral paragon of good. His motives, absolutely egoistic and egocentric. Went out to safe people and do heroic deeds to please his Parton. Evil ? Yup absolutely, had no qualms about stealing, murder and the likes. Sarcastic and sassy pretty much all the time, and only motivated to help other to help himself. But as helping others gets him browny points with his patron and supposedly increases the heroic impression aka charisma... Other brilliant evil character I played was a cleric of beshaba, the kind of evil split twin of the goddess of luck. Character inspiration/motivation was to try out the flip side of heroic luck/adventuring. Her father was a follower of the goddess of luck, always came home, till one day he didn't. Always had luck, just that one time didn't. She would have become a villain though mostly of stage and between adventures, producing cursed items to pose as lucky/blessed items undermining the trust in luck and goodness of heart etc. Perfectly fine in any party, always insisted to be very well prepared, not to leave anything to luck, be careful and watch out, Basically secure her and her comrades fate. Really hateful and spiteful for those that happy go lucky go into danger and adventure with nativity and carelessness and in particular trust in the goddess of luck. If you prepared, heeded her warnings and avoided stupid mistakes she'd patch you up and work by your side as a determined ally. Basically a strategic and tactic fighter that could heal and harm with a touch, but dispised the dreamy optimism and idealism. Was inspired by the description of the goddess in some ferun book. Was stated as one of the few evil gods that would be called upon, during festivities and the likes, just so she wouldn't show up and no misfortune would befall the festivities. Brilliant role play, great addition for the party, a constant push for the party to strive for more, but also be considerate. Could under no circumstances be played with followers of the goddess of luck, but with that in mind a wonderful character. Evil characters in non evil groups can absolutely work and enrich the role play for everyone at the table. They do well with a good reason to work well with the group though, but that goes for good and neutral characters just as much. Also, as a gm I had a total of two or so evil groups (out of many many more no evil or heroic teams) and they were brilliant. All characters followed an evil god/cult for some reason. Those reasons were varied and the funniest was the neutral guy amongst them. An elf with kind of a mental, or rather digestive issue that made him really like raw organs. The other elves were creeper out by his diet, while the cult embraced him with open arms. The evil cultist simply didn't look at him with abhorrent disgust, that was enough for him to be with the group. Others wanted power, or strive to unleash violent urges, recognition or revenge, or just were part of a family business of one sort or another. Some of the most interesting and vernier character and npc relations in those 'us against the world' settings/campaigns. Those weren't heroes, but they sure as hack were great protagonists for our collaborate stories and adventures.
@SammyNail
4 ай бұрын
A golden standard for Evil is murder without cause or reason. You can do this by the way. It's the entire basis of Micheal Myers in Halloween. He is Evil, why, he kills randomly, why, he's evil, why, he kills randomly.
@seabasticutbrotasticut2313
2 жыл бұрын
The way I like to advise people to play evil characters is that the character can 1. Straight up just like the people in the party, like them enough to listen to them on holding back on the urges to end the world. Or 2. The evil character views the party by how valuable/useful they are to them. I ran an evil gunslinger but he joined the party because he was wanted and the more bodies, the more shields. He also noticed they could all take care of themselves quite well, and eventually they shifted him to be neutral as he did learn to care about them. The evil character may not want to upset them because they do not want to lose the valuable asset.
@diddledude5422
2 жыл бұрын
Something Ive been thinking about for a while. I once played a psychopathic character in a relatively lawful/lawful good party. But to prevent him from being a problem for the party, I gave him the trait of being a very good friend towards the party members. If he started going overboard and acting upon his malicious desires, he would stop when a pc told him to. Though, with some hesitance, and a very strong enjoyment of hunting live game in cruel and sadistic ways. I also gave him the trait of not enjoying killing people. (Though torture was still on the table) Which I explained to the dm in his backstory. About how he killed and ate his first girlfriend and got no enjoyment from it. So he only enjoyed killing monsters and animals. One day, the dm did bring this up in the campaign, by bringing the ghost of his first girlfriend to the party to tell them what he did when he was younger. To which the party very quickly believed, and threatened to kill my character over. But again, being the good friend my character was, he refused to fight the party. And instead opted to slit his own throat. Because in his mind, he'd rather die than hurt his friends. After that session the players told me it was a good thing he died because he was such a problematic character for the group but I honestly never felt like he was doing anything to affect the other players. He had some things in hie backstory that were very sadistic and cruel, but I never really had him do anything to harm the players themselves. Am I in the wrong here? If so, how could I have played this character better?
@makotost8425
5 ай бұрын
My favorite way to play this character is that I'm not the guy who will save the world when its burning. Im the guy who will burn the world for you
@petre1758
2 жыл бұрын
I think the way to play an evil character is to have their goal align with the party. It is not as hard as it sounds, but it depends a great deal on what campaign are you playing in. Party chasing a mac guffin? Have your character want to use it to take over the world themselves. Party fighting organized crime? Your character is there to stomp the competition. And you can do evil things, like torture and murder, and have fun role-play moments with Party members who didn't like that as a result. Play the devils advocate for yourself, ask hard questions about efficiency and choosing between greater and lesser evil. Just be ready do concede in arguments so they don't escalate into PvP fight. But most importantly make sure the rest of the party, out of c haracter, is ok with you doing that. That's the most important part.
