The man with nothing to lose

[Icyshadow]

So, I realized I unwittingly managed to make an interesting PC or NPC for a future game, who just happens to be the rather unlucky father of two daemon-spawn tieflings. However, he and his wife (who may or may not be alive) still cared for said children in spite of all this.

Now the thing I am thinking of is the fact that he's willing to do some REALLY extreme things to keep said family safe, even at the cost of other people suffering death or even worse (such as being fed to a daemon) but is otherwise a decent, even friendly fellow. I'm having a hard time deciding whether he is Neutral with a heavy leaning to Evil, or Evil with a leaning towards Good. He cares for his family and friends, but is willing to damn others (himself included) if it means they can be safe and at least somehow capable of living a happy life.

I'm just willing to hear opinions on this guy's alignment while also trying to work out how one would RP this guy. To add some Golarion fluff, he is of a minor Chelish noble family that gets dismantled anyway as some other family slanders their reputation and uncovers the past dealings with Abaddon's fiends.

[jjjjj]

I'd say he's strongly in the neutral category along the good/evil axis. Neutral characters usually have a close set of friends that they care about and trust. Being willing to sacrifice himself for his family is a point towards the good end, but being willing to sacrifice others is a slightly larger point to the evil end. So it balances out, but leans towards evil as you said. (If he actually enjoyed hurting other people under the pretense of helping his family, then you've crossed into evil.)

As for RPing this guy, I would make him friendly and helpful, generally a nice guy. But as soon as something threatens his family, he gets this steely-eyed, teeth-gritted look that says "You, my friend, just crossed a line. And now you are going to learn that no one. touches. my boys."

[Necromancer]

You know, the tieflings don't have to be evil... Sure they can be, but it's not a must. I'd peg the dad as Neutral Good. Your character, your call--I'm just saying that tieflings aren't half-fiends/cambions and don't have the same strong connection to the nether-planes.

[Icyshadow]

So, true Neutral?

Yeah, that seems about how it'd work out. Can't help but think he'll suffer a bad end though, even if he does manage to get his wife and two daughters to safety, given the track record his family has as I mentioned. And yeah, can't see him really taking pleasure in ANY of the pain he'd cause, unless the offender went out his/her way to harm his family. I think he'd have a bone to pick with House Thrune in particular.

@Necromancer: Actually, the older daughter grows up to be a True Neutral (possibly even Neutral Good, depending on the DM's view) Cleric of Pharasma. The younger one starts out Neutral Evil, but she has personal reasons for that (her family being ruined and her being forced to flee for one), and might even have an alignment change later on. Also, it seems that the dad is either True Neutral, or Neutral Good now, even if he does sometimes employ daemonic and/or diabolic magic.

[Nemitri]

his alignment is well intentioned extremist (seriously, I hate alignment labels, they are too limiting)

[Icyshadow]

That, and perhaps the Unfettered, if we go tropes now.