Questions tagged [alignment]

For questions primarily centered around ethical and moral alignments in game systems. Please note that questions about "what alignment is [person/act/society X]?" are off-topic due to subjectivity; see this FAQ for more details: https://rpg.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/5357/are-questions-about-alignment-on-topic

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Is being evil aligned, in and of itself, an evil act?

As asked in the title. Is being an evil aligned creature, in and of itself, considered an evil act? I was playing a Paladin at one point, and my more chaotically aligned party members wanted me to ...
PoniardDagger's user avatar
10 votes
4 answers
7k views

Can celestials serve evil deities?

From what I’ve read, evil-aligned celestials are an extreme rarity, but evil-aligned deities exist. I’ve even heard that if a celestial turns evil, they stop being a celestial. Celestials supposedly ...
Mage in the Barrel's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
722 views

Is it possible to count as Evil for the purposes of qualifying for a feat?

Changelings have the Racial Emulation feat to let them count as other races for qualifying for things. Goliaths and Half-Giants have Powerful Build to let them count as Large in several circumstances. ...
Elliot's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
518 views

Can angels, demons, aeons change what they are only through magic or also through alignment change?

After reading about Erinyes and a few other denizens of the different planes, I'm wondering: Is there some magic behind a denizen of a plane becoming that of another one, or is a simple alignment ...
Thomas E.'s user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
4k views

Can a character with good/neutral alignment attune to a sentient magic item with evil alignment?

Can a character with good/neutral alignment attune to a sentient magic item with evil alignment? The greatsword Hazirawn in the Hoard of the Dragon Queen adventure is described as "A sentient (...
Jeremy's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
669 views

Does a simulacrum'd creature's statblock include its personality and knowledge/memories? [duplicate]

Basis: In the clone spell, it states clearly that The clone is physically identical to the original and has the same personality, memories, and abilities, but none of the original’s equipment. ...
Codex's user avatar
  • 299
18 votes
4 answers
3k views

Is a player able to change alignment midway through an adventure?

My players are level 9 and one wants to change alignment from lawful to chaotic. I have the DMG, but I can't find anything about changing alignment half way through a campaign. Personally I feel ...
JD Avery's user avatar
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13 votes
2 answers
2k views

Can a PC's alignment be forcibly changed?

Can a PC's alignment be forcibly changed? I've been skimming through the classes on PFSRD, and noticed a lot of them have alignment restrictions. Many state that if their alignment changes, they lose ...
Mage in the Barrel's user avatar
21 votes
2 answers
5k views

What is the difference between true neutral and unaligned?

Something I’ve never gotten is that true neutral and unaligned seem to be the same in the long run. The only difference is that unaligned is for wild animals, and true neutral is for intelligent ...
Mage in the Barrel's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
293 views

Why does Blasphemy destroy undead which are generally evil?

I was reading the spell Blasphemy and its got contradictory texts/ Its area for example says Area nonevil creatures in a 40-ft.-radius spread centered on you Then the spell effects Killed: ...
Fering's user avatar
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How can I integrate a Chaotic Evil character into a Good-aligned party without disrupting the party dynamics? [closed]

I have had a recent interest in playing a Chaotic Evil character, but most campaigns I have run into are decidedly not Chaotic Evil-aligned. The Chaotic-aligned parties are usually also Good-aligned, ...
Brandon Olson's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
278 views

What challenges arise from playing a Chaotic Evil character in a heroic party? [closed]

I have seen several questions similar to this one closed for being too broad, but it certainly seems like an often-enough asked question that I will attempt to narrow the focus down such that it is ...
Brandon Olson's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
403 views

How can I create a Neutral undead-like creature?

After reading What rules say that summoning undead is evil, and what rules say why? and the accepted answer thereto, I wondered if there was a potential workaround to the inherent issues involved in ...
Brandon Olson's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
1k views

What balance issues would arise from a Chaotic Good Paladin?

I have long been annoyed by the inability of Chaotic Good warriors to become empowered by their unwavering faith in freedom and human decency, and so am considering a custom archetype that would allow ...
Brandon Olson's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
11k views

Do the subraces of the playable Aasimar race come with alignment restrictions?

This question, in addition to a player of mine who recently wanted to play a Lawful Neutral Fallen Aasimar (but ended up doing something different), got me thinking about something... Playable ...
NathanS's user avatar
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39 votes
3 answers
13k views

How to deal with a Murder Hobo Paladin?

Our party has a Lawful Neutral Oathbreaker Paladin that has been very much a murder hobo from the beginning. We have been able to keep him in check in most cases but in our recent session he went off ...
RoomNoSenpai's user avatar
23 votes
2 answers
3k views

Does any lore text explain why the planes of Acheron, Gehenna, and Carceri are the alignment they are?

Acheron is between pure law and lawful evil; Gehenna is between pure evil and lawful evil; and Carceri is between pure evil and chaotic evil. But this seems wrong to me. It seems to me that Acheron ...
Mr Blue's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is raising the