Neutral or evil? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Neutral or evil? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Radijs
12-23-06, 05:56 PM I've never been very good at determining the alignment of my own characters. And I've recently opened the book on a new character. A former soldier turned mercenary and he goes by the name of Santo Dantes.

The question in the end is going to be; What is his alignment?

A brief history:
Santo was born some odd 30 years ago into a family with no money or power. His father sent him to serve in the millitary where he was turned into a soldier.
During a long-lasting campaign he saved the life of a rookie officer who recruited him as his bodyguard. He served as the noblemans bodyguard for quite a while but eventually left his service unable to endure the political scheming of his master for much longer. He booked passage on a ship hoping to find a better chance in one of the new overseas colonies which where being founded all over the world.
During the journey one of the officers was killed in battle and Santo replaced him taking up responsibility of keeping order on board the ship.

Recent events:
The ship made birth in a large city in order to secure letters of the mark so they could begin raiding ships in order to make some money.
Upon arrival in the city a panic broke out in the city because 4 elementals which where held captive escaped. Some of the crew got involved in fighting one of these and Santo joined in the fray to protect the crew.
After the first one was slain a wizard offered them a reward if they helped kill the other elementals. The money was good so Santo agreed and he fought the other elementals which constantly spewed accusations at everyone in general about them being enslaved etc. Santo ignored this and ended the battle eventually. The air and water elemental escaped but the earth elemental was shattered decorating the square with precious gems.
The wizard told him that the gems where state property and that he should leave them and come and collect his reward the next day. Santo agreed but after the wizard had left he suggested that the crew pick up as many gems as they could before leaving. The next day these gems where sold to a fence for a nifty price.

The next day he collected the reward which turned out to be a group of slaves. He sold them on the slave market. Another crewmember (the LG kind) bought the slaves later and freed them giving them 10 GP each to book passage home.
They ran for the ship and booked passage, Santo accepted it but negotiated that they had to work on board the ship for their meals and pay the 10 GP per head they offered as well.

The evening before Santo and some other members of the crew where invited by some rookie wizards to come and drink with them to celebrate their heroic defense of the city. Not turning down a free drink Santo and some of the crew went with them and learned of an arranged marriage that threatened to go wrong because the bride and the groom had gone missing. A large reward was offered for their safe return.
The wizard who spilled these beans also said something very stupid about what this marriage could do. (The stupid kind of thing that gets you a knife in your back) So Santo and 2 crewmembers escorted him home and thats when things got a little weird.
Because when we arrived the wizard appearantly had lost his key and had to fly up to his window to get inside. Once he did that we heard nothing anymore. So one crewmember climbs up to see what happened, accidentally wakes the missus who screams.
Santo fades into the shadows and waits to see what happens knowing very well that the crewmember is sneaky enough to escape.
Said crewmember does and a brief talk with the man of the house tells Santo that the wizard who flew into the window doesn't actually live there!
So Santo returns to the ship as does the rest of the crew.
But the burglar was followed (knowingly) by an imp who probably was the familliar of the man who'se house he broke in to.
To make a long story short the crewmember was arrested. Santo deemed it a better idea to break him out later rather then assaulting the city watch.

So the next morning Santo sends another crewmember to pick up the arrested one. But she botches it so badly that she winds up being arrested as well.
Both get "Community service" and orders to assasinate some people, among which the bride we're still looking for.
Eventually both of them tell me of their mission.
Santo is rather cross with crewmember A who let himself get followed whilst he knew about it and he is cross with crewmember B who managed to get herself arrested on a simple task of getting crewmember A out of jail.
So basically he tells them both to deal with it as they see fit provided that it doesn't provide him with more trouble and they will be able to collect the reward for retuning the bride and the groom.

In the interest in speculation:
The bride and groom will most likely not love each other. One or both may foster love for another man/woman and have snuck off to marry that person instead before the official ceremony. Of course the families aren't going to pay for returning one or two married couples so Santo is already weighing the option that he will have to kill somebody in order to bring back a more valuable widow rather then a worthless husband or wife.

