That excuse is weak sauce, Antipaladin! Everyone knows that hair washing is impossible for fire genasi. Of course, if the fate of the world is on the line, you’ve got to go with whatever justification springs to mind.

This year’s Halloween comic comes courtesy of our latest Patreon poll. When we asked our Quest Givers to choose the form of the destructor, Antipaladin’s Boss was a hands-down winner. Unfortunately for the being which lurks beyond Patches the Unkicked’s fragile doggy psyche, employee relations seem a bit strained.

You see, when you’re evil, you’ll every so often be called upon to do the VERY BAD THING. And when that VERY BAD THING involves bringing about the apocalypse, you’ve got some serious character choices to make. Whether you’re a death knight, an antipaladin, or a stark-raving Cthulhu cultist, chances are that you’re serving more than one master. And no, I’m not talking about the murderer’s row of dark deities clogging up the pantheon.

Like we discussed way back in “Puppy Kicking,” evil characters are allowed to have complex motivations. Perhaps you want the satisfaction of personal revenge before the world blows up. Maybe you’ve got loved ones. There might be promises of wealth and power and easy living on the Cayman Islands. But if you’ve got anything at all in your backstory beyond “I am a devoted servant of the dark powers,” then pulling the trigger on Armageddon should give you pause.

That is in part because the end of the world usually means the end of the campaign. Unless you’re down for some kind of wacky alternate reality reboot, following this particular it’s-what-my-character-would-do rabbit down its rabbit hole doesn’t lead to Wonderland. It’s leads to the awful, black abyss of an ended campaign.

So in honor of the day after Halloween, what do you say we talk about those moments of apocalypse narrowly-averted? When did your group almost destroy the world? How did you avert disaster? Tell us all about your latest brush with Devil’s Night down in the comments!

ADD SOME NSFW TO YOUR FANTASY! If you’ve ever been curious about that Handbook of Erotic Fantasy banner down at the bottom of the page, then you should check out the “Quest Giver” reward level over on The Handbook of Heroes Patreon. Twice a month you’ll get to see what the Handbook cast get up to when the lights go out. Adults only, 18+ years of age, etc. etc.