Secret society of the wealthy and powerful controlling the fate of a city or an entire nation.It's actually a diversion set up by rich parents to give their kids a diversion and they have only the illusion of power.
>>54342317
Evil cultists trying to summon and ancient and terrible evilIn order to fight off a bigger and more powerful evil already awakening at this minute
>>54342317
Evil Emperor oppresses his people and strips the land of resourcesHe is using the resources he extorts to fight off a much worse evil that would destroy the world
>Evil overlord has some pretty good points, and isn't as much evil, as opposed to the bigoted and backwards "good".Or-r-r-r he's actually an evil bastard after all, just good with excuses.[/spoilers]
>>54342317
The corrupt governor is in cahoots with the mobOnly because he owes them a blood debt because he had to rely on them in the past to save his wife
>>54342657
Isn't that just Fable 3? No one's gonna fuck around playing fantasy realtor long enough to actually do it the 'good' way.
>>54342317
Good king fighting the good fight is actually good with no sinister motive
>>54342685
The setting I'm running right now has a Lich who rules the empire and collects bodies and weapons to make his undead army then immediately marches it into the ocean to fight off the waves of Great Old One minions spewing out of a rift to the Far Plane.
He's absolutely a petulant self centered dick, but he isn't randomly killing people and he actually does have a good reason to be doing what he is doing.
Plus you can't even say he would be better off letting the heroes handle it, since he has like 10 levels on them and a corps of high level death knights and warlocks. He is 100% the most qualified person to be fighting this war.
The bard's song and shameless flirting has placated the dragoness, and she keeps asking if he'd like to stop in later that night.He had absolutely no effect on her, and she plans on Dominating him, instead, to make a TPK easier for her.
>>54344559
>she plans on Dominating him
Is this not what he wanted to begin with?
In a modern setting, the party is escorting an accomplished sharpshooter - he really just needs a front line of meatshields, but the extra help is nice. Ambushed by a trio of bandits, he calls his shots:
>"Three bullets - right through each heart."
Three loud BANGs ring out, and the action pauses.After a second, the bandits look around - none of them have even gotten grazed by a bullet.A dead hawk falls from the sky, knocking one unconscious. Half a moment later,
a loosened boulder flattens the other two.
The sharpshooter kicks the trunk of the tree next to him, and the corpse of a fourth bandit falls out.
>"...well, I hit two hearts, at least."
The king sends the party off to kill a ferocious dragon he says has been terrorizing his city.They instead find in its cave a somewhat surprised sphinx practicing fluidly telling new riddles. After accidentally demoralizing her (the riddle's easy), she tells them the old codger's senile, and there hasn't been a dragon there in decades.
>>54344640
Meant a Dominate Person-like ability/spell, but I like the cut of your jib.How would she manage it, aside from using him as a living dildo?
>>54344640
it's what I'd want if I were him
>>54345353
You can't kiss. You have a beak.