As a DM prepares for each weekly meeting, its important that they consider the ongoing plot of their campaign. D&D is a form of collaborative storytelling and "story" is a vital part of a healthy campaign. The campaign plot is hard enough to track, but there can also be any number of side-plots affecting a party. Each of these plots is an "Arc:" the building blocks of a compelling story. Arcs come in different sizes and weave together to form the central story of the campaign. This week, I'm going to look at the different kinds of arcs.
Personal Arcs
Personal Arcs are neither the smallest nor the largest arcs in a campaign, but they have foundations that stretch into time before the "main" story gets started. A personal arc is the story of a specific character. When you get started, the size of a personal arc depends on how much effort the player was willing to put into their back story. Similarly, personal arcs can only grow if the player is willing to invest the energy to determine how their character reacts and is ultimately changed by the events of the campaign.
Encounter Arcs
Each encounter is a story, albeit a short one. The story of the average encounter is little more than "The party enters a room. Holy crap, monsters! The party exists the room." Every now and then, however, the stakes are a little higher. The encounter takes place on a rooftop or a platform slowly sinking into a lake of lava. The party may need to dispatch foes quickly or discretely to ensure the safety of a hostage. Once in a great while, the party will finally corner a hated foe for an epic battle to the death.
Quest Arcs
A Quest is a string of encounters that share a common purpose. Usually, this is a goal such as "recover the artifact," "find the missing person," or "get rid of that really big bear." The encounters that build into a quest arc tend to occur uninterrupted so that the goal or purpose can be fulfilled (or unfulfilled) as quickly as possible. On their own, quests do not contribute a tremendous amount to the campaign's story. When looked at together, however, one can see the tiny themes and hints that build into something greater.
Adventure Arcs
Adventure arcs are formed by quest and encounter arcs (and sometimes personal arcs) that share a common theme. The theme may be subtle, like a common monster type or more obvious, like a shared uniform. This theme will tie seemingly unrelated events together and point the party towards a greater foe. As the adventure arc continues, the party will learn more about their enemy and work towards a confrontation. These arcs tend to conclude after such a confrontation, but not before the party learns that it was all part of a greater plot.
Campaign Arcs
The campaign arc is the granddaddy of them all. It can and should bring together personal, quest, and adventure arcs into a cohesive story. As the party works through the campaign, this arc should always make appearances. The more disjointed events seem in the beginning, the better. As the story progresses, the characters should put together the pieces and realize what will be waiting for them at the end of their adventures. It should be apparent what's at stake should the heroes fail: nothing less than the end of the world as the characters know it.
Showing posts with label Role-Playing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Role-Playing. Show all posts
Monday, July 18, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Making Your Character Iconic
If you followed the steps in my last post, you now have a well-built character and are ready to begin playing. Still, you may feel like something is missing. Ask any DnD group about the characters in their party and they will have have volumes to tell you. Rarely do their stories revolve around the stats or powers of the character, though. It's all about who the character is and what they did. Defining characters can become icons in your group and your character can become one of them.
Know Your Character's History
One of the best ways to give you character that extra kick is to know where they came from. This doesn't mean you have to write a novel on them, but you should know where they grew up, what their parents are like, and where/how they got their training. You may think this is kind of silly, but at least give it a shot. The better you know your character's past, the more ammunition you have as you explore their future.
Why Bother? A developed character history does a lot for you and your character. It will be vital in fleshing out the other components that should ultimately lead to an iconic character. Most important, however, is that your DM can use this information to customize your adventures so they better apply to your character. Instead of attacking generic town C, maybe the dragon has its eyes on your old stomping grounds.
Know Your Character's 'Triggers'
I'm using 'triggers' to mean things that make your character react strongly. They include their hopes and fears, what they love and what they hate, and anything else that has a special significance. If you've already taken the time to figure out your character's history, this part should be pretty easy. The major events that formed your character should spell out a helpful list of triggers.
Why Bother? This should be pretty obvious, but you want to know your character's triggers so that you can better play their actions from moment to moment. If royalty taxed your family into the ground, you'll play that negotiation a lot different from if your family was royalty. Again, your DM (you are telling him all this, right?) can use your information to customize your adventures. Got a thing against goblins? You can bet they'll be everywhere for a while.
Know Your Character's Goals
This is the big one; the driving force that keeps your character moving. If you've figured out your history and your triggers, you probably already know what your character's goal is. This is the thing that made your character leave their old life and become an adventurer. Your goal could be simple, like getting enough loot to live comfortably, or more complex, like overthrow the tyrannical king an establish them self as ruler of the empire.
Why Bother? Your character will not feel successful unless they are making progress towards their goal. All of their actions should come back to it. More importantly, this goal is going to keep them with the other player's characters through the roughest personality clashes. The goal is your character's fuel: without it, you will never be able to make the kinds of decisions that turn a generic character into an iconic one.
Know Your Character's History
One of the best ways to give you character that extra kick is to know where they came from. This doesn't mean you have to write a novel on them, but you should know where they grew up, what their parents are like, and where/how they got their training. You may think this is kind of silly, but at least give it a shot. The better you know your character's past, the more ammunition you have as you explore their future.
Why Bother? A developed character history does a lot for you and your character. It will be vital in fleshing out the other components that should ultimately lead to an iconic character. Most important, however, is that your DM can use this information to customize your adventures so they better apply to your character. Instead of attacking generic town C, maybe the dragon has its eyes on your old stomping grounds.
Know Your Character's 'Triggers'
I'm using 'triggers' to mean things that make your character react strongly. They include their hopes and fears, what they love and what they hate, and anything else that has a special significance. If you've already taken the time to figure out your character's history, this part should be pretty easy. The major events that formed your character should spell out a helpful list of triggers.
Why Bother? This should be pretty obvious, but you want to know your character's triggers so that you can better play their actions from moment to moment. If royalty taxed your family into the ground, you'll play that negotiation a lot different from if your family was royalty. Again, your DM (you are telling him all this, right?) can use your information to customize your adventures. Got a thing against goblins? You can bet they'll be everywhere for a while.
Know Your Character's Goals
This is the big one; the driving force that keeps your character moving. If you've figured out your history and your triggers, you probably already know what your character's goal is. This is the thing that made your character leave their old life and become an adventurer. Your goal could be simple, like getting enough loot to live comfortably, or more complex, like overthrow the tyrannical king an establish them self as ruler of the empire.