@DemonOfMyMind
2 жыл бұрын
As of this video I've played 2 demonstrably evil characters and 1 character who became evil after the campaign ended. The first was a Selfish bard who was more of an Alastor type character. She was working with the party for her own entertainment and doing specific things to torture and manipulate people. This didn't exclude the party though she knew how far she could push it. She was exceptionally hard for me to play because of how awful she was as a person but the players didn't see just how terrible she was even though she showed no feeling or remorse for anything. She even treated sentient creatures like short lived pets. They'd say something like "I miss X character" and she'd respond with "We can always get a new one." The second evil character was a Rogue(SHOCKER! OMG! So controversial!). We were using a homebrew rule that allowed us to apply sneak attack with unarmed strikes so I made a Simic hybrid Lovecraftian abomination character. She wasn't all there in the head which made it easy for the party to point her in a direction as a weapon. She was a grappler and her build was inspired by the Aliens from the Alien fill franchise so she'd grab people and drag them off into the darkness and crush them to death. Fun build to play. But what made her evil wasn't so much her interactions with the party. She had almost a Crocodile like behavior towards them, was neutral, even friendly towards them but if at any point they would die they would be dinner for her. And she treated enemies like this as well. She tried to cook multiple sentient creatures and feed them to the party. Her ultimate goal was to reform her god and be absorbed into the mass once again. Which would probably doom the world, so that was evil. As far as personality goes, she was actually fairly flirtatious and kind. Even going so far as to help with any sort of task the party might need of her. The one character I played who didn't start out evil but became that was the most interesting and most complex. I had planned her from the start to have a Negative character arc. This was for an Icewind Dale campaign and she was a Undead Warlock human girl. She was naive and lacked worldly experience growing up fairly isolated from others because of the secret of her birth. A noble through and through who went through a coming of age story as her pact slowly stole away her humanity, warping her more and more. She lost her sense of taste and all desires for food or drink. She could see in the dark and no longer slept. She could survive in the cold winter indefinitely if she chose to. What happened to her is she had a strong desire to protect the people of 10 towns. She was mostly successful in that, her greatest enemy to her story was the Frostmaiden who wanted to preserve everything in beauty. Ironically after the defeat of the Frostmaiden this girl, now a powerful Warlock became Icewind dale's greatest protector as well as its worst antagonist. Discussing with the DM after the fact because of the similarities between her and the Frostmaiden they both eventually become one entity and she becomes the monster she tried to stop. The people of 10 towns are protected as long as they can't harm themselves right? There's a lot more to her character than just that and she's my all time favorite character to play. But yeah, playing an evil character isn't something you have to avoid. You have to build them in a way that makes sense as to how they might fit the party. You can also look at the arc you might want your character to take. I use rough ideas for that and don't force an arc to happen, usually it happens naturally. My Warlock's Arc happened naturally over time because of a few factors. Her party was also a pretty bad influence on her, being some shades of murder hobo.
@ZarHakkar
2 жыл бұрын
Do you think it could be good to make a video about monsterous (but not necessarily evil) characters? Kobolds, goblins, bugbears, orcs... Perhaps even veering into homebrew like intelligent mimics, wendigos, undead, etc.
@scottallen4569
2 жыл бұрын
I have one! I am playing in a dungeon world campaign, and I'm playing a mage. One of my opposed is that I cannot be considerate of others when I use 'Cast a Spell'. Along with the others traits, I decided to incorporate the opposed traits into my personality. So my character at the moment *wants* to care about the party, but literally can't. Another trait is Relentless Destruction and Using Subtlety respectively, which I interpreted into the personality trait of being super competitive and power hungry. So all in all, I have an asshole who can't help his party directly, but wipes out the enemies before they get hurt. Who is very competitive and short tempered, and very, *very* strong in the way of magic. Unfortunately, he wasn't really accepted by the other party members, because non of them trust him (I've buried them in snow maybe 1 too many times for calling my character ice puns) So he's being set up as next sessions villain (he still likes the party, he just got his hands on a lot of power quickly and is running a bit wild.) Hopefully when the actual villain player plays his hand everyone realizes my character was just an asshole. But by then it'll be too late for me, cause his plans involve effectively killing my character and I've given him the go ahead for it.
@goilveig8454
2 жыл бұрын
I've definitely played the Neutral Evil / pure selfish character before. It does take some work, but you can have it work with the party. One of the easiest ways to keep my character motivated to cooperate was the fact that typical campaign ends up showering characters with obscene amounts of wealth. I wrote an ex-mercenary backstory for the character to give him a reason to believe that working together in a group could lead to acquiring more wealth and power than he could get on his own. He wasn't exactly friends with most of the party, but he respected their skills and he knew that the group together could kill and plunder more effectively than he could himself. And at least one or two in the party would drink and gamble with him. The campaign's BBEG (a pirate lord) appeared early on and humiliated the party, so he had two perfect reasons to stay through the end - revenge and plundering the BBEG's stuff.
@___i3ambi126
2 жыл бұрын
Usually when I say I'm playing an evil character, what I mean is that my character is a sadist.
