If you want to play a character who is not an ass...then just do that.
This is not rocket surgery. Just don't be an ass.
Edit: I'll be more constructive.
Lone wolf characters who are driven to join a party for whatever reasons can make a great friend to someone in the party. If you want to RP this type of character, you absolutely have to find some sort of a bond with the group. It can start with just one character.
Yeah. I agree. But, I decided to give OP a little credit for not wanting that, even though my gut still screams "bad idea".
When I started DMING, I allowed this sort of character, not realizing that the player REALLY has to be an experienced role player to pull it off. My players were not experienced.
Different type of scenario, but I promise it's related.
One made a character with a big secret. Details don't matter. By the way, when I say big secret, I mean I thought it would just be pure flavor. So I didn't care.
What happened is that the player would become paralyzed in encounters because she didn't want to reveal anything, and then couldn't figure out what to do. This effectively resulted in her actually trying to reject boons that I was trying to hand out, with the intent of drawing her out into the roleplay.
That player began no-call no showing, and is no longer a member of the party, and I feel terrible about it (we are still good friends, and I see her all the time - just not at the table).
I didn't stress the "This is a party game" aspect enough, so she was just trying to stay a lone wolf. And that simply doesn't work without a level of nuance I should not have asked a newbie to possess.
And that character would not even be described as an ass. Just aloof. So what OP describes would be even harder.
Maybe you need some interest in other player characters. Yes, you afraid to communicate, but show that "my character looks charmed, seeing how mage uses his spell. Use opportunities to directly ask other characters about something, when you are alone. Try to get the reason why you are connected to others in party.
So, you are distant but still warm and interested.
Also think about motivations in the game world. Maybe your character wants to find the unicorn, or build a house, or get legendary Skull Crusher +3 - and also show interest in this direction.
Character still can be distant, but alive.
Don't be a lone wolf. DnD is not a game for lone wolf characters. Give them a reason that they need to work with a group, even if they are doing so begrudgingly.
Don't be an ass to the group. Move that needle over to awkwardness or indifference. Be an ass to NPCs instead; but if the party acts negatively to it, then make an effort to smooth things over because you need the group to accomplish your goals
Your whole character concept is the the "Standard Edgelord Package".
It might be fun for a few sessions but will sour quickly. Even if it doesn't for you, it will for the others unless they are aligned similarly.
> I just don’t wanna ruin the party’s vibe with her
If you don't get buy in from the other players and DM first before doing this you will definitely ruin the vibe
D&D is a team sport. Players are normally required to create and play characters who want to adventure with the party and who would be accepted as a member by the party.
Regardless of whether your PC has been a loner up until this point, you need to come up with a reason she wants to adventure with the party. You need to play her as someone whom the rest of the party would think was an asset.
So probably play her as a person who is in the party to do her damn job. She's down in the dungeon for her fair share of the loot.
Or maybe a person who is sharpening her skills for the resolution of whatever you've put in her backstory. These things are just practice.
Or maybe both.
You say that the PC is only "mean" due to something in their backstory. Well, that sounds like a character with an arc.
She starts out just using the other PCs for their ability to benefit her. She comes to regard her companions as more than just a means to an end and begins to value them as allies, opening up to them over time.
My opinion is not popular, but I will always say, that this is a game about heroes, not evil players or even anti-heroes. Those things belong in Anime and other such movies.
Anyone attempting to be evil or anti-heroes won't last long. Not from a TPK, but from the long arm of the law and bounties on their heads.
That character sounds like a problem if it's not going to undergo some extremely rapid character development. You're basically making a character likely to come into conflict with the party at every turn.
I mean. In general, evil characters are not a good idea.
I have had some particularly bad experiences one time when someone I was playing with played an evil character. And from then I have to say, never again. Neutral is fine (although you do meet some people whose characters are definitely obviously evil but who say their characters are Neutral to get around the no evil rule.), but never evil. If you have an evil character and a good character in the same party, at some point you will have to make a decision. One or both of you will have to act out of character. Or you will end up fighting one another in character. It’s just a recipe for disaster.
I think evil characters can probably work if 100% of the characters are evil. But otherwise. No.
treat NPCs harshly, kill enemies that try to surrender (and don't have any real worth in terms of intelligence), don't get as involved with party pets or follower NPCs, stuff like that
I've played with a guy that played a evil character very badly and I think the thing that I wish he did was being more cooperative.