Why Bother? Your character will not feel successful unless they are making progress towards their goal. All of their actions should come back to it. More importantly, this goal is going to keep them with the other player's characters through the roughest personality clashes. The goal is your character's fuel: without it, you will never be able to make the kinds of decisions that turn a generic character into an iconic one.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Five People to Avoid in a Tavern
Over the next few weeks, I'm going to discuss character building. Its one of the most important parts of building your game experience, after all. Before we get into what you should do, I want to touch on what you should not do. In any creative endeavor there is always the hazard of cliche. Here are five character cliches to avoid:
The Vengeful Crusader
"My brother was mildly inconvenienced by a goblin once. I have sworn to KILL THEM ALL!"
Who is it? Something happened in this character's past. Something really, really bad. And there was one race/religion/ideology at the center of it. Now this character has sworn to eliminate it. And HE. WILL. NOT. REST. Until it is done. An alternate version of this cliche is when the character is the champion of an ideal, such as nature, and flies into a rage whenever that ideal is threatened.
Who is at Risk? Avengers and Paladins tend to fall into the first kind (occupational hazard) although it could happen to anyone. Primal characters are much more likely to take up the second.
How to Avoid it? The concept isn't necessarily bad, but you have to flesh it out. It is extremely difficult for your character to learn and grow if they just try to murder everything that bothers them (just like real people!). If your character has a bias against a certain race or religion, any good DM is going to force you to confront it. Those interactions will create a dynamic character.
The Compulsive Troublemaker
"I'm going to stab this guard in broad daylight. What? I'm unaligned, remember?"
Who is it? This character saw the "unaligned" alignment and thought it was Christmas. They are the most obnoxious kind of chaotic neutral: dicks who do ridiculous things without rhyme or reason. They will stab anyone who looks at them wrong (or looks at them period) and attempt to steal anything that isn't nailed down. The very worst of them may even attack party members.
Who is at Risk? Rogues are especially prone to wanton stabbing and theft, but this cliche arises more as a result of the player than any element of the character itself.
How to Avoid it? Don't do it. Take your game seriously enough to enjoy it without going on a game-disrupting rampage. As long as you've got some grasp on what your character would do, you'll understand why your character wouldn't do any of the particularly obnoxious shenanigans.
The Stupid Warrior
"Me Smackwithaxe. Me no know grammar."
Who is it? This character is the strongest person ever. They can climb or smash or swim his way through any obstical. Sticky pickle jars are never a problem. When it comes to thinking problem however, they just can't. At all. And character always speak with badly broken sentences.
Who's at Risk? Any race with a bonus to strength and any class with strength as a primary stat.
How to Avoid it? If you're dead set on playing this, play a Barbarian. I'm reasonably sure 20 strength/8 intelligence is required for that class. Otherwise, find ways for your character to be smart. An excellent way to accomplish this is to take a look at your wisdom score. A character may have nothing in his head, but have excellent instincts. They can have phenomenal combat sense, but have no idea what to do in social situations. That's interesting in a way Big-Sword, Tiny-Brain never is.
The Dark Hero (With a Troubled Past)
"I can never forget... my terrible secret..."
Who is it? Something bad happened in this characters past. Something so bad that it scarred them forever. Now they live a life of shadows, forever staying just this side of good. They may make new friends and learn to live a moral life, but the darkness will always be inside... brooding...
Who's at Risk? Assassins and Rogues are the most obvious classes. For races, there's Drow, Tieflings, Drow, Humans, Drow, and Drow, though any race could fall into it.
How to Avoid it? The easiest way is to not use this kind of character development. Dark secretes are okay, but don't become some sort of wannabe anti-hero over them. Also, if you want to play a Drow, do so with care and originality. I understand that they come from a dark and oppressive world, but I'm done listening to them whine about it.
Amnesia
"I once new this place, but I took a tumble and now I can't remember. Who are you?"
Who is it? This isn't a character, its a character element. Still, I'm sick of it. This character's memory is gone for some entirely arbitrary reason. In the best cases, the block is magical or otherwise supernatural in nature. In the worse cases, it comes from (sigh) head trauma.
Who's at Risk? I forget
How to Avoid it? Just say no to Amnesia. You want to have lost memories? Awesome! Those are great tidbits for a DM to throw at you as the story unfolds. There's no reason for entire spans of time to be missing, though. Creating a past is fundamental to building a character. Take that past away and you'll have a very bland, uninteresting fellow. Also, HEAD TRAUMA DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY!
The Vengeful Crusader
"My brother was mildly inconvenienced by a goblin once. I have sworn to KILL THEM ALL!"
Who is it? Something happened in this character's past. Something really, really bad. And there was one race/religion/ideology at the center of it. Now this character has sworn to eliminate it. And HE. WILL. NOT. REST. Until it is done. An alternate version of this cliche is when the character is the champion of an ideal, such as nature, and flies into a rage whenever that ideal is threatened.
Who is at Risk? Avengers and Paladins tend to fall into the first kind (occupational hazard) although it could happen to anyone. Primal characters are much more likely to take up the second.
How to Avoid it? The concept isn't necessarily bad, but you have to flesh it out. It is extremely difficult for your character to learn and grow if they just try to murder everything that bothers them (just like real people!). If your character has a bias against a certain race or religion, any good DM is going to force you to confront it. Those interactions will create a dynamic character.
The Compulsive Troublemaker
"I'm going to stab this guard in broad daylight. What? I'm unaligned, remember?"
Who is it? This character saw the "unaligned" alignment and thought it was Christmas. They are the most obnoxious kind of chaotic neutral: dicks who do ridiculous things without rhyme or reason. They will stab anyone who looks at them wrong (or looks at them period) and attempt to steal anything that isn't nailed down. The very worst of them may even attack party members.
Who is at Risk? Rogues are especially prone to wanton stabbing and theft, but this cliche arises more as a result of the player than any element of the character itself.
How to Avoid it? Don't do it. Take your game seriously enough to enjoy it without going on a game-disrupting rampage. As long as you've got some grasp on what your character would do, you'll understand why your character wouldn't do any of the particularly obnoxious shenanigans.
The Stupid Warrior
"Me Smackwithaxe. Me no know grammar."
Who is it? This character is the strongest person ever. They can climb or smash or swim his way through any obstical. Sticky pickle jars are never a problem. When it comes to thinking problem however, they just can't. At all. And character always speak with badly broken sentences.
Who's at Risk? Any race with a bonus to strength and any class with strength as a primary stat.
How to Avoid it? If you're dead set on playing this, play a Barbarian. I'm reasonably sure 20 strength/8 intelligence is required for that class. Otherwise, find ways for your character to be smart. An excellent way to accomplish this is to take a look at your wisdom score. A character may have nothing in his head, but have excellent instincts. They can have phenomenal combat sense, but have no idea what to do in social situations. That's interesting in a way Big-Sword, Tiny-Brain never is.
