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1 year ago ::
Dec 17, 2011 - 11:19PM
#1
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Date Joined:
Feb 13, 2007
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Hey guys. First off, I just wanna say that I'm pretty new to DMing, and DND in general. But I finally got a group together and agreed to be DM. Anyway, I just was wondering if you guys would have some general advice for running an Evil Campaign. For a little detail, here's what they all made. LN Human Monk True Neutral Human Druid CE Elf Ranger LE Elf Sorcerer For Backstories so far... The Monk is a City Monk raised in a temple and setting off on a quest of self enlightenment. The Sorcerer Watched his family get tortured and murdered when he was a child and now is on a quest unleash vengeance on the entire plane. The Druid Was abaondoned in the wild as a child of 3 and raised by wolves. He spent most of his life in the wild. When he was 15 he was captured by a group of dwarven slavers, and after 6 months as a slave, managed to gain the trust of a pack of wolves and slaughter the entire camp of slavers and returned to the wild. Because of his abandomnent as a child he never regained his trust of society and the slave ordeal only added to his prejudice. The Ranger hasnt given me his backstory yet. Anyway, I'm bringing them all tofether witht he "A Dark and Stormy Night" Campaign (They rolled lvl 1 Characters) So basically, I was just hoping you guys might have some pointers for dealing with an evil group, because I really wasnt expecting them to make an evil group and I'm not sure what to expect. Thanks for all the feedback so far guys. I feel like I should mention a few things about when we did Character creation. We all got together last night and everyone discussed the characters they were making before they started rolling up their characters. So all the players are on the same page and I Ok'd it because they all really seemed excited about the idea. The Sorcerer is really into the idea of being this Evil Mastermind type of villain, and the Ranger really wants to be just a chaotic force of destruction. The Druid is just gonna be Along for the Ride (True Neutral, what else would his motivation be?) And the Monk is just gonna see the party as a good oppurtunity to see the world and improve himself.
Actually, my only real concern is how a LN monk would interact with LE and CE characters like this. I'm not really sure where the line is drawn between LN and LE
So they really wanted evil for the role-play element of it. And I want to let them have that, I'm just not sure about the best way to go about giving a group like this an interesting campaign.
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1 year ago ::
Dec 18, 2011 - 12:11AM
#2
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That's a tough one. Evil PCs are hard to handle even for experienced DMs and players. However, you only get experience by doing things.
My advice? Go with it, let the players try it out, but review things as they go along, and be prepared to hit the re-set button for the sake of an enjoyable game. The most likely way a game like this will collapse is that the PCs will go on a crime rampage, GTA style, and use up sessions battling NPCs and town guards. This can occur due to some minor thing like an argument with the innkeep over prices :-)
The simplest solution is to look at the backstories and for any adventure make sure the rewards of doing the adventure relate to the character histories. Quest rewards of money need to be better than what the PCs could get by mugging rich merchants (I suggest a dearth of rich merchants and shopkeepers in the area), and quest rewards such as the Sorcerer following up a tenuous clue as to the location of his parent's murderers might be just the thing to keep this team focused on the adventure you want to prepare.
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1 year ago ::
Dec 18, 2011 - 12:23AM
#3
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Date Joined:
Mar 15, 2008
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My honest advise is don't play with those characters. You and the players need to collaborate on what you all want from the campaign. It sounds like you're a bit under experienced, and the motives of evil PCs could easily overwhelm even a seasoned DM who's not prepared for it.
If you're absolutely comfortable with it, then just roll with it. Give them a world that's not nice, where they're neither the good guys nor the bad guys. This way they can be a little heroic without being "good" and can be evil without risking severe plot derailment.
"Not only are you wrong, but I even created an Excel spreadsheet to show you how wrong you are." --James Wyatt, May 2006
Dilige, et quod vis fac
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1 year ago ::
Dec 18, 2011 - 12:48AM
#4
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Date Joined:
Jan 28, 2004
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First, past editions's forum section is not here, sorry to sounds like an ass.
