Joined: Oct 30, 2013 Posts: 7305 Location: England
Or a good redemption arc. Nothing says a NE character has to be puppy-kicking, orphanage burning evil. They could simply be innately distrusting of others and put there own survival and comfort above that of others - perhaps as a product of a brutal upbringing or such. Once they find a group of people who they can - eventually - put there trust in enough to start caring about someone beside themselves the path to a good alignment opens. It's a long road but not one that is impossible to walk.
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Welcome! I'm Garren and I'll be your designated villain for the evening.
Usually I pick a trope as the basic guideline for my character and play it to the hilt. If I play a rapper who's part of a death cult, that's Chaotic Evil. If I play an inquisitor of Asmodeus who hunts criminals, that's Lawful Neutral. If I play a grumpy doctor with a heart of gold, that's Neutral Good. And so on.
Or a good redemption arc. Nothing says a NE character has to be puppy-kicking, orphanage burning evil. They could simply be innately distrusting of others and put there own survival and comfort above that of others - perhaps as a product of a brutal upbringing or such. Once they find a group of people who they can - eventually - put there trust in enough to start caring about someone beside themselves the path to a good alignment opens. It's a long road but not one that is impossible to walk.
Pretty much what I was thinking of.
Spoiler
A cold-hearted individual who only takes comfort in the accumulation of power due to his parents' twisted sense of love. Upon seeing the power one can hold in having relationships, he joins a small party of adventurers on their journey to retrieve a mysterious artifact for the land's king. At first he is disgusted by their constant displays of compassion, and he, on several occasions, contemplates (and even attempts at one time) to betray them.
However, as time goes on, he realizes what his parents taught him was simply a fraction of a greater truth. While everything does indeed revolve around power, it is not limited to being stronger than everyone else and having dominance over them. Power lies in all things—including love, life, and happiness; one's selfish ambitions would only result in destroying numerous sources of such possibility. Thus, he continues his adventures with his newly realized friends (hilarity ensuing), acquires the aritifact, then returns to the king.
Nothing was as it seemed though. The king was, in fact, a devil from one of the nine hells hoping to use the legendary artifact of domination to gain control over the realm. It had secretly manipulated every member of the party from the very beginning of their adventure. Sadly, the once cold-hearted individual had been a puppet of the devil since day one of his birth when it had first seen the potential he carried. He did not cry in sorrow, nor did he rage in fury when he learned the truth behind his past. He was above letting his emotions control him now, for the only thing on his mind was the destruction of such a despicable monster. A great battle commenced between the adventurers and the faux king.
Each side was of equal strength, neither being able to best the other, so as the fight dragged on, the devil devised a strategy it was certain could not fail. With its hand outstretched, it offered the individual a spell that would transform his parents into the kind, caring people he had always dreamt of having—all in exchange for him to betray his comrades. The individual saw a way to turn everything around for himself in that hand... so he took his chance. He reached out and grabbed the devil's hand, accepting whatever consequences that might befall him. Grinning, the vile creature began harnessing the darkness around them without a moment's pause, but its spell was soon cut short as a dagger appeared, slashing off the outstretched hand from its bony limb. The devil screamed out in pain, holding the bleeding arm with it's other hand while it looked at the offender in front of it.
"How dare you!"
"How dare me? How dare you! You've been manipulating me from the very first day I came into existence! You threaten everything I have come to hold dear! Go back from whence you came monster! Go to hell!!"
Summoning from the deepest essence of his being, the now enlightened, caring individual cast a spell that would sacrifice his own life to seal the faux king into one of the lowest forms in the nine hells. As the spell began enveloping the two of them, he turned around to face his friends and said the only thing he felt he needed to say to them—
Or a good redemption arc. Nothing says a NE character has to be puppy-kicking, orphanage burning evil. They could simply be innately distrusting of others and put there own survival and comfort above that of others - perhaps as a product of a brutal upbringing or such. Once they find a group of people who they can - eventually - put there trust in enough to start caring about someone beside themselves the path to a good alignment opens. It's a long road but not one that is impossible to walk.
Generally though, I wouldn't recommend writing the future for your character. It's better if it naturally comes out in play, and you don't force yourself to try and achieve a set result.
Or a good redemption arc. Nothing says a NE character has to be puppy-kicking, orphanage burning evil. They could simply be innately distrusting of others and put there own survival and comfort above that of others - perhaps as a product of a brutal upbringing or such. Once they find a group of people who they can - eventually - put there trust in enough to start caring about someone beside themselves the path to a good alignment opens. It's a long road but not one that is impossible to walk.
Generally though, I wouldn't recommend writing the future for your character. It's better if it naturally comes out in play, and you don't force yourself to try and achieve a set result.
To each his own. But, yeah, generally not the best idea for most I'd imagine, especially beginners. What I said I would do would have, theoretically, been only the first of several different characters, with the rest naturally progressing into whatever I feel like at the time.
Or a good redemption arc. Nothing says a NE character has to be puppy-kicking, orphanage burning evil. They could simply be innately distrusting of others and put there own survival and comfort above that of others - perhaps as a product of a brutal upbringing or such. Once they find a group of people who they can - eventually - put there trust in enough to start caring about someone beside themselves the path to a good alignment opens. It's a long road but not one that is impossible to walk.
Generally though, I wouldn't recommend writing the future for your character. It's better if it naturally comes out in play, and you don't force yourself to try and achieve a set result.
To each his own. But, yeah, generally not the best idea for most I'd imagine, especially beginners. What I said I would do would have, theoretically, been only the first of several different characters, with the rest naturally progressing into whatever I feel like at the time.
I like to have a general concept and then adapt that concept as the story unfolds.
For instance I have a general plan for my character in Garren's play-by-post games but I'm completely open to having the story and the party members change parts of that plan. In fact, in that game I actually have a back up plan in case my plan comes to no longer be viable....but again its mostly a loose set of ideas not a road map.
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"Life is like a Dungeon Master, if it smiles at you something terrible is probably about to happen."
For instance I have a general plan for my character in Garren's play-by-post games but I'm completely open to having the story and the party members change parts of that plan. In fact, in that game I actually have a back up plan in case my plan comes to no longer be viable....but again its mostly a loose set of ideas not a road map.
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