The Dark Hero (With a Troubled Past)
"I can never forget... my terrible secret..."
Who is it? Something bad happened in this characters past. Something so bad that it scarred them forever. Now they live a life of shadows, forever staying just this side of good. They may make new friends and learn to live a moral life, but the darkness will always be inside... brooding...
Who's at Risk? Assassins and Rogues are the most obvious classes. For races, there's Drow, Tieflings, Drow, Humans, Drow, and Drow, though any race could fall into it.
How to Avoid it? The easiest way is to not use this kind of character development. Dark secretes are okay, but don't become some sort of wannabe anti-hero over them. Also, if you want to play a Drow, do so with care and originality. I understand that they come from a dark and oppressive world, but I'm done listening to them whine about it.
Amnesia
"I once new this place, but I took a tumble and now I can't remember. Who are you?"
Who is it? This isn't a character, its a character element. Still, I'm sick of it. This character's memory is gone for some entirely arbitrary reason. In the best cases, the block is magical or otherwise supernatural in nature. In the worse cases, it comes from (sigh) head trauma.
Who's at Risk? I forget
How to Avoid it? Just say no to Amnesia. You want to have lost memories? Awesome! Those are great tidbits for a DM to throw at you as the story unfolds. There's no reason for entire spans of time to be missing, though. Creating a past is fundamental to building a character. Take that past away and you'll have a very bland, uninteresting fellow. Also, HEAD TRAUMA DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Rules to DM By
Last week, we talked about some rules for players of DnD. This week, I’m going to drop some tips for the other person at the table- The DM. While the players spend every meeting telling a piece of the story, it’s your job to create the world and the sweeping plots of that story. It can be difficult to manage your story while still giving players space to create, but I have, once again created a memorable “golden rule” for you to use:
The Golden Rule: Don’t Be a Dick
Beginning to notice a theme? As DM, you are the lord and master of the game world and the players are guest artists in your masterpiece. It is really easy to be a dick to them, particularly if they are being a dick to you or their fellow players. Resist that urge and follow my five rules of DMing. Once again, Jonas and Jerkwad will help me with demonstration.
Rule One: Stay Open
When Wizards of the Coast puts out advice for DMs it’s always along the lines of “Say Yes!” While this is certainly a good aspiration, I have found that players have a tendency to push the limitations well beyond what is feasible. Unless they are absolutely ridiculous, always stay open to player ideas. Let the player make a case for what they want to do and then compromise. That way, you can keep your DM cred and the player can drop a zombie through a chandelier and onto another zombie.
Jonas is sending waves of enemies against a group of players on a bridge. Their Swordmage gets an idea and runs over the side of the bridge. Throwing his weapon- a transposing sword- the mage changes places with the largest foe and send it falling to its death. For a moment, Jonas is flabbergasted and tries to come up with some way it doesn't work. Ultimately, he has to accept it as legitimate and come up with ways to prevent it in the future.
Jerkwad is running a campaign of his own creation. For the sake of his world, he banned numerous classes and races, including dwarves. One of his players really loves dwarves and proposes that he plays a shorter, stockier human with second wind and a minor action- essentially, a dwarf. Jerkwad tells him no without bothering to explain why and refuses to hear anything else about exceptions.
Rule Two: Your Story is Not That Important
As a DM, your story is what drives the campaign and motivates the characters. It provides the backbone and structure for each adventure. It’s important enough to spend time thickening and developing, but it’s not important enough to hinder the player’s enjoyment over. Taking five to ten minutes to monologue about an important event or character is fine, but spending an entire meeting mulling over lost histories is a bit much. Make sure you involve the players, otherwise you’re just working on your book.
Jonas wants to detail an important event in the history of his world, but he knows his players won't appreciate a sit-down history lesson. He decides to send them to the ruins of a fort used during the battle and tells the history through notes scattered throughout the ruins. This way, he is able to tell his story and still keep the players engaged.
Jerkwad has a very important event that must happen in his plot, but doesn't trust the party to do it correctly. When the party arrives at the location of the climatic battle, he locks them in a Force Cage and uses his own NPC to battle the villain. The players are forced to sit and listen to the play by play of the battle with being able to do anything.
Rule Three: Your Goal is to Challenge, Not Murder
Sculpting encounters can be one of them most fun and challenging parts of DMing. You need to make sure your party won’t just skip through the battle like a field of daisies, but a totally party kill isn’t much fun either. You want to craft challenging encounters, but that isn’t always accomplished with bigger monsters. Terrain and traps can add complexity without necessarily grinding up everyone’s characters. Note : I once DMed for a party that was both optimized and synergized. For them, the only way to challenge was by trying to murder them.
Jonas is coming to a major climax in his campaign and he wants to make sure the heroes have a hard time with the final villain. He doesn't want to throw any random underlings into the fight, but the monster alone won't be enough of a challenge. Instead, he sets the fight on an electrified floor trap and gives his beastie immunity to its effects.
Jerkwad is running a notoriously difficult campaign setting and wants to make sure the party is always fighting for their lives (note: not necessarily a bad thing). To this end, he selects powerful monsters and grinds the party down, killing the defender twice. For their final fight, he takes a nasty brute monster and upgrades its damage output. This turbo-monster put all but one of the characters to zero hit points... and killed the defender again.
Rule Four: Cater to Your Players
Everyone plays DnD for different reasons and everyone gets enjoyment from different parts of the game. As DM, you should facilitate ways for everyone to have fun. Many players have the most fun when they are exterminating foes; they are certainly the easiest to please. Others, however, may prefer chatting up NPCs to get important information or infiltrating the baron’s manor after dark. Try to let everyone have equal time to succeed.
Jonas enjoys campaigns that are combat heavy and sends the party into situations where combat is the only answer. He has a lot of fun developing these encounters, but a player remarks that she'd like use her character's skills once in a while. Another player asks if he can try to negotiate with the hobgoblins that have ambushed them. Jonas begins to implement new kinds of encounters and develops ways to end an encounter without violence every now and then.
Jerkwad also enjoys campaigns with a lot of violence in them. When his players express an interest in other kinds of encounters, he tells them that this is his campaign and he will run it how he chooses. If they don't like it, they can leave. When a party member attempts to negotiate with enemies, he lets them roll, but then has the monsters attack them anyway.
