How to Play a Redeemed Evil Character WITHOUT Coming Across Cliché (Evil Characters Part 2!)

[@DieDieNacho]

Ahh perfect timing. This will be great information to have for when my party finds out I'm currently attuned to 2 cursed magic items, one of which changed my alignment to neutral evil.

[@PlayYourRole]

"Hey guys, remember that super shady item I definitely shouldn't have touched 7 sessions ago?" "It turned you evil didn't it?" "...Yeah. Can I get some assistance for a redemption arc?"

[@DieDieNacho]

@@PlayYourRole Pretty much. The fighter in the party found a cursed Ring of Madness. After managing to break the curse, I held the ring in an Enchanted Lockbox. I held onto it for 10 years (time skip in campaign), and after recent events attuned to it myself

[@coreyjameswood]

The Deck of Many Things changed my characters alignment to Neutral Evil right before combat. Now I play him as wanting to do things just for himself and not caring about much of anything else unless it benefits his goals or ideals

[@jaywalmoose9623]

A character type I find really interesting is the good aligned villain. They're genuinely a nice person, but they still want to take over the world and stuff, and pride themself on being "evil". Giovanni from Epithet Erased is like this. He's a great guy, but his ambition is to be "evil" and chaotic. He ends up teaming up with the good guys when a genuinely evil person stole the thing he was trying to steal. He's still a bad guy by the end of the story, but he was a great character.

[@PlayYourRole]

Also a good point! Man, there are so many evil archetype I could talk about!

[@0_0____]

“Teleports behind you!”

[@SAI-Max_D]

The Soup Man Cometh And when he does..., he'll make sure that nobody tries to mess with his boys (gotta love a "bad guy" who genuinely cares for and supports the wellbeing of his own minions)

[@Sniperboyfi]

He may be evil but he's not a monster

[@LocalMaple]

@@PlayYourRole I made another comment elsewhere, with more details. But here’s my list of perma-Evil characters that didn’t need redemption arcs to stay on the side of good. Iago from Aladdin. All 3 movies and seasons, he is a greedy bird that avoids the responsibility and consequences of his actions. If it wasn’t for his need to have Aladdin bail him out, I’d put him at Chaotic Neutral instead of Lawful Evil. Vegeta may have redefined alliances, but remained the same Lawful Evil. Gollum and Deadpool are Chaotic Evil.

[@wiremupakz843]

My character is secretly evil at the moment and my party keeps making jokes that I’m evil and bringing up the things that I genuinely tried to hide and honesty I’m glad this came out when it did cause I’m pretty sure I’m getting called out next session

[@alisadavies8943]

We have an incredible character in our Curse of Strahd campaign (draconic heritage sorcerer) who described his alignment as '???'. Initially he was quiet, strategic but also friendly and he could be very calculated/cold but also kind. We also found he had a deathly fear of hanging or strangulation. After a very emotionally intense fight (both with an enemy and then a group arguement), he revealed his backstory. He had essentially been the tyrannical ruler of a town and was implied he had brutally hurt a lot of people. Eventually, a hero turned up who tore him down and he was sentence to hanging. He was terrified, a big coward but also realised how truly evil he'd been and was terrified of the punishment that waited after death. They tried to hang him THREE times. First the knot came loose. Then the rope broke. Then a lightning bolt hit the tree breaking the branch. A priest claimed that some God had decided he should live and so he was exiled. Realising this was a second chance, he resolved to do good from now on. The best thing about this character is that he doesn't have an emotional conscience. He said to the other PCs that he knows what he did was evil but he doesn't feel guilt or remorse, even though he wants to. He doesn't have an instinct of 'the right thing' so he tries to logically reason what the good thing to do is, like the trolly problem. It has led to some amazing party moments and is so compelling. Its even more fun because I play a cleric of Mishakal, goddess of healing and redemption (total coincidence), so allll the fun dynamics.

[@evangrescol7772]

Oh wow. I would've loved to play with a character like that at the table!

[@dustyb0ne631]

Nice! You actually played a text-book Psychopath correctly. I've been hoping to play my character with Psychopathy for a while.

