People juggle multiple jobs at a time. There is no reason OP's character cannot juggle multiple goals at the same time. Nick picking on a character's ability to multitask is like questioning your parents ability to raise multiple kids at once, work their jobs, and take care of all the chores around the house. Come on guys.
OP cited as their inspiration a rather famous fictional character whose inability to "multitask" and obsession with their mission is their primary character trait, so I wouldn't call it nitpicking
Sticking with your analogy, it's like questioning your parent's ability to raise kids after that parent says their role model is the dad from A Boy Named Sue
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
People juggle multiple jobs at a time. There is no reason OP's character cannot juggle multiple goals at the same time. Nick picking on a character's ability to multitask is like questioning your parents ability to raise multiple kids at once, work their jobs, and take care of all the chores around the house. Come on guys.
OP cited as their inspiration a rather famous fictional character whose inability to "multitask" and obsession with their mission is their primary character trait, so I wouldn't call it nitpicking
Sticking with your analogy, it's like questioning your parent's ability to raise kids after that parent says their role model is the dad from A Boy Named Sue
You mean the character who was so fixated on Jean Valjean that he had a very successful career, with sometimes decades between Valjean sightings, and who was perfectly capable of infiltrating a group that (as far as he knew at the time) had nothing to do with Valjean?
His character is fixated on Valjean, but is still able to not only function, but excel in his day job.
People juggle multiple jobs at a time. There is no reason OP's character cannot juggle multiple goals at the same time. Nick picking on a character's ability to multitask is like questioning your parents ability to raise multiple kids at once, work their jobs, and take care of all the chores around the house. Come on guys.
OP cited as their inspiration a rather famous fictional character whose inability to "multitask" and obsession with their mission is their primary character trait, so I wouldn't call it nitpicking
Sticking with your analogy, it's like questioning your parent's ability to raise kids after that parent says their role model is the dad from A Boy Named Sue
You mean the character who was so fixated on Jean Valjean that he had a very successful career, with sometimes decades between Valjean sightings, and who was perfectly capable of infiltrating a group that (as far as he knew at the time) had nothing to do with Valjean?
His character is fixated on Valjean, but is still able to not only function, but excel in his day job.
Yes, when people bring up Javert as a character template, they're totally referring to what a successful cop he was
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
"Hey, I'm thinking of making a PC based on Othello" "Oh wow, that's a wild idea. Is your self-destructive jealousy going to be directed toward another party member, or an NPC?" "Stop making assumptions! Maybe they just meant the character was a brilliant general."
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
People juggle multiple jobs at a time. There is no reason OP's character cannot juggle multiple goals at the same time. Nick picking on a character's ability to multitask is like questioning your parents ability to raise multiple kids at once, work their jobs, and take care of all the chores around the house. Come on guys.
OP cited as their inspiration a rather famous fictional character whose inability to "multitask" and obsession with their mission is their primary character trait, so I wouldn't call it nitpicking
Sticking with your analogy, it's like questioning your parent's ability to raise kids after that parent says their role model is the dad from A Boy Named Sue
Javert did not abandon his job for the sole task of pursuing Valjean though. There is no reason OP's character cannot do his job as a member of the party and pursue their personal interest at the same time.
"Hey, I'm thinking of making a PC based on Othello" "Oh wow, that's a wild idea. Is your self-destructive jealousy going to be directed toward another party member, or an NPC?" "Stop making assumptions! Maybe they just meant the character was a brilliant general."
That…. Isn’t actually a good parody of the conversation. A more apt comparison would be:
"Hey, I'm thinking of making a PC based on Othello"
"Oh wow, that's a terrible idea and you would never work. To have your self-destructive jealousy directed at another party member."
“Actually, no, you are assuming it would be against a player, but it will be at an NPC.”
”Well, it is still a bad idea because it will interfere with your ability to do anything and will inevitably drive a wedge between you and the party.”
”Well, no, the character actually does have emotional depth and other skills, and while that is one pretty darn important facet of his personality, it does not preclude him from having other motivations, especially if his underlying jealousy stems from a trait that is congruent with the party’s ends.”