Rule Five: Have Fun
Being the DM is harder work than most people give it credit. You have to set up elaborate plans and engaging worlds for the expressed purpose of letting some other people crash around in them. Some days, things are going to work perfectly and the party is going to destroy what you put together. Other days, your minions won’t be quite strong enough or that monster you made yourself is just going to get steamrolled. Remember when that happens that you are supposed to be having fun, too, and roll with it.
Jonas has been planning the first battle of his campaign for a while. He wanted to overwhelm the party with a hoard of enemies. Because his goal was to challenge, not murder, he went with a number of weaker enemies, rather than trying to swarm with enemies of the party's level. What he failed to realize is that this means the enemies cannot hit the players and the players cannot miss. After a few rounds of frustration, Jonas gives up and starts joking about how terrible the enemies are.
Jerkwad was really hoping to bring a cocky party down a few pegs in their latest meeting. The party proved to be even more resourceful than he predicted and breezes through the fight. Jerkwad gets frustrated and nasty and spend the rest of the night in sullen silence, making the players feel bad.
The Golden Rule: Don’t Be a Dick
Beginning to notice a theme? As DM, you are the lord and master of the game world and the players are guest artists in your masterpiece. It is really easy to be a dick to them, particularly if they are being a dick to you or their fellow players. Resist that urge and follow my five rules of DMing. Once again, Jonas and Jerkwad will help me with demonstration.
Rule One: Stay Open
When Wizards of the Coast puts out advice for DMs it’s always along the lines of “Say Yes!” While this is certainly a good aspiration, I have found that players have a tendency to push the limitations well beyond what is feasible. Unless they are absolutely ridiculous, always stay open to player ideas. Let the player make a case for what they want to do and then compromise. That way, you can keep your DM cred and the player can drop a zombie through a chandelier and onto another zombie.
Jonas is sending waves of enemies against a group of players on a bridge. Their Swordmage gets an idea and runs over the side of the bridge. Throwing his weapon- a transposing sword- the mage changes places with the largest foe and send it falling to its death. For a moment, Jonas is flabbergasted and tries to come up with some way it doesn't work. Ultimately, he has to accept it as legitimate and come up with ways to prevent it in the future.
Jerkwad is running a campaign of his own creation. For the sake of his world, he banned numerous classes and races, including dwarves. One of his players really loves dwarves and proposes that he plays a shorter, stockier human with second wind and a minor action- essentially, a dwarf. Jerkwad tells him no without bothering to explain why and refuses to hear anything else about exceptions.
Rule Two: Your Story is Not That Important
As a DM, your story is what drives the campaign and motivates the characters. It provides the backbone and structure for each adventure. It’s important enough to spend time thickening and developing, but it’s not important enough to hinder the player’s enjoyment over. Taking five to ten minutes to monologue about an important event or character is fine, but spending an entire meeting mulling over lost histories is a bit much. Make sure you involve the players, otherwise you’re just working on your book.
Jonas wants to detail an important event in the history of his world, but he knows his players won't appreciate a sit-down history lesson. He decides to send them to the ruins of a fort used during the battle and tells the history through notes scattered throughout the ruins. This way, he is able to tell his story and still keep the players engaged.
Jerkwad has a very important event that must happen in his plot, but doesn't trust the party to do it correctly. When the party arrives at the location of the climatic battle, he locks them in a Force Cage and uses his own NPC to battle the villain. The players are forced to sit and listen to the play by play of the battle with being able to do anything.
Rule Three: Your Goal is to Challenge, Not Murder
Sculpting encounters can be one of them most fun and challenging parts of DMing. You need to make sure your party won’t just skip through the battle like a field of daisies, but a totally party kill isn’t much fun either. You want to craft challenging encounters, but that isn’t always accomplished with bigger monsters. Terrain and traps can add complexity without necessarily grinding up everyone’s characters. Note : I once DMed for a party that was both optimized and synergized. For them, the only way to challenge was by trying to murder them.
Jonas is coming to a major climax in his campaign and he wants to make sure the heroes have a hard time with the final villain. He doesn't want to throw any random underlings into the fight, but the monster alone won't be enough of a challenge. Instead, he sets the fight on an electrified floor trap and gives his beastie immunity to its effects.
Jerkwad is running a notoriously difficult campaign setting and wants to make sure the party is always fighting for their lives (note: not necessarily a bad thing). To this end, he selects powerful monsters and grinds the party down, killing the defender twice. For their final fight, he takes a nasty brute monster and upgrades its damage output. This turbo-monster put all but one of the characters to zero hit points... and killed the defender again.
Rule Four: Cater to Your Players
Everyone plays DnD for different reasons and everyone gets enjoyment from different parts of the game. As DM, you should facilitate ways for everyone to have fun. Many players have the most fun when they are exterminating foes; they are certainly the easiest to please. Others, however, may prefer chatting up NPCs to get important information or infiltrating the baron’s manor after dark. Try to let everyone have equal time to succeed.
Jonas enjoys campaigns that are combat heavy and sends the party into situations where combat is the only answer. He has a lot of fun developing these encounters, but a player remarks that she'd like use her character's skills once in a while. Another player asks if he can try to negotiate with the hobgoblins that have ambushed them. Jonas begins to implement new kinds of encounters and develops ways to end an encounter without violence every now and then.
Jerkwad also enjoys campaigns with a lot of violence in them. When his players express an interest in other kinds of encounters, he tells them that this is his campaign and he will run it how he chooses. If they don't like it, they can leave. When a party member attempts to negotiate with enemies, he lets them roll, but then has the monsters attack them anyway.
Rule Five: Have Fun
Being the DM is harder work than most people give it credit. You have to set up elaborate plans and engaging worlds for the expressed purpose of letting some other people crash around in them. Some days, things are going to work perfectly and the party is going to destroy what you put together. Other days, your minions won’t be quite strong enough or that monster you made yourself is just going to get steamrolled. Remember when that happens that you are supposed to be having fun, too, and roll with it.
Jonas has been planning the first battle of his campaign for a while. He wanted to overwhelm the party with a hoard of enemies. Because his goal was to challenge, not murder, he went with a number of weaker enemies, rather than trying to swarm with enemies of the party's level. What he failed to realize is that this means the enemies cannot hit the players and the players cannot miss. After a few rounds of frustration, Jonas gives up and starts joking about how terrible the enemies are.