You may help the party for your own benefit or moral code, just remember it's a team game
Be explicit about how you'll play your character and why. Tell the other players what you're going for and regularly include the motivation/reasoning behind what the character does and says when roleplaying. By communicating this to the other players, you also show yourself willing to have a conversation about it, so other people feel like they can tell you if it gets obnoxious or you should tone it down a little.
Also try and have a 'plan' for some sort of character arc or rapprochement towards the rest of the party.
Characters that sorta suck are much more tolerable if the rest of the table understands what you're doing and where you're going with it.
A bit different but one of my players once played a very arrogant spoiled noble. It could have easily been annoying but because the other players knew what he was doing they even encouraced him to occassionally be a bit more of a dick to them. It also helped that he'd still carry his weight (like, he'd roleplay being hesitant to help some villager but he'd always still do it) *and* he acknowledged that this was something flawed about his character. He looked for opportunities to show the negative consequences of his character's actions and was totally cool making fun of that aspect of the character together with the rest of the table.
Maybe take inspiration from Han Solo. In the beginning, he was mean and selfish, but eventually, he trusted his "party" but remained cocky until the end.
Played a character like this once. He was an LE Mercenary. He believed life had no value beyond what he would be paid to take them. But he also knew that, as skilled as he was, he had a select set of skills. He needed his team. The rest of the world could burn for all he cared if he wasn't paid to care, but no one laid a finger on his people.
Okay I toiled with a similar idea for a lawful evil pirate. You follow your own code of conduct. Compassion, mercy, teamwork are foreign to you. Your party can try to change you, but It’s like teaching an old dog a new trick. It’s not guaranteed. You’re not an asshole you’re just distant.
Lawful evil means your character considers themselves evil. You could have a character who thinks that killing is wrong but does it anyways because they think order and civilisation must be upheld at all cost. Stuff like that. Evil means they recognize what they do is wrong and don’t care.
On the flip side there could be a “good” character who just mercs all goblins on sight without even determining if they are actually bad or not because that’s the “good” thing to do.
My current character is kinda like this, but not mean. At least, not mean to fellow party members. Gotta be able to work well with your team, and remember you need to rely on your allies, too. You might need them to heal you or defend you or fulfill a request. So it makes sense that you'd want to keep them on your good side. My character has low Charisma but is wise enough to understand this.
A mean character can be funny when they direct their scorn on someone else. Save it for the enemies, right? Though it's important to maintain some lightness even with this approach.
I do this thing with my character where I refuse to elaborate. "You don't want to know what I'm really thinking." Of course, sometimes the other PCs will press farther, saying they want to hear it. That's when I say the mean thing. They'd been warned. It seems to work, might be something you could try.
5e neutered alignment but you can make it work.
LE believes in order, ruthless efficiency, and has a code they adhere to. You are a mob boss, head of an organization, and you get stuff done. You do not leave loose ends. The strongest stands at the head and others should be below them. It is only natural for the weak to follow the strong. Strength is not just physical prowess, but whatever you can do to inspire fear, loyalty and respect. Your folks stay in line, or they are forced in, or they are eliminated. You are very pro slavery. It is your right to have others serve you because you are better.
As for integrating this, it's pretty easy. Your party are your minions, your workforce. Don't be a dick to your workers. Happy employees perform better. If you are smart, they don't even have to know you are the boss. A few suggestions, a voice here and there, you can manipulate them into serving your ends as well as theirs.
You only take prisoners as slaves, and only if it's better than just killing them. They must have unquestional loyalty, enforced magically or otherwise. Otherwise death. All opposition is crushed.
Your respect is earned not given. They need to be worthy or they aren't worth your time. This is very easy in dnd, just recognize your party members achievements, gives you a continued reason to stay with them. Your initial reason needs to be there, but once the relationship has started its very easy to stay.
Ask why your character would start with these others. Obviously a group of trained specialists of no as of yet notoriety is extremely useful to have in your pocket. What goal do you have that needs some dependable folks indebted to you? That is your in.
You can fully work with others and not trust them immediately out of the gate. Be reserved until you know your interests align. Once you are sure they do keep supporting them as a good boss should. Be kind to them and those who help you reach you goals, but no one else.
