How should your character acknowledge the outcast tag?

[Bazelgeuse]

I've been stumped on this for a long while, when you encounter a character with the Outcast tag.

How would your character know that said outcast is not welcome in society? I know I could DM the person and ask, but I'm not really comfortable adding the OOC element to things unless I need to. (example: "Hey, are you okay with a raise?" after a fight)

I've seen a few descriptions that have "This character was banished from <place> for <crime>" which is really helpful, but I'm not sure what to do in cases where I've got nothing to work with.

[Spriggan Bride]

I'd treat it like a vibe. Something about their presence creeps you out but you don't know what exactly. Like, sometimes in real life you encounter someone that you just know is bad news.

Or more likely I'd let it go and see what develops. If your character doesn't know who they are or what they did you don't have to know they're an outcast at first glance, it's probably more interesting for story purposes if you find out they're an outcast after getting to know them a little first.

[DM Poppy]

The Outcast Tag is a notification that can be treated as IC Information.

Personally, I have considered things such as washed up or blown around "WANTED" and "BEWARE" posters that you can vaguely recognise them from, Snippets in newpapers etc etc. Things that I could associate with the face infront of me. But I also tend to avoid any sort of understanding of the gravity of their actions.

So. You are aware that this person is potentially a criminal and they are potentially dangerous. So you should treat them with suspicion. But you are certainly free to open up an interaction with them and engage with them RP Wise. The Outcast tag does not point them out to be on death row where ever they are found.

[Twohand]

I'm not particularly fond of it, so I just ignore the tag.

[Hazard]

I used to treat it as a 'This person is well known/infamous for vague bad-guyness and is unwelcome.'
.. But then people started asking "What did I do? Tell me one thing I did." and crowds would start forming insisting that they haven't done anything wrong, you have no proof, etc.

After enough times of this happening, I've just started to ignore it. Not really worth the headache.

[D4wN]

I personally RP recognising an outcast by some sort of brand that was applied to them at some point. Much like a mark or a tattoo. I don’t know what they did, but I know it must have been terrible for them to wear a brand like that.

[Good Character]

I wished the outcast tag would require players to add a permanent snippet to their description describing why they're a known outcast. Limit it by the amount of characters to avoid overly long descriptions.

[Bazelgeuse]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I've got a better idea of what I should do.

I wished the outcast tag would require players to add a permanent snippet to their description describing why they're a known outcast. Limit it by the amount of characters to avoid overly long descriptions.

This would be really cool. Sometimes having to fill in a prompt about a character helps me figure out what they're like,

[Morgy]

The outcast tag is really baffling. It should come with a requirement to describe, vaguely, how the marked person is known. Currently it's notoriously awkward to RP around.

[In Sorrow We Trust]

I just ignore it and let things develop on their own. I feel like having no clue is a valid angle too.

[Rei_Jin]

For Surface characters based out of Cordor, I would say that it's totally appropriate to RP that Amnian authorities gave the name and a likeness of an outcast out as information on a wanted list to look out for, as someone wanted for crimes undisclosed.

What did they do? Not our problem to prosecute, but Amn says they're wanted.

Where do I stand in relation to Amn? That's how I frame my response to an outcast, if I am a Cordorian.

Adjust to suit the oversight body for the location you're in.

If there was such a thing as an Outcast for Andunor, it'd be decided by the Hubmaster... no-one messes with the Hubmaster, so if this person is persona non grata, then only a fool would associate with them, or even be seen near them.

[chris a gogo]

The only issue with it really is the OOC knowledge that they have to be from the UD so you get players using this OOC knowledge in character.
I generally use the tag as has been mentioned my character may of seen a wanted poster somewhere and they look similar.
Everything else from the interaction is created in character.

[magistrasa]

The whole Outcast system could use a narrative revamp, honestly. The idea that you or your family have committed crimes on the surface so heinous that you have that kind of widespread notoriety at level one is already difficult enough to wrap one's head around - but then there's the leap in logic at the fact that your crimes on the surface have led you to seek out a new life in the Underdark, of all places. What? And, as mentioned in the post above, recognizing the proliferated description of a criminal automatically leads to some bizarre logical conclusion that they're universally going to be from the Underdark. It's silly, top to bottom; and, as evident in this thread, it's difficult to roleplay around naturally. What exactly is the reason for implementing all these narrative contrivances in the first place?

Well, whatever the reason behind it, my point is that we can at least give the system a better framework for storytelling than we currently have to work with now.

[Cthuletta]

I've definitely been in the position that I see a marked outcast, and my character comments on it... buuut what exactly are they commenting on? Cause I have no idea.
Maybe there can be something like a chat prompt when you get the Outcast Tag either at creation or later on, and you can pick the kind you have.
A brand, a tattoo, wanted posters..
It could look something like this.

This person has a tattoo, marking them as an Outcast from society.

Simple, to the point, leads to more clarification or even an opportunity to generate RP.
If 'This person has wanted posters, marking them as an Outcast from society', did your character ever SEE them? That's up to you! What about a brand? Does your character know what that brand means? Again, up to you!
The outcast themselves can add a little blurb to their bio, describing that tattoo, or branding, or wanted poster. Not required, but could be fun!