Jerkwad was really hoping to bring a cocky party down a few pegs in their latest meeting. The party proved to be even more resourceful than he predicted and breezes through the fight. Jerkwad gets frustrated and nasty and spend the rest of the night in sullen silence, making the players feel bad.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Rules to Roleplay By
Dungeons and Dragons is a role-playing game and, therefor, requires at least a minimal amount of cooperative storytelling to be played at all. "Cooperative" can be a difficult thing to achieve however. To help you better work alongside your fellow adventurers, I've built a list of handy rules. To begin, I present to you my golden rule of role-playing:
The Golden Rule: Don't Be a Dick
This is actually the only rule you really need, but I understand that it can be difficult to unpack a concept as complex and nuanced as "being a dick." Also, one rule would make a pretty lame post. All of my other rules expand on this core concept, however, so its important to keep it in mind. To hep illustrate these rules, I have assembled two fictional players: Jonas and Jerkward. Both have been created from exaggerations of people I have played with and/or been. It should be pretty obvious which one is obeying my rules and which one is just being a dick.
Rule One: Respect Other Player's Experience Levels
No, I don't mean the running total that separates you from your new and better ways of breaking heads. Everyone sitting around your table has been playing this game for a different amount of time. You'll have your fourth edition newbies, your 3.5 veterans, and occasionally an AD&D superhero. Everyone knows different systems and everyone has different levels of understanding. Remember that before you start complaining about how slow someone is.
Jonas is playing in a game with one player who is completely new to D&D. This newbie is very slow with her turns and has to constantly check and recheck her bonuses and modifiers. Though he is understandably frustrated, he tries to help her with her turns and suggested she set up a cheat sheet with all her important numbers.
Jerkwad also plays with a newb who is slow with their turns. To get through her turns, he moves her character and tells her what abilities to use. When she goes to check her modifiers, he groans loudly and asks why they even let her play.
Rule Two: It Doesn't Matter What Your Character "Would Do"
We've all heard or even used the excuse "It's what my character would do!" Pro tip: that is never a good enough excuse. If it's in your nature to do something, you can usually go nuts (within reason). But the moment that your party asks you to stop, its your job (as a player) to come up with the reason why your character obeys. Solo shenanigans are fun, but D&D is a cooperative game.
Jonas plays a sticky-fingered Rogue with a soft spot for shinies. While in the king's palace, he notices an unguarded diamond in the gallery. When his party realizes that he's eying it, they remind him that they need to keep the king's trust if they want to operate in this kingdom. Jonas decides that his character reluctantly leaves the jewel alone for the sake of the party.
Jerkwad is playing a Cleric in his campaign and has decided, due to his upper class upbringing, that his character is racist towards elves. When the party's elf ranger gets into a tight spot with a gelatinous cube, he flat-out refuses to heal her. When the Ranger is flayed and digested, Jerkwad even adds a "good riddance."
Rule Three: DM is Law
This one is pretty straightforward. There are a lot of different "authorities" in D&D, such as books or the D&D website. Its very likely that you will have a disagreement over rules or what sort of material is acceptable to draw from. Make your case by citing as many sources as possible, but understand that the DM overrules all of them. If you don't like your DM's call, you may want to consider finding a new play group.
Jonas has discovered a way to create a character that can make a ridiculous number of attacks each round. When he talks to his DM about it, the character is rejected because it relies on a source book that the DM doesn't own. Jonas offers to let the DM borrow his book, but the DM also points out that the rest of the party probably won't appreciate waiting around for him to finish rolling all those attacks. Grumbling, Jonas relents.
Jerkwad is attempting to do something that the DM won't allow. The DM claims that there are no rules for it, but Jerkwad knows that a recent online article provided support for it. After yelling for a while, Jerkwad leaves the game to go look up the article, dragging off the DM to look at it. By the time he triumphantly displays the rules to the DM, they are out of time and the meeting ends.
Rule Four: Respect Your Game's Tone
Every game is different and every group sets a different tone. For some groups, D&D night is a time to kick back, hang out, and make silly jokes while crushing monsters. Other groups may take their time much more seriously and want to adventure as if they were doing it "for real." Make sure you understand your group's tone and that your character is able to behave accordingly.
Jonas has been playing an obnoxious Bard for the first few meetings of his group. He begins to realize, however, that his is consistantly the only character goofing around and that everyone else in the party is taking the game seriously. Not wanting to completely ditch the character, he adjusted to a more snarky but serious personality.
Jerkwad loves his loud, violent warrior. He is unparalleled in combat, but somewhat lacking in people skills. When his party takes a break from smashing things and starts asking around for information, he starts attacking everyone that the party so much as looks at.
Rule Five: Fill Your Role
D&D is a team based game, which means each person has a role to fill. It's important to make sure you do the job that your party expects you to do. Strikers really luck out in this regard as doing damage is one of the easiest things to do. Every Leader class has a method of healing, but it's important that you actually use those abilities. Disclaimer: I am in no way saying you have to be the best possible at your role, I am only saying that you need to do what your party relies on you to do.
Jonas is playing a wizard specializing in single-target damage. When a wave of powerful minions nearly destroys the party, however, he realizes that he wasn't doing his job. He retrains a couple of his abilities for AoE damage, without compromising the core of his character and redeems himself by nuking the bulk of an orc hoard with a well-timed Fireball.
Jerkwad is playing the party's fighter. In battle, he charges the furthest enemy he can and bashes away, leaving the squishier characters vulnerable to attack. After their Leader falls for the third encounter in a row, the bravest member of the group confronts Jerkwad about being a Defender. Jerkwad arrogantly retorts that the Leader would be fine if he just knew how to heal every now and then.
The Golden Rule: Don't Be a Dick
This is actually the only rule you really need, but I understand that it can be difficult to unpack a concept as complex and nuanced as "being a dick." Also, one rule would make a pretty lame post. All of my other rules expand on this core concept, however, so its important to keep it in mind. To hep illustrate these rules, I have assembled two fictional players: Jonas and Jerkward. Both have been created from exaggerations of people I have played with and/or been. It should be pretty obvious which one is obeying my rules and which one is just being a dick.
Rule One: Respect Other Player's Experience Levels
No, I don't mean the running total that separates you from your new and better ways of breaking heads. Everyone sitting around your table has been playing this game for a different amount of time. You'll have your fourth edition newbies, your 3.5 veterans, and occasionally an AD&D superhero. Everyone knows different systems and everyone has different levels of understanding. Remember that before you start complaining about how slow someone is.
Jonas is playing in a game with one player who is completely new to D&D. This newbie is very slow with her turns and has to constantly check and recheck her bonuses and modifiers. Though he is understandably frustrated, he tries to help her with her turns and suggested she set up a cheat sheet with all her important numbers.
Jerkwad also plays with a newb who is slow with their turns. To get through her turns, he moves her character and tells her what abilities to use. When she goes to check her modifiers, he groans loudly and asks why they even let her play.