People juggle multiple jobs at a time. There is no reason OP's character cannot juggle multiple goals at the same time. Nick picking on a character's ability to multitask is like questioning your parents ability to raise multiple kids at once, work their jobs, and take care of all the chores around the house. Come on guys.
OP cited as their inspiration a rather famous fictional character whose inability to "multitask" and obsession with their mission is their primary character trait, so I wouldn't call it nitpicking
Sticking with your analogy, it's like questioning your parent's ability to raise kids after that parent says their role model is the dad from A Boy Named Sue
Javert did not abandon his job for the sole task of pursuing Valjean though. There is no reason OP's character cannot do his job as a member of the party and pursue their personal interest at the same time.
Yeah.
Having a goal does not mean that the character cannot do other things or will screw over the party at the first chance to advance it. Even for an evil or selfish motivation, a character could realize working with the party, even if it means carrying out tasks that don't always relate back to their goal, will still be more likely to succeed than going solo.
Especially in a case like this where, even if the character has the goal of 'find that dead criminal in hell,' does not preclude them from also wanting to STOP things from hell from spilling out of the yawaning portal too.
So, the only thing I'm seeing here is that no Paladin oath really fits the bill. Vengeance seems to, but if you're just out for one man, then none of your features or promises make sense. Edit: What I mean is, you'll only ever get to play to type like once or twice in the whole campaign. The rest of the time you'll be swearing revenge on wolves and stuff. Enemies that aren't your nemesis at all. Maybe if he's a part of a larger group of baddies?
If your oath isn't about vengeance, then I'd imagine your oath will eventually come into conflict with your quest for vengeance. That could be interesting, but idk if that's what you're after. An oath like Ancients or Crown could provide you the framework to decide what crime this nemesis of yours committed in the first place.
Javert did not abandon his job for the sole task of pursuing Valjean though. There is no reason OP's character cannot do his job as a member of the party and pursue their personal interest at the same time.
Let's try this again, since y'all seem to think it was so unreasonable to even ask this question:
If, as part of the main campaign quest, your Javert finds their Jean Valjean, or even just a clue to their whereabouts... would your character chase after them? Or would you stay on mission?
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Javert did not abandon his job for the sole task of pursuing Valjean though. There is no reason OP's character cannot do his job as a member of the party and pursue their personal interest at the same time.
Let's try this again, since y'all seem to think it was so unreasonable to even ask this question:
If, as part of the main campaign quest, your Javert finds their Jean Valjean, or even just a clue to their whereabouts... would your character chase after them? Or would you stay on mission?
It's an interesting question that's best left unanswered until such a time as it occurs. And until that time, you should try and get a read on how your play group feels about it.
Javert did not abandon his job for the sole task of pursuing Valjean though. There is no reason OP's character cannot do his job as a member of the party and pursue their personal interest at the same time.
Let's try this again, since y'all seem to think it was so unreasonable to even ask this question:
If, as part of the main campaign quest, your Javert finds their Jean Valjean, or even just a clue to their whereabouts... would your character chase after them? Or would you stay on mission?
It is not unreasonable to ask, but the attitude and tone you are giving off is leaving the impression that you are just trying to find some kind of reason to say no.
We already know that the campaign involves going to hell, so it really is not that difficult for the OP's character to take care of some personal business too while he is doing his job.
Javert still did his job as he chased after Valjean. There is no reason that OP's character could not keep tabs on his prey with Scrying (assuming vengeance paladin) while working with the adventuring party.
People, the whole point of Inspector Javert in Les Miserables was that he was obsessed and went to ludicrously unreasonable lengths to pursue Valjean. Whether or not he was effective at his job outside of that obsession was beside the point. I don't know if that's what OP is meaning but that is what calling someone an Inspector Javert means.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Javert did not abandon his job for the sole task of pursuing Valjean though. There is no reason OP's character cannot do his job as a member of the party and pursue their personal interest at the same time.
Let's try this again, since y'all seem to think it was so unreasonable to even ask this question:
If, as part of the main campaign quest, your Javert finds their Jean Valjean, or even just a clue to their whereabouts... would your character chase after them? Or would you stay on mission?
It is not unreasonable to ask, but the attitude and tone you are giving off is leaving the impression that you are just trying to find some kind of reason to say no.