The only real code Santo follows is a variation of the code of Black Bart
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_code_of_the_Brethren
Doomed_Penguin
12-23-06, 11:40 PM He sounds Chaotic Neutral to me. He's more worried about himself, his money, and (to a lesser extent) his crew than he is about anyone else. He makes me think of pretty much a pirate. He could be True Neutral, but seems to lean twords chaos, imo.
Eridrau
12-24-06, 12:45 AM Let's see. He's not Good (Accepting Slavery cinched this), not Evil (He doesn't seem to have any malicious intent, really), and not Lawful (Blatant disregard for authority, anyone?).
So that leaves you with Neutral, and Chaotic Neutral. Let's weigh the two, shall we?

Neutral (pure): He doesn't care about rules, really, and is primarily out for himself. He seems to not simply act on whims and weigh the options presented to him.

Chaotic Neutral: While he backs up his comrades and crew... he doesn't stick his neck out that far for them (The criminals). He also seems to care very little about rules beyond 'It's not a crime as long as you don't get caught...'

These seem to be how you're starting him. Which direction you lead him depends on how you want to play your merc.
If you want him to be more of a contemplative, tactically minded person, who evaluates the gains and losses of a given course before acting, go True Neutral.
If you want to have a free-spirited Mercenary who believes in himself, and not much else, go Chaotic Neutral.

Of course, you could have him suddenly get a cruel streak and become evil, or seek redemption and go good. But Chaotic Neutral and True Neutral seem to be where you're currently standing.

I hope this helped you, have a nice day.
WolfHati
12-24-06, 01:28 AM Though if he does actually have to murder someone to bring back the bride or the groom, that's probably going to make him push the evil side of things. If he would do it with no moral consideration beforehand, he's definitely evil. If he tries to avoid such killing because it's wrong, then he is more neutral.
Radijs
12-24-06, 10:10 AM Thanks for the insights so far.
I'll add in why he did what he did to his crewmembers.
They basically messed up so far that their actions put the ship and mission at risk.
First the guy let himself get followed. That fact alone can be ascribed to bad luck but he knew he was being followed and failed to do anything about it. He didn't even try to lose the tail but lead our now probably enemies right to our ship. Such incompetence practically borders on treason.

The second girl had simple instructions, find the first crewmember in the guardhouse, See what his punishment was going to be and collect him if possible. With the explicit instructions not to cause trouble.
Instead of seeing both crewmembers return in a proper manner I first recieve a report that they are both in prison, the first still awaiting sentence for burglary and the second on suspicions of murder! This because she appearantly announced out loud in the guardhouse that she had killed her own parents in cold blood. Not exactly what I had come to expect from people who have not undergone a full frontal lobotomy.
Eridrau
12-24-06, 01:07 PM Ah, so he's got his reasons... Well, I'd say he's leaning a little more heavily towards true neutral, but like WolfHati said, your future actions will be the difference between neutral and evil.

The question, really, is what do you *want* to play him as?
You're sounding more and more like a strategist though, so TN sounds much more appealing. Plus, your comment of 'treasonous stupidity' ... that's just awesome. I'm going to use that in my next campaign.
My :twocents :
Radijs
12-28-06, 10:21 PM I want him as a strategist, Aiming for the captains chair later on when I know a little more about the world.

