Making The Lone Evil Character in a Good Party Work

"Hey!" the man called from his cell. "Hey! Take me with you, blast your eyes!"

The Companions stopped, and looked at the figure held behind the iron bars. He was tall, thick in the neck and shoulders, and with scars running along his knuckles. The mark around his neck said he'd been hanged at least once, and the brands across his arms marked him as a bandit, a thief, a pirate, a deserter, and a murderer. His eyes were dark, and there was an air of palpable violence around him.

"And what need do we have of a man like you?" Ceradil asked, folding her arms and glaring.

"Do you know who I am?" the man snarled.

"You're Harkon Vale, the Bloody Maul," Koran said, frowning. "The Oaken Hunters brought you down."

"Only because those curs I ran with told them where I'd be, and got me good and drunk." Vale grinned, showing yellowed teeth like a mangy wolf. "You seek them. I know you do. These so-called Shadow Lords. I know where they are, and how you can lay them low."

"And why should we trust you?" Ceradil asked.

Vale laughed. "You shouldn't. But I want them to know it was me that did this to them. For that chance, I'll follow whatever laws you want. Or break them, it's all the same to me."

"I have an idea!" We're not committing murder. "I no longer have an idea."

When You're The Only Monster

While a lot of the previous entries in this series have been executing specific concepts in particular ways, this one is going to be a lot broader in scale and scope. Because evil isn't restricted to certain classes or characters; evil is the madness in your method. And when you're the only one at the table actively choosing to be evil, you can feel like the square peg in the round hole.

Which is why I'd suggest keeping some of the following strategies in mind. Also, if you haven't read it yet, be sure you check out 5 Tips For Playing Better Evil Characters, as it will lay a solid ground work for avoiding problems while ensuring everyone still has fun.

Method #1: Have A Code

There are rules to this game.

There's an old saying that of all the evil alignments, lawful evil is the easiest one to work into a campaign. Generally speaking that's because lawful evil characters may still have a capital E in their alignment box, but they'll act in ways that are predictably awful, and which can be managed. To use a comic book reference, Iron Man will work with Dr. Doom if their goals and ends align, and Tony knows that when Victor gives his word he will do what he said.

Adopting the broad strokes of this and applying them to your evil PC are one of the easiest ways to make them more palatable for a group that may not share their methods and tastes, but who are nominally on the same side. It may even humanize them in some ways, and make them into characters who happen to be evil, rather than an evil alignment being their sole defining feature.

For example, the necromancer who creates undead to fight their battles for them is constantly dipping their soul in wells of black power. But do they have standards for who gets turned into undead slaves, and who gets buried with respect and honors? Do they offer an equal trade, like The Taskmaster Necromancer? Or do they only use the bodies of creatures who lack personhood, as with The Veterinarian Necromancer? These standards and codes of behavior don't erase their evilness, but they do make it clear they have rules that they follow, and often those rules are what allow them to work as part of a team.

Lastly, if your character is very lawful evil, they could even swear an oath to serve a cause. This binds them to certain codes of conduct, allowing them to still maintain who they are, but to meet their companions halfway.

Method #2: Have a Minder

Tywin said help, so I'll help. But I won't like it.

If you've read the books or seen the show, you know that "Ser" Gregor Clegane is an absolute monster. He's committed every heinous act in the world, and he enjoys reveling in abject wickedness whenever he's left to his own devices. It's probably one reason my character conversion for The Mountain has been so popular among Pathfinder DMs looking for bad guys.

However, when Tywin Lannister tells Clegane to do something (or just as importantly not to do something) the Mountain listens. Because Gregor might be a waking nightmare, but he knows which side his bread is buttered on. Tywin could take away everything he has, and cease protecting him for his "fun," and he wants to make sure that doesn't happen.

A similar situation can greatly help an evil PC slide into a game without ruining the experience for other people. The minder might be a fellow PC who holds the reins to the evil one in some way. For example, say the evil character is a bodyguard for the duchess who is the party's bard, and he has to do as she bids him. Or perhaps the cleric has hold of a spiritual enchantment that can literally paralyze the evil PC with agony if the command word is even thought, and the evil PC has been given to said cleric so they might attempt to reform them... or at least use their strengths for good causes.

If none of the other players want to get in on that action, though, you can often work with your DM to provide some kind of minder for your PC by using NPCs or NPC organizations. Whether it's your noble patron, the knightly order who grants you at least partial immunity while you fight for them, or the church who overlooks your "zeal" when it gets out of hand, keeping on your minder's good side can often let you play your character without also trampling on the rest of the table's fun.

And if you're looking for inspiration on this one, I'd recommend checking out:

- 100 Nobles to Encounter as well as A Baker's Dozen of Noble Families (for patrons)
- 100 Knightly Orders (for organizations)

Method #3: Keep Things Subtle

Somebody murdered the baron? Shame. I'll send flowers to his widow.

Nine times out of ten the major reason that evil characters cause problems in majority good parties is that they do their deeds right out in the open. Whether it's the evil cleric who performs some blasphemous rite in front of the paladin, or the assassin who openly brags about the fortune they made murdering innocents for coin, that sort of thing just causes problems.

