Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Arthur_Pendragon 01-23-04, 01:34 PM	I'm both a player and DM in my small group (just myself and my wife, and my wife hates solo games). So for a change we decided to play a high powered evil campaign, all of us playing evil outsiders (in this homebrew setting there really isn't a real division among evil outsiders, who are refered to as "The Dark Ones" but for simplicity I will refer to our characters as "Devils" since they all have LE alignment, even though "The Dark Ones" who all share the nether planes called "The Dark Realm" and have various evil alignments, with LE ones generally ruling). Historical Rundown: About 100 years ago all the evil gods were slain by the good gods in the setting, vaporizing LARGE portions of the Dark Realm (a time called "The Sundering of the Dark Realms") and slaying 99% of all evil outsiders/evil souls in the process. Our party, which I had be all LE and related by blood (my character is the father, my wife's characters are his children) so we are bound by Lawful Alignment, Filial Duty (and he was kind to his children as he knows the value of good and trustable allies), etc. My real issue is how to go about roleplaying a devil? I mean they aren't just an evil villian...they are Lawful Evil INCARNATE. (I'll post more on this later...I have to go now. :rolleyes: :( )
Luminous Crayon 01-23-04, 03:11 PM	I'd start with the following: 1.) You're not just evil, you're smart evil. You have power, but use have the careful planning to use it to greatest evil effect with minimum effort (unlike those primitive and savage Demons... ick!) You have infernal elegance and style, and your carefully-concocted evil plots make your superior cleverness apparent (but only when it's too late for your hapless victims). 2.) You're obviously superior to any other form of life (or unlife) you lay eyes on. How can they possibly not recognise your evil superiority? They're like bugs to you, and you'll squish them if you feel like it.
Wickid Knight 01-23-04, 04:00 PM	Pinhead You want cool calm elegant evil... he has a code thus making him lawful, but evil well we don't need to argue that. "We have eternity to know your flesh..." -Pinhead
Arthur_Pendragon 01-23-04, 09:52 PM	Yep, I've seen Pinhead/the Cenobites. They might be a place to start, but I don't know, I'm not sure I like their style :P Let me fill you in on the characters. :D That might help in figuring out roleplaying suggestions. Their names as follows are not their True Names. All characters have an ECL ranging somewhere between 12 - 15th level The Father: Galen Having lived roughly 300 years, Galen is a very unusual and unique Dark One. Rather than having spell like abilities that fuction similar to Sorcerer spells, his spell-like abilities function more like wizard spells with his at will abilities acting like premanent spell patterns etched into his mind (in a way similar to a wizard etching his spells into his memory when he memorizes it, except permanently) and enacting the spells with spell energy. Thus all his spell like abilities use his Int Mod rather than his Cha. He is also probably the most intellegent and wisest of the group (Int 25 Wis 19). He was the one who saw the "writing on the wall" and removed himself and children to an outlying Plane of the Dark Realms (the evil gods saw it coming too...it's just they were the target, and Galen managed to "escape under the radar" so to speak) shortly before "The Sundering of the Dark Realms". He also wields a dark array of of illusionary spell like abilities such as: At Will - Major Image, Permanent Image, Persistant Image, Mirage Arcana, and other abilties such as 5/day - Fireball, Bestow Curse (just to list some of his abilities). He also knows an array of dark and vile rituals, forged all of the group's gear, and weilds a couple of additional terrible abilities: a Dominating Gaze (which can violate the victims mind), and the power to become incorporeal at will. And additionally has gain 3 levels of wizard (mostly just useful spells, like Knock, Arcane Lock, Continual Flame, etc.) However his wizard-like nature resulted in him lacking the Spell Resistence most devils/demons have. The Daughter: Anna Essentially Anna is a succubus (in terms of abilities in stat adjustments) though she has a Lawful Evil Alignment. (NOTE: My wife really would like suggestions (other than the obvious ones) on how to roleplay such a creature with a Lawful Evil alignment (we both know how one could play a normal CE type Succubus, but a LE one is tricker.) She has maxed out rouge related skills (making her the party rogue) and with a Cha of 33 is skilled at Bluff and Gather Information. The Son: Nicademus Nicademus is another unique Dark One, and the most physically powerful of the three. With a Str 25 and a Con of 23 and weilding a wicked +2 Keen Vile Acidic Greatsword (damage adding up to 2d6 + 10 + 1 (Vile) + 1d6 (Acid)) he is fearsome in combat. He appears quite Dragon like (with a head like a Red Dragon) and can bring to bear his fearsome breath weapon (30ft Cone of Vile Fire (3d6 Fire, 3d6 Vile Fire) once every 1d4 rounds.* Though he lacks the spell resistance and the spell-like abilities of most of his kind, he has DR 10/cold iron or good and wears a +2 Full Plate and had +4 Natural Armor all together making him had deadly foe in melee combat. *For those unaware of it, Vile damage is from the Book of Vile Darkness. It is a type of damage that can only be healed by clerical magic within the area of a concecrate spell effect.
