could a Jade phoenix Mage be of neutral alignment but travel with other evil PCs?

[FoIded_Phoenix]

So me and my friends are gonna start an evil party sometime in the near future(aka about a month) and one of my friends wants to play a Jade Phoenix Mage, he hasn't researched the Jade Phoenix Mage's story or... whatever you wanna call it but if most of us are going to be of evil alignment, my question is... could that character be considered evil? Even if his alignment said otherwise would that character be considered evil by NPCs and the entire game world?

Also, if anyone wonders why im not suggesting he changes class is he really likes fire, as in: his last character made a makeshift flame-thrower out of a decanter of infinite oil and a lighting mechanism and tried to burn down forests(and yet he was playing a chaotic good character) and was(in our story) made the "lord/embodiment of the elemental plane of/of Fire himself", so what i'm saying is that he'll only change to any fire related classes.

[hamishspence]

There's plenty of D&D splatbooks in which an overall Evil party has one or more non-Evil members, or an Evil government has one or more non-Evil high-ranking figures.

[FoIded_Phoenix]

I realize that, but what i'm trying to ask is if he is gonna go and use his powers to burn down a town or something or we're forcing him to burn down an entire forest or something to draw out the druid inside would that be enough for him to be considered an evil character other than a neutral one.

also, with my character being a necromancer, (I've actually began to think up an in depth backstory all ready for him) would a neutral character detest to raising the dead, or would he be fine with it?

those are the sort of things i'm wondering personally.

[hamishspence]

I'd go with "yes, if he started doing major evil deeds, even if he was pressurised into doing them rather than doing so on his own initiative, he would change to Evil".

Neutral characters might be willing to work alongside evildoers, but that doesn't give them a pass when it comes to doing Evil themselves.

Regarding undead - there's some Neutral necromancers (of the "undead-making" type) - so a Neutral character might, depending on culture, be reasonably accepting of necromancy.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Alignment follows behavior, not the other way around. If the would-be JPM is going to engage in the kind of cartoonish villainy you've described* he's not going to stay neutral for very long.


*not that there's anything wrong with playing the odd card-carrying puppy-kicker just for poops and giggles.

[RFLS]

So me and my friends are gonna start an evil party sometime in the near future(aka about a month) and one of my friends wants to play a Jade Phoenix Mage, he hasn't researched the Jade Phoenix Mage's story or... whatever you wanna call it but if most of us are going to be of evil alignment, my question is... could that character be considered evil? Even if his alignment said otherwise would that character be considered evil by NPCs and the entire game world?

Also, if anyone wonders why im not suggesting he changes class is he really likes fire, as in: his last character made a makeshift flame-thrower out of a decanter of infinite oil and a lighting mechanism and tried to burn down forests(and yet he was playing a chaotic good character) and was(in our story) made the "lord/embodiment of the elemental plane of/of Fire himself", so what i'm saying is that he'll only change to any fire related classes.

A) This probably belongs in the 3.5 sub, B) yeah, burning living places of any variety down is morally iffy at best, and C) you can change the fluff. JPM doesn't even have any real mechanical limitations regarding alignment.

[RFLS]

also, with my character being a necromancer, (I've actually began to think up an in depth backstory all ready for him) would a neutral character detest to raising the dead, or would he be fine with it?

those are the sort of things i'm wondering personally.

Oh, and D, I suppose. Necromancy's morality is entirely setting dependent. Binding the souls of the dead to servitude? Evil. Making use of a pile of flesh without harming anyone? Probably not. Even after that, the morality of the setting is still run through the character's personal moral compass.

We should really have a sticky about common morality questions.

[redwizard007]

I realize that, but what i'm trying to ask is if he is gonna go and use his powers to burn down a town or something or we're forcing him to burn down an entire forest or something to draw out the druid inside would that be enough for him to be considered an evil character other than a neutral one.

also, with my character being a necromancer, (I've actually began to think up an in depth backstory all ready for him) would a neutral character detest to raising the dead, or would he be fine with it?

those are the sort of things i'm wondering personally.

Sounds like your little firebug is Evil and Chaotic regardless of what it says on his character sheet. It's a classic combination, be proud.

As for the Necromancer... It is going to be largely setting and edition dependent. In 3.5, for example, casting many of the core necromancy spells and simply raising the undead are acts of evil. In other editions, what you do with the undead matters more. Neutral is certainly possible, but it may take some work.

[DarkOne-Rob]

One of the best campaigns I ever played was with a DM who modified the Jade Phoenix PrC and made it a group of evil spellcaster/initiators that could not be permanently killed. It was awesome.

Talk to your DM and convince them to allow an evil Phoenix. It has all sorts of cool potential - rediscovering allies, picking up dastardly schemes where they left off (after you figure out what you had planned originally), fight old (good) enemies (again). Seriously neat stuff.

Just my 2 CPs.