We already know that the campaign involves going to hell, so it really is not that difficult for the OP's character to take care of some personal business too while he is doing his job.
Javert still did his job as he chased after Valjean. There is no reason that OP's character could not keep tabs on his prey with Scrying (assuming vengeance paladin) while working with the adventuring party.
While I agree it is reasonable for the character to continue staying on mission, there are two other thoughts I had, less to respond to you, and more so the OP can start thinking ahead and planning as needed.
1. This situation is the result of bad DMing. A DM with this kind of character shouldn’t be so foolish as to create a situation which could lead to an irreconcilable situation for the party. It could be easily solved by having the target’s soul trapped on a deep layer of Hell (and thus toward the end of the campaign and requiring a party to get to), and then either putting this secondary objective only a little out of the way of the primary objectives or have the soul be a prisoner at some facility that they must go to anyway as part of the primary objective.
2. Even if the player was the kind of person who would run off at the drop of a hat when they hear a rumour, the player has the easy solution of working with their DM and preparing for that ahead of time. “Ah, I heard the soul is over here, bye everybody! Howdy, my name is Balzor, the Tiefling Rogue, and I appear quite lost. It is a pleasure to meet your party, would you mind if I grouped with you?” Having a backup character so no one has to sit through a solo adventure is a simple, easy solution to one character slipping off on their own.
Or they could figure something else out - like the party being emotionally invested in their ally enough to help him and follow him (not more than once though - once is a fun side quest; more than that is a distraction that borders on main character syndrome). Plenty of solutions to a problem that shouldn’t be game breaking in the first place if the DM is halfway competent.
Let's put the literary analysis aside for a minute
Someone playing a character with a specific goal that they're fixated on to the point of obsession is always going to have to consider -- preferably in advance -- what happens if their character's personal obsession interferes with the party's goals
If the answer to that is, "There'd be no conflict, I'd just ignore the obsession if it wasn't convenient", then it's not much of an obsession, is it?
This is why I've kept suggesting that maybe that isn't what's really motivating the character at all. That horrible criminal who "escaped" justice can be an important element of your backstory, absolutely. It can even be what your characters tells people is their motivation. As a reason for your PC to become an adventurer though, it doesn't fit, even in a campaign with a fairly narrow focus like this one seems to be. From a storytelling perspective, there's a piece to the puzzle missing that's going to keep them on mission, even when their obsession comes into view
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Personally I think a little inter-party drama can be interesting, and the tension of the character's motivation between the group's motivation, and just how trustworthy this character is, is compelling.
I don't think the character having two goals means its somehow IMPOSSIBLE for them to work as a group, it just means there will be tension between them and the group, but again, tension/drama is often interesting, and interesting things are why we play the game. And I can think of a bunch of reasons why this character would stick to the group mission alongside their personal mission, so I'm not worried that a good enough reason doesn't exist.
And as far as Javert goes, I think it just needs to be stated that being inspired by a certain fictional character doesn't obligate you to make a perfect reproduction of that character. Characters are made up of different components, and being inspired by the character can mean being inspired by any combination of parts of them, excluding others. It sounds like OP likes the idea of playing a relentless pursuer of a specific idea of Justice, and I'm going out on a limb and saying maybe they're not so much inspired by the crippling inability to deviate from that idea in the slightest.
It sounds like OP likes the idea of playing a relentless pursuer of a specific idea of Justice, and I'm going out on a limb and saying maybe they're not so much inspired by the crippling inability to deviate from that idea in the slightest.
I mean sure, but they referenced Javert and not, say, Inigo Montoya. There's only so far you can get away from those implications before the reference ceases to carry any weight
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
It sounds like OP likes the idea of playing a relentless pursuer of a specific idea of Justice, and I'm going out on a limb and saying maybe they're not so much inspired by the crippling inability to deviate from that idea in the slightest.
I mean sure, but they referenced Javert and not, say, Inigo Montoya. There's only so far you can get away from those implications before the reference ceases to carry any weight
The difference being Javert is Lawful, he is incensed by Jean Valjean escaping The System's justice. Inigo is Chaotic, and wants the six fingered man to face HIS justice, f*ck the system. Inigo doesn't strike me as the type to consider death an escape, since death is what he's after.