@TheCrimsonRevenger
2 жыл бұрын
One of my all time fave campaigns was me playing a lawful evil monk in a party where everyone was Good. LG, NG, and CG...all the different G's. And I played it so well that nobody had a clue I was LE until I casually strolled through a "protection against good" spell I didn't even know was there. This was back in 3.5 I think so that spell was warding my char's friends who got there ahead of him and were trying to brainstorm a way around or through the ward. My guy strolls up like "What are you just standing around for?" and walks right through. We had set up ahead of time that all our characters were childhood friends who'd been very close growing up, so that gave me a reason to be...tolerant...of their moral weaknesses. lol. And the "Lawful" part of LE allowed me to be honorable, just, and loyal to my friends. While the Evil part let me be vicious, ruthless, and always go for killing strikes(even on fleeing foes) which I was mostly able to pass off as "the heat of battle". Half of them thought I was just a really over zealous Lawful Good. But through it all he was absolutely loyal to his friends. The actual Lawful Good cleric was like a brother to him and the Neutral Good Bard was once like his little sister and became his wife eventually. And eventually they found it sort of useful to have one person in the team who was willing to get his hands dirty when the situation called for it.
@ReaderViaNil
4 ай бұрын
I think a BIG misconception people have wiith roleplaying evil characters is assuming "evil means playing the villain all the time", which is not the case. "Evil" in this sense just means you have a self-serving morality, you cooperate because it's objectively easier to obtain your goals if you have allies and few enemies, but you never hesitate to eliminate those enemies even if they are "innocent" or "in the right", because your own goals are above the lives of others. Even evil characters have attachments though, it's what you do with people you don't care about that matters
@markusturunen7929
Жыл бұрын
The Evil character in the party is not necessarily a traitor to the party, Evil just means he lacks the heroes' morals, but even a selfish motivation can drive him to do "good things." Lawful evil could be for instance a zealous Inquisitor, who hunts monsters, to bring order to the world. The Neutral evil rogue could be just a cold hired mercenary, doing his own selfish monetary ill-gotten gains. And chaotic evil could have a nemesis that he wants to destroy and require a party to help him destroy his nemesis. These three examples are definitely not heroes, but they have motivation enough to stick around the good guys; if nothing else, they are for money.
@TheKabukimann
2 жыл бұрын
I play a lawful evil character that is considered evil because they are bound by a code that is not the law so they are considered evil and they can do evil things if it furthers the goal they have.
@Dhorannis
2 жыл бұрын
I wouldn't say that an evil character has to be a bad teamplayer. You could still regard your teammates as minions or tools. You might still be a selfish d*ck, but you have a reason to work with them and protect them from harm. Especially LE characters can be great teamplayers. Not to mention that many shows have episodes with villains teaming up and utterly devastating the heroes (until they start fighting before the battle is actually over). Focused and coordinated evil can be extremely powerful.
@poweruprez9646
2 жыл бұрын
I never played, but was researching character development when this started playing. You could possibly make an anti-villain who finds themselves partnered up with the heroes out of convenience. Just a thought.
@twls153
2 жыл бұрын
That was like one of my characters I played in a campaign. The party were destined to take the place of the gods (at least some of them) and become the new gods of that domains, but first we needed to stop the advance of some evil god to achieve that. My character, since the beginning was clear in her objectives, she wanted power, and we all know that a person who only wants power can easily become a evil conqueror. She was very strong and both the party and the gods needed her, but all of them knew what she could possibly do when she achieve godhood. Me and the other players were joking about a future adventure where the main villain is my character, trying to conquer the world. Unfortunately we couldn't see the end of this because the DM had to end the campaign due to personal problems.
@brandondavidson2567
2 жыл бұрын
Personally how ive understood the alignment system and evil in a simplistic manner, its solely how the individual views the concept of life. Evil will snuff out a rabbit, or a human for whatever reason they desire. The key being if it's desired. They wouldn't greive or regret like a typical Neutral based character might.
@Takisan111
Жыл бұрын
My current character is evil but his evil is mostly just because of the type of work he does for a living. He's perfectly happy working with the party since he gets to benefit from the end result and he has a special set of rules of conduct when working on a group project. True lone wolf evil characters don't live long in the industry.
@ProfSnowy
2 жыл бұрын
Do you have a video on antiheroes on the channel? If not I think that you should definitely make one as it is a very interesting character to play especially in a party of lawful goods.
@Brutalyte616
2 жыл бұрын
My idea of an evil character is not just someone who is willing to do things the rest of the party would not, but one who is EAGER to do those things. My favorite example of this is the torturer. If they are willing to take upon themselves the moral burden of inflicting pain on others to achieve a given end, then that's moral ambiguity; necessary evil. You can argue that this is Neutral or Good because there is a purpose beyond the torture itself. But if one is not only willing to torture someone, but eager to do so even without significant justification, they cannot be called anything less than Evil. Chaotic and Neutral encompass the spheres of amoral pragmatism and cold logic, but Evil? Evil is Evil because it inherently lacks a greater justification as to why an expense must be made by others. But remember that just because you're Evil doesn't mean you're stupid.
@seanerzat
2 жыл бұрын
Okay here's an interesting question. If you create a PC that ultimately becomes evil and betrays/abandons the party, is there a way to still allow the player to keep control of that villain? Because I feel like people would just soo associate that character with the player's performance of them and it's more meaningful keeping the two attached somehow. But how would you (or any fellow commenters) suggest going about that? And should they still make a new "main" PC to play with the party?