[@an8strengthkobold360]

I've sorta done this. Granted my character started the campaign trying to redeem himself. His arc was finding a productive way to do that. Starting the campaign seeking a "heroic" death since death is what he deserves as redemption. Eventually changing focus to protecting the ranger, accepting that he likely can't redeem himself but can do his best to help someone he hurt.

[@ramenwolf13]

Great video! I played an evil character with a redemption arc years ago but in a large party with less focus on inter-party relationships I didn't get much push to change/develop. So when the time came to his 'choose goodness or selfish evil' moments I was weighing up the number of bad choices made to show where the character is coming from vs better choices to show he's trying to change. Never felt there was enough justification for his redemption. I wanted to stay true to his original character and not flip his morals overnight but didn't feel there was a payoff or true change at the end. It's a balancing act, tho for me it was more checking off boxes in 2 lists so they kept in line until the good ones 'won out' towards the climax. A very calculating redemption arc but not in the fun way. Hopefully one day I'll play a would-be-villian again and have a party that'll help them see the power of friendship.

[@PlayYourRole]

Sometimes that's how it goes! If there wasn't a ton of push for redemption, and the table understands, you just gotta go where the character would logically go!

[@Alzarahn]

This video reminds me of my Half-Orc Rogue, Arzul Vogg. He teamed up with the heroes to make the human kingdoms stronger, so that when he went home and took over the orcs they'd have worthy adversaries to keep them busy with war instead of in-fighting and regicide.

[@puddel9079]

Oh damn, that's a good motivation.

[@gggg-hq4td]

The great Uniter

[@richytheking1315]

Love it! Orcs always provide such fun character motives like that due to their fairly unique place in dnd. My favorite character is an orc paladin who started out working with the party because he believed orcs were too weak and that to properly serve Gruumsh they needed to be cleansed of that weakness. Basically he went around killing every orc he saw with the justification being if they proved themselves strong he would let them go. But of course he was a paladin and they were just dudes so none of them did. He had evolved from that into a fascinating character, but I’ll never forget his origin.

[@EuclideanVision]

As you touched on around 6 mins in - it's not always about redemption, but making a villain understandable or sympathetic :) There's much more nuance than just that (as per some of your examples) but I feel this can allow for a more subtle arc, or even just to let people play a more constant character throughout. Motivation & methodology could be another way to look at the want vs need dilemma too! Great video, I've been really enjoying this series :) keep at it!

[@PlayYourRole]

I personally have the worst time making villains UN-sympathetic. Which sucks, because sometimes your players just want a genuine villain to feel good facing and I can struggle to provide that.

[@EuclideanVision]

@@PlayYourRole Yeah that's so much harder to get into for a variety of reasons imo xD both do obviously have their places though as you say! Something to consider :)

[@ssfbob456]

I had a character that was essentially the BBEG of another story that was killed by some other unnamed heroes. But as some kind of extra punishment they were ressurected by their cleric and their abilities were essentially sealed by the cleric's god. Amy evil actions they took were punished by said god, but their personality was still plenty twisted. When the campaign started they _hated_ the party and felt the way they were always trying to do things the "right" way was inefficient and not at all effective. There were arguments with my character trying to steer them to a less than good path amd the rest of them actively rejecting it, but as the campaign went on those arguments less and less frequent. That character didn't get to see the end of the campaign and was actually killed in an early encounter with the BBEG due to some bad rolls, but went out willingly so the rest of the party could get away. Still one of my favorite characters I've played.

[@space9989]

Thanks for this video!! Right now I'm playing an "evil" character, a literal demon who only seeks power (and understands what power is: not only physical power, but also influence, trust, contacts, etc) and has the willpower to do so. He has redeeming qualities like never lying and always making sure he and his team get the mission done with everyone alive (no matter the costs). I originally was invited to be part of a oneshot in an already existing RPG world, and later discovered me and 2 more players were on the villain's side (which was actually kinda cool, because despite wanting to end the world she's pretty charismatic), we were originally meant to be killed by the villain at the end of the oneshot, but me and another player survived. His character (also a friend of mine) later retired herself from battles, and decided to live a chill life. My demon character realized if the villain ended up succeeding in ending the world there would be nothing to conquer and power would serve no purpose, and now I ended up at the heroes' side completely alone! It's very VERY fun to play an evil character, but god is it hard to redeem them. Anyways, thanks for the video again, big fan of your work! TL;DR: Playing evil characters is a completely unpredictable road!

