Killing for fun in a computer RPG is so-so sin, considering that most of the game we fight someone, and even a good hero can enjoy the sophisticated killing of some asshole. Think of Dragon Age Origin and Arl Rendon Howe, even the kindest heroes would like to torture him slowly and enjoy.
Killing humanoids for fun in PRGs by players happen mostly due to desensitization to violence towards humans in computer games. How many of those people kill the doggy for fun?
"Killing some asshole" is not the same as killing for pleasure because it is caused by empathy for the victims of the aforementioned asshole. Sociopaths, on the contrary, are not motivated by empathy but will understand motives of normal people as if they are motivated by pleasure because this is the only frame of reference for them.
It is normal for drow and people like Astarion to take pleasure in violence. What she did to Sazza is pretty good, goblins are dumb evil minions and it was a fun scene.
First of all, not all drow are like that. Most are but not all. Secondly, no matter how dumb is the minion, Sazza was ready to serve unquestionably and in that demonstrated a useful behavior, which characterize Minthara not only as a sociopath but also as a mentally inadequate.
The subject of determining whether she is absolute evil or not is her relationship with her compeer who are trying to be friends with her.
Again, sociopaths cannot have friend on the biological level. I don't like the "absolute evil" as a term in principle. Just let's say that she's a chaotic evil character with psychotic behavior.
My attention was drawn more to the scene with her fears, as well as the fact that she say words of regret, apologizes, and offers help after checking her beliefs. In my understanding, evil from absolute evil is distinguished by the fact that absolute evil would simply attack us of its own free will and there would be no unnecessary words and scenes. Like Kagha, by the way, but I hope it's just a bad writing job at EA.
Fear is a component of a survival instinct and has nothing to do with redeemable qualities. Regarding what she says, I wouldn't trust her even a second. Sociopaths are very skillful manipulators. At that point she's saving her skin and will tell anything necessary to sway you mind. And what's the point of attacking if you know you'll die right away?
She also must have had reasons to leave Lolth for the Absolute, when she talked about the drider it seemed to me that she disapproves of Lolth and is glad that nothing else is with her. She might have failed Lolth's test, or something like that. There is a reason we need to find out.
The reason is a tadpole, which makes her think a certain way.
I hear superficial charm is a prominent trait of the sociopath. My applause for the writers, judging from player reaction, Minthara and Asterion have that in the bag.
Indeed!