@DoomsdayCreator3k
2 жыл бұрын
i dm and my lil cuzzin plays a serial torturer whose all in on strength and grappl,ing. hes done some twisted stuff. but we make it work
@blackcrowpirate147
2 жыл бұрын
If I may interject, an evil character simply views the party as their property, they go out of their way to keep the bounty target alive only if necessary and will have fun describing violence and torture during fights. Set a rule at session zero that if the pc is evil, they do not conflict unless the narrative calls for it. I.E. become an NPC villain.
@michaelcohen8259
2 жыл бұрын
A simplistic example of how your evil character can co-exist with the rest of the party is this: Party: Our end goal is to kill Orcus. Evil character: I agree completely. (To himself) Because I want Demogorgon to win!
@thisisausername9356
2 жыл бұрын
I have an evil character, albeit a lawful one and they essentially view the party as meatshields (admittedly he has been getting a bit attached to the swashbuckler but that's not as important) and how he sees it is the more he keeps them alive the more protection he gets when he cons the poor townsfolk who come across him
@DavidMusic5885
Жыл бұрын
i wouldnt say selfish is evilness, evilness in a human sense, is a lack of emotional empathy, this is defined by psycologists. people who lack empathy can but not neccearily 1. relish in physical/emotional suffering/turmoil 2. display selfishness motivations 3. show an inability to emotionaly connect with thier victims, or victims of suffering. there are prolly more that im missing, but lack of connection/empathy towards suffering is the big flashing sign of evilness, and is rare in human beings i play a Neutral Evil rogue in my current campaign, and lack of emotional connection is the key i refer to when i consider my roleplay. Only AFTERWARDS do I consider what my character wants, she is not defined by her greed or selfishness - though thats how the party view her - she is defined First by her lack of empathy and THEN her goals, I have jsut happened to give her goals that align with working cohesively with the 4 other players.
@Sage2000
2 жыл бұрын
I DMed for my friends in a spectacular evil campaign. Gave me the opportunity to portray all those old school good aligned creatures from the books (there were a lot more in AD&D). They had a blast, became more and more tyrannical, absolutely loved it. I didn’t enjoy that as much. Part of my fun was piece by piece taken away by their torturing, conquering and generally being alful. And them came my last arc: evil x evil. That was fun for me. So, if you have a good heart, or a gentle soul, I recommend my last solution.
@Elipus22
3 ай бұрын
I've played an evil character. I murdered a drow, while playing as a drow renegade, because I knew he'd slip prison and report my existence to his superior. When the party didn't kill him, they even got in my way, and the guards arrived while I argued to kill him. So, I went on a 40 minute side adventure in which I broke into prison and killed the guy in his cell. Got out of it without being seen. Bladesingers are fantastic assassins. I didn't consider Speak With Dead, so I got caught since I said my House name to scare him before killing him. The governor was impressed, rather than upset. After a private conversation, I was hired as her personal assassin and manipulator. The gold was worth it. That said, he never went against his party without reason. When another drow joined our group, she and he butted heads, until finally it came to a fight. I won, and earned her respect as a result. We ended up literally burying the hatchet because I realized he wouldn't understand the metaphor and think it was a literal ceremony when settling disputes between Overworlders, and it was a funny joke since I prepared the hatchet in secret and publically asked for both her and a shovel.
@elianas1121
2 жыл бұрын
I would argue that there’s two kinds of evil PC: The one that eventually turns into an enemy NPC, and the player starts a new character, vs the one that manages to work with the party and is feasible long-term.
@flamingmuffin666
Жыл бұрын
Lawful - focused on the methods to achieve goals Chaotic - focused on the end results to achieve goals with neutral balancing the two, Good - seeking to make life better (such as less pain, pro-social, better governance etc.) and is willing to sacrifice time, effort or life to bring it about. Evil - seeking to make their own life better, and is willing to impose that over others (or at least not willing to sacrifice for others) with neutral balancing the two. therefore, I find for for ideal party cooperation: LE: Ethical Egoism set to 11. will develop and hold to a method for attaining for themselves that doesn't burn itself out (laws, systems, personal codes and values, etc), be it skimming off the top, playing politics with people's choices, maybe they value the continued exitance of the good society they live in but will do the things no one else will do to keep the order that allows their society to exist. ("good men sleep well at night, knowing that rough men will commit violence on their behalf." quote comes to mind, take it as literal or as abstract as you want). Most fun alignment to play, personally. Pick up a copy of The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli, you're basically reading this alignment's political philosophy. NE: Unabashed Opportunist, an entrepreneur for themselves. They need a leash of sorts, be it divine, a contract, their safest place is with the party, family bond, etc. They are either too useful, or too charismatic to face repercussions for their actions. Ethical egoism may occur, but they may be prone to "can I get away with it?" in a capricious way that won't occur to LE. I've had some success as what would be thematically an inverse druid (death domain cleric), very focused on a divine balance of life and death, utter contempt for not only undead but anyone who tries for immortality or to save those whos time has come - Death will have its due. Playing a P.T. Barnum like character I can see working, but I'm not that charismatic to play it. CE: Capricious Bandit, an inverse robin hood. They want their freedom and they don't care what it will cost to others, therefore they need a direct bond to the party. Maybe the CE is the "guardian" of a younger sibling (they will keep you physically safe, but maybe not mentally safe, the older brother in the horror movie "Found" comes to mind), maybe there's an inescapable debt or arrangement and the cost to pay it off is to just channel doing the things they like doing. Played an artistic necromancer, guild kept his home safe in exchange for services, and so long as he didn't kill anyone that would bring heat to the guild, he was free to practice his... uh... "art". The point is that they are willing to tolerate their restraints for something else they want, or allows them to do more of what they want. and regardless of the flavour of evil, character needs to be smart, or at least not dumb in ways that cause either threats or division to the party.