Rule Two: It Doesn't Matter What Your Character "Would Do"
We've all heard or even used the excuse "It's what my character would do!" Pro tip: that is never a good enough excuse. If it's in your nature to do something, you can usually go nuts (within reason). But the moment that your party asks you to stop, its your job (as a player) to come up with the reason why your character obeys. Solo shenanigans are fun, but D&D is a cooperative game.
Jonas plays a sticky-fingered Rogue with a soft spot for shinies. While in the king's palace, he notices an unguarded diamond in the gallery. When his party realizes that he's eying it, they remind him that they need to keep the king's trust if they want to operate in this kingdom. Jonas decides that his character reluctantly leaves the jewel alone for the sake of the party.
Jerkwad is playing a Cleric in his campaign and has decided, due to his upper class upbringing, that his character is racist towards elves. When the party's elf ranger gets into a tight spot with a gelatinous cube, he flat-out refuses to heal her. When the Ranger is flayed and digested, Jerkwad even adds a "good riddance."
Rule Three: DM is Law
This one is pretty straightforward. There are a lot of different "authorities" in D&D, such as books or the D&D website. Its very likely that you will have a disagreement over rules or what sort of material is acceptable to draw from. Make your case by citing as many sources as possible, but understand that the DM overrules all of them. If you don't like your DM's call, you may want to consider finding a new play group.
Jonas has discovered a way to create a character that can make a ridiculous number of attacks each round. When he talks to his DM about it, the character is rejected because it relies on a source book that the DM doesn't own. Jonas offers to let the DM borrow his book, but the DM also points out that the rest of the party probably won't appreciate waiting around for him to finish rolling all those attacks. Grumbling, Jonas relents.
Jerkwad is attempting to do something that the DM won't allow. The DM claims that there are no rules for it, but Jerkwad knows that a recent online article provided support for it. After yelling for a while, Jerkwad leaves the game to go look up the article, dragging off the DM to look at it. By the time he triumphantly displays the rules to the DM, they are out of time and the meeting ends.
Rule Four: Respect Your Game's Tone
Every game is different and every group sets a different tone. For some groups, D&D night is a time to kick back, hang out, and make silly jokes while crushing monsters. Other groups may take their time much more seriously and want to adventure as if they were doing it "for real." Make sure you understand your group's tone and that your character is able to behave accordingly.
Jonas has been playing an obnoxious Bard for the first few meetings of his group. He begins to realize, however, that his is consistantly the only character goofing around and that everyone else in the party is taking the game seriously. Not wanting to completely ditch the character, he adjusted to a more snarky but serious personality.
Jerkwad loves his loud, violent warrior. He is unparalleled in combat, but somewhat lacking in people skills. When his party takes a break from smashing things and starts asking around for information, he starts attacking everyone that the party so much as looks at.
Rule Five: Fill Your Role
D&D is a team based game, which means each person has a role to fill. It's important to make sure you do the job that your party expects you to do. Strikers really luck out in this regard as doing damage is one of the easiest things to do. Every Leader class has a method of healing, but it's important that you actually use those abilities. Disclaimer: I am in no way saying you have to be the best possible at your role, I am only saying that you need to do what your party relies on you to do.
Jonas is playing a wizard specializing in single-target damage. When a wave of powerful minions nearly destroys the party, however, he realizes that he wasn't doing his job. He retrains a couple of his abilities for AoE damage, without compromising the core of his character and redeems himself by nuking the bulk of an orc hoard with a well-timed Fireball.
Jerkwad is playing the party's fighter. In battle, he charges the furthest enemy he can and bashes away, leaving the squishier characters vulnerable to attack. After their Leader falls for the third encounter in a row, the bravest member of the group confronts Jerkwad about being a Defender. Jerkwad arrogantly retorts that the Leader would be fine if he just knew how to heal every now and then.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Checking Your Alignment
4.0 Edition brought a lot of changes to D&D. One of those changes was a simplification of the alignment system. Unfortunately, the new system is far too simple and the most popular alignments have been removed. As part of continuing efforts to improve the fourth edition system, here is my interpretation of the 3.5 edition alignments:
Lawful Good
"I don't care how evil he is, we are not going to murder the king in cold blood."
Done Right: The Lawful Good character is dedicated to something or someone. This could be a set of ideals, like a religion, a personal code, like chivalry or Bushido, or it could be a person. If your armored knight is dedicated to protecting the disguised princess he travels with, he could very well be Lawful Good (If your armored knight is dedicated to protecting the disguised prince she travels with, I might just love you). You don't condone the chaotic actions of other party members, and you may challenge them over more excessive acts, but you recognize that you need to be able to work with them in order to succeed.
Done Wrong: This is the Lawful Good you're most familiar with. A bad Lawful Good character follows every law to the letter and refuses to make compromises for other party members. A bad LG character is an RP killer. Everything must go their way or they will refuse to do anything. They interact with a chip on their shoulder and a stick in their ass.
Neutral Good
"Sure there are laws against that, but we can bend the rules just this once."
Done Right: In many ways, "Neutral" is the most difficult word in this alignment system. As a Neutral Good character, you are honest and trustworthy and all that heroic stuff, but you see the laws/rules as having a little flex to them. You do still believe in the legitimacy of the laws, though, so don't think you can pass every chaotic act off as an exception. The balance of law and chaos may be a constant struggle within you, or it may just be your way of getting by. Either way, your existence is a display of careful restraint.
Done Wrong: The wrong way to be Neutral Good is to be uncommitted. Your actions are good, but they tend to be whatever strikes your fancy at the moment. Rather than balancing the Law-Chaos axis, you ignore it entirely. This is not a terrible way to play a character and it certainly won't bring down an entire game, but it does hamstring your character as far as development is concerned. It will be very difficult to decide how the campaign's big decisions effect the character if they've been an alignment flake.
Chaotic Good
"It's not 'theft,' per say. It's 'reallocation of resources.'"
Done Right: Chaotic Good is an "ends justify the means" kind of alignment. You believe that any law or tradition that gets in the way of your 'good' actions should be ignored at best or dismantled at worse. Most adventuring parties tend to be Chaotic Good in their beliefs and actions, particular when they decide to kill a corrupt king or other public figure without any kind of trial. You tend to be impulsive, unwilling or able to create long term plans and generally failing to consider the subtle effects your decision may have weeks or months down the line. Do you struggle against your chaotic nature or do you embrace it? Has it gotten you in trouble before?
