Turning an Evil Character back to... neutral

[slithas]

So, one of the characters in my campaign is a right evil bugger, and after secretly killing off one of the other player's characters he didn't like for part of a Devil Pact, he's left in a party with a Lawful Good Cleric and a Chaotic Good Lizard-thing, his own Alignment now somewhere between Neutral Evil and Lawful Evil (after a slow decent from Chaotic Neutral to Chaotic Evil).

Now both myself and the player want this character to continue, especially with the ties to the current storyline, but it is inevitable that sticking to his current path will end up having him killed by the other two party members. His reasoning for turning Evil is very simple and obvious: he's a vain, selfish git who sees no downside to being evil right here and now while no one is aware of it, and being good is too difficult for his mentality (he wants to get something out of everything). We want to bring him back to at least being Neutral on the good/evil scale, but we know that to do that and stay true to the characterisation, we will have to show him the downsides to being evil are worse than those of being good.

This is where I need help. I have a few ideas, along the lines of a couple of Paladins and their like-minded Clerics finding out and hunting him down for it (though he got a magical item made for himself a short while back that stops his alignment being detected, at a very high price), but I want something more than that, something that will be a boon to the other two but a bane to him.

Other than making the going tough for him, I think targeting what he likes will help. His first love is his face, his second is gold, and his third is women, followed by alcohol. He has no living family left, and he only really cares for the other two because the Cleric keeps healing him and the Lizard-thing has a similar sense of humour, but that's about it.

Any suggestions for ways to make things difficult for that character to stay evil would be appreciated :)

[Theroc]

So, one of the characters in my campaign is a right evil bugger, and after secretly killing off one of the other player's characters he didn't like for part of a Devil Pact, he's left in a party with a Lawful Good Cleric and a Chaotic Good Lizard-thing, his own Alignment now somewhere between Neutral Evil and Lawful Evil (after a slow decent from Chaotic Neutral to Chaotic Evil).

Now both myself and the player want this character to continue, especially with the ties to the current storyline, but it is inevitable that sticking to his current path will end up having him killed by the other two party members. His reasoning for turning Evil is very simple and obvious: he's a vain, selfish git who sees no downside to being evil right here and now while no one is aware of it, and being good is too difficult for his mentality (he wants to get something out of everything). We want to bring him back to at least being Neutral on the good/evil scale, but we know that to do that and stay true to the characterisation, we will have to show him the downsides to being evil are worse than those of being good.

This is where I need help. I have a few ideas, along the lines of a couple of Paladins and their like-minded Clerics finding out and hunting him down for it (though he got a magical item made for himself a short while back that stops his alignment being detected, at a very high price), but I want something more than that, something that will be a boon to the other two but a bane to him.

Other than making the going tough for him, I think targeting what he likes will help. His first love is his face, his second is gold, and his third is women, followed by alcohol. He has no living family left, and he only really cares for the other two because the Cleric keeps healing him and the Lizard-thing has a similar sense of humour, but that's about it.

Any suggestions for ways to make things difficult for that character to stay evil would be appreciated :)

Was the pact a Pact Certain or a Pact Insidious? If it's the Pact Insidious, have the Devil make the evil PC do things that grow progressively more dangerous and lawful in nature(If he isn't already lawful), if he *is* already lawful, have the devil force him to do nearly suicidal tasks or forfeit his gifts.(If he refuses the devil starts trying to off him covertly to get his soul to Baator faster).

[slithas]

Was the pact a Pact Certain or a Pact Insidious? If it's the Pact Insidious, have the Devil make the evil PC do things that grow progressively more dangerous and lawful in nature(If he isn't already lawful), if he *is* already lawful, have the devil force him to do nearly suicidal tasks or forfeit his gifts.(If he refuses the devil starts trying to off him covertly to get his soul to Baator faster).

Ah, I forgot to discern that when I did it (He made it rather spur of the moment, and I forgot about the two different types). Basically the one he signed made him a Half-Vampire (from Libris Mortis) in exchange for the soul of his fellow party member.

I guess that would then fall under the Pact Insidious? However I think the damning nature of a Pact Certain would push him more (he hates Law more than he cares about good and evil).

[Theroc]

Ah, I forgot to discern that when I did it (He made it rather spur of the moment, and I forgot about the two different types). Basically the one he signed made him a Half-Vampire (from Libris Mortis) in exchange for the soul of his fellow party member.

I guess that would then fall under the Pact Insidious? However I think the damning nature of a Pact Certain would push him more (he hates Law more than he cares about good and evil).

Well... um... what you gave that guy wasn't a Faustian Pact if you let him get off without putting his OWN soul out there. Also, you said 'in exchange for his party member's soul'? Did he make that person lawful and evil before killing him? If not, then the guy just ripped off the Devil and he's really, really angry.

And the angry devil has very good leverage.

"What would your friend's do if they found out you murdered Bob for me... just for your own selfish power?"

[slithas]

Well... um... what you gave that guy wasn't a Faustian Pact if you let him get off without putting his OWN soul out there. Also, you said 'in exchange for his party member's soul'? Did he make that person lawful and evil before killing him? If not, then the guy just ripped off the Devil and he's really, really angry.

Yeah, the guy was Lawful Evil, but had a divine spark embedded in his soul eariler in the campaign, which made him more valuable than the norm (a little houseruling there, they all had inactive divine sparks embedded in their souls which is why they are often targeted by powerful evils, it's part of the main campaign arc)

[slithas]

And the angry devil has very good leverage.

"What would your friend's do if they found out you murdered Bob for me... just for your own selfish power?"

Hmm, that could be used, he wouldn't want that getting out certainly. Being pushed to do Lawful Evil acts on her behalf else he gets outed could make him want to atone to avoid very bad mishaps if he was still rather evil...

[Theroc]

She can also use it to leverage him into a Pact Insidious, slowly making him do things at her behest using the blackmail to make him lawful, so she can kill him and get his soul.

[slithas]

Yeah, I was thinking along those lines myself, blackmailing him into another deal.

Thanks for the help thus far :)

[Theroc]

No problem. I have very little practical experience, but I read a good bit of the FCII, and I really like Devils. As a DM, I will probably use the crap out of them(Unless my party has legit panic attacks at the mention of them).

[slithas]

Yeah, devils are definately fun. This particular one who keeps hounding them has had three deals with them already, including the one mentioned here, the other two being made by the now-Lawful Good Cleric (who died and who's soul was bought by a semi-friendly Cleric of Nerull who has use for her later in the campaign). They have also been to Hell more times than they'd like to have been :P

[INoKnowNames]

I swear there's a spell in the Book of Exalted Deeds that freaks out an evil target by showing them exactly what horrors awaits them in the Lower Levels for their crimes... If the person is capable of being driven to "Must look out for Number 1 first and foremost" over his current "Must look out for Number 1, especially if it costs Numbers 2-Infinity" mindset, being shown Hell seems like it couldn't hurt.

Actually, the entire party sounds like it could use some help...

[slithas]

Actually, the entire party sounds like it could use some help...

Yeah, only the Chaotic Good character has stayed true to his alignment. The Cleric took a nasty tumble from grace, making the pact to get her brother back after watching him get disintergrated before her by drow.

Must say, it is a very fun campaign with rather amusing characters! :P