[@giovan483]

I’m glad you highlighted that the change comes from the party the examples you used were pretty good too. Often times its small but key moments that can make a person reflect on their actions.

[@EilonwyG]

I love the concept of "Want", "Lie" and "Need". It's similar to when writing a character arch in a novel, too. I think one of the biggest hurdle to a villain redemption arch is having players and DM understand this is your goal as well (so they just don't think you're being a jerk at the beginning). Talking to your fellow players or the DM to discuss the desire to redeem you character so they can help find those moments. It's not called collaborative storytelling for nothing.

[@guicaldo7164]

You gave good advice for a certain type of evil character, but I feel like you were a bit narrow in your definition of "evil". My favourite type of evil character, especially as a PC, is the sympathetic villain who's making, in their eyes, the best choices they can when faced with an unforgiving world. They may be completely convinced that what they're doing is right, or they might _hate_ what they do and who they are, but feel unable to change... until they realise that, perhaps, they can change after all. For example, my favourite character I've ever played - and who I'm still playing to this day - started out with truckloads of self-loathing. He had a sense of empathy, he valued life, he didn't want to be this kind of person, but he felt stuck in this path due to his past. He was pursuing a goal he'd been indoctrinated into valuing above all else, so he did whatever it took to achieve that goal. And after he committed a heinous act in pursuit of that goal, only to find out it was fruitless to begin with, he had a massive breakdown and just wanted to kill himself (again, be careful about your table before roleplaying a suicidal character, this can be triggering for some). He was blackmailed into staying alive and working with the party for a multitude of reasons. It would take him several months to find a new goal worth fighting for, and to accept that, while he couldn't undo what he'd done, perhaps redemption was something worth striving for after all. At the very least, he'd be helping others, and that's a worthwile goal regardless. However, even while he was a villain, he was never arrogant, or dismissive of other people's good deeds. He admired the rest of the party, admired those he saw as better than him, and wished more than anything he could be like them. He was mild-mannered, soft-spoken and surprisingly vulnerable. He'd only do evil things if he felt as though he didn't have a choice and he'd always try to minimise the damage he caused. He did at one point start lashing out at the other party members being better people, but that wasn't genuine, it was just born out of his frustration with his own inability to be like them. Now, a real-life year and half later, he's a changed man. He's not entirely forgiven himself, but he's far more okay with who he is than he ever thought possible. Now, he deliberately rejects moral dilemmas, and always tries to save as many people as possible. Not because he suddenly started caring about other people, he _always_ cared, but now he no longer feels like he doesn't have another choice. Most of the party members have accepted him, and he still cries whenever he thinks about how incredibly grateful he is that they gave him a second chance. The point of this rant is: Don't feel like a villain needs to be a power-hungry asshole who doesn't care about other people and scoffs at heroes. Sometimes, they're just broken people trying their best. Someone might have perfectly good intentions, but have a warped worldview. Or they might be aware of their flaws, but unable to combat them. In my opinion, those make not only for the best characters, but also for the best redemption arcs.

[@PlayYourRole]

The concept of an 'evil' character is so broad I feel I could make hundreds of videos on it and still not talk about everything I want to. It's just so much more nuanced than black and white, you know?

[@guicaldo7164]

@@PlayYourRole Yeah good point, it's impossible to cover all the bases in a single video.

[@powerhouseofthecell9758]

You could have a "damnation arc" of sorts where the "lie" is a common and understandable misconception, the "want" seems noble, and the "need" is revolting in comparison.

[@lanuudo]

Catra and Zuko, two of my favorite characters in any show I've seen and the two of them fall in this arquetipe

[@nemonomen3340]

Wow, I thought you were joking about doing a part 2! _Niiice._

[@PlayYourRole]

It was just too much of a fun inspiration to pass up! Thanks for giving me the idea!

[@silencedflyer462]

I like the idea of playing a paladin and becoming an oathbreaker halfway through a campaign or near the end without letting the part know as a “reveal” of the paladin not being near falling but has already fallen

[@ninjapumpkin0127]

You should do a video about a character that becomes a villain part way through the campaign, but then is redeemed, an example character being The Lizard from Spiderman, his goal remaining the same: to help people, but his approach changes to a selfish one due to a change in heart, but then he is redeemed.

