Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Stormbrand 04-14-07, 11:33 PM	Being such a nice person in real life can make playing evil characters difficult, since I never truly get into their head the same way. One current character is on his way towards Antipaladin, or rather Fighter/Hexblade/Blackguard mix. Generally I want this character to be as scary as possible, so that his standard behaviour is unnerving and creepy for others to deal with. Most of his powers have been given a nasty flavour. A few Vile Feats are joining the list, Dark Speech for one (Hexblade/Blackguard levels serve as 'buffer points' to use in place of CHA damage). One example is Profane Mist, which has the flavour addition of adding a faint layer of condensation on surfaces in the mist, which turns out to be blood. Unholy water is created from blood rather than water and silver. Blood is a major theme for the character. At other times I play paladins, and I enjoy portraying the psychology and making an impact with how profoundly good they are. For example, my current paladin makes decisions with complete disregard for personal gain (long list) - turning down the beautiful noblewoman so as not to take advantage of her feelings, getting into a confrontation with the most renowned swordsman in the city to stop him from beating a commoner (making a lasting enemy in the process... who also happens to be the brother of the noblewoman), using Lay on Hands & Remove Disease on slum/shantytown residents. Shows kindness and respect that contrasts with others of his noble standing. - Sort of person whose every act makes you admire him. What I am looking to do with this Blackguard is make him equally profoundly evil, a clear indication of how to make every word, act or moment seem chillingly malicious or malign.
Fithero 04-15-07, 12:52 AM	Note: This isnt my idea, i didnt come up with it, someone else (dont remember who) on this board came up with it. Go shoot them, not me :P If your looking for a real testament to how evil your character is, strap an infant(s) to your shield... see how many paladins take a swing at you then :eek:
CyperionTheShadeBlade 04-15-07, 03:06 AM	Well, as you said, blood is a theme for this guy, so you could take that to the next lvl, as in making him morbid, to the point of being seriously creepy! Make him go the Jack the Ripper way. Make him fascinated with stuff like pain and death, and watching how the internal organs and the like work while the subject is still alive. Make him do stuff like stabilizing dying foes after combat, just to get to make an autopsy on a living subject! Remember, if it scares the other players, you're most likely doing a good job:D
Lanoitakude 04-15-07, 12:57 PM	The thread I started about the Church of Afflux may offer some help. http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=826017 If you are going for a blood theme, definately have him worship Afflux (Libris Mortis). His titles are: Bloodfather, The Unsatisfied Questioner, and The Bloodspiller. One key aspect of being truly evil is to not simply attack your opponents straight out. Cripple them first. Make them hurt. Don't kill them until they are on their knees, begging for mercy. Never give quarter. Ever. If you do allow someone to live, do it only for completely selfish or perverse reasons (later torture, following them to loved ones after they escape, etc). Make good use of Bestow Curse. Get creative with it. Inflict diseases as much as possible.
Terjon of the Blue Rose 04-16-07, 03:35 AM	:devil: Learn the grapple rules and carry a wicked looking knife. Make sure the last death in any fight is by no means slow. Pin the foe then make small cuts seeing how long they can last. Taunt the wounded and poison the strong. Use allies (preferably npc ones) as shields. I can suggest a few pressure points on the human body that can cause excrutiating pain when gripped tightly but cause no damage. Add blood to your wine and bear visible scars or markings of evil. :devil:
Stormbrand 04-16-07, 04:01 PM	For those long-term online players, you may be familiar with Mavarion Deklar - he is the character's mentor. Obviously I have a major legacy to follow. Note: This isnt my idea, i didnt come up with it, someone else (dont remember who) on this board came up with it. Go shoot them, not me :P If your looking for a real testament to how evil your character is, strap an infant(s) to your shield... see how many paladins take a swing at you then :eek: BANG! ;) Well, as you said, blood is a theme for this guy, so you could take that to the next lvl, as in making him morbid, to the point of being seriously creepy! Make him go the Jack the Ripper way. Make him fascinated with stuff like pain and death, and watching how the internal organs and the like work while the subject is still alive. Make him do stuff like stabilizing dying foes after combat, just to get to make an autopsy on a living subject! Remember, if it scares the other players, you're most likely doing a good job:D Good. Fun example. What other ways would you suggest to properly convey his morbidness? The thread I started about the Church of Afflux may offer some help. http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=826017 If you are going for a blood theme, definately have him worship Afflux (Libris Mortis). His titles are: Bloodfather, The Unsatisfied Questioner, and The Bloodspiller. One key aspect of being truly evil is to not simply attack your opponents straight out. Cripple them first. Make them hurt. Don't kill them until they are on their knees, begging for mercy. Never give quarter. Ever. If you do allow someone to live, do it only for completely selfish or perverse reasons (later torture, following them to loved ones after they escape, etc). Make good use of Bestow Curse. Get creative with it. Inflict diseases as much as possible. Nice. Now I have a craving to play a Blackguard of Afflux. Rather than delaying killing (which is often tactically unsound), I can use the attrition mentality - gradually wearing away at them, weakening them steadily, inexorably. That can be his standard method. Favouring curses and diseases is really in that theme. Keep them coming folks!
Lanoitakude 04-18-07, 04:47 PM	One key aspect to consider when playing evil is the Law-Chaos axis of the character. This speaks volumes about the tactics the character will employ. CE tends to favor wanton destruction. Being randomly, savagely violent is a key characteristic. These sort of characters are prone to bursts of rage and violence. Out of now where, maybe, ripping the head off of a passerby, inflicting diseases on peasants randomly, setting fire to churhces, etc. NE is somewhat inbetwee. I have always felt this to be the greediest of the alignment sets; the character is simply out for their own malicious gain. These types of characters often have intense, dark hatred toward someone or something. At the same time, NE characters should be very impartial and disconnected from others, rather apathetic and brooding. LE leans more toward meticulous sadism. Planning, plotting, brooding, calculating, these are the aspects most associeted with the LE villains. Take pleasure in the kill, make it last, make it long, make it painful. Try to keep Deathwatch or similar magic up as much as possible, stabalizing those who aren't quite dead for later torture or sacrifice. Check out the sacrifice rules in BoVD for cool fun. In fact, take a good, long read of the BoVD, it offers an excellent treatise on what [evil] really is.