Evil character in Society play


Advice


Hey I have never played PFS before and was thinking about starting sometime soon. I also have an idea for an Inquisitor who is particularly skilled at dragon slaying.
As for the nature of this Inquisitor, he is supposed to be Cold and Ruthless, as well as Bloodthirsty.
Now, he is NOT a villain, he has no reason to take over the world, or rule any kingdoms, he doesn't even share the same taste as slavers.

Would this kind of Evil character be frowned upon in Society play, or would most GMs accept him?

Let me try to break his personality down and explain what makes him evil and what sets him apart from crazed murderers and the type.
> He is a murderer: He is a cold-stone killer, enjoys dirtying his blade with the blood of his enemies; however, he prefers a challenge and is above the slaughter of peasants, helpless, and innocent (as he deems to be)
> He is selfish: He lacks the sense of aiding in any cause that doesn't benefit himself, whether through payment, alliance, or mutual understanding (obviously if he has a target that's in danger of being killed by somebody else, he will protect that target until he's ready to kill them)
> He is greedy: No, he is not a hoarder nor is he materialistic, but what's his is his and only his and he is also a strong believer of the "Finders Keepers" clause.

That said he does have some good qualities:
> He has a code: (He would be consider LE or NE) He does not pick fights unless there is a reward for the one he's fighting (going to kill) or it is dragon-blooded (though he does make exceptions as long as it's not a true dragon). He does not steal from the poor (unless they actually have something he needs, or just really really wants; though most of the time he will just bargain for it). Lastly, he does not steal gold, only material items (usually with magical properties) (this one is more of a self-limiter, so that he isn't tempted to steal his way into prison constantly)
> He does have a heart: It has yet to happen and probably won't, but he isn't heartless; he can find love, and he can have emotions for someone or something.
> He had a pretty bad upbringing: I haven't completely worked out his history, but I know it is going to be pretty harsh, he will have a reason for his attitude and personality. I am thinking of something having to do with slavery (obviously a dragon will effect him in some way as well.)

Sovereign Court

Well, ruleswise, any alignment with Evil in the name is verboten.

That being said, you can have your LN character act in what you think is a LE way and so long as you officially call it "LN" you're fine.*

*= Fine, so long as you don't have disagreements with your GM over what is or what is not an evil act. if you want to toe the line, be wary that some GMs won't have the line exactly where you might. I'd review the relevant chapter in the PFSGOP about alignment infractions/evil acts (and especially their consequences) if I were you.

Silver Crusade

You cannot play Evil aligned characters in Pathfinder Society. It is expressly prohibited in the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play.

From the guide (Pg. 9)

Quote:

Step 8: Alignment

No evil alignments are allowed in Pathfinder Society
Organized Play. You may select any other alignment
for your character, keeping in mind the alignment
restrictions of the various classes.

Silver Crusade

If you do not have the guide you can find it here: Player Resources

Sovereign Court

Tempestorm wrote:

You cannot play Evil aligned characters in Pathfinder Society. It is expressly prohibited in the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play.

From the guide (Pg. 9)

Quote:

Step 8: Alignment

No evil alignments are allowed in Pathfinder Society
Organized Play. You may select any other alignment
for your character, keeping in mind the alignment
restrictions of the various classes.

That's all 100% true, but there still are no shortage of shady, unsavory types in PFS.

the OP's basic idea isn't actually out of character for PFS.. he just can't actually be out and out evil. Clerics and Inquisitors of unsavory deities like Asmodeus and Urgathoa are completely legal for PFS, so long as the posts above are kept in mind.

RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16

You can't play an Evil character, but there's room for not-very-nice Neutral characters who worship evil gods. I myself have an inquisitor of Norgorber, the NE god of murder, and play him as a Dexter-style investigator who joined the Society to find a productive outlet for his killing urges.

I think you'll find that as long as you stay away from PvP, indiscriminant slaughter, torture, or especially heinous forms of violence (like against children), you can get by with a ruthless, bloodlusty character.

Silver Crusade

No disagreement there deusvult. I was simply answering the direct question regarding alignment. I did not go into the gray areas of how things are perceived and presented.