There's enough of a difference to be getting along with.
As people have said, even Javert is not so single minded that he can't do other things than chase his obsession. A character with an obsession to go after this dead rival in hell could also want to stop demons from pouring out of the yawning portal. It is entirely possible for characters to have individual goals but still work as a group. To understand that even if every waking moment with the group isn't spent pursuing their personal goal, they're still able to more effectively pursue it as a group.
It's been a long time, but from what I remember his downfall wasn't because he was obsessed with Valjean, at least not directly. Bur rather than Valjean sparing his life throws his black and white worldview into question and he's unable to reconcile it with the moral ambiguity of reality anymore. While this conflict ends in tragedy for Javert, it could make for a great character arc for an NPC with a less grim ending. If the player wants to explore that.
*shrugs* I have seen this OP begin to second guess perfectly serviceable ideas because they get barraged by folks who make assumptions about their campaign, group, etc. That’s not cool, and I’d hate to see it happen to OP again.
No, not really. But we do have a case where we often get very little information about the campaign, whether or not the poster has talked to the GM/group and so on which leads to the fact that the answer will always be some kind of iteration of "talk to your GM" or possibly "that's a very niché character that will require a very niché campaign".
And as a general reminder to everyone, the original question that was asked is not whether or not Javert is a good cop or if he would make a good PC, the actual question is whether or not it's a "reasonable" reason to become an adventurer to pursue an enemy that has been punished into hell just to be able to punish them some more. Since that is a very specific task bordering on the brink of obsession (at least the way OP described it) then the answer, again, will have to be something along the lines of "that's very niché and might be difficult to fit into a campaign". It's not really the kind of life goal that lends itself to hunting gnolls or other kinds of "adventuring".
*shrugs* I have seen this OP begin to second guess perfectly serviceable ideas because they get barraged by folks who make assumptions about their campaign, group, etc. That’s not cool, and I’d hate to see it happen to OP again.
No, not really. But we do have a case where we often get very little information about the campaign, whether or not the poster has talked to the GM/group and so on which leads to the fact that the answer will always be some kind of iteration of "talk to your GM" or possibly "that's a very niché character that will require a very niché campaign".
And as a general reminder to everyone, the original question that was asked is not whether or not Javert is a good cop or if he would make a good PC, the actual question is whether or not it's a "reasonable" reason to become an adventurer to pursue an enemy that has been punished into hell just to be able to punish them some more. Since that is a very specific task bordering on the brink of obsession (at least the way OP described it) then the answer, again, will have to be something along the lines of "that's very niché and might be difficult to fit into a campaign". It's not really the kind of life goal that lends itself to hunting gnolls or other kinds of "adventuring".
In the OP yes, and people did make note of that. But now that the OP has elaborated and explained that the campaign involves going to hell anyway, that helps to make this motivation more feasible to carry out.
It's still an obsession of course, only the most obsessed of people would see being in hell as an 'escape' from their just punishment, but there's no point in discussing the topic only on the OP when further posts have elaborated on the situation.
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OP cited as their inspiration a rather famous fictional character whose inability to "multitask" and obsession with their mission is their primary character trait, so I wouldn't call it nitpicking
Sticking with your analogy, it's like questioning your parent's ability to raise kids after that parent says their role model is the dad from A Boy Named Sue
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
You mean the character who was so fixated on Jean Valjean that he had a very successful career, with sometimes decades between Valjean sightings, and who was perfectly capable of infiltrating a group that (as far as he knew at the time) had nothing to do with Valjean?
His character is fixated on Valjean, but is still able to not only function, but excel in his day job.
Yes, when people bring up Javert as a character template, they're totally referring to what a successful cop he was
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
This is genuinely hilarious to me.
"Hey, I'm thinking of making a PC based on Othello"
"Oh wow, that's a wild idea. Is your self-destructive jealousy going to be directed toward another party member, or an NPC?"
"Stop making assumptions! Maybe they just meant the character was a brilliant general."
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Javert did not abandon his job for the sole task of pursuing Valjean though. There is no reason OP's character cannot do his job as a member of the party and pursue their personal interest at the same time.