[@Flumpor]

I don't know if you have made an episode about this or even want to because I just found this channel. But one of my big pet peeves are concerning Mentor type characters. They always tend to be hardasses or scary individuals that command respect or dead... Why is it so rare for them to be friends? One of my favorite Mentors I had was for a Kobold Rogue who used to work in "logistics" (acquiring customers and locations). Well as it turned out he wasn't lying, because he was a co-founder of a chain of by the books, safe to use, succubus brothels... (Thanks Konosuba) When I introduced the party to her everyone waa on red alert, but I immediately started talking things out. Asked how the business is going, commenting on her success, talk about the newcomers and if there is still a problem with gaining a female customer base and suggesting a partner rewards programm rollout... It was genuinely so much fun to roleplay these 2 besties while the party was still trying to figure out what was going on. It could also be a lesson in "not all demons", because like what is Rakshasa really getting from betraying you or not befriending you. They are immortal, you are a blip. They need to think about the bigger picture and know that having friends can benefit them in the long run.

[@ArtificerOfSolus]

Well if it isn't the exact topic I needed covered. Perfect timing!

[@srvfan17]

Bro, I can only want to play so many characters

[@PlayYourRole]

Mix them all into one. I'm positive your Dungeon Master won't have any issues running for that!

[@lanuudo]

My friends are starting now to play D&D, I'm going to be their DM and they want to play evil and chaotic characters and I'm going to try and persuade them to play some arquetipes that I want to see in game or I want to play XD

[@seanerzat]

@@PlayYourRole The evil-redemption-arc stoic loose cannon lawful amnesiac that becomes group leader and is a super sharp intellectual but limited because they're a pacifist Dang actually, I thought I'd try and combine all your videos that intrigued me because I thought it'd create someone unplayable, but that's actually not as impossible to play as I expected, just takes some reasoning for each piece of the character lol

[@TheTdroid]

I like evil characters who are convinced they are bringing about a greater good. Everything they do, they do for the people of tomorrow, and the heroes who insist on focusing on the present are lacking in perspective. I also like it when the villain has a point, when there is legitimate reasons why they'd believe what they do. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and all of that. And it is interesting to muddle the waters between a good goal, shady character motivation and harsh means. There is also characters more like Cathra, who I'd argue is probably more neutral and selfinterested than evil. The world is cruel, but as long as you have your Adora, you can make it. Then the one thing that made her life bearable goes away, but the world is still cruel so she has to step up or be trodden down. I usually differentiate between evil and neutral characters by whether or not a change in circumstance would change them too. An evil character would seek power over others even in good circumstances, telling themselves and others whatever excuses necessary to justify it. A neutral character seeks power over others because their own hide or that of their close ones are at risk if they do not and this is how they learned to live. Both types of villains are capable of truly despicable acts.

[@Sethern]

Holy cow your almost at 20k? What the heck I feel like you were a hidden gem 2 months ago! Congrats that’s awesome

[@rileysrangers]

I feel a highly underused archetype I wish more people would give advice on is the Scary/Creepy Character there are so many subclasses like the conquest paladin, spirits bard, or the undead warlock that give you the mechanics in game of being a source of fear and horror but they are so difficult to roleplay especially with a party of adventurers imo also keep up the awesome videos!

[@cartoonking1789]

I like the fact you used Catra is the thumbnail because man oh man did he have a poor redemption lol

[@Miner49er201]

Since you've now covered the Negative (BBEG) and Postive (Redemption) arcs for an Evil character, I'm curious about your opinions on a Static Arc for such a character. The character stays antagonistic, in some respect, but there may be more nuance given to their situation that, while it doesn't redeem them or make them less likely to conflict with the party, gives more insight into the changes of how they perceive the world around them, and interact with that world.

