Spoiler-Betrayer of Asgard Questions

[Hervé]

We will begin Betrayer of Asgard soon and one of my players created a new character that would fit into the campaign, an Aesir Barbarian 1/Scholar 5 Völva focusing on Frost Magic, Divination and Nature Magic styles. Actually, the character looks a lot like Irda, presented in the campaign.

She has chosen the Witch-sighted feat from Secrets of Skelos, an ability that gives her 'an unnatural sensitivity to sorcery and the surpernatural'.

The feat states the sorceress has a black mark somewhere on her body.

I was toying with the idea of making her the Betrayer, bearing the Mark of Logri the Binder.

Maybe she wouldn't remember what's happening when Logri takes control of her, acting thus against her will, or maybe she's serving knowingly the Necromancer, leading the other players to their doom...

I need your comments and advices about this.

 

[Demetrio]

I quite like the idea of 'pc as baddie' but it is as taboo in most groups as pc on pc violence, partly for the same reasons but also I think because it can require a collusion between GM and 'bad guy' player that seems to favour that player - they get 'special treatment'.

Practical considerations:

What if the pc in question dies? With an npc you can fudge more easily.

Is the group big enough? Wouldn't really work for us with just 2 pcs on the go in any given scenario. I'd say you'd want 4 or 5 pcs at least.

Will your players think it's a good thing when they discover the enemy in their midst. Will they say 'Wow, that was great' or will they think they've been unfairly hoodwinked? Bear in mind that most groups will simply not consider a pc enemy at all and thus will necessarily feel that you've dealt them a straight hand.

How will the player in question feel? Are they going to be happy with their character having been a GM stooge?

 

[Hervé]

Thanks for your answer, Demetrio.

The party size is no problem, as I have always 5-6 players at the table.

I know the player would just love being a traitor type, so that shouldn't be a problem either. Also, I know the other players would not take badly and it wouldn't cause any hard feelings (like the ones Style experienced in the 'Demonic Pact' thread). Treason has already been present in some of our games (not in Conan), but so far it has been a player's choice rather than a GM plot.

What happens if she get discovered is more a problem. There hasn't been any scholar in the group yet, and Conan oblige, my players are quite distrustful of sorcerers, so I guess they'll keep a watchful eye on her.

The adventure proposes already three different NPCs to chose from as being the betrayer, and you don't have to chose from the start, letting the game flow and the players actions decide.

Should she get killed, it will always be possible for one of the original NPCs to be 'The Hand'.

Maybe making her an unknowing pawn of Logri, with no memories of what she has done when she's under control, would spoil less the adventure.