Last session I learned something else though, turns out that one of the crew is a good guy. As in LG.
I want to bring him around to say a more, economical standpoint. The kind where he won't object to the occasional breaking and entering followed by some assault and battery etc.
So far I know only a few things about him.
He's a monk and trained in a monestary and has only recently left said monestary and is unfamilliar in the ways of the world. (doesn't know what a brothel is etc.) Is quite selfless, he bought a group of slaves free and gave them money to pay for their journey home.
His character constantly wears manacles as part of his training, Santo has tempted him with solid gold manacles, beset with diamonds This seemed to interest him a little.
Right now I'm going to attempt introducing the man to an old soldiers friend known as Sleaze.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Radijs 12-23-06, 05:56 PM	I've never been very good at determining the alignment of my own characters. And I've recently opened the book on a new character. A former soldier turned mercenary and he goes by the name of Santo Dantes. The question in the end is going to be; What is his alignment? A brief history: Santo was born some odd 30 years ago into a family with no money or power. His father sent him to serve in the millitary where he was turned into a soldier. During a long-lasting campaign he saved the life of a rookie officer who recruited him as his bodyguard. He served as the noblemans bodyguard for quite a while but eventually left his service unable to endure the political scheming of his master for much longer. He booked passage on a ship hoping to find a better chance in one of the new overseas colonies which where being founded all over the world. During the journey one of the officers was killed in battle and Santo replaced him taking up responsibility of keeping order on board the ship. Recent events: The ship made birth in a large city in order to secure letters of the mark so they could begin raiding ships in order to make some money. Upon arrival in the city a panic broke out in the city because 4 elementals which where held captive escaped. Some of the crew got involved in fighting one of these and Santo joined in the fray to protect the crew. After the first one was slain a wizard offered them a reward if they helped kill the other elementals. The money was good so Santo agreed and he fought the other elementals which constantly spewed accusations at everyone in general about them being enslaved etc. Santo ignored this and ended the battle eventually. The air and water elemental escaped but the earth elemental was shattered decorating the square with precious gems. The wizard told him that the gems where state property and that he should leave them and come and collect his reward the next day. Santo agreed but after the wizard had left he suggested that the crew pick up as many gems as they could before leaving. The next day these gems where sold to a fence for a nifty price. The next day he collected the reward which turned out to be a group of slaves. He sold them on the slave market. Another crewmember (the LG kind) bought the slaves later and freed them giving them 10 GP each to book passage home. They ran for the ship and booked passage, Santo accepted it but negotiated that they had to work on board the ship for their meals and pay the 10 GP per head they offered as well. The evening before Santo and some other members of the crew where invited by some rookie wizards to come and drink with them to celebrate their heroic defense of the city. Not turning down a free drink Santo and some of the crew went with them and learned of an arranged marriage that threatened to go wrong because the bride and the groom had gone missing. A large reward was offered for their safe return. The wizard who spilled these beans also said something very stupid about what this marriage could do. (The stupid kind of thing that gets you a knife in your back) So Santo and 2 crewmembers escorted him home and thats when things got a little weird. Because when we arrived the wizard appearantly had lost his key and had to fly up to his window to get inside. Once he did that we heard nothing anymore. So one crewmember climbs up to see what happened, accidentally wakes the missus who screams. Santo fades into the shadows and waits to see what happens knowing very well that the crewmember is sneaky enough to escape. Said crewmember does and a brief talk with the man of the house tells Santo that the wizard who flew into the window doesn't actually live there! So Santo returns to the ship as does the rest of the crew. But the burglar was followed (knowingly) by an imp who probably was the familliar of the man who'se house he broke in to. To make a long story short the crewmember was arrested. Santo deemed it a better idea to break him out later rather then assaulting the city watch. So the next morning Santo sends another crewmember to pick up the arrested one. But she botches it so badly that she winds up being arrested as well. Both get "Community service" and orders to assasinate some people, among which the bride we're still looking for. Eventually both of them tell me of their mission. Santo is rather cross with crewmember A who let himself get followed whilst he knew about it and he is cross with crewmember B who managed to get