Roleplaying guide - Evil - Exaythe

Admin Antall Innlegg : 209 Join date : 2012-07-18

Roleplaying guide - Evil

- Written by Exaythe DefiasBrotherhood.

Evil Roleplay enriches the community if done properly; it creates great opportunities and plots, stuff for discussion. People gather in the taverns and in the inns, discussing recent developments and cultist attacks. Good-aligned characters get motivated, bond together and fight back. But the evil role-play can also result in drama and annoyance if not done properly. In this short ‘guide’ I will try to express my vision on different types of evil role-play and give tips I believe to be useful. Whoever reads it, abandon all ye hope!

Alignments - Evil

Most people stick to the conventional D&D division along the axes of Good vs Evil and Law vs Chaos. Because this guide only speaks of evil alignments, it gives me an opportunity to introduce some greater nuance here. Instead of alignments I shall discuss ‘archetypes’ of evil characters: desperate thief, highwayman, crime boss, corrupt prince, anarchist, evil visionary, spineless cultist, acolyte of evil, psychopath, defiler, dark lord. Naturally, you are unlikely to meet any pure archetypes: most characters are a combination of several ones. Every time I shall also mention a D&D alignment which I believe fits the archetype (CE = Chaotic Evil, NE = Neutral Evil, LE = Lawful evil, N = Neutral, CN=Chaotic Neutral)

Desperate thief (NE,N)

Some people are pushed beyond the line of poverty, or become exiles and pariah for various reasons while lacking any kind of devotion to evil and hatred for the community. These individuals would try to steal anything they can, but might not be capable of armed robbery or assault. They are usually cowardly, pitiful and driven by desperation and hopelessness.

Desperate thief might not be a very interesting choice when it comes to role-playing a character, and probably the best way is to make an alt for this purpose. Such characters, cowardly, pitiful, desperate and ragged will probably earn the wrath of law for their criminal actions, but also the pity of the good-hearted clergy. It is very likely that your character will end up imprisoned or taken ‘in’ by the Church (if you play alliance). In either case it will be impossible to play a desperate thief any longer.

If you wish to put energy and time in such a character, and wish to continue playing one for a longer period of time, then you should stay away from really good-hearted people and their charity and role-play among thugs and criminals, running around, covering in the corners and grabbing whatever is not being watched.

Tips:
-Wear ragged clothes and talk with a stutter, emoting casting your gaze down and being hunched.
-people usually take off their hats or set weapons against the walls when they sit down, and sometimes don’t pay close attention to their stuffs: grab your chance!
-begging on the streets is much safer than stealing!
-have a heart-tearing story of how you ended up so poor and pitiful ready to tell any guards who try to arrest you.

Highwayman (NE)

Unlike the desperate thief, highwayman is audacious, shameless and robs and steals because he believes it to be a lucrative business, rather than a necessity. Most thugs you see are highwaymen: some more intelligent and less direct than others. These characters are usually egoistic, greedy and pay close attention to their reputation or ‘street cred’.

These individuals perform armed robberies, thefts, assaults and kidnappings without much shame; but a less violent option is also available if you prefer being a more business-related mafia-like character. Highwaymen are no super-villains: they do not have powerful magic or any superpowers, so to escape the authorities you should either act smart, hide well, or always be prepared in case they do come after you.

I believe that such characters need ‘friends’ to be able to play out an arrogant, thuggish, tough person and accompany them on raids and assaults (it is also more fun and more realistic with a group!). If you put some energy and time into getting a little gang of your own, you can contribute to the community with your thefts and kidnappings as well as having great fun.

Tips
-watch all mafia-related movies!
- talk tough! Think of your street credentials!
- Make sure not to god-emote while assaulting, and talk to people out of character before kidnapping.
- do not do your shady deeds in broad daylights surrounded by a crowd of role-players. It is silly
- do not forget good old blackmail! Some espionage might provide some good material for it.

Crime lord (LE,NE)

They either have started with sufficient wealth and power through heritage and trade or made it the hard way while being a highwayman. Crime lords prefer to stay clean, meddle in politics and let others do their dirty job: whatever happens, they have never been involved!

They do not go out on the streets and smash faces; they have people do it for them. They own bars, taverns, public houses, smuggle drugs and booze. Being a proper crime lord is not for everybody, since you will probably spend more time planning, bossing around your minions and trying to organize community events like player-run taverns, businesses. Such restraint is not for everybody.
If played well, you can run your own little smuggling empire, trading drugs: approaching unwary citizens on the streets (not yourself! Send your thugs) and getting them hooked up. If you are good at making events and organizing you can own a player-run tavern, or smuggling operation to support other criminal characters and gangs. Extort businesses own by others. Possibilities are countless; why not join up with goodies in their government and law enforcement? Bribe guards?

Tips:
-again, watch the mafia-related movies!
-do not do things yourself, do not get involved, and do not send orders signed with your name! Have your thugs do everything for you.
-spend some time hanging with nobles and priests, warriors and rulers, officials and guards; you need connections, connections and more connections!
-open a tavern or a pub: your thugs need a place to relax and ‘socialize’. It will also serve as your HQ!