Done Wrong: Honestly? It's really hard to screw up Chaotic Good. You do have to remember the "Good" part of it, though. On its own, Chaotic is not an excuse to stab innocents and burn down villages. It may not even be an excuse to murder the aforementioned king. A bad Chaotic Good character is the same as any other bad Chaotic character- chaotic to the point where it upsets game play.
Lawful Neutral
"This is how we've always done it."
Done Right: You are a follower of rules and traditions, no mater how morally questionable they may be. This may be due to a commitment to your family or your society's sense of honor, or it may be because you are a knight in service to a morally questionable society. Most Neutral characters still find Good more appealing than Evil, it just isn't as important to them. You also recognize that your teammates do not follow the sames rules as you. This will certainly lead to conflicts, but it is important for you to know why you are sticking with this group. What keeps you from just leaving them?
Done Wrong: You refuse to do anything that contradicts your code. No exceptions, no compromises. Every adventure consists of you attempting to force your teammates into your belief system and restricting their actions. A player like this is arguably worse than the Lawful Good one. A Lawful Neutral character's code of conduct may include things that the party cannot afford to do, such as executing all criminals. If you've got a character who's trying to kill the rogue every time there's an important piece of information to steal, you've more than likely got a dead game.
True Neutral
"It is most important that we keep our options open."
Done Right: True Neutral (or, more hilariously, "Neutral Neutral") is the favored alignment of Druids and they actually provide an excellent way of explaining it. Your actions are motivated by something that transcends Good and Evil/Chaos and Law. Nature is a perfect example: wild yet structured and harsh but gentle. Your actions always serve this greater purpose, yet your actions seem complete erratic to anyone who only sees in terms of the two dimensional system. You may be the wrath of a storm one second and the warth of the sun the next. What's important is that you know why you're doing these things. No one else needs to know.
Done Wrong: In fourth edition, True Neutral is renamed "unaligned." That's an excellent way to describe the wrong way to play the alignment. Your character is a hollow thing with an all-consuming apathy to the ways of the universe. But alignment is about what you do as well as what you say, so a truly "Unaligned" character would have to never to anything that was too Good or too Evil. Honestly, they'd have to never really do anything at all. How boring is that
Chaotic Neutral
"Is that a button? I MUST PUSH IT!"
Done Right: In a True Neutral alignment, the character is devoted to a greater concept which determines their actions. In Chaotic Neutral, that greater power is yourself. You are a paragon of impulsiveness and your only concern is your personal wants and needs. You honor deals and contracts as long as you feel like it and you work with your team because it serves your purposes. Its important for you to know what your long-term goals are if you want to play this alignment. The sheer possibilities of a Chaotic Neutral character can make it easy to just dick around with no real reason for existing.
Done Wrong: You do whatever you want with no regard for anything, especially your fellow adventurers. You execute important prisoners and let villains escape simply because "it's what my character would do." Other players may find you amusing at first, but they'll soon grow sick of you screwing up everything they try to plan.
Lawful Evil
"All citizens will report to the palace for the mandatory 'listen to me rant' seminar."
Done Right: A villain who rules with an iron fist is the most obvious example of Lawful Evil. People and societies of this alignment use their power to oppress those below themselves. Control is one of the most important aspects of Lawful Evil; it represents a person or system which is highly regimented according to traditions, personal code, or the whims of a tyrant. Oppression is often a result of this, but it is not a defining characteristic. The Kobolds live in Lawful Evil societies that have strict hierarchies, but are not necessarily oppressive to to even the lowest on the social ladder.
Done Wrong: As with most Evil characters, the worst thing you can do with a Lawful Evil villain is fail to explain why he's doing whatever he's doing. If the Evil king is a tyrant just because he feels like it, its hard to imagine why his people haven't overthrown him yet. A bad Lawful Evil character or society has no traditions or personal codes defining their lives and seems to be oppressive simply because the quest calls for it.
Neutral Evil
"Some days are 'Oppress the Innocent' days. Today's more of a 'Blow Stuff Up' day."
Done Right: A villain of this alignment is an average kind of Evil. They aren't the head of a sinister organization and they don't have a maddening desire to crust everything that opposes them. In some ways, they are the most dangerous villains; not personal code to exploit and still level-headed enough to operate behind the scenes and keep numerous allies. Because a Neutral Evil character has no distinct leanings towards Chaos or Law, they are able to ally with a wider array of other people and races.
Done Wrong: Bad neutral Evil characters are like Goombas: They come at you in endless, indistinct waves and killing enough of them in a row nets you a "1UP." Each Neutral Evil character, race, or society is exactly the same; drudging through life in their Evil ways and existing only as quest fodder.
Chaotic Evil
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!"
Done Right: Chaotic Evil villains can be terrifying if they get enough power. Something or someone has convinced them that the only way to fix/control/get revenge on the world is to destroy it in its current form. These villains eat, sleep, and breathe destruction (The latter being literal in the case of Dragons). Players will probably be left with no choice but to put them down... unless they can figure out what set them off and cure/right the wrongs. Its important to know why your character is Chaotic Evil: What do they want, why do they want it, and how do they plan to get it?
Done Wrong: If you don't know why a villain is Chaotic Evil, he's just destroying stuff because he can. This actually isn't a terrible thing, it just limits the player's role-playing options. But maybe that's something you're doing on purpose- maybe the villain is too far gone and the party must deal with the idea that the only way to stop them is to kill them. Just don't pull that every time.
Lawful Good
"I don't care how evil he is, we are not going to murder the king in cold blood."
Done Right: The Lawful Good character is dedicated to something or someone. This could be a set of ideals, like a religion, a personal code, like chivalry or Bushido, or it could be a person. If your armored knight is dedicated to protecting the disguised princess he travels with, he could very well be Lawful Good (If your armored knight is dedicated to protecting the disguised prince she travels with, I might just love you). You don't condone the chaotic actions of other party members, and you may challenge them over more excessive acts, but you recognize that you need to be able to work with them in order to succeed.
Done Wrong: This is the Lawful Good you're most familiar with. A bad Lawful Good character follows every law to the letter and refuses to make compromises for other party members. A bad LG character is an RP killer. Everything must go their way or they will refuse to do anything. They interact with a chip on their shoulder and a stick in their ass.
Neutral Good
"Sure there are laws against that, but we can bend the rules just this once."
Done Right: In many ways, "Neutral" is the most difficult word in this alignment system. As a Neutral Good character, you are honest and trustworthy and all that heroic stuff, but you see the laws/rules as having a little flex to them. You do still believe in the legitimacy of the laws, though, so don't think you can pass every chaotic act off as an exception. The balance of law and chaos may be a constant struggle within you, or it may just be your way of getting by. Either way, your existence is a display of careful restraint.