Second, as Cohen said. Force them to remake PCs, or give them what they want impliedly; a dark world, who WILL suck on them.
OR show them HOW the world treat realisticaly the consequences of evil. It will suck.
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1 year ago ::
Dec 18, 2011 - 7:32AM
#5
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Ubbergeek is wrong, this section of the forums is edition-neutral. Your question is fine here.
As Cohen95 says, you and your players need to talk about the kind of game you're playing ('you' meaning 'all of you') before a single pencil, book, or laptop is lifted to start making characters. If you don't want to run an evil game, then you aren't going to be having any fun, and if the DM ain't having fun, ain't nobody having fun.
A player should never be able to drop a surprise character on you. You should always be part of the creation process, giving input and suggestions where you can, and saying 'no, that won't fly' if you absolutely must.
Another day, another three or four entries to my Ignore List.
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1 year ago ::
Dec 18, 2011 - 7:50AM
#6
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Date Joined:
Oct 24, 2001
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My honest advise is don't play with those characters.
Mine too. I will not run an evil campaign. I will not DM for evil PCs. I don't have any interest or fun doing it. (But I also have the luxury of not having to tailor my games to my players. I cast a net for players after I have a campaign in mind. Players self-select for the game I have described.)
Here are the PHB essentia, in my opinion: - Three Basic Rules (p 11)
- Power Types and Usage (p 54)
- Skills (p178-179)
- Feats (p 192)
- Rest and Recovery (p 263)
- All of Chapter 9 [Combat] (p 264-295)
A player needs to read the sections for building his or her character -- race, class, powers, feats, equipment, etc. But those are PC-specific. The above list is for everyone, regardless of the race or class or build or concept they are playing.
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1 year ago ::
Dec 18, 2011 - 8:07AM
#7
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Date Joined:
May 13, 2009
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Unless you really really really trust them with playing an Evil character, the best way to handle is to say "no" and make them play a non-evil party.
Epic Dungeon Master Want to give your players a kingdom of their own? I made a 4e rule system to make it happen! Your Kingdom awaits!Update 5th Sep 2011: Added a sample kingdom, as well as sample of play.
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1 year ago ::
Dec 18, 2011 - 8:42AM
#8
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What does "being evil" mean to your players?
If they crossed "CE" and "LE" off their character sheets and never wrote anything else in, would they suddenly become heroic do-gooders?
If you said "I'm not using alignment in this game," and added that you'd adjudicate the effects of any alignment-based attributes of spells or the like on the fly, would they be disappointed?
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1 year ago ::
Dec 18, 2011 - 9:00AM
#9
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Date Joined:
Apr 16, 2005
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Running an evil party is something I suggest you try at least once in your DM career. Your players may be talking about it for years to come.
1) This will be a major pain in your ass.
2) Evil PCs are not above doing evil things to other PCs.
3) The best thing you can do for yourself is to come up with a reason for them to work together. Being bound to service to something ten times as evil and powerful as them (like a deity/demon) is an easy one. 4) If they decide that being evil means regularly commiting rape and murder in town, well that should catch up with them pretty quickly, right?
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1 year ago ::
Dec 18, 2011 - 9:02AM
#10
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Date Joined:
Feb 13, 2007
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Thanks for all the feedback so far guys. I feel like I should mention a few things about when we did Character creation. We all got together last night and everyone discussed the characters they were making before they started rolling up their characters. So all the players are on the same page and I Ok'd it because they all really seemed excited about the idea. The Sorcerer is really into the idea of being this Evil Mastermind type of villain, and the Ranger really wants to be just a chaotic force of destruction. The Druid is just gonna be Along for the Ride (True Neutral, what else would his motivation be?) And the Monk is just gonna see the party as a good oppurtunity to see the world and improve himself.
Actually, my only real concern is how a LN monk would interact with LE and CE characters like this. I'm not really sure where the line is drawn between LN and LE
So they really wanted evil for the role-play element of it. And I want to let them have that, I'm just not sure about the best way to go about giving a group like this an interesting campaign.
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