@ness_the_okay
2 жыл бұрын
A good fix. I am a the mentality, however, that being evil doesn't necessarily have to mean having to be villain. Evil can simply represent how far a character is willing to go in order to achieve their goals. An evil PC can work with well their party (and the story). The person that does the bad thing so their friends can keep their hands clean and conscious clear. They can be (hypothetically speaking) the one you call to when you need help burying the body. They're the one that can count on to score that illegal poison or necromantic scroll (with no judgement). They are the ones that will avenge you in the most terrifying and creative ways. Evil really is too multifaceted of a subject to discuss in a 9 minute video. There are so many different types of evil. Stealing from babies, being a bully to the helpless, wanting to change and corrupt everything around you, trying to prevent a soul it's proper passage to its afterlife. You could be selfish, or one who sacrifices all of their happiness to bring down the enemies of their god.
@zeik101
2 жыл бұрын
My favorite character I’ve created is somewhere between chaotic good and lawful evil and I will replay him at every opportunity until I get a satisfying enough game out of him lmao
@snakept69
2 жыл бұрын
There is abject evil in the world, it just is rare. But you cannot disregard it and it doesn't work for characters, just villains. One example of abject evil is murderous psychopath. They know they are evil, they just don't care,. No one would say murdering people for fun is any type of shades of gray, it is objectively pure evil. But you can have an evil character that works with the party doesn't betray them and doesn't become a villain. Not all evil characters are villains, villains are subjective, all who oppose you are villains. A trope I bring often to the table is the evil noble/merchant. He has the wealth, the influence and the power to help the heroes in their quest but only if they help him eliminate a rival, a good merchant that lacks the means to help the party. What do the characters do? Killing the evil merchant solves nothing, just creates chaos. Deposing the good merchant leaves the city worse, certain to become more corrupt in the future. Yet you still could really use the help. Not all evil characters are villains to be beat some you have to work with. Lots of selfish people in the world we don't put them in jails just because of it. Likewise your evil character can work with the party as long as they are motivated to bring down the villain. You character doesn't steal or betray the party because he is loyal he does it because he needs them and can't accomplish his goal alone.
@Zoey_the_Rat
Жыл бұрын
Just started to play a CE undercover succubus, who was stripped of most her powers and banished to mortal plane to die in a human body for being asexual. Still evil and hell bent on revenge, but she needs a party to grow strong, learn the necessary knowledge and return her infernal abilities. And on the way, I think, she'll become neutral, learn love and friendship, and all this cool stuff. Obviously, trying to seem as a good girl for the party, but this cover is going to be blown away sooner or later
@blobjorn3248
2 жыл бұрын
Evil is an objective thing in D&D. There's entire planes that represent it.
@jacobweatherford4696
2 жыл бұрын
Tbh i was part of a villain campaign and it sorta played out as being like a heist movie.
@slh8505
2 жыл бұрын
The way my dad did it, back in 2nd edition (with a few house rules), was being lawful evil; one standard was "don't fuck with the party, EVERYONE ELSE is free game" (in his own words); also cause anyone evil and not lawful could by nature, in his eyes, not be trusted, since his idea of evil is selfishness (which he has mentioned, is still flawed)
@Aflay1
2 жыл бұрын
True evil means understanding there are things worse than death.
@forgototherpassword
2 жыл бұрын
I agree that "Evil" is really just selfishness, but I don't agree that they have to be at odds with the party. You don't want to destroy everything, you just don't care about that which doesn't have meaning to you. It's a very extrinsically motivated alignment, and requires a goal you want to work towards. You want the world to be safe because that's where you keep your stuff. Saving the people? Unless your lifestyle depends on those people, or they have something you want/need, who cares? Stopping the bbeg? He's stepping on your turf, or messed with what's yours, and you want revenge, or to get what they want first. Siding with "good" party members? I mean if they also want to save _your stuff_ I mean the world, then why stop them? Making sure they succeed means making sure you survive. Common goals and all that jazz. Doing good actions can help with playing the long game. You want the love of the people because that will get you something you want. Maybe money, maybe power, maybe information. Many villains, like Lex Luthor, have fronts of generosity and goodwill to the people to make the public adore him. Many dictatorships used "hearts and minds" type propaganda to make the people see their leader in a more "benevolent" light. Doing "good deeds" can also make a good-aligned party more likely to put up with your more diabolical traits since "there's a kernal of good somewhere in there" or some such tripe. Also, looking at IRL history, the most evil individuals had people under them who thought their leader was a saint, so make sure to take Deception as a skill.
