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View Full Version : Which alignment so you think this is?



CrazyCrab
2016-03-10, 09:39 PM
Hi everyone,
tired of playing myself in every game, I decided to go with something a bit odd this time. I like the concept, but I'm unsure into which category it falls into, yet my DMs prefer us to have our alignments out in the open (you cannot attune to magic items that are evil when you are good etc.)

He is, or at least introduces himself as, a 'combat medic'. I was interested in playing a healer, but I'm not really interested in playing another caster so I decided to go with with a Thief (Fast Hands) and the Healer feat, meaning that I can patch people up as a bonus action. Mechanically it should be pretty sound. Anyway, to the point...

His background is 'Street Urchin', as he spent most of his childhood patching up his friends who naturally couldn't go to see a doctor. He usually asked for some payment, scraps of food and the like. He picked up the craft by making one of the clinics his house, sleeping in the attic and looking through a gap in the floor whenever any patients there were visiting.

Sadly for him, the person running the clinic was an evil, evil man. When he discovered that some of the patients were simply turned into organs for the necromancers and the flesh-golem makers, he decided to kill him. Unsurprisingly, he was caught in the act and then abused for many years, as the man run a little 'poison and chemical store' on the side. His healing powers were sufficient to cure his wounds, yet his mind was forever broken. After a couple of years he developed a natural resistance and brutally massacred the man while under the effects of a drug that was supposed to keep him paralyzed.

Strangely enough, he liked it. Dishing it out instead of receiving the 'treatment' was surprisingly satisfying. In addition he picked up many tricks of the trade over the years, knowing where to stab to cause pain and suffering. (Translating into the 'sneak attack feature) His knowledge of medicine, alchemy and poison-making has substantially grown, meaning that in a twisted way he surpassed his master. Afterwards he slaughtered all the inhabitants of the clinic in a particularly brutal fashion, exposing their crimes to the authorities afterwards, claiming that 'he had to fight back' and that everyone in there 'was a part of the gang'.

Nowadays he is still running the clinic, while enjoying the benefits of being a member of the local thieves' guild, selling them poisons and other unsavory substances on the side. He is still theoretically a doctor, and a pretty good one at that, but he may or may not be unnecessarily cruel when it comes to treating his patients. Some would claim that he enjoys their suffering as he works without anesthesia... he claims it's necessary.

He decides to join the party, as he's always on the lookout for new substances and the like to improve his repertoire. Strangely enough he always leaves a little note after healing someone (a measly sum of a couple of silver pieces or so), with a proper receipt and everything, even if that person is an ally.

In combat, he throws particularly nasty concoctions at people - sneak attacking with 'acid' and the like is surprisingly nasty. He not only kills, he massacres his targets, inflicting painful wounds on purpose. He enjoys finishing off the enemies afterwards, should anyone be unlucky enough to stay alive. Naturally he hides these actions from the party, being naturally sneaky.

Having spent his childhood listening to a mad doctor and picking up medicine, crafts and nothing more he is quite uncomfortable in social situations. His manner of speech is unnecessarily formal and like everything else, brutally efficient. He always gets straight to the point, no unnecessary complements and the like. He doesn't enjoy the simple pleasures of life, he would rather read a book on dissection than share a drink with the rest of the party.

I'm hoping that perhaps over time he can evolve back into the little child who still tried to do good, despite being the one in need of help. Will really depend on the party's actions I suppose.

Anyway, what would you define this as? I'm guessing he is currently somewhere around NE? Or can his past be justified to place him in the NN category? Perhaps even LN / LE? I'm really unsure.

Thanks in advance!

(If anyone's wondering, he is loosely based on the medic from 'Team Fortress' (cartoony gore, beware 'Meet the Medic' on Youtube)

RickAllison
2016-03-10, 09:44 PM
NE, possibly CE. He doesn't seem to have a strict code that he follows and also seems indiscriminate with his victims.

CaptAl
2016-03-10, 09:48 PM
My first instinct is NE. Though I can see how LE could fit as well. (The leaving of a bill/receipt is what makes me think he has a slight lawful bent.)

JumboWheat01
2016-03-10, 09:49 PM
Neutral Evil for now, definitely. He doesn't seem to have any real care for life or other things of the like, but at the same time he's not really for or against order. He does what he does pure and simply because it's what he knows.

Depending on how he grows and how his fellow adventurers have an effect on him, he may change.

Talamare
2016-03-10, 10:16 PM
Well, that's a sadist... and probably a psychopath...