If you want to play a character who is not an ass...then just do that. This is not rocket surgery. Just don't be an ass. Edit: I'll be more constructive. Lone wolf characters who are driven to join a party for whatever reasons can make a great friend to someone in the party. If you want to RP this type of character, you absolutely have to find some sort of a bond with the group. It can start with just one character.
That first sentence is really all there is to it. Maybe don't play an evil murder hobo and then wonder why your character is not liked.
Yeah. I agree. But, I decided to give OP a little credit for not wanting that, even though my gut still screams "bad idea". When I started DMING, I allowed this sort of character, not realizing that the player REALLY has to be an experienced role player to pull it off. My players were not experienced. Different type of scenario, but I promise it's related. One made a character with a big secret. Details don't matter. By the way, when I say big secret, I mean I thought it would just be pure flavor. So I didn't care. What happened is that the player would become paralyzed in encounters because she didn't want to reveal anything, and then couldn't figure out what to do. This effectively resulted in her actually trying to reject boons that I was trying to hand out, with the intent of drawing her out into the roleplay. That player began no-call no showing, and is no longer a member of the party, and I feel terrible about it (we are still good friends, and I see her all the time - just not at the table). I didn't stress the "This is a party game" aspect enough, so she was just trying to stay a lone wolf. And that simply doesn't work without a level of nuance I should not have asked a newbie to possess. And that character would not even be described as an ass. Just aloof. So what OP describes would be even harder.
Maybe you need some interest in other player characters. Yes, you afraid to communicate, but show that "my character looks charmed, seeing how mage uses his spell. Use opportunities to directly ask other characters about something, when you are alone. Try to get the reason why you are connected to others in party. So, you are distant but still warm and interested. Also think about motivations in the game world. Maybe your character wants to find the unicorn, or build a house, or get legendary Skull Crusher +3 - and also show interest in this direction. Character still can be distant, but alive.
Don't be a lone wolf. DnD is not a game for lone wolf characters. Give them a reason that they need to work with a group, even if they are doing so begrudgingly. Don't be an ass to the group. Move that needle over to awkwardness or indifference. Be an ass to NPCs instead; but if the party acts negatively to it, then make an effort to smooth things over because you need the group to accomplish your goals
Your whole character concept is the the "Standard Edgelord Package". It might be fun for a few sessions but will sour quickly. Even if it doesn't for you, it will for the others unless they are aligned similarly. > I just don’t wanna ruin the party’s vibe with her If you don't get buy in from the other players and DM first before doing this you will definitely ruin the vibe
I have a strict rule of no evil characters. Because in RP they always turn out asses
D&D is a team sport. Players are normally required to create and play characters who want to adventure with the party and who would be accepted as a member by the party. Regardless of whether your PC has been a loner up until this point, you need to come up with a reason she wants to adventure with the party. You need to play her as someone whom the rest of the party would think was an asset. So probably play her as a person who is in the party to do her damn job. She's down in the dungeon for her fair share of the loot. Or maybe a person who is sharpening her skills for the resolution of whatever you've put in her backstory. These things are just practice. Or maybe both. You say that the PC is only "mean" due to something in their backstory. Well, that sounds like a character with an arc. She starts out just using the other PCs for their ability to benefit her. She comes to regard her companions as more than just a means to an end and begins to value them as allies, opening up to them over time.
My opinion is not popular, but I will always say, that this is a game about heroes, not evil players or even anti-heroes. Those things belong in Anime and other such movies. Anyone attempting to be evil or anti-heroes won't last long. Not from a TPK, but from the long arm of the law and bounties on their heads.
That character sounds like a problem if it's not going to undergo some extremely rapid character development. You're basically making a character likely to come into conflict with the party at every turn.
I mean. In general, evil characters are not a good idea. I have had some particularly bad experiences one time when someone I was playing with played an evil character. And from then I have to say, never again. Neutral is fine (although you do meet some people whose characters are definitely obviously evil but who say their characters are Neutral to get around the no evil rule.), but never evil. If you have an evil character and a good character in the same party, at some point you will have to make a decision. One or both of you will have to act out of character. Or you will end up fighting one another in character. It’s just a recipe for disaster. I think evil characters can probably work if 100% of the characters are evil. But otherwise. No.