@antonioauto1407
11 ай бұрын
I would desagree with the point that evil is hard to define. It is true in the real morely grey world, but in fantasy setting with fiends, demmosns, undead and world ending trhets, rthat is prety clear the definition of evil.
@aidanjones8288
2 жыл бұрын
The best “evil” character was this bard in the party. The player dual-played him and his twin brother, the edge-lord rouge. As we were getting closer to a big showdown, we started getting hints that one of the party was working with the villains, and it caused tension in the party. Eventually, the fears subsided somewhat, until we were captured, and the bard, who was actually a nice person, revealed himself to be the traitor. No one in the party expected it, and it made for one of the most emotionally-charged battles in the campaign.
@Acesahn
2 жыл бұрын
This is common sense to me... evil people still need friends. You can be a violent sadist and still have people you draw strength from and can relax around. Not every evil aligned character needs to be a desperate loner who betrays and usurps just because he can. Its just being realistic.
@justincherry4027
2 жыл бұрын
My sister in law played a character who disguised herself as a priest to kill another characters family (he wasn't attached to them really he had like 30 kids and 6 wives because of his culture) and got like 5 of his grown sons and a his favorite wife. This caused my friend to kill the priest in front of the city which further pushed her anti religious goals.
@Lunacorva
2 жыл бұрын
Spoilers for the Welcome to the Show Actual Play series: This is exactly what I did with my character Ravvas. Who was introduced part way through the campaign. Ravvas Arkanen was a Drow soldier and revolutionary (My goal was to both play an evil character, AND play a PC Drow who wasn't a Drizzt clone) instead of a Chaotic Good among the Chaotic Evil Drow, he was a LAWFUL Evil Drow. As a Lawful and Loyal character, he is disgusted by the constant back-stabbing he sees among the Drow and wishes to see the Drow to unite as a true surface-spanning empire instead of squabbling houses in the Underdark. When the PC's must travel down into Hell to save their favourite NPC, he offers his help in rescuing her in exchange for their help in his goals. Throughout their journey he helps them navigate the treacherous Devil politics, seeing through the wordplay and continuously putting his life and even soul on the line to help the party save their friend. ("I believe my vow was to use ''all'' my resources. What made you think my soul was an exception?") While also horrifying them with his unfettered ruthlessness. Willing to kill anyone or anything that gets in their way. When the party finally rescues the NPC, they seem to part with Ravvas on good terms, and in fact, I had told them that I would have to leave the campaign due to a new job. This all changes when they return to the material plane and learn that Ravvas is not only a Drow loyalist, but an outright drow ''supremacist'', and it was ''HE'' who had orchestrated the NPC being dragged into Hell in the first place. Knowing that it would force the heroes to travel into Hell themselves to rescue her and allowing him to use their absence so that his followers could turn the surface dwellers against each other. Starting a new war so that the surface dwellers will be "Culled to an acceptable number." Establishing himself as the new Big Bad of the final season, Ravvas continuosly plays chess with the heroes as they try and reunite the now warring factions, exploiting their emotions, their patterns and their habits to always remain one step ahead of them to the very end. And the thing is... Ravvas DIDN'T become an NPC. I actually returned to play him. Having been working with the DM the entire time, I played the Big Bad Evil Guy of my DM's campaign. Which meant the PC's weren't just fighting an NPC. They were fighting one of their OWN. Someone they trusted. And it worked SO WELL that our viewers voted Ravvas the best villain of the entire campaign.
@arthurmorgan9224
2 жыл бұрын
Playing a NE half orc fighter, hell bent on revenge. Thats pretty much it, hes a pretty chill, hedonistic guy but if you get in the way of his vendetta, god help you.
@Zimzuni2980
2 жыл бұрын
An evil person will kill easily, will sacrifice others to accomplish their personal goals. A good person will always be reluctant to kill & would rather sacrifice themself for others
@johnmiller2689
Жыл бұрын
To me, evil can be defined as harming others for amusement. Bigotry, prejudice, greed, and other things that are selfish and uncomfortable are not evil. Undesirable, but not evil.
@ZamboniZone
2 ай бұрын
Evil doesn't mean murderous psychopath. A problem most people have when playing evil characters
@kyrionbookshield2205
2 жыл бұрын
This is basically how I allow "evil" characters in my world :3 I don't like static chars.
@Calebgoblin
2 жыл бұрын
I feel like there really isn't even close to that much ambiguity surrounding the concept of evil? At its heart, evil is selfishness that is deliberately and knowingly acted upon at the cost of other people. Their pain, suffering, misfortunate or even death.
@Ragnarok6664
2 жыл бұрын
Lawful evil 😈 is what I want 👌🏻
@chrisp.2852
Жыл бұрын
I don't really agree with your playing evil characters thing, both on wanting to play anti heros but also that they have to be selfish. I had evil characters that was super self sacrificial, others that want to greatly improve the world. Hell, I played a necromancer who wanted to use the dead for labor and fighting instead of people dieing. But he found that the sacrifices and death is a needed cost. He helped people, was kind, etc, but he didn't hesitate to sacrifice the innocent if he thought it would further the safety of the world. But it worked very easily with the party, because everyone was evil. And that party I later used as the villains for a later campaign I this time DMed
@riptide3340
Жыл бұрын
Yeah, I feel like he tried to go the “selfishness is considered universally evil” route, but only really showed why relative morality doesn’t work for the system lol. People forget that in DnD, good and evil are tangible, well-defined forces. What is evil in the dnd world? Whatever is the opposite of what the good gods stand for. Even if you believe in subjective morality irl, that’s simply not how the Forgotten Realms work.