His background is definitely Chaotic Evil, but he seems to be moving towards Lawful Evil.
Since he is following the Thieves' Guild Code, and his own compulsion to bill people.

Kane0
2016-03-10, 10:50 PM
TF2 Medic you say? NE for sure.

The healing is not as rewarding as the hurting. Oddly apt for how things work in DNDland actually.

Sigreid
2016-03-10, 10:53 PM
NE. Neutral Evil isn't always a bastard, but when you get him riled up he can be as bad as anyone. The classic NE really views the world as being all about me.

Ewhit
2016-03-10, 11:08 PM
Just because he follows thief guild laws doesn't make thieves lawful.

Let's look at him this way
1. Street urchin. Prob not lawful as he may steal for food etc but like Aladdin good helping friends etc for scraps food. Ng or cg
2. Decided to kill a evil man still Ng or cg
3. Mind broken from tortutre and brutally killed evil man doesn't make you evil. U could say Ng or cg or even push CN.
4. He liked it dishing out slaughtered all inhabitants brutal fashion needs clarify. Even patients who came there or just the bad workers then told the authorities. if he killed good patients then NE if not I would go CN still and as a whim told authorities
5. Took over hospital legally or underground? Heals without using anesthesia on purpose definitely not good anymore does it make him evil. Maybe not. He still heals people not kills them. But gets pleasure from hearing their pain. Like little shop Horton Steve Martin dentist. CN
6. Leaves a bill note etc sounds orderly like lawful but that alone won't make him lawful it's a quirk. Maybe CN to NE
7. Inflicts nasty wounds on creatures and kills them when party can't see these are most likely evil creatures but he's also stating he will torture and kill even tied up prisoners and not in front of the party. Not chaotic evil as he would do it in front of them and say to bad. not LE as he would justify doing it to the party I would go NE neutral. fits of clarity leaving notes following laws of town for hospital and thieves guild but ignoring laws when he can. Acting chaotic mind broken not following laws making poisons etc Evil doesn't care for morality he enjoys pain of patients will kill prisoners but hide it from party.

Slipperychicken
2016-03-10, 11:10 PM
So, what's this guy's moral outlook?

Malifice
2016-03-11, 01:25 AM
NE or CE. Somewhere in that ballpark.

Ninja_Prawn
2016-03-11, 05:08 AM
and probably a psychopath...

This was my first thought. I don't think think this character is sane. And as far as I'm concerned, insane psychopaths are unaligned, because they are incapable of moral behaviour.

If you insist on him being sane (which might be necessary to actually play him in a game), then he's 100% Neutral Evil. If he commits himself to it, he has the capacity to move to either LE or CE, but he isn't there right now.

Kane0
2016-03-11, 05:21 AM
On the other hand, a well played character that is a little unhinged is a great addition to a game.

Ninja_Prawn
2016-03-11, 05:29 AM
On the other hand, a well played character that is a little unhinged is a great addition to a game.

"I wanted infravision like the elves, but tis' more than just taking their eyes."

Talamare
2016-03-11, 06:22 AM
This was my first thought. I don't think think this character is sane. And as far as I'm concerned, insane psychopaths are unaligned, because they are incapable of moral behaviour.

If you insist on him being sane (which might be necessary to actually play him in a game), then he's 100% Neutral Evil. If he commits himself to it, he has the capacity to move to either LE or CE, but he isn't there right now.

Having a mental disorder doesn't necessitate insanity. Especially since the term is mostly meaningless. Overall, this character is in perfect control of his thoughts and actions. It's a normal reaction to take pleasure in your work, it just becomes a little scary when your "work" as this character sees it is literally inflicting as much pain on others as possible.

Ninja_Prawn
2016-03-11, 06:48 AM
Having a mental disorder doesn't necessitate insanity.

I know that. I was talking about this specific case, where the character is apparently a psychopath and, though he is in control of his actions, he is not morally responsible for them (if he is, in fact, a psychopath).

JumboWheat01
2016-03-11, 08:52 AM
"I wanted infravision like the elves, but tis' more than just taking their eyes."

I've watched a Let's Play where they kept that man in their party for the longest time. Some of the stuff that comes out of his mouth, man... that VA was having fun that day.

Gtdead
2016-03-11, 09:12 AM
Evil is a given. As for law-chaos..
He has strong chaotic tendencies but he has an understanding of the rules that is not common with chaotic people (the way he explained his actions to the authorities). I'd say he respects the rules enough to at least hide behind them. He obviously cares about his craft, but he is not big on professionalism.

I'd go with Neutral Evil.