Corrupt prince (LE)

‘Corrupt prince’ is most likely a noble or an individual of considerable power, either political or monetary. These characters crave high standing and power; they are ready to do everything to get what they want. You are likely to find them running trade empires, serving in government administration or simply belonging to the class of nobility.

Role playing such an arrogant, power-hungry character might be hard if you wish to do it good: remember that despite your power you are NOT invincible! Discretion is still the key. You rely on trust and good will of other people, so make sure to be arrogant and *#!*%y only to those who cannot benefit you in any way. I know it is very tempting to show the whole world how evil you are: but this is exactly the challenge of being a corrupt noble! Show restraint and enjoy your wickedness in solitude. If you are discovered, you may as well delete your character or change the concept.

Not every community supports such a character: what you are looking for is one with a form of government or ‘high class’, you need a community with a slightly elitist bunch thinking itself higher and more important than the rest.

Tips:
-look up the quotes of Machiavelli, they are very helpful!
-be polite to those with power and arrogant to those ways below your class.
-keep your hands clean: let others do the dirty job.
-keep quite! Your character will be ruined if you are discovered.

Anarchist (CE,CN)

Anarchists denounce any form of government and power, organization and law and crave a lawless, free society. You can be a hippy-like anarchist, but since this is a guide to evil we shall discuss the revolutionary-type, armed to the teeth and quick to butcher his enemies.

Anarchists hate nobility, high standing, hereditary merits and governance: both religious and royal. Your actions may remind of a thug: armed robberies, assassinations, kidnappings, blackmailing…but your intentions are different. Unlike the thug you seek publicity; you make use of people’s feelings and propaganda to appear to be fighting for a Right cause, earning support.

Remember, that if you are too active or successful you might end up in a situation where you are hunted so heavily that you can no longer role-play without it becoming silly, or you end up being in power. In the latter case you either have to change the concept, or let somebody else take the reins of power, wait a month, and then oppose him. You must make sure to balance successes and defeats, and not get too close to your goal: reaching it will most likely end your role-play (but you can arrange a temporarily success, of course. Why not be in charge for a month or so?).

Tips:
-store up on good, moving speeches and excuses to justify and hallow your end-goal
-always justify your evil deeds: murders, assaults, innocent casualties.
-make use of preaching and propaganda: if you cannot do it yourself then team up with those who can.
-remember that unlike thugs, you have a firm set of convictions and personal virtues which you believe in, and are ready to kill and die for.
-never miss an opportunity to discredit the authorities!
-starting a revolutionary newspaper is a good way to contribute to the community and gain publicity!

Evil visionary (LE,NE,CE)

I am Evil? No, I am a visionary! These characters are likely to be highly intelligent or spiritually powerful scholars, philosophers or fallen clergy men who either crave power by means of public deception and demagoguery or actually believe in their delusions and heresies.

If you wish to successfully role-play such a character, then you must have a passion of thinking and debating: you will do a lot of both. You need to show great integrity in your beliefs and convictions, have a believable body of ideas, goals and promises and skill in the art of conversation to win unwary souls for your cause and fight back rival preachers.

Remember, your character either believes that he is right or wants to make others think that he is: there is little room for self-doubt unless you believe it will make your point stronger (may be you are nihilist denying every value and every virtue?). You must work hard to collect material to properly discredit existing government and values and replace them with your own; you need to make research in other people to find best ways of converting them to your cause. Oh, and you must be prepared to be chased out with torches and pitchforks.

Tips:
-sit down and work on your character visions, opinions, ideas and convictions.
-constantly investigate other ideas, the ways others defend them and look for weak spots in both your own ideology and that of others.
-do not neglect weak-minded, easy to convince characters: they might become your most fierce zealots and followers.

-do not yell speeches in public places, it makes you look desperate and gives you little following.

Spineless cultist (NE,CE)

Cults often attract weak-minded individuals: they are pitiful, weak, spineless and eager to please their masters – but they can also display great treachery. Spineless cultists are not powerful and certainly not attractive characters. This is the reason they are so rare. But remember, that your submissiveness, fear and bootlicking greatly contributes to the ego of your master – which gives you a very good position out of character! Dark lords will KILL to have you as their minion.

Your character is cowardly and weak, most likely serving only out of fear of punishment, but he is also very eager to please his master, lick his boots and make sure to earn his favor and attention. It is likely that such a pitiful, weak state gives your character unbound hatred for everybody else, which justifies backstabbing and torment upon others. You are wicked, twisted and sadistic – ready to make others suffer just as you do.

If played well, you will be a much liked player and people will fight each other to have you as their minion: while your character’s position is lowly, your position as a player will be quite strong; it will surely make up for your character’s degenerating position.

Tips:
-be fearful, submissive and never show initiative (at least not in-character)
-always seek to flatter and bootlick your master(s) and perform even the silliest task with zealous conviction.
-your character has great hatred stored deep within: vent it out on those in even weaker position than you!
-you don’t really have your own opinion; you just mindlessly follow these of others. You do not discuss it; you are not ‘clever’ enough to defend it. Let your little dagger do the talking instead.