You simply cannot have Evil listed on your character sheet. You can absolutely play a LN cleric of Asmodeus and "tow the line" if you wish. But be prepared to justify your actions to a questioning GM if you tend to hang out on the darker side of said line.

This is not meant to dissuade, merely to inform.


You can make a character who has most of the qualities you describe, but you can't actually be evil in PFS. I think if you do anything too "evil" they can forcibly retire your character, but I'm not certain on this.

I also get the feel that PFS doesn't leave much room for character backgrounds or "getting to know you" bits, and generally just gets right down to the meat and potatoes of the scenario. I could be wrong, but this is my impression that I have been given from various readings about it. Which, I guess is a long winded way of saying I'm not sure aspect like "being a murderer" will come up. Since you don't play with the same people each time it difficult to develop a relationship between characters or expect others to know the facets of your character, or to even particularly care.


Alright, I wasn't sure if evil characters were explicitly disallowed or not, and I wasn't sure if this type of character would be too much for a neutral alignment, but if you think he fits the neutral and I can still play him cold and dark, then that's perfectly fine! And I won't have to worry about the infringement, he enjoys killing when it's fun. simply cutting an old woman's throat isn't very fun. (for him, i personally wouldn't know haha...ha......) ._.

Silver Crusade

Selfish wrote:
> He is selfish: He lacks the sense of aiding in any cause that doesn't benefit himself, whether through payment, alliance, or mutual understanding (obviously if he has a target that's in danger of being killed by somebody else, he will protect that target until he's ready to kill them)

PvP is also disallowed. Be careful with being selfish with your partymates.

Greedy wrote:
He is greedy: No, he is not a hoarder nor is he materialistic, but what's his is his and only his and he is also a strong believer of the "Finders Keepers" clause.

This is easily taken care of by chronicle sheets. You can "keep" an item until the end of the scenario, then you gotta buy your own.


Brad McDowell wrote:
Greedy wrote:
He is greedy: No, he is not a hoarder nor is he materialistic, but what's his is his and only his and he is also a strong believer of the "Finders Keepers" clause.
This is easily taken care of by chronicle sheets. You can "keep" an item until the end of the scenario, then you gotta buy your own.

What do you mean "until the end of the scenario"? you lose your items when the sessions over?


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Just remember that Pathfinder is fundamentally a team game, and the nature of organized play is that you generally don't have a group that knows your character and a history with them that has reasons to overlook glaring character flaws,

It is generally best to not have 'I want to be as close to the line as I can get' be your primary goal, in regards to such considerations. I would suggest that you try for a character concept that will be easy, rather than challenging, for others to accept. I would suggest this even stronger for a first time experience with PFS, and after you have experienced the environment you might better be able to judge how things works.

Make it easier for everyone by showing up with a character that would work well with other characters and that other characters would want to work with.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber
BigP4nda wrote:
What do you mean "until the end of the scenario"? you lose your items when the sessions over?

You can use any item you find in a scenario, but once the scenario ends the item is turned over to the Pathfinder Society and you must purchase it to continue using it in future scenarios.


BigP4nda wrote:
Brad McDowell wrote:
Greedy wrote:
He is greedy: No, he is not a hoarder nor is he materialistic, but what's his is his and only his and he is also a strong believer of the "Finders Keepers" clause.
This is easily taken care of by chronicle sheets. You can "keep" an item until the end of the scenario, then you gotta buy your own.
What do you mean "until the end of the scenario"? you lose your items when the sessions over?

Yes, items found do not persist between scenarios unless you purchase them. I believe it requires PP or fame and gold.

Dark Archive

You should read the rules about organized play (links have already been posted) before you start asking about what kind of character you can play. That will waste less of everybody's time.

And keep in mind that if you roleplay a character who is a jerk whilst playing with a bunch of people that don't know you, they may simply assume that YOU are a jerk. Its a team game: I'd suggest that you build a character that helps the team, so that you can make some friends. If you want to play a twisted character, don't make it your first character.


Yea I think I will save this character for another game, perhaps an evil campaign like way of the wicked or something. thanks for the input

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