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D&D with High School Students by Bill Allen; Season 1 Episode 1: < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52NJTUDokyk&t >
That…. Isn’t actually a good parody of the conversation. A more apt comparison would be:
"Hey, I'm thinking of making a PC based on Othello"
"Oh wow, that's a terrible idea and you would never work. To have your self-destructive jealousy directed at another party member."
“Actually, no, you are assuming it would be against a player, but it will be at an NPC.”
”Well, it is still a bad idea because it will interfere with your ability to do anything and will inevitably drive a wedge between you and the party.”
”Well, no, the character actually does have emotional depth and other skills, and while that is one pretty darn important facet of his personality, it does not preclude him from having other motivations, especially if his underlying jealousy stems from a trait that is congruent with the party’s ends.”
Yeah.
Having a goal does not mean that the character cannot do other things or will screw over the party at the first chance to advance it. Even for an evil or selfish motivation, a character could realize working with the party, even if it means carrying out tasks that don't always relate back to their goal, will still be more likely to succeed than going solo.
Especially in a case like this where, even if the character has the goal of 'find that dead criminal in hell,' does not preclude them from also wanting to STOP things from hell from spilling out of the yawaning portal too.
So, the only thing I'm seeing here is that no Paladin oath really fits the bill. Vengeance seems to, but if you're just out for one man, then none of your features or promises make sense. Edit: What I mean is, you'll only ever get to play to type like once or twice in the whole campaign. The rest of the time you'll be swearing revenge on wolves and stuff. Enemies that aren't your nemesis at all. Maybe if he's a part of a larger group of baddies?
If your oath isn't about vengeance, then I'd imagine your oath will eventually come into conflict with your quest for vengeance. That could be interesting, but idk if that's what you're after. An oath like Ancients or Crown could provide you the framework to decide what crime this nemesis of yours committed in the first place.
Let's try this again, since y'all seem to think it was so unreasonable to even ask this question:
If, as part of the main campaign quest, your Javert finds their Jean Valjean, or even just a clue to their whereabouts... would your character chase after them? Or would you stay on mission?
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
It's an interesting question that's best left unanswered until such a time as it occurs. And until that time, you should try and get a read on how your play group feels about it.
It is not unreasonable to ask, but the attitude and tone you are giving off is leaving the impression that you are just trying to find some kind of reason to say no.
We already know that the campaign involves going to hell, so it really is not that difficult for the OP's character to take care of some personal business too while he is doing his job.
Javert still did his job as he chased after Valjean. There is no reason that OP's character could not keep tabs on his prey with Scrying (assuming vengeance paladin) while working with the adventuring party.
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Running the Game by Matt Colville; Introduction: < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-YZvLUXcR8 >
D&D with High School Students by Bill Allen; Season 1 Episode 1: < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52NJTUDokyk&t >
People, the whole point of Inspector Javert in Les Miserables was that he was obsessed and went to ludicrously unreasonable lengths to pursue Valjean. Whether or not he was effective at his job outside of that obsession was beside the point. I don't know if that's what OP is meaning but that is what calling someone an Inspector Javert means.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
While I agree it is reasonable for the character to continue staying on mission, there are two other thoughts I had, less to respond to you, and more so the OP can start thinking ahead and planning as needed.
1. This situation is the result of bad DMing. A DM with this kind of character shouldn’t be so foolish as to create a situation which could lead to an irreconcilable situation for the party. It could be easily solved by having the target’s soul trapped on a deep layer of Hell (and thus toward the end of the campaign and requiring a party to get to), and then either putting this secondary objective only a little out of the way of the primary objectives or have the soul be a prisoner at some facility that they must go to anyway as part of the primary objective.
2. Even if the player was the kind of person who would run off at the drop of a hat when they hear a rumour, the player has the easy solution of working with their DM and preparing for that ahead of time. “Ah, I heard the soul is over here, bye everybody! Howdy, my name is Balzor, the Tiefling Rogue, and I appear quite lost. It is a pleasure to meet your party, would you mind if I grouped with you?” Having a backup character so no one has to sit through a solo adventure is a simple, easy solution to one character slipping off on their own.
