Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Sluagh 12-28-05, 05:29 PM	My current character, a CN human Bard (Bard5/Rogue4) is a selfish, lieing, manipulative woshipper of Mask (FR deity) out for personal gain and power over those around him... needless to say, he's on the Evil side of neutral already, but not quite to the point of Evil. the natural progression of his personality from Neutral to Evil would lead him to Neutral Evil from Chaotic Neutral (based on the alignment descriptions in the PHB). Now, my problem is that in a treasure, I picked up an item from the Book of Vile Darkness (Demonstone) that causes me to make a Will save every day (with an increasing DC). If I fail, my alignment shifts to Chaotic Evil... not just choatic evil, but the most vile form of Chaotic Evil imaginable. My problem is, though I understand the ideas of Chaotic Evil somewhat, I'm at a loss for how to play this sudden transformation whenever I manage to fail that will save. What are your suggestions for playing "A character turned evil by a demonstone is particularily despicable in his sadistic and horrible actions"?
Kaslin 12-29-05, 12:46 PM	Pick fights, revel in victory, savour the bloodshed, spill aforementioned blood for no reason other than your own amusement. This doesn't mean attack something you know you can't win, this is Chaotic Evil, not Chaotic Stupid. Your a rogue, so backstab the party when it becomes beneficial to yourself, and when they are at their weakest. Just a few tips.
Sluagh 12-29-05, 12:57 PM	Yeah, I was thinking of the "kill simply to kill" idea... It would seem that with the description of the style of CE that I'm possibly going to be forced to be that sadism will be extremely important. I guess it's unfortunate for my party that I'm the only one wearing a ring of sustenence :P
General_Ridley 12-29-05, 04:33 PM	if you already work in assassination, cut your ties to the guild and do it freely. If someone comes to you to assassinate someone, gladly do it, because it means money and a chance to slaughter. Rules and deals exist for the purpose of breaking them. promises are never sacred, only invitations to be reniged upon. just some very base stuff.
Gothic Rose 12-29-05, 04:44 PM	Yeah, I was thinking of the "kill simply to kill" idea... It would seem that with the description of the style of CE that I'm possibly going to be forced to be that sadism will be extremely important. I guess it's unfortunate for my party that I'm the only one wearing a ring of sustenence :P There's more to it than Kill, Pussycat, Kill. Be VILE. After using a servant, kill him by cutting his face off. Feed the scraps to his daughter. You like the look of the barwench? Take her as your own - if she resists, kill her - she doesn't need to be alive for you to enjoy, just warm. Want to make an impression on someone? Put one of their loved ones on a pike, eviscerated and screaming. Use healing spells from Bard to KEEP THEM ALIVE while they're up there. So on so forth.
1984 12-29-05, 05:01 PM	Hmmm. Gain some ranks in Knowledge: Law, and and abuse it to the max. If your party stops in a village and you know you're staying for a while, kill someone and frame someone else. Watch as they are punished. Do as you like and leave the consequenses to somone else. Also, you ask how to play the transformation? Not at all! It's your choice of course but the you might have alot of fun while tricking the rest of the party. Contact the BBEG and offer your services as spy. Get away from your party when you're in a city and do your thing, go back to them and say you just "got up to date" on the latest news and rumors.