Done Wrong: The wrong way to be Neutral Good is to be uncommitted. Your actions are good, but they tend to be whatever strikes your fancy at the moment. Rather than balancing the Law-Chaos axis, you ignore it entirely. This is not a terrible way to play a character and it certainly won't bring down an entire game, but it does hamstring your character as far as development is concerned. It will be very difficult to decide how the campaign's big decisions effect the character if they've been an alignment flake.
Chaotic Good
"It's not 'theft,' per say. It's 'reallocation of resources.'"
Done Right: Chaotic Good is an "ends justify the means" kind of alignment. You believe that any law or tradition that gets in the way of your 'good' actions should be ignored at best or dismantled at worse. Most adventuring parties tend to be Chaotic Good in their beliefs and actions, particular when they decide to kill a corrupt king or other public figure without any kind of trial. You tend to be impulsive, unwilling or able to create long term plans and generally failing to consider the subtle effects your decision may have weeks or months down the line. Do you struggle against your chaotic nature or do you embrace it? Has it gotten you in trouble before?
Done Wrong: Honestly? It's really hard to screw up Chaotic Good. You do have to remember the "Good" part of it, though. On its own, Chaotic is not an excuse to stab innocents and burn down villages. It may not even be an excuse to murder the aforementioned king. A bad Chaotic Good character is the same as any other bad Chaotic character- chaotic to the point where it upsets game play.
Lawful Neutral
"This is how we've always done it."
Done Right: You are a follower of rules and traditions, no mater how morally questionable they may be. This may be due to a commitment to your family or your society's sense of honor, or it may be because you are a knight in service to a morally questionable society. Most Neutral characters still find Good more appealing than Evil, it just isn't as important to them. You also recognize that your teammates do not follow the sames rules as you. This will certainly lead to conflicts, but it is important for you to know why you are sticking with this group. What keeps you from just leaving them?
Done Wrong: You refuse to do anything that contradicts your code. No exceptions, no compromises. Every adventure consists of you attempting to force your teammates into your belief system and restricting their actions. A player like this is arguably worse than the Lawful Good one. A Lawful Neutral character's code of conduct may include things that the party cannot afford to do, such as executing all criminals. If you've got a character who's trying to kill the rogue every time there's an important piece of information to steal, you've more than likely got a dead game.
True Neutral
"It is most important that we keep our options open."
Done Right: True Neutral (or, more hilariously, "Neutral Neutral") is the favored alignment of Druids and they actually provide an excellent way of explaining it. Your actions are motivated by something that transcends Good and Evil/Chaos and Law. Nature is a perfect example: wild yet structured and harsh but gentle. Your actions always serve this greater purpose, yet your actions seem complete erratic to anyone who only sees in terms of the two dimensional system. You may be the wrath of a storm one second and the warth of the sun the next. What's important is that you know why you're doing these things. No one else needs to know.
Done Wrong: In fourth edition, True Neutral is renamed "unaligned." That's an excellent way to describe the wrong way to play the alignment. Your character is a hollow thing with an all-consuming apathy to the ways of the universe. But alignment is about what you do as well as what you say, so a truly "Unaligned" character would have to never to anything that was too Good or too Evil. Honestly, they'd have to never really do anything at all. How boring is that
Chaotic Neutral
"Is that a button? I MUST PUSH IT!"
Done Right: In a True Neutral alignment, the character is devoted to a greater concept which determines their actions. In Chaotic Neutral, that greater power is yourself. You are a paragon of impulsiveness and your only concern is your personal wants and needs. You honor deals and contracts as long as you feel like it and you work with your team because it serves your purposes. Its important for you to know what your long-term goals are if you want to play this alignment. The sheer possibilities of a Chaotic Neutral character can make it easy to just dick around with no real reason for existing.
Done Wrong: You do whatever you want with no regard for anything, especially your fellow adventurers. You execute important prisoners and let villains escape simply because "it's what my character would do." Other players may find you amusing at first, but they'll soon grow sick of you screwing up everything they try to plan.
Lawful Evil
"All citizens will report to the palace for the mandatory 'listen to me rant' seminar."
Done Right: A villain who rules with an iron fist is the most obvious example of Lawful Evil. People and societies of this alignment use their power to oppress those below themselves. Control is one of the most important aspects of Lawful Evil; it represents a person or system which is highly regimented according to traditions, personal code, or the whims of a tyrant. Oppression is often a result of this, but it is not a defining characteristic. The Kobolds live in Lawful Evil societies that have strict hierarchies, but are not necessarily oppressive to to even the lowest on the social ladder.
Done Wrong: As with most Evil characters, the worst thing you can do with a Lawful Evil villain is fail to explain why he's doing whatever he's doing. If the Evil king is a tyrant just because he feels like it, its hard to imagine why his people haven't overthrown him yet. A bad Lawful Evil character or society has no traditions or personal codes defining their lives and seems to be oppressive simply because the quest calls for it.
Neutral Evil
"Some days are 'Oppress the Innocent' days. Today's more of a 'Blow Stuff Up' day."
Done Right: A villain of this alignment is an average kind of Evil. They aren't the head of a sinister organization and they don't have a maddening desire to crust everything that opposes them. In some ways, they are the most dangerous villains; not personal code to exploit and still level-headed enough to operate behind the scenes and keep numerous allies. Because a Neutral Evil character has no distinct leanings towards Chaos or Law, they are able to ally with a wider array of other people and races.
Done Wrong: Bad neutral Evil characters are like Goombas: They come at you in endless, indistinct waves and killing enough of them in a row nets you a "1UP." Each Neutral Evil character, race, or society is exactly the same; drudging through life in their Evil ways and existing only as quest fodder.
Chaotic Evil
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!"
Done Right: Chaotic Evil villains can be terrifying if they get enough power. Something or someone has convinced them that the only way to fix/control/get revenge on the world is to destroy it in its current form. These villains eat, sleep, and breathe destruction (The latter being literal in the case of Dragons). Players will probably be left with no choice but to put them down... unless they can figure out what set them off and cure/right the wrongs. Its important to know why your character is Chaotic Evil: What do they want, why do they want it, and how do they plan to get it?
Done Wrong: If you don't know why a villain is Chaotic Evil, he's just destroying stuff because he can. This actually isn't a terrible thing, it just limits the player's role-playing options. But maybe that's something you're doing on purpose- maybe the villain is too far gone and the party must deal with the idea that the only way to stop them is to kill them. Just don't pull that every time.
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