Or they could figure something else out - like the party being emotionally invested in their ally enough to help him and follow him (not more than once though - once is a fun side quest; more than that is a distraction that borders on main character syndrome). Plenty of solutions to a problem that shouldn’t be game breaking in the first place if the DM is halfway competent.
Let's put the literary analysis aside for a minute
Someone playing a character with a specific goal that they're fixated on to the point of obsession is always going to have to consider -- preferably in advance -- what happens if their character's personal obsession interferes with the party's goals
If the answer to that is, "There'd be no conflict, I'd just ignore the obsession if it wasn't convenient", then it's not much of an obsession, is it?
This is why I've kept suggesting that maybe that isn't what's really motivating the character at all. That horrible criminal who "escaped" justice can be an important element of your backstory, absolutely. It can even be what your characters tells people is their motivation. As a reason for your PC to become an adventurer though, it doesn't fit, even in a campaign with a fairly narrow focus like this one seems to be. From a storytelling perspective, there's a piece to the puzzle missing that's going to keep them on mission, even when their obsession comes into view
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Personally I think a little inter-party drama can be interesting, and the tension of the character's motivation between the group's motivation, and just how trustworthy this character is, is compelling.
I don't think the character having two goals means its somehow IMPOSSIBLE for them to work as a group, it just means there will be tension between them and the group, but again, tension/drama is often interesting, and interesting things are why we play the game. And I can think of a bunch of reasons why this character would stick to the group mission alongside their personal mission, so I'm not worried that a good enough reason doesn't exist.
And as far as Javert goes, I think it just needs to be stated that being inspired by a certain fictional character doesn't obligate you to make a perfect reproduction of that character. Characters are made up of different components, and being inspired by the character can mean being inspired by any combination of parts of them, excluding others. It sounds like OP likes the idea of playing a relentless pursuer of a specific idea of Justice, and I'm going out on a limb and saying maybe they're not so much inspired by the crippling inability to deviate from that idea in the slightest.
I mean sure, but they referenced Javert and not, say, Inigo Montoya. There's only so far you can get away from those implications before the reference ceases to carry any weight
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
The difference being Javert is Lawful, he is incensed by Jean Valjean escaping The System's justice. Inigo is Chaotic, and wants the six fingered man to face HIS justice, f*ck the system. Inigo doesn't strike me as the type to consider death an escape, since death is what he's after.
There's enough of a difference to be getting along with.
As people have said, even Javert is not so single minded that he can't do other things than chase his obsession. A character with an obsession to go after this dead rival in hell could also want to stop demons from pouring out of the yawning portal. It is entirely possible for characters to have individual goals but still work as a group. To understand that even if every waking moment with the group isn't spent pursuing their personal goal, they're still able to more effectively pursue it as a group.
It's been a long time, but from what I remember his downfall wasn't because he was obsessed with Valjean, at least not directly. Bur rather than Valjean sparing his life throws his black and white worldview into question and he's unable to reconcile it with the moral ambiguity of reality anymore. While this conflict ends in tragedy for Javert, it could make for a great character arc for an NPC with a less grim ending. If the player wants to explore that.
No, not really. But we do have a case where we often get very little information about the campaign, whether or not the poster has talked to the GM/group and so on which leads to the fact that the answer will always be some kind of iteration of "talk to your GM" or possibly "that's a very niché character that will require a very niché campaign".
And as a general reminder to everyone, the original question that was asked is not whether or not Javert is a good cop or if he would make a good PC, the actual question is whether or not it's a "reasonable" reason to become an adventurer to pursue an enemy that has been punished into hell just to be able to punish them some more. Since that is a very specific task bordering on the brink of obsession (at least the way OP described it) then the answer, again, will have to be something along the lines of "that's very niché and might be difficult to fit into a campaign". It's not really the kind of life goal that lends itself to hunting gnolls or other kinds of "adventuring".
In the OP yes, and people did make note of that. But now that the OP has elaborated and explained that the campaign involves going to hell anyway, that helps to make this motivation more feasible to carry out.
It's still an obsession of course, only the most obsessed of people would see being in hell as an 'escape' from their just punishment, but there's no point in discussing the topic only on the OP when further posts have elaborated on the situation.