[@eskiwhat68]

Perhaps a good strategy to emphasize for difficult characters is the importance of player coordination and the existence of a "partner character". Someone playing a kleptomaniac? Make sure the party understands the power of apologies and give the thief a partner whose role is to interrupt (or enhance) that thief's actions when appropriate. The character who holds the thief upside down every night to shake out their pockets or who narrates retrieving their own inventory from the thief's coat. Find a DM who occasionally puts important things into the thief's inventory retroactively for the sake of narrative. If the party misses a clue or accidentally leaves behind an important thing, that's a great opportunity. Have a paranoid in the party? Get another character who'll guide important NPC's through the defensive traps or convince authorities that it'd be worse if that character's not allowed to indulge their compulsions. Encourage the DM to occasionally rewards that preparedness. The approach can extend to all sorts of problem character sorts, pacifists and evil characters included. Someone to keep the pacifist peaceful or for the pacifist to hide behind. A character that the evil character can love or who positively balance the evil character. Partner characters are a great way to let players get into prickly or difficult play.

[@Living_Life242]

I’m thinking of playing a lawful evil Armorer who got betrayed by his former group and decided that the best way to hide from them was to pretend to be a muscleheaded Paladin (carries a decorative sword, Cure Wounds, Disguise Self when he needs to show his face, etc.). I’m thinking they are an “evil race”, probably a Hobgoblin who is temperamental and prideful, yet also has a strong sense of personal honor. After some time, his act starts becoming real; he “feeds his good wolf” and all that. Thing is that he will constantly rationalize his selflessness and mercy as having some underlying motives, even when it makes no sense. I like the idea of basing him on Caiphas Cain; not perfect, but far more admirable than they themselves believe themselves to be, unable to see beyond their own flaws.

[@somuchtocook9159]

I would create a redeemed villain who is actually on the hero side because they are planning on beating his father and he wants to beat his father because he just wants to be viewed as worthwhile

[@BrotherSkodidi]

See, in my mind's eye, I'm picturing a Regina George type character, frenemies...

[@AllenGray47]

Our wizard is evil, he's self serving and cold, but he helps us because our interests align and he can't work alone. He's becoming less cold and detached naturally over time though. It started small and eventually we adopted a little orphan, who's been kidnapped, and that's his current mission. We're about to receive a holy artifact, and I feel like he's the one that's going to get it and finish his redemption, because whoever takes it is going to basically become a celestial.

[@relicking9207]

One of my favourite character motivations is 'Villain unconvinced me earlier'(ex. they cut me off in traffic a couple of weeks ago)

[@talenstout8324]

Most evil things are just people being human. And then they eventually become good due to the influence. Well if you need it, what you do to get it is just nature. The key is to pay attention to everything always.

[@d4n737]

I doubt that anyone will actually read this, but I no only played an Evil character, it was also a very OP character. Like a lot. So meet Teqi (Named after Tequilla, the most evil drink I know,) - A Boss demon monster, Skeletal frame, no legs, floats like a djinn instead, giant red claws (10+2d20 dmg per slash), four eyes, Everytime he bleeds his blood turns to wasps. The rest of the party started out as level one btw. And he had all he intention of huring them and everything else. He wanted to trash the world so bad that he DM basically forgets it existed. Fully ragefull and aggressive. So why didn't he just slash them to pieces? Because all that time he was trapped in a magic mirror. He was actually a young demon raised on earth by shepherds, looked more like a normal boy then. He wasn't a good kid, really, but he wasn't an irredeemable psychopah. Humans made him learn love and safety. Untill the townsfolk learned of him, killed the mountain shepherd community and used a ritual to cast him down to the 666'th layer of the abyss. After that, he decided that existance is a mistake and he'll stop all the sufferring by erasing everything there is. Going full Doomguy and tearing his way through the abyss, growing in power, knocking into avernus before realising "Shit, wrong way" and returning to the world of mortals... And then being trapped again, in a magic mirror which the party found. So they couldn't do anything to him and he couldn't hurt them, as even "outside", he was still bound to the mirror and to the will of the one who holds it. The party used him as a guard dog, solving problems they couldn't, intimidation, it led to many adventures where they were isolated from the mirror during combat or it was stollen and they had to get it back. So combat was never boring because while Teqi was unmatched, the problem was having the access to him. And he also went through a redemption arc from "I'm goring you he second I get out" to "Maybe you're not so bad after all" to finally "There may jus be hope for the world, you're my new family." And he repaid them by sacrificing himself during a boss battle with someone who matched his power. He forced the enemy to activate an exploding volcano, while they were both inside. The only thing left, falling next to the party and tumbling on the ground was a familiar horned skull...with a single last wasp crawling out of the eye socket, standing on it's hind legs as if to say goodbye for the last time... then flying away.