You need to be subtle with your evil... at least with the really bad stuff.

That isn't to say you have to be good, kind, or nice all the time, but save those line-crossing moments for when there's no one around to see them. For example, if your scout is actually the servant of an evil church who performs rites of torture in graveyards, maybe don't describe all of that in loving detail to the rest of the table? Bring it across in little ways that make people suspicious, but which gives you plausible deniability. If the party finds a body, have this character point out how they died, and get specific with what they know (the killer used a wire garotte instead of a rope, for instance, and it likely had wooden grips instead of a noose as you could tell by the cutting and pressure on the neck). Or have them talk about the organization of a particular assassin guild, perhaps a rival they're trying to sabotage on behalf of their church.

Keep in mind the advice I suggested in Reveal Details About Your Character Through Flavor-Based Skill Checks. You don't need to show up in black armor covered in skulls. Draw it out, and let the party learn about you as a character before they realize they've been dancing with the devil this whole time. Because once they know you as an ally, and they've come to rely on your skills, it makes it more likely they'll keep you around. As long as you swear to be on your best behavior, of course.

Lastly, Don't Mistreat Your Allies

The major mistake I see in most contentious PCs, but especially in evil ones, is that players use it as an excuse to be a jerk to the rest of the table. The rogue steals everyone else's gold, the gnome plays really mean practical jokes, the barbarian acts like a bully, and so on, and so forth.

Don't do that. You don't have to be bosom buddies with everyone at the table, but at least aim for grudging respect, or workplace politeness. You want people to work with you, and for that you need to be a team player. That will go really far in making sure everyone else thinks your character is neat and interesting, instead of getting annoyed with your actions.

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned For More!

That's all for this installment of Unusual Character Concepts. Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a dungeon master.

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Humble Peasant, The Greatest BBEG of All Time

Lots of DMs wrack their brains for great bad guys. Villains that will make their table tremble in fear, and whose very name will only be spoken in whispers. However, there is a potential for truly horrifying antagonists all around them. All you need to do is read the tale of Humble Peasant.

Never get into an arms race with the DM. Never.

For those having trouble with the font in the attached image, the concept goes as follows. An arrogant adventurer tried to take something from humble peasant, because what is he going to do? He's just a peasant, after all. Well, humble peasant kills that adventurer for trying to steal from him, then keeps his magic weapons, armor, and associated gear. That adventurer's party tries to revenge itself upon the humble peasant, and through luck, determination, and the use of the first dead adventurer's gear, humble peasant slays them as well.

The problem is that humble peasant now possesses a huge amount of wealth, and high-quality gear. More adventurers come to try and take it from him. So humble peasant puts up fences, and traps, to keep them out. He buys exotic animals, and even makes deals with local monsters to protect his property. In time, humble peasant has accidentally become the lord of the black hill, where dozens of bands have gone to die.

Who Is Your Game's "Humble Peasant"?

You don't need to have humble peasant in place when your game begins (although that is totally an option). However, keep an eye on how your players treat the NPCs around them. Are they courteous, and kind? Do they give their gold to noble causes, and to help rebuild destroyed settlements? Or do they attack people for no reason, and get their way through bullying and brutality? Keep track of who your PCs wrong, and what patterns they display. Because those patterns may come around to bite them.

Who knows what lengths peasants will go to for vengeance?

As an example, say one member of the party got into a bar fight with a local over a disagreement. The local was unarmed, drunk, and not a threat to the PC, but he pulled his sword and ran him through anyway. The law was notified, and the party has guards looking out for them, but what kind of avalanche did that one action cause?

As a for instance, the peasant's son may have dealt with his grief by going off to war. Something he never would have done, were his father there to stop him. He molds himself into a great warrior, becoming an unparalleled scout, and a vicious slayer of men. After his discharge, he begins hunting for the adventurers who killed his father that night. Maybe he comes on them in the shadows, but he might befriend them first. Get them to trust him. Then, when he's on watch, he cuts their throats one by one. As Garrick the Great chokes on his own blood, he looks into the hard face that was so much like the forgotten drunk's as the son whispers, "Tell my father hello, when you see him in hell."

That's just one example. It's possible the dead peasant's wife takes all the wealth they have, venturing deep into the woods where it's rumored a powerful witch lives. She gives her everything to curse those who slew her love. Perhaps his daughter decides they can't rely on such bloodthirsty mercenaries as a nation any longer, and gets involved in politics. She eventually rises to a position of prominence, and uses all the resources of her office to hunt down the party who was involved in this crime. There are a hundred different courses a single action could end up taking. So watch who your party is kind to, and keep a tally of who they attack, who they kill, and what unkindnesses they perform. For it is those actions that will be the genesis of the antagonist once referred to as humble peasant.

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday post. Hopefully it got some of the DMs' wheels turning, and it's got players going back over their PCs' actions in their heads. If you'd like more content from yours truly, then check out my Vocal archive, or head over to the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio where I and fellow gamers offer advice, lore, and a few laughs along the way. To keep up on all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Lastly, if you'd like to help support Improved Initiative, head over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page, or click this link to Buy Me A Coffee! Either way, you'll have my eternal gratitude, as well as some sweet gaming swag as a thank you!