Dyrcona 12-30-05, 07:45 AM	Hmmm. Gain some ranks in Knowledge: Law, and and abuse it to the max. If your party stops in a village and you know you're staying for a while, kill someone and frame someone else. Watch as they are punished. Do as you like and leave the consequenses to somone else. Also, you ask how to play the transformation? To me, the above sounds a lot like playing Lawful evil: abusing the law, trying to pin it on someone else, etc. Chaotic evil means acting on a whim, not really caring about the consequences for yourself and certainly not for others. A chaotic evil PC taken to the extreme is a psychopath. It depends a lot on how far you want to take it. An interesting hook that might work given the Demonstone you possess (or does it possess you?) would to have your PC seem normal (i.e. Chaotic neutral) most of the time with bouts or fits of psychotic behavior. As the possession of the stone progresses, the psychosis would deepen to the point where Chaotic evil becomes the PC's entire personality. At this point, it is very likely your PC would be a fugitive from the law. I'd suggest talking it over with your DM. He/she might have some ideas. Not at all! It's your choice of course but the you might have alot of fun while tricking the rest of the party. Contact the BBEG and offer your services as spy. Get away from your party when you're in a city and do your thing, go back to them and say you just "got up to date" on the latest news and rumors. A real chaotic evil would trick the party and the BBEG! Well, he'd certainly try. ;)
1984 12-30-05, 10:25 AM	To me, the above sounds a lot like playing Lawful evil: abusing the law, trying to pin it on someone else, etc. I know. IMO, the only way to play chaotic evil is in new ways. As in, not in a "i want to kill all" style. The greatest benefit about Chaotic Evil in this way is that you are completly free to play it like you want to. You feel like being kind? Can do. You want to slaghter the old woman you just helped across the street? Sure, why not. I admit my suggestions was more lawful than chaotic. But I thought more about the bard manipulating the execution of an innocent man, then later proving his innocence. Repeat a couple of times, start riots against a legal system that, thanks to you, obviously doesn't work. Then again, the bard might be more interested in just having a good time. In which case he'll adventure until it no longer amuses him. His will be done, in the worst way possible.
Sluagh 12-30-05, 12:48 PM	... Do as you like and leave the consequenses to somone else. Also, you ask how to play the transformation? Not at all! It's your choice of course but the you might have alot of fun while tricking the rest of the party.... Get away from your party when you're in a city and do your thing, go back to them and say you just "got up to date" on the latest news and rumors. Chaotic evil means acting on a whim, not really caring about the consequences for yourself and certainly not for others. A chaotic evil PC taken to the extreme is a psychopath. It depends a lot on how far you want to take it. An interesting hook that might work given the Demonstone you possess (or does it possess you?) would to have your PC seem normal (i.e. Chaotic neutral) most of the time with bouts or fits of psychotic behavior. As the possession of the stone progresses, the psychosis would deepen to the point where Chaotic evil becomes the PC's entire personality. At this point, it is very likely your PC would be a fugitive from the law. ... A real chaotic evil would trick the party and the BBEG! Well, he'd certainly try. ;) Thanks. That is a fairly workable solution. My primary issue is the sudden and relatively drastic change in outlook from simply selfish (but outwardly compassionate) to psychotic, sadistic soiciopath, literally overnight. There've been some good suggestions for things to do that are in line with CE and fall in line with my literary examples (within just D&D sources) or Balors (Errtu), some of the Drow (who largely seem like maybe they should be NE :P ), Cyric and the like. But yeah, my main concern was playing the sudden shift in outlook and still playing my character. I see that I can still play him as him, just with a new layer, with that intensifying in time. I just hope we figure things out before I off members of the party... we've been doubly sent back in time (about 1200 years, then a further 400 years "randomly"), so introducing new characters to the party can be difficult.
Sluagh 01-02-06, 02:09 PM	Well, I failed my Will save last night after 8 days (DC 22). I'm going with the occasional psychotic episodes idea, building into full psychotic behaviour in time; but have only dealt with my party members so far since the change... that's led to me smashing one in the jaw and accidentally casting Enlarge on another (I have a Rod of Wonder and that was the random effect that hit him). Unfortunately, my character is currently permanently purple due to the rod as well, which has made him the butt of several jokes... he's not taking to them kindly anymore.
tharveysinjin 01-05-06, 05:15 PM	If you have ever seen the movie Rob Roy, Tim Roth's character, Archibald Cunningham, is a great representation of Chaotic evil. Although Archibald works for a local lord, he is thoroughly vile. in the movie he: 1. Enters into an act of conspiracy to steal 1000 pounds from Rob Roy 2. Carries out said act and murders the victim of his thievery. 3. He disposes of his victims body by sinking it in a nearby loch. 4. He impregnates a local serving wench, and then rejects her after he learns of her condition. She later commits suicide as opposed to accepting her fate as the mother of a bastard. 5. He rapes Rob Roy's wife just to get Rob's attention. This character is thoroughly vile.
