Evil Partys

[crymson77]

Why is it that to get the most XP you have to be good? If you want to run a truely evil party, there just arn't enough XP opportunities out there. Obviously evil alignments are part of the game, but why do I feel like I'm being penalized for running an evil party.
I understand that the nature of questing involes doing things that inevitably have good results and even if my motivations are less than good, I still get the XP, but anytime there is a direct choice to either choose a good path or an evil path the XP is always much higher for being a goodie goodie...

[Iron Greasel]

Oh? I've never noted the XP values, how bad are they?

[Klorox]

While Evil will have a little less XP reward, it has many other ways to make up for this.

The Hell Trials have better results, especially for combat-orientated characters, for one.

BTW, this game is supposed to be about roleplaying. If you want to roleplay an evil dude, you can!

[crymson77]

I know the game is about role playing and obviously you can role play it anyway you want, but if you play it truley evil you don't get much XP at all.
For instance the dryad mission. Truley evil characters probably wouldn't help them. If you help them you get a decent chunk of XP, but if you don't, you get none.
My opinion is that an evil party wouldn't help them. They would more likely kill them for sport or something, which at least would net you a couple hundred XP but nothing in comparison to what you get for helping.
Nuetral Evil might walk a line allowing them to do good things becuase it benifits them in some way even though they really could care less, but Chaotic Evil clearly wouldn't do many of the things they need to in order to gain decient XP.

[ 07-25-2006, 11:57 PM: Message edited by: crymson77 ]

[theGrimm]

Actually, if you are roleplaying good, there are other quests you might miss out on. A good character might not do thieves guild quests, or assasinations without evidence, or help evil characters with a quest that has no apparent value.

Would a good character necessarily

(maybe quest spoilers)
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-Agree to help find Montaren in the harper stronghold?
-Assasinate a wizard for Edwin without evidence?
-Go grave robbing?
-Kill a silver dragon?
-Kill Mencar Pebblecrusher and his crew (when the option to leave them alone is available)?
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(end spoiler)

Sometimes powergaming and roleplaying are mutually exclusive.

Its the neutral characters who have all the fun.

[crymson77]

I agree... There are a few quests that are inheriently evil, but my point is the good quests far out way the evil ones, and still most of the quests that require evil actions are nessassary to complete the game. And most of the quests you mention are pretty much the only ones where an evil character would be better to have than a good one. And as long as your not lawful good you could come up with plenty of excuses for why a good character would do evil things. And again my main point here is, I'm sure you could come up with a much longer list of quests for good characters than you could for evil ones...

[ 07-26-2006, 02:03 AM: Message edited by: crymson77 ]

[Iron Greasel]

Originally posted by crymson77: And as long as your not lawful good you could come up with plenty of excuses for why a good character would do evil things.

That works both ways. Evil characters can come up with excuses to do good things. Perhaps your character chooses to help the dryads because Jaheira demands it. Perhaps he just thinks the dryads are pretty. Maybe he frees Hendak and kills the slavers to get a reward. Maybe he helps Cernd, captures the Bridge District Skinner, kills the trolls invading the De'Arnise Keep and has a high reputation just to get a reward.

In any way, evil characters don't have to choose the evil option every time. Evil people can do good deeds, in the same way good people can do evil deeds. Paladins are the epitome of goodness, and still we get fallen paladins. And fallen devas. And probably a fallen baatezu or two. Why should fighters and wizars and farmers be any different?

[Dundee Slaytern]

Personally I think the 'Evil does not pay' adage in BG2 is overexaggerated. The thing is, there are many, many, ways to resolve a quest. It is just that most players prefer to play a good-aligned party, and therefore usually take the most straightforward route, instead of thinking of insidious ways to keep their hands clean while dirtying others'.

For example... did you know,

Ctrl+A to read spoilers. Game Spoilers Ahoy! 564006"> ..) You can get Aegisfield to resolve the Skinner Murder? You will still receive the same item rewards and quest experience, minus the fighting. ..) You can report in the Potion Lady in the Bridge District? ..) You can make Drizzt attack you on sight? ..) You can betray Hendak to the Slavers? ..) That there is an evil way to do the Dyrad quest? ..) You HAVE to be an evil bastard to get the silver pantaloon? Etc...

And those are just the official ones. Throw in roleplay, such as SixOfSpades' delicious accounts, and you can have a rollicking good time with an Evil-aligned party.

Do not think of what you can't do as an Evil party... Think of what you CAN do as an Evil party. That is where the fun lies.

Cheers.

[ 07-26-2006, 12:45 PM: Message edited by: Dundee Slaytern ]

[Cascade]

And let's not even mention a certain piece of armour related to one of those quests Dundee mentions above...

[crymson77]

Okay, Okay... I absoultley agree with most of you, but can at least someone back me up on the fact when you take a truely evil course the amount of XP you get, it is at least less, no matter how nominal the difference... And please remember I'm talking Chaotic evil no grey area stuff...

If you choose to help the Dryads and get the acorns, gou get 9500 XP. Like I said the only other option is to not help them which gets you none... Now we agree that Good characters can can rationalize bad deeds and conversley evil characters can do the same, but that only works to a point. An evil character might do a good deed for the promise of gold but the dryads offer no gold and my guy dosn't care if the are pretty. The character I'm playing is chaotic evil to the bone. My dude dosen't want to help the Dryads... He's hell bent on gaining gold, magic items and control over his god given powers and he would much sooner kidnap them and keep them for his own, than help them...

Obviosly there are different levels of evil and some characters might do things others wouldnt, but come on, a truly chaotic evil character simplely wouldn't give many of these quests the time of day especially when a measely 500 or 1000 gp is offered let alone when its for charity. Characters will do things for gold, but I dont personally belive they would do things just for XP. My dude has never heard of XP. Hes just chillin, wandering arould the Forgotten Realms. He only dose things that are in his nature, he acts on instinct alone. I maybe able to raionalize away anything but if I am to really role play correctly then I must do what he would do, not whats gonna get some decient XP.

Now the big quests can obviosly be role played almost anyway with suitable solutions for any alignment, But I still believe that if you added up all the quests that evil charcters would do and all the quests that "most of them" wouldnt do, the number for quests they wouldnt do would be substatintialy lower...

I'm willing to bet that if the entire game were set up to change you alignment based on your actions through out the whole game, an evil character would quickly see his alignment start heading up the good chart...

Come on now Ive typed alot, some one has to at least see where I'm coming from even if they dissagree...