Which way do you play Evil?
Gallowglass
Member Posts: 3,356
Discussion in another thread has caused me to wonder how people go about it when they play an Evil character.
- Which way do you play Evil?140 votes
- I don't play Evil characters.23.57%
- I sometimes or usually play Evil characters, but I generally keep my reputation close to 18 (for better quest rewards, shop prices, etc.)15.71%
- I sometimes or usually play Evil characters, and generally keep my reputation mid-range to prevent Flaming Fist Enforcers spawning everywhere and attacking me.39.29%
- I sometimes or usually play Evil characters, and generally keep my reputation at 3 or less by slaughtering everyone in sight, and revel in yet more Flaming Fist Enforcers coming out to die.  6.43%
- I sometimes or usually play Evil characters, but none of the above describes my usual approach.15.00%
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Comments
It's really liberating. Rather than having to reload every time I'm caught stealing, I simply slaughter the guards who come to stop me, then kill the asshole peasant who dared call them in the first place.
Plus I get to kill anyone who slights me, and with SCS installed, every group of Flaming Fist baddies that get summoned drop a potion of extra healing.
It's rather fun!
My charnames are usually the smart, charismatic types and therefore "villains with good PR", but they are still evil and not every commoner is dumb. Many will see through the game the party plays and be in a "I KNOW that guy is a jerk, I just can't prove it... yet" situation.
I guess I play two different approaches; the cleric isn't that charismatic or smart and I don't have a real planned approach. I kill something every day - animal, enemy, commoner - and if it results in a rep drop to Flaming Fist territory, so be it. He's my "canon" charname in BG1 and therefore I see the way I play him as more important (than BG2 "canon" thief, for example), even if my other charnames act differently.
However, there are other parts of that mod that more than make up for it...fucking Davaeorn...
- Once very early on as a test of game mechanics in what I would call a 'stupid evil' run (and then discovering that means being hunted down by Flaming Fist wizards at every turn).
- Another time in more conservative attempt to assemble an all evil party of NPCs and see if the 'evil' roleplaying options offer a decent game as one follows the standard plotline.
- And once 'smart evil' soloing as a cunning NE Cleric/Mage.
I found the solo run to be the most interesting by far, because it called for the most creativity. That said, interesting though it was for the problem-solving it called for, it is not how I would want to play every game.I found that I much prefer to play either the helpful sort, or a more neutral mercenary type who simply doesn't judge whoever is willing to join up. Thus I play either Good or Neutral characters who assemble mixed alignment parties.
My kind of evil is the kind that stays below radar and only shows its nature during stress or in sutations with obvious gain. I generally don't choose the "I will kill you now, RAWRGH!" options... I'd not mind playing a game as Evil with high reputation, I like the idea of a "front", but I do mind the constant bickering I get from my companions.
I'm surprised that no one noticed the irony in these words...^_-
Yea, he's annoying.
Have fun in Durlags.
It's more than simple enough to simply evade the guards before they even turn up anyway, so of course I steal their 5 gold pieces too, I just don't get caught.
In those rare cases that it's important to do so, I quietly bribe the public officials to turn a blind eye to my more horrifying misdeeds, which, considering my brutal, brutal acquisition of wealth is a drop in the ocean of my largesse.
Eventually, after tormenting people, causing a Paladin to fall by simply being rude to him, and allowing rampaging monsters to just happen to slaughter watchmen and innocents, I and my group of slaves proceed to murder my nemesis and everyone they care about, deep below the thieves guild, or as I like to call it, "Massacre Site 1015".
The most evil actions don't cost a single point of reputation, such as charming a commoner into starting a brawl to the death with another commoner, or leading an army of kobolds into Gullykin for a laugh.
I play evil characters badly.
Early game: good easier (by a stretch)
Late game: evil easier
A little ironic that the snitch-killing system results in the guards coming to kill you BUT.
I usually skip the "insane jerk" comments and play it like a sociopath con man. You can use the polite replies to get what you want. Because getting what you want is the point. I'm not out there trying to save grandma's farm.