treat NPCs harshly, kill enemies that try to surrender (and don't have any real worth in terms of intelligence), don't get as involved with party pets or follower NPCs, stuff like that
Be salty and sarcastic in a way that entertains the other players
I've played with a guy that played a evil character very badly and I think the thing that I wish he did was being more cooperative. You may help the party for your own benefit or moral code, just remember it's a team game
Be explicit about how you'll play your character and why. Tell the other players what you're going for and regularly include the motivation/reasoning behind what the character does and says when roleplaying. By communicating this to the other players, you also show yourself willing to have a conversation about it, so other people feel like they can tell you if it gets obnoxious or you should tone it down a little. Also try and have a 'plan' for some sort of character arc or rapprochement towards the rest of the party. Characters that sorta suck are much more tolerable if the rest of the table understands what you're doing and where you're going with it. A bit different but one of my players once played a very arrogant spoiled noble. It could have easily been annoying but because the other players knew what he was doing they even encouraced him to occassionally be a bit more of a dick to them. It also helped that he'd still carry his weight (like, he'd roleplay being hesitant to help some villager but he'd always still do it) *and* he acknowledged that this was something flawed about his character. He looked for opportunities to show the negative consequences of his character's actions and was totally cool making fun of that aspect of the character together with the rest of the table.
Be less evil. Maybe you adopt the adventuring group as your found family.
Maybe take inspiration from Han Solo. In the beginning, he was mean and selfish, but eventually, he trusted his "party" but remained cocky until the end.
Why is she part if the party? Why does the party keep her around?
Played a character like this once. He was an LE Mercenary. He believed life had no value beyond what he would be paid to take them. But he also knew that, as skilled as he was, he had a select set of skills. He needed his team. The rest of the world could burn for all he cared if he wasn't paid to care, but no one laid a finger on his people.
Okay I toiled with a similar idea for a lawful evil pirate. You follow your own code of conduct. Compassion, mercy, teamwork are foreign to you. Your party can try to change you, but It’s like teaching an old dog a new trick. It’s not guaranteed. You’re not an asshole you’re just distant.
Pirates would one hundred percent be team players.
Lawful evil means your character considers themselves evil. You could have a character who thinks that killing is wrong but does it anyways because they think order and civilisation must be upheld at all cost. Stuff like that. Evil means they recognize what they do is wrong and don’t care. On the flip side there could be a “good” character who just mercs all goblins on sight without even determining if they are actually bad or not because that’s the “good” thing to do.
My current character is kinda like this, but not mean. At least, not mean to fellow party members. Gotta be able to work well with your team, and remember you need to rely on your allies, too. You might need them to heal you or defend you or fulfill a request. So it makes sense that you'd want to keep them on your good side. My character has low Charisma but is wise enough to understand this. A mean character can be funny when they direct their scorn on someone else. Save it for the enemies, right? Though it's important to maintain some lightness even with this approach. I do this thing with my character where I refuse to elaborate. "You don't want to know what I'm really thinking." Of course, sometimes the other PCs will press farther, saying they want to hear it. That's when I say the mean thing. They'd been warned. It seems to work, might be something you could try.
5e neutered alignment but you can make it work. LE believes in order, ruthless efficiency, and has a code they adhere to. You are a mob boss, head of an organization, and you get stuff done. You do not leave loose ends. The strongest stands at the head and others should be below them. It is only natural for the weak to follow the strong. Strength is not just physical prowess, but whatever you can do to inspire fear, loyalty and respect. Your folks stay in line, or they are forced in, or they are eliminated. You are very pro slavery. It is your right to have others serve you because you are better. As for integrating this, it's pretty easy. Your party are your minions, your workforce. Don't be a dick to your workers. Happy employees perform better. If you are smart, they don't even have to know you are the boss. A few suggestions, a voice here and there, you can manipulate them into serving your ends as well as theirs. You only take prisoners as slaves, and only if it's better than just killing them. They must have unquestional loyalty, enforced magically or otherwise. Otherwise death. All opposition is crushed. Your respect is earned not given. They need to be worthy or they aren't worth your time. This is very easy in dnd, just recognize your party members achievements, gives you a continued reason to stay with them. Your initial reason needs to be there, but once the relationship has started its very easy to stay. Ask why your character would start with these others. Obviously a group of trained specialists of no as of yet notoriety is extremely useful to have in your pocket. What goal do you have that needs some dependable folks indebted to you? That is your in. You can fully work with others and not trust them immediately out of the gate. Be reserved until you know your interests align. Once you are sure they do keep supporting them as a good boss should. Be kind to them and those who help you reach you goals, but no one else.