Arilou_skiff 01-06-06, 06:25 PM	One idea might be to simply loose control. You know how ordinary people keep themselves in check when people annoy them/things don't go their way? Well. Just stop. You know how you might imagine smashing the face of that rude store-owner? Well. Do. That guy who gives you the quests but never seems to offer enough of a reward? Kill him. It'd actually be pretty chilling if played right: Having a character who just suddenly stopped having inhibitions.
KublaiKhan 01-06-06, 06:49 PM	It's a case of do what you want, and to hell with the consequences. Random acts of violence can work....you see a family of commoners having dinner: barge in, lock the door, and make the parents choose which child they want to die. Make the father or mother kill the kid....or be killed. A kid's ball bounces out into the street. You catch it...beckon the kid out into the street...then kick them in front of a carriage going past. An old lady needs help crossing the street....so help her halfway. Or shove her over. Or whatever. Guy's got a fruit stand...ah, well, you're hungry. If he tries to stop you from taking what you want, backhand 'im. You have no morals. You don't care at all about anyone else's well-being--the only person who matters is you.
General_Ridley 01-06-06, 08:40 PM	If you're hungry, and you're fighting something, kill it and start eating it. Not CE, but definitely just strange and kind of sick. I killed an elf once and started eating its leg. I offered an arm to my friend, but he politely declined. What a strange Vampire he was.
Sluagh 01-06-06, 08:47 PM	If you're hungry, and you're fighting something, kill it and start eating it. Actually, I ran with that idea in the game where the change occurred... in a way. After attacking my fellow adventurers who made a joke at my expense, I stormed off into the woods , whipped a squirrel and consumed it after dismembering it. Blew off some steam and let my character return to the group calmed down and ready to continue on in his slow descent into despicability.
RememberedRealms 01-08-06, 11:18 AM	I think Gothic Rose is closest to the ways you need to act - eventually. You should run your slow descent into depravity as you like, and it sounds like you're making a great start. I can see a bard being corrupted by his ego, freaking out at real insults or imagined slights, becoming more and more convinced that he is a misunderstood genius in a world populated with witless creatures unworthy of his respect or attention. You might even comit acts of incredible depravity as part of some twisted dream to make a great tragedy real as you act out it's parts. Think Ziggy Stardust meets Billy the Kid. Or you might even be completely horrible as a singer/composer too - just to make it that much more alarming when you do freak out. I'm reminded of a 50s film, Quo Vadis. Nero (played incredibly well by Peter Ustinov) burns Rome so it could serve as a model for a song he is trying to write about a fire. The rest of the film is only mildly interesting as an early christian epic, but it's more than worth watching for Ustinov's performance. If you haven't already, check out the sections in Chapter 1 of the Book of Vile Darkness on Evil Acts and Fetishes and Addictions. And just for kicks, here's a few more fun things to do: -Secretly suplement the inn's cooking with some choice ingredients of your own. Smile into your soup as the party comments on the peculiar flavor. Act surprised the next day when reports of missing babies filter in from the surrounding neighborhood. When asked privately by your party members what's going on, give stage directions, "In this act, the cannibal tribe eats the villager's children as they watch helplessly." -Sit on a mortally wounded victim's chest and watch studiously as they die. Take scholarly interest in their pleas for help. Lick the blood off your weapon. Wonder aloud to yourself, "What dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil?" -Sneak into local good aligned temple. **** in the holy water.
Cifer 01-09-06, 06:53 PM	Id especially emphasize Kaslin's comment: Chaotic evil is not chaotic stupid. I dont know about your party, but wouldnt someone complain about that mass-murdering doubledealing bastard? I would rather prefer the Lecter-aproach of cultivated cruelty. When someone, for example, critizises your performance, smile, nod politely upon hearing his suggestions - and murder him the next night in his sleep for daring to tell you what you should or shouldn't sing about! Keep this side of yours secret, remain as calm as possible when near your 'fellow' adventurers and let them wonder why so many murders happen when they are around.