Tips on playing EVIL
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You could also substitute a lot of what's been said for playing the 'Good' alignment. If both forces are pro-active then the server is a happy place. If both just sit about and brood / wait for the next DM event to turn up the server is a dull, boring place with the occasional DM quest thrown in.
UP THE GRAVY!!!! :!: !
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To further Moloch's thought - there's a major diffrence between a Villain and Evil Character.
A villain is more then a sum of evil deeds. Part of villainry is something that might be called "panache" or "ballsiness". In other words - you should stick it out to people that you are well, a villain. It's part of risk - taking process.
Reputation is simply put, a major factory depleting a Villain from Evil Character. Bear in mind - this does not have to mean that you should go around screaming "I IZ EB0L". To give the simplest and most common example - Kingpin from Spider Man/Daredevil. Every hero knows he's evil. Most people in fact do. But can they prove anything? Nope.
How to build that reputation without getting executed for letting out your evil plans? Well, that's a question I can't really answer myself too well, but - foreshadowing. Don't be afraid to let people more or less subtly know of your plans. When a paladin challenges you to a duel in Market, and he wins, when you dust yourself off, grind your teeth and utter "You will pay me dearly for this, when Staff of Orcus is in my hands." I'll simply work Dante Sane as example here. I could've probably hidden my involvement with Hazil, even after receiving the Truth. But I've decided to just go full speed ahead, and went into a tavern full of paladins and good clerics, declaring that we can save the town from Clan Banda - for a small price of working with a devil.
Of course - this is taking risk. It'll most likely get you in trouble with law, maybe even executed, etc. etc. But feck it. We all love a good villain.
Oh - since I just saw 21's post - yeah, a lot of people think that Good is retroactive, and must wait for evil to conjure it's plots, to counter them, or and some think that the way for good being "proactive" is to go out killing evil characters. Well - bollocks. Good characters can try to construct a good army to conquer an evil state/protect Arabel just as much as evil characters can try to raise an army to conquer it.
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and good does not have to equate to lawful.
At one point long ago, a few people had a discussion of raising a small army of goodies, large enough to hold off the guardforce while a house-to-house search was done of the known evilsdoersNever did happen :(
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Bringing this post back up, mostly to bring up two points for discussion and because some people might find it a useful read.
Firstly, what kind of villains do people prefer to interact with, the totally depraved, no chance for redemption type evil (demon worshippers, necromancers, cleric of the nasty gods) or the type of evil that stems from people forced into those acts because they had no other choice, or because it was the only way to achieve their goals?
Secondly, how in the world are people finding their evil allies these days? I know there are some visible evil characters around, but I'm guessing there are a lot more hidden evil characters, and I can't for the life of me figure out how to meet them. The Broken Bottle is always empty, there doesn't seem to be much action on the bulletin boards… I'm a bit at a loss in how to get involved with other evil characters.
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Just wear black and hang with the other black-wearers and you'll be fine.
Edit: That actually sounded a lot like some goth convention…
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You've got to advertise and catch on to others' evil natures. Maybe suggest robbing some graves in the Tychean shrine and see if anyone feels it would be a good idea, or comment about how a rich nobleman wouldn't miss a few trinkets of his estate and see if anyone hooks.
As to what kind of evil, I don't really mind - both can be played spectacularly well and be terribly grating. Whatever a player wants to try their hand at I say, I wouldn't suggest they go for one if they're more enthusiastic about the other.
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Evil needs to take risks, big ones… whether thats openly admitting that evil dude X likes to eat race Y(elves)... Or telling people your secret plan to convert everyone to the devil you serve... Honestly it goes a long way.... especially when you roll intimidate :twisted:
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especially when you roll intimidate
Don't do this. :(
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@--lizard-man--:
You've got to advertise and catch on to others' evil natures. Maybe suggest robbing some graves in the Tychean shrine and see if anyone feels it would be a good idea, or comment about how a rich nobleman wouldn't miss a few trinkets of his estate and see if anyone hooks.
A+++ suggestion, would quote again.
Instead of making asending to help the Shrine, you make a much more vague sending for discreet people to come to the Broken Bottle. Then you hire them to rob the Shrine. I have done this a few times, and while you get far fewer (ie. one or two) people coming along, it's great fun. Can be done with Nada's and other quests, too.
Otherwise, start out by hiring/asking people to do morally questionable things like spying, and ramp up from there…
I've seen plenty of 'ends justify the means' evil types around at the moment, and less outright baby-eating cult types. But such is teh ebb and flow of ebol.
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QuaintlyOddish, your idea about making sending for people to come to the Broken Bottle instead of just general sendings for the quest actually seems like a really great idea, definitely going to have to try that one.
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@O'louth:
Dont be too secretive. Cake is right in that you need to take chances. Big chances. If you find succes, well, Great succes! If you die horribly, then, well, it is more fun than just sitting in the broken bottle.
I tried the whole evil thing once, and while my plans never really succeeded, i had alot of fun. Mostly because i didnt try to hide too much. I did my best to attempt to make a believable evil char, that actually made sense.
Dont hide. Hiding is dull. If you hide too well, no one will try to stop you.
I think it was cake who once said, you know you are doing well with an evil char when the whole server is out searching for you with torches and pitchforks.
you don't NEED to be evil for that.. Suna had the entire server looking for her during the entire ring of nine fiasco
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As well, Lano and Harold are being hunted now XD I'm not certain to their alignment, but I'm pretty darn certain they're not evil.
That aside, my first character in this server was lawful evil. She did pretty darn well for the only week that I actually played her. She's still level 8, she pissed off the Mage Guild -and- got a City Service ring all in the same day from Queen Lahl…Lhal...however you spell it.
It pays to be evil, and charismatic. So don't forget, evil power builds with low charisma rarely last very long...Lying has its advantages, especially for recruiting minions.
In another server, I was a drow leader. I actually had -elves- working under me without even knowing it. They answered to their leader, who answered to me. BWAHAHA! It only lasted for a couple of weeks, but I killed off half the elf faction in the process once they caught on.
Ebol can have its rewards in the satisfaction of knowing that you shook things up and nothing would be the same after you.
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Being a villain is the closet thing to being a DM you can get. The choices you have to make, the massive amount of support you get, and being able to enable your plot to be effective server-wide. Not -many- "good" alignment characters have such a chance to do such things!
Including being the ire of the largest server-wide gank ever!
You can't beat memories like that…
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Leo! Ohh, my fellow Custodian-in-crime. Best evil partner ever. Second only to the Rot group, of course. 8)