[@nicolaezenoaga9756]

I don't know if this is an official archetype or not but, or if you can make a video about it but: how can you play the monster with a pure hart archetype? A character who's a monster in appearance and somewhat in behaviour but who have a genuinely good nature. Example: party is fighting their opponents in a brawl to the death and the monster character is bitting chonks off of them and eating them while fighting (and fighting like a beast in general) because they can and think that this is no diffrent from any other way you can kill someone in an armed battle but are otherwise really nice and kind.

[@karljohan2300]

kinda liked the tmnt 2003 future part with the turtle clone seeing theres not something horrible sharing and caring about others after being captured by the turtles

[@crawfishviolin1509]

NEW VIDEO LETS GOOOOO!!!!!

[@kodytiffany5686]

In most cases I am Anethema to Redemption. Mostly because I feel if you do the crime to require the time. Punishment in whatever form is needed for the Karmec balance of all that is and ever could be. So to me in the case of redemption the struggle needs to be serious and a bit painful. Scar from Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood is one of the better examples. Misunderstood does not work entirely because he did kill 2 innocent people and I feel in the end that's what is being redeemed. The Antagonist of Inuyashiki is another great example... now despite both examples not being able to enjoy the redemption for long necessarily, the ultimate sacrifice is not a requirement. Not all evil is as simple as Dr. Doofenschmertz and has done only petty wrongs that can be forgiven easily. So those that need to do more need to go through the emotional ringer so temptation can never sway them again... evil like every thing else can be adictive so the punishment should be done to encourage them not to consider evil action in the future.

[@LetsPlayCrazy]

Talk with your party. DO IT. Every party I am in, if I were to simply play an evil character, they would just... leave me behind. Because that is what you do with bad people. You avoid them. So either I need to have some important intel that they need me or SOMETHING. But this needs to be talked about or it won't work. Also a gradually changing character is important. from going "lets kill that peasant, he saw to much" to "can we at least cut out his tongue?" "Fine I guess we can just kidnap him until our mission is over" until finally: "Don't tell anyone! OR ELSE!"

[@MegaPokefan97]

My favorite example of a redeemed villain is Soma Cruz from Castlevania. Spoilers for a GBA era game: Soma is the reincarnated form of the overarching villain, Vlad Dracula Tepes, who was so utterly wrecked by Julius Belmont that he had to reincarnate into someone who was born at the same time as his demise. That person was Soma, a Japanese boy who, along with his girlfriend Mina (who's also Vlad's late wife's reincarnation) goes to see the solar eclipse when he discovers his power of dominance over the souls of monsters. The Canon ending sees Soma not only awakening to the truth about his past life, but overcoming the influence of the force of chaos that influenced Dracula into evil

[@seanerzat]

Here's a question I asked on the other evil-PC video but I figured I'd put it here too (it's the last time I'll ask lol). But my q is if you create a PC that goes on their evil character arc during a campaign that ultimately betrays/abandons the party, is there a way to still allow that player to keep control of that villain even when they've entered BBEG-esque territory? Because I feel like people in my game would super associate that character with the player's performance of them and it's more meaningful keeping the two attached somehow. But how would you (or any fellow commenters) suggest going about that? And should they still make a new "main" PC to play with the party? Additionally, I want to figure out how to execute that type of situation well because it gives a hint of an option to still redeem that character and for them to remain as a PC and rejoin the party. Great vid btw, I love ur videos and your skill as a content creator improves with each video and it's so clear! Keep it up!

[@RamonChickon]

My mom once told me that the things you find attractive about your spouse are also the things that will drive you crazy. 😆

[@deltadumbo]

I like your videos. You look a lot like my cousin Eric.

[@Spiceodog]

How do we play the “ party mom”

[@SunDry_Marchy]

Why is the she-ra's sociopath cat on the thumbnail or a redemption themed video lmao

[@dracodragon671]

Alright, what about neutral characters? The ones who are willing to do what needs to be done, regardless of it’s morality? Or what they think needs to be done.