@Rechanmole
20 күн бұрын
I just don't agree that evil really is just selfish. Evil can simply be "I want to play a necromacner". A character using undead, or relying on demons, etc that is traditio0nally seen as what villains use. It can be a character who doesn't things for the heroic reasons--they aren't interested in saving the town. This doesn't necessarily mean selfish, this doesn't mean they can't work for a team, they just don't want to be heroic. It could mean someone who wants to be a murderhobo, or all options are on the table like torturing NPCs, or it could be someone who's character is an assassin. They murder people for money. IME when people want to play evil characters, they want to either be edgy, or they want to do things that you're not supposed to do at a table. Attack other PCs, etc.
@BertzTriscut
2 жыл бұрын
I'm curious what you would do about a character who finds the idea of burning babies alive hilarious. "Ha ha, nine months for nothing, bitch." You might say that such a character can't operate with a team, but I beg to differ. They could do good things or be with the party for security and capitulate to them in return for them keeping the character safe. They just think that death and destruction is funny and takes joy in causing it.
@kintsuki99
2 жыл бұрын
Being evil don't require doing immoral or lawless things, all you need if to make sure that all your actions lead to worse outcomes for everyone involved that is not you.
@professormadlad7773
Жыл бұрын
What's me I'm actually Making up a new character that's a lawful evil dwarf.
@snowman9631
2 жыл бұрын
You 100% can define evil
@springheelzach812
2 жыл бұрын
if you deliberitly hurt children you are evil full stop.
@DuskyPredator
2 жыл бұрын
An evil character can still be good to their friends and team mates, in fact they might do awful things to others outside of the group for what they think will benefit said friends.
@metholuscaedes6794
2 жыл бұрын
An evil character dont even need to do anything Evil. they should be perfectly fine doing whatever as long as it suits them. A good character shouldnt stand by and let evil actions by, but a horribly evil person should be entirely alright with someone else doing something good. Sure your character might happily use infants as ammo or torture civilians for tactical advantage. They just dont need to, as it dont benefit them to do. You should be able to play an evil as hell character without it ever comming up. you just dont do evil because your allies wouldnt allow it, and you need your teammates to cooperate.
@maurygoldblat8982
Ай бұрын
"We all know evil doesn't exist..." Huh?
@savannahbrewer6161
2 жыл бұрын
I hope you keep believing evil is a myth forever man, may you live a safer life than most.
@dutyfreeadventures5924
2 жыл бұрын
How to play a selfish character in a group: Play them so the group is part of who they're being selfish on behalf of. "Screw the rest of the world, I'm looking out for me and my party" Think of it like the mom who fear buys way too much toilet paper and baby formula during a pandemic. She's doing it for the benefit not just of herself but also her family. She's not hoarding TP from her husband and kids. She's hoarding FOR them. Same thing here. Have the evil character be incredibly sinful evil and selfish to NPCs so that they can take care of the party.
@Beargrin89
2 жыл бұрын
I... kind of disagree with portions of this. You don't have to be wholly selfish to play "evil." Hell, your character could be selfless, and see their actions as necessary for the good of the whole. It's just a burden that they, alone, have to take on so no one else has to... Even as they're doing reprehensible things. It's also important to note that, yeah, real world? Evil is perception. One culture might be evil to another, vice versa. But, depending on your setting? It's actually a tangible force of the cosmos. There are planes of Good, planes of Evil, Law, Chaos, Neutrality, and so on... and it's not a limiting thing. It's just how they tend to act. You don't have to set up your PC to become an NPC for the DM, and while it's a truly valid and wonderful way of doing things? It's certainly not the only, nor best way to carry this out. Because what's best is highly dependant on your views. The books expand greatly on behaviors that can make up an evil character, and just so I'm not copy/pasting a metric ton, here are a few. 1. Greed. You're in it for your own personal gain, usually wealth. That goes in with being selfish, but even then? This doesn't mean you can't work well with a party. 2. Power. Might makes right. You want to amass power for your own gains, or so you can do what you want. 3. Revenge. (Not justice, revenge.) You want to hurt someone that wronged you, personally... and you want to hurt them BADLY. Those are just a few... If people want to bother with alignments in my game, but they don't know which one fits? I ask what they're willing to do to achieve their in game goals. I have one character set up for a game that is taking inspiration from Dr. Doom. He believes the only way peace and safety can be achieved on the material plane is if he becomes a tyrannical emperor... He's working towards, what he feels, is for the good of everyone. But he'll have no qualms killing those that get in his way. Why? Because why would you stand in the way of peace? Still using Doom as an example; he's frequently seen as evil... But, look at Latveria. The people are happy. It's basically a utopia. They just have his personal holiday, Doomsday, in which they have to come out and celebrate him while he's on parade. Other than that, it's one of the safest places to be... and he's been shown to be able to work with heroes in the past with little issue.