da chicken 01-24-04, 01:50 AM	Have you seen any of the Wishmaster movies? They're really cheezy, but the djinn in it is most definately LE. It'd be an Efreet in D&D terms. I'd consider Pinhead Neutral Evil. Or Evil Evil.
Arthur_Pendragon 01-24-04, 01:38 PM	Yeah I've seen wish master as well. (actually at one time I was planning on playing a Devil in another campaign so I watched several horror films for the various villians, but at the time I ended up not doing that campaign). I guess what I really need are more suggestions kinda taking into account the abilities of the 3 different characters (and that they are LE) to shape how to roleplay them...and I guess I still need help. (BTW thanks for the help so far...please keep it coming). Pinhead might be useful as a starting place...maybe....for Galen as he seems to make extensive use of mind messing illusions...but I still don't know....*sigh* :(
Bromabaz Silvertwister 01-24-04, 11:42 PM	OK, so you have a "Charlie's Angels" group... a Leader, a Bruiser and um... a Ho. What are you going to do with the characters? Are they trying to reform this Dark Realm? Maybe gaining control as a Satanish leader of the scattered remains? Get some payback? They need stealth, and trickery. You can't just go around being evil if the gods think they got everybody. Start framing others for your work as soon as you can. That could be the succubus' role. She would be the best one for any kind of stealing or fact finding. charming the pants off the leaders and currupting them to do what ever you want them to. Then, when the palidian stat looking, you cut the ties to the leader and watch the fun. You, the leader, should act a bit like Don Corleone. ruthless, but with a respect for others. So long as they don't get in your way.
Dragonspirit 01-26-04, 01:30 AM	In my case, this wouldn't be difficult - I'd just do what came naturally :) But for mere mortals, I'd advise emphasizing manipulation. Make his offers and comments look beneficial and possibly benevolent on the surface, but in time the players should always see how the devil either made out better or how it messed over the person it was suppose to benefit to the devil's delight.
Mutant for Hire 01-26-04, 03:21 AM	What is Lawful Evil? Lawful Evil types differ from Chaotic Evil in that they believe in law and order and rules. They believe in organizations and systems, since these take the efforts of individual proles and harness them together for the benefit of the ruling classes. CE types really only pay attention to the power of the individual. Lawful Evil types like to build relationships. Relationships and systems are part and parcel of being lawful. LE types differ from LG types in that they believe in exploitative systems, and with laws that favor themselves and oppress others, but in the end they are strong believers in chains of command and lasting relationships. CE types generally don't set up relationships, though they do repeat dealings, but that isn't the same. LE types are really the long term thinkers. That's a key thing to remember. The LE types aren't in for the short term unless they're certain that there's no long term to be exploited, and even then they tend to go for that only as a last resort. LE types believe in long term investments. CE types focus on short term benefits and if that uses up their victim, they move onto the next. LE types like to corrupt systems, whereas CE types tend to focus on individuals. LE types corrupt inviduals but that's so they can get leverage on a whole system. They like to boost the power of individuals that they have a hold on and guide them into positions of power. CE types tend to squeeze stuff out of their victims and don't focus on what damage it does to their victims. In general, think of malevolent chess players who focus on the long term. In the end, they are just as ruthlessly exploitative as demons, but they're more patient about it. Of course they also prefer to be rewarded for their patience and are very hard on those who disappoint them.