[@The-Grim-Gentleman]

The Real trick is, how to play an evil character who wants to be redeemed while still being evil (atm) without your party absolutely hating your character and either killing them, or outright abandoning them in an in. Does this sound like a somewhat realistic sincerio, thats because it is, cause it happened to me. Had ana amazingly build character with a interesting and complex backstory with every chance of being redeemed only being told by the local tiefling bard of the group to "go to hell" and then being abandoned by the group without a second thought or chance. Take care how you play your characters folks.

[@seanerzat]

Thats tough. I know if I were the DM I would've tried to create an essential reason that the party needs that character. Either that or coordinate with other players about your plan, so that they create an in-character reason to want to keep you around despite the moral clashes. Characters like these take some serious coordination and planning, sorry that you had that experience

[@aikologic]

One alternative I find a bit funny is a character who tries really hard to be evil but can't seem to do it right, though I think that would likely be difficult to pull off, especially in a game like Dungeons and Dragons.

[@seanerzat]

LOL amazing concept tho

[@tf2fan919]

Taking time would be great if only the party wasn't so incredibly impatient "He hasn't changed at all!" "It's only been 10 sessions and yes he has he's gone from neutral evil to lawful evil and there have been obvious signs he is getting better" And that is why I'm not playing that character with them anymore bc omg I cannot deal with people who are that impatient

[@shinrafugitives3880]

Oh boy he made a jab at the she-rees. Good luck XD

[@crazy36069]

I’m going to play an evil character who gets more evil!

[@Skalesthegoat]

I remember making my party feel bad for acererak once. Weird game Edit: it was kind of an accident

[@LocalMaple]

Why do Evil characters need a redemption arc? Vegeta from Dragon Ball didn’t. While he may have redefined ally and enemy, he remained Lawful Evil. Iago from Aladdin didn’t. He spent all 3 movies and 3 series Neutral Evil, driven more by his greed than his love of freedom. He even ended his story as a criminal. Gollum from Lord of the Rings and Deadpool from Marvel didn’t. They stayed violent and greedy their entire time, with a few moments shining through. Usually when they had to play nice for a bigger goal. It’s possible to be 100% on the team’s side but be evil. Lawful Evil: The enemy deserves no mercy. I will be the shadow to the light of our kingdom. This reward wasn’t the worth the effort, what can I extract from the mayor… Neutral Evil: My experiments are for the greater good. They were going to die anyway, that was a mercy kill. Chaotic Evil: HULK SMASH! But look at all these magic items I got for us! All Orcs must perish!

[@xenmaster2203]

Vegeta definitely changed from lawful evil to a more good disposition. His entire arc within the buu saga was him struggling with the fact that surpassing goku will be an insurmountable task, he’ll never become a ruthless king, and he’s becoming more *human* by the day. Ultimately, he gave way for the changes in his personality to allow family and the well-being of others into his life. Yes, he’s still arrogant. Yes, he’s still hot-headed. Even so, his flaws are now being used in service of earth and the people of the universe. He does it in his own weird and prideful way.

[@dragoscozma8651]

Make a how to play a psychpath

[@randymyer2996]

These days allot of Redeemed villains and torn down heroes... 🤔

[@ulyssesthedm]

Steven Universe is BAD. Terrible example of "evil" characters, and awful story writing.

[@bagel4943]

This is about DND. If you wanna hate that bad, might as well stay in your own lane. Thank you :)

[@greenstarlover1]

My favorite evil character-heroes dynamics goes like this: *The evil character lacks complete interest in the affairs of the group. 100% based and takes no others' bullshit, but can cause bullshit to others if he find it funny. Chaotic evil/neutral, and a complete wild card in terms of reliability. *"The only reason I'm TOLERATING you imbeciles is because you can be SOMEWHAT useful to me (and also because I would probably be dead by now if I wasn't)" *(Hero in a middle of a fight) "Hey, a little help here?" (Evil character) "Oh sorry, I missed the part where it's MY problem" (Hero) "MOVE YOUR ASS OVER HERE AND HELP BEFORE I MADE SURE IT WILL BE!"

[@traviss3974]

I played a little true chaotic sorlock cobold whit a morder hobbo complex. During the campaign he learn from the party to not be a serial killer . In his final moments his last words, once reformed were, 99% fe, on the crazy scape plan from the paladin