Acolyte of evil (LE,NE)

Unlike a petty cultist your character has chosen to serve the forces of evil: demons, dark lords, scourge...whatever. You either crave power, or are twisted enough to share the dark schemes and desires of your masters. Acolytes of evil are zealous and wicked, justifying their actions with great ease and craving greater power or ability to serve their masters better.

You will most like get involved in torture and rituals, assaults and assassinations, fights and struggles – if you do not like emote-duels then this character archetype is probably not for you. Remember, you are a fearless champion of darkness with indescribable hatred for anything that opposes your master’s visions; you take pleasure in making your enemies perish in most cruel ways possible.

Remember that being a champion of darkness probably means that you will not be accepted in any normal community: you either put up with it and accept this, or will have to rely on your evil ‘friends’ for casual role-play. Your character is evil – and everybody knows it; be ready to be attacked and chased away wherever you go.

Tips:
-do not miss an opportunity to show your cruelty and wickedness
-do not show weaknesses or fears, it discredits you as a proper champion.
-never doubt the dark schemes you are following.
-loyalty! You might be evil, but you are also dedicated to the servitude.
-do not socialize with good and neutral people, it will end up silly and discredit your evilness (or tempt you to go goodie)

Defiler (NE,CE)

Defilers are preachers without a cause, changing ideas and visions as they see fit. This might seem chaotic, but if you look closer you shall see that they only desire to corrupt and twist anything that has purity or spiritual integrity. They take great pleasure in making good men sink to great evil, powerful mind become broken and indecisive.

To play a proper defiler you should be ready and willing to be flexible in changing your beliefs, good at persuasion and trickery. You should always think many steps ahead and weave magnificent webs of plots and schemes. You must also be prepared to be attacked and hunted for ‘no apparent reason’ as goodies realize your danger and will seek to put you down.

Well-played defilers contribute greatly to the community and are fun to have around… but they are extremely hard to play. If you think you have what it takes: flexibility, persuasive power and tenacity to push on with your hard work, then please roll such a character for the greater evil!

Tips:
-spend some time thinking on people’s desires and secret wishes
-learn to spot any doubt or wavering
-never miss a chance of abusing naïve characters!
-never underestimate impulse! People who have been treated unjustly by the church might be fuming for an hour or two, and are easily turned to your side…but make sure there is no going back for them!
-every person has his hidden demons! Make sure to put goodies in a bad light this way.
-try to show politeness and spiritual integrity, this classifies you as a credible leader.

Dark lord (LE)

Dark lords are the most abused character archetype, everybody wants to be one but most fail miserably. Dark Lords combine qualities of leadership with untold power, devotion to evil, affinity to scheming and corrupting. Most people who try to pass for dark lords believe simply god-emoting everything to death is enough, no it is not!

To be believable as a dark lord you will need followers, you need to have the power and the charisma so that they become obsessed about you and constantly threaten goodies with your wrath. You must not appear too often, let your legend grow beyond any proportions! A poor Dark Lord will run around attacking people, a proper one will stay behind the scenes most of the time…but when he does appear the goodies will run in fear without any need for god-emoting!

Since you will be a leader, you need to be able to organize events, take responsibility for the actions of your minions and keep talking to leaders of the goodies out of character all the time: lack of communication will ruin your schemes and get you out of the game in no time. With time, after you have put titanic work into your character and minions, you may pull back slightly as your officers and lieutenants will do a lot of work for you.

Tips:
-get a following! Dark Lord is not credible if he has no minions
-Do not talk too much…you are a schemer, not a preacher.
-avoid fights! Every time you fight, another person will believe that he almost (or completely) beat you – this discredits you as a powerful lord of evil!
-Avoid being seen too often, but make sure you are spoken about. The legend is far more powerful than a man (a preacher revering you is your greatest asset!)
-be original! Make moves people do not expect, and do not rip off Darth Vader!

Psychopath (CE)

Psychopaths are dangerous, erratic and unpredictable individuals driven by mad fantasies and cruel desires. Best examples are serial murderers who dismember their victims or evil doctors running horrible tests on their subjects. As a psychopath your character is likely to be unpredictable and eccentric, but remember that psychopaths are ironically enough known to be very charismatic and charming (when not practicing their wicked ways).

To pass for a psychopath your character must be unpredictable, cruel beyond bounds and his motives should be unreasonable and impossible to understand for others. It is very hard to role-play one since you will have to hurt and maim others: something players do not like happening to their characters.

If you succeed and find good victims, the people will talk about you, fear you. You will become a great asset to the community and it is even likely that people will ask you out of character to hurt them. When this happened: you have succeeded, it is time for champagne!

Tips:
-constantly look for willing victims! Whisper your friends, look around for hardcore Role-players. You are nothing without victims!
-watch Hannibal and Saw movies.
-being kind and charming when not doing evil is likely to make you even more scary
-if you play an eccentric, do not miss an opportunity to make a whacky joke or remark.
-keep talking to your victims out of character, this avoids drama!

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