herself arrested on a simple task of getting crewmember A out of jail. So basically he tells them both to deal with it as they see fit provided that it doesn't provide him with more trouble and they will be able to collect the reward for retuning the bride and the groom. In the interest in speculation: The bride and groom will most likely not love each other. One or both may foster love for another man/woman and have snuck off to marry that person instead before the official ceremony. Of course the families aren't going to pay for returning one or two married couples so Santo is already weighing the option that he will have to kill somebody in order to bring back a more valuable widow rather then a worthless husband or wife. The only real code Santo follows is a variation of the code of Black Bart http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_code_of_the_Brethren
Doomed_Penguin 12-23-06, 11:40 PM	He sounds Chaotic Neutral to me. He's more worried about himself, his money, and (to a lesser extent) his crew than he is about anyone else. He makes me think of pretty much a pirate. He could be True Neutral, but seems to lean twords chaos, imo.
Eridrau 12-24-06, 12:45 AM	Let's see. He's not Good (Accepting Slavery cinched this), not Evil (He doesn't seem to have any malicious intent, really), and not Lawful (Blatant disregard for authority, anyone?). So that leaves you with Neutral, and Chaotic Neutral. Let's weigh the two, shall we? Neutral (pure): He doesn't care about rules, really, and is primarily out for himself. He seems to not simply act on whims and weigh the options presented to him. Chaotic Neutral: While he backs up his comrades and crew... he doesn't stick his neck out that far for them (The criminals). He also seems to care very little about rules beyond 'It's not a crime as long as you don't get caught...' These seem to be how you're starting him. Which direction you lead him depends on how you want to play your merc. If you want him to be more of a contemplative, tactically minded person, who evaluates the gains and losses of a given course before acting, go True Neutral. If you want to have a free-spirited Mercenary who believes in himself, and not much else, go Chaotic Neutral. Of course, you could have him suddenly get a cruel streak and become evil, or seek redemption and go good. But Chaotic Neutral and True Neutral seem to be where you're currently standing. I hope this helped you, have a nice day.
WolfHati 12-24-06, 01:28 AM	Though if he does actually have to murder someone to bring back the bride or the groom, that's probably going to make him push the evil side of things. If he would do it with no moral consideration beforehand, he's definitely evil. If he tries to avoid such killing because it's wrong, then he is more neutral.
Radijs 12-24-06, 10:10 AM	Thanks for the insights so far. I'll add in why he did what he did to his crewmembers. They basically messed up so far that their actions put the ship and mission at risk. First the guy let himself get followed. That fact alone can be ascribed to bad luck but he knew he was being followed and failed to do anything about it. He didn't even try to lose the tail but lead our now probably enemies right to our ship. Such incompetence practically borders on treason. The second girl had simple instructions, find the first crewmember in the guardhouse, See what his punishment was going to be and collect him if possible. With the explicit instructions not to cause trouble. Instead of seeing both crewmembers return in a proper manner I first recieve a report that they are both in prison, the first still awaiting sentence for burglary and the second on suspicions of murder! This because she appearantly announced out loud in the guardhouse that she had killed her own parents in cold blood. Not exactly what I had come to expect from people who have not undergone a full frontal lobotomy.
Eridrau 12-24-06, 01:07 PM	Ah, so he's got his reasons... Well, I'd say he's leaning a little more heavily towards true neutral, but like WolfHati said, your future actions will be the difference between neutral and evil. The question, really, is what do you want to play him as? You're sounding more and more like a strategist though, so TN sounds much more appealing. Plus, your comment of 'treasonous stupidity' ... that's just awesome. I'm going to use that in my next campaign. My :twocents :
Radijs 12-28-06, 10:21 PM	I want him as a strategist, Aiming for the captains chair later on when I know a little more about the world. Last session I learned something else though, turns out that one of the crew is a good guy. As in LG. I want to bring him around to say a more, economical standpoint. The kind where he won't object to the occasional breaking and entering followed by some assault and battery etc. So far I know only a few things about him. He's a monk and trained in a monestary and has only recently left said monestary and is unfamilliar in the ways of the world. (doesn't know what a brothel is etc.) Is quite selfless, he bought a group of slaves free and gave them money to pay for their journey home. His character constantly wears manacles as part of his training, Santo has tempted him with solid gold manacles, beset with diamonds This seemed to interest him a little. Right now I'm going to attempt introducing the man to an old soldiers friend known as Sleaze.