@kitirena_koneko
2 жыл бұрын
I've heard arguments that good and evil are objective absolutes, and that they're relative and subjective, but both viewpoints are inherently flawed in their assumptions. Good and evil, as moral viewpoints, are provisional and based on culture and cultural mores. Allow me to give two demonstrations: human sacrifice and pedophilia. Now, we in the modern world know that human sacrifice is totally unnecessary, and I assume that everyone reading this believes that human sacrifice is an inherently evil act, or at least a morally objectionable one. Yet, historically speaking, there have been cultures in which sacrificing enemies captured in battle or in raids on neighboring tribes was considered not only a pious act, but in at least one case that I know of (Aztec culture) it was considered necessary (the gods needed to be fed just like we do, and they fed on human blood spilled in specific rituals to regain their divine power). In other cultures, sometimes a willing victim was chosen from a group of special volunteers to give up their life to please the gods, and they were considered blessed because of their willingness to surrender their lives for the good of their tribe, clan, city, or whatever. Pedophilia, and I'm going to define this as having sex with children that have not yet gone through puberty, is disgusting and vile, and there's absolutely no way I can justify such a foul and cruel action, but there are (unfortunately) people (and I use the term "people" VERY loosely in the case of pedophiles) who feel that introducing little children to sex before they're physically or mentally ready is somehow a good thing (we all agree that it's not, but bear with me for a little bit longer). What if there were somehow a society that felt that pedophilia was an important rite of passage for children to become adults (yuck!)? That society would argue strongly in favor of pedophilia and try to find all kinds of justifications for their beliefs. In both cases, we have a society believing that what we 'know' to be evil acts (and in the case of pedophilia, it's too easy to pull up metric tons of scientific research showing that having sex with little kids is a VERY BAD THING) to be good, and that our societies, by opposing their philosophies, are the evil ones. The reason why societies have certain rules is because we need those rules in order to have societies in the first place, and enough people in those societies agree to those rules being good and necessary because without them, there's no common code of conduct keeping everyone from doing what they want when they want, and societies without enough rules, just like those with too many, eventually collapse into anarchy and warlordism. Or, TL:DR version, good and evil are what the societies we live in decide they are because we need a framework of rules in order to have society, and those rules need to be fair enough for a large enough group of people to want to follow them. What helps a society hold together is "good", and what tears it apart is "evil".
@calebkopp7636
2 жыл бұрын
I'm going to have to disagree on the idea that the thing that makes an evil character evil is selfishness and refusal to work with others. It seems too... TV-Y of an 'evil' character. That's not an evil character, that is a character who thinks they are the main character. Imo, an evil character is a person who goes too far and does so often. An evi person lies to the party or tricks them, when being open would have gotten the task done just as well, albeit a bit slower. The stereotypical Paladin who assaults amd brutalized anyone who disagreed with them and allows no second chances regardless of context. The Cleric who ignores the cries of innocents to get the 'greater evil'. Those people are evil. I bring this up for two reasons. The more minor of the two is that by this logic: anyone who risks the mission for an object linked to their backstory, any time someone puts a personal goal above the groups goal - all because the dm put it there to make the story more dramatic- all of them are evil. And I feel that's a very bad outlook. The biggest reason though, is to start a conversation. Not a discussion, not a debate, no arguing. Just share your definitions of what makes a character evil in dnd. I feel having a discussion on this will give a lot of players and dms cool ideas to work with.
@butchbabytoaster
2 жыл бұрын
I have a lawful evil wizard who's (whose?) entire motivation is revenge against the nobility of her homeland. Essentially, she was adopted off the streets of the elven capital by a kindly old Eladrin wizard-baron, but kept close ties to her friends in the gutters, until the king ordered a "cleansing" of the lower class from his city. She worked with her adoptive father to kill the king, and when escape from the capital was impossible, her father pushed her through the planes into another world entirely, and she's trying to get back home with enough power to wipe out the nobility of her homeland. In essence, a vengeful wizard baroness with the desire to become a goddess with the power to reshape an entire kingdom at once.
@donniejefferson9554
2 жыл бұрын
Important thing to remember when playing an evil character: Most evil people still treat those around them fairly well. They still have people that they love and wouldn't betray. Even if they don't really care about someone, they'll work with them if the relationship is mutually beneficial. If your character can't find a reason to work with the party from that, you haven't made a character. You've made at best a caricature.
@otakuragenation7853
2 жыл бұрын
Reminds my of my evil pc who would take great care of his allies but would treat all others with disdain, and even outright disgust. Especially hypocritical self proclaimed heros. He was such a joy for me and the party to be around
@joemomma2189
2 жыл бұрын
Same- I run a Dragonborn zealot of Tiamat, and not only is he rather friendly, he is quite protective of his people, and has taken our two recent deaths (RIP Carric and Norm) really hard, though he very easily flys into a rage and is willing to lie, destroy, kill, or torture anyone to achieve his ends (he's looking for a relic that is important to the Dragon Cult and in exchange for help finding it, he's helping them deal with some B.S.)
@robfus
2 жыл бұрын
I mean for example just saying because I saw it recently, lord Voldemort is evil, defently, BUT he have some sort of honor code he reward his loyal followers and punish who is incompentent, not always killing but also thru humiliation.
@lagbait3076
2 жыл бұрын
Or if all else fails keep your friends close but your enemies closer. Outward appearances are sometimes everything and if you play lawful evil, why would you turn on those that are assisting on creating a power base?
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