A Conflictive Cleric PC

[pilvento]

Im runing this campaing where divine magic is almost non existant, only those who are REALLY chosen by the gods (a LG, a LE and a CN) can manifest divine spells.

So if you wanted to be a divine spellcaster in my world you have to earn it, not only for being able to well... use spells, but also cause you WILL be a very important part of the story.

One of my friends who joined the group told me he was up for the task, talked aboud a monk/cleric, a traveler, a healer, a character who started the campaing owning a children hospital in a lawless island. and so far, almost 20 sessions passed and he:

-Killed helpless thiefs after their capture.
-Started Riots in favor of his "deity".
-Left the rest of the party to die or face encounters alone to keep loot for himself
-killed enemies that were already running away.

Excuses he uses:

-they were evil
-if they are not with us they are against us and we have to kill them

And the most ironc part of it, the other players constantly warn him about his actions and not outside the game but in character, and they are a PIRATE a NINJA and a BARBARIAN!

how would yo handle this situation? no more spells? foce him to play what i need him to play? tell him to make a new character? :smallconfused:

[Psyren]

Yeah, there's no way he can be LG after pulling stunts like that.

Tell him he's going to fall, and ask him if he wants to actually redeem himself (repent and get back to LG) or give into the way he's playing the character (going LE or CE.) Either way he should fall for a while and get atoned later - either to his new alignment/deity or back into the graces of the old one.

[supervillan]

I assume the Monk/Cleric is supposed to be LG.

Any Cleric is under the supervision of his God and Church (unless you allow those weird Clerics that have no god, or serve a whole pantheon - I don't). At a minimum, the Cleric must pray for his spells each day. If he deviates from the tenets of his faith then his god isn't going to answer his prayers. He won't get any more spells, and may also lose access to other Cleric class features, until he atones. Atonement doesn't just mean someone casting the Atonement spell for him, but also requires some kind of quest be completed before the Cleric gets his spells and powers back.

A Cleric is an agent of divine will. Failing to live up to the ideal espoused by the relevant Deity means a whole lot of trouble for the Cleric. (Incidentally, I also insist that every Cleric adopts the exact Alignment of his god: if he can't manage that he should choose a god more in-keeping with his actual beliefs). A LG faith will probably allow a chance for atonement, but some evil churches will more likely seek to violently and permanently excommunicate.

[pilvento]

I really dont like the idea of reduncing the "fun" he can have in my game, but my fun, the other players fun, and the campaing its at stake here so the first thing to do this saturday is no spells for him, then, we can stop chating about what he can do and he can start doing stuff in game. if he wants to seek the power of a diferent deity and betray his group i will allow it but once he is done he is out and new character.

The plot resolves arround 3 gods that gived birth to the world the gods of good, evil and caos, the evil npc, avatar of the evil god wants to end this balance to gain the power of every deity, the other 2 chosen are just kids and part of the PC party, so if one of this characters who were chosen to be the avatars of the GODS does the exact oposite of what he told me he was going to do, its no use to me.

[ZamielVanWeber]

Fall or no spells is the right choice here. Actions have consequences.

Quick rule: when his "fun" interferes with everybody else's, his fun needs to stop. This is supposed to be a group game; makes sure your players, and you, treat it as such.

[Sith_Happens]

The Cleric is Evil and should be an ex-Cleric. No buts about it.

[Psyren]

I really dont like the idea of reduncing the "fun" he can have in my game, but my fun, the other players fun, and the campaing its at stake here so the first thing to do this saturday is no spells for him, then, we can stop chating about what he can do and he can start doing stuff in game. if he wants to seek the power of a diferent deity and betray his group i will allow it but once he is done he is out and new character.

Even if he switches to evil he doesn't have to betray anyone. Evil people can have friends too.

But the fall is necessary, both to follow the rules and to show him that actions have consequences, which will force him to take the alignment box on his character sheet a little more seriously. (Especially if he's playing a class that cares what is in that box.)

[Loki Eremes]

Burn The Witch!

[Segev]

Step 1) Warn the player out of character. Talk to him about the situation. If he's adamant, be firm and tell him that actions do have consequences, and that clerics are chosen by the god who gives them their powers, so it is that god he must convince of his worth.

Step 2) Remember Jonah. He was a rather defiant and unruly prophet; God had to do much to drive him to do what was required, and to chastise him after he succeeded in his mission because Jonah was disappointed in the outcome.

Since he's chosen by his god, his god clearly pays attention to what he does. Send him warnings in the form of omens, at first. Give him different spells than the ones for which he prays, either because he's misused the ones he's asking for in the past, or because his god has a specific use for the "replacement" spells he gives him instead. If things continue to slide down-hill, have the god either send another chosen one to speak to him, or arrange an encounter with a wise follower who will chastise or advise him, or possibly simply come to him in a dream and try to explain things to him.

And if that fails, start denying him spells. Make it clear he is leaving his god, not his god leaving him. He sets himself beyond his god's reach by his actions. If he really steps out of line...yeah, time to fall.


But give him chances, make it clear OOC as well as IC why this is happening. And do try to talk to him about it OOC, and find a way to play it that's fun for everybody. If he won't...well, maybe he isn't right for the game, or needs a different character to fit in.

[erikun]

Question: How does the character know what deity is giving them their spells? Because this all sounds a lot like he's currently following the LE deity, and might be at risk of falling even with that.