[MissEvelyn]

I used to treat it as a 'This person is well known/infamous for vague bad-guyness and is unwelcome.'
.. But then people started asking "What did I do? Tell me one thing I did." and crowds would start forming insisting that they haven't done anything wrong, you have no proof, etc.

After enough times of this happening, I've just started to ignore it. Not really worth the headache.

This sounds like something that needs to be reported, even if not directly a rule breach. I imagine the DMs would love the opportunity to have a constructive conversation with this player about their roleplay as an Outcast, but the DMs don't get that opportunity if we don't report stuff like this.

[Morgy]

I used to treat it as a 'This person is well known/infamous for vague bad-guyness and is unwelcome.'
.. But then people started asking "What did I do? Tell me one thing I did." and crowds would start forming insisting that they haven't done anything wrong, you have no proof, etc.

After enough times of this happening, I've just started to ignore it. Not really worth the headache.

This sounds like something that needs to be reported, even if not directly a rule breach. I imagine the DMs would love the opportunity to have a constructive conversation with this player about their roleplay as an Outcast, but the DMs don't get that opportunity if we don't report stuff like this.

Whilst you are right that it should be reported - it's still a daft system, and they are under no requirement to /say/ what they did either.. so why do we IC detest/fear this PC so much, with not even a slight hint as to why?

Best bet would be mandatory bio entry, but if that's too hard to implement/monitor, a pre-selected 'path' for outcast history, that shows in the biography, would be better than current.

[LichBait]

I tend to not acknowledge it personally.

[Eyeliner]

The whole Outcast system could use a narrative revamp, honestly. The idea that you or your family have committed crimes on the surface so heinous that you have that kind of widespread notoriety at level one is already difficult enough to wrap one's head around - but then there's the leap in logic at the fact that your crimes on the surface have led you to seek out a new life in the Underdark, of all places. What? And, as mentioned in the post above, recognizing the proliferated description of a criminal automatically leads to some bizarre logical conclusion that they're universally going to be from the Underdark. It's silly, top to bottom; and, as evident in this thread, it's difficult to roleplay around naturally. What exactly is the reason for implementing all these narrative contrivances in the first place?

Well, whatever the reason behind it, my point is that we can at least give the system a better framework for storytelling than we currently have to work with now.

I could see making Outcast require a normal award and be the equivalent of the Guildorand start, so you join the Underdark at level 16 where you could conceivably be powerful enough to have done something deserving of having to escape to down there.

[Party in the forest at midnight]

One of the better interactions I had when my character was magistrate of Guldorand, was people came to him about a slaver who was coming into the city trying to lure people into becoming slaves. When I finally met the character to issue them pariah, I saw they were actually an outcast! Not once during any of the information gathering did anyone bring that up. The real problem with the person was they were a slaver.

This has reshaped how I approach interacting with the outcast tag. I'm not going to RP it anymore, I'm going to deal with individual actions.

[Lacki]

For my outcast, I straight up put a few very clear hints in his description that (especially when combined with his name) make it pretty obvious what he did. I think that method, which allows for the dots to be connected, is better than saying /outright/ the dirty details of what they did through their brand. To me, being an outcast just means that you're Very Bad News, so horrifically twisted that your evil is literally better suited to the Underdark than the surface.

Spriggan Bride has it spot on - at least in my interpretation - that it's a vibe. There's something wrong with the person in front you. Something awfully uncanny. Something that triggers a reflex in the back of your mind that you only really feel when gazing upon monsters or monstrous creatures. And, as you look at them more and potentially see things that identify what they've done, the pieces slowly begin falling together to reveal that the creature before you IS a monster, just one cloaked in human flesh.

[magistrasa]

To me, being an outcast just means that you're Very Bad News, so horrifically twisted that your evil is literally better suited to the Underdark than the surface. [...] the creature before you IS a monster, just one cloaked in human flesh.

Forgive me if I'm working off of completely out-of-date info here, but can't Outcasts still be made with the Neutral alignment?

[Baronze]

Outcast Description Suggestion

[Lacki]

To me, being an outcast just means that you're Very Bad News, so horrifically twisted that your evil is literally better suited to the Underdark than the surface. [...] the creature before you IS a monster, just one cloaked in human flesh.

Forgive me if I'm working off of completely out-of-date info here, but can't Outcasts still be made with the Neutral alignment?

I don't remember it being an option when I made my Outcast - I thought I saw that it was Evil only. I could easily be mistaken, but even if I am, Outcasts being capable of being neutral doesn't sound right.

[magistrasa]

Outcasts are typically native to the island of Arelith but have done (or been convincingly accused of) a crime or act so horrible that civilization has cast them out, refusing to deal with them at all. With all other settlements unwilling to accept them, Outcasts start in Andunor and are fluent in Undercommon as a result.

Only non-good Humans and Half-Orcs may select the Outcast background at character creation.

Neutral Outcasts are an intended option to enable people to say they'd been falsely accused of whatever nondescript crime landed them in the Underferry to begin with. Considering how many people don't read the wiki before playing the game, I'm not surprised this guideline isn't reflected in the typical Outcast.

[Eyeliner]

Neutral could be falsely accused, could be guilty but had a strong reason (eg lawful neutral who did something perceived as evil that they thought had to be done), could tinge on evil but also be wracked with guilt, could be pure chaos where good and evil don't matter... There are a lot of ways to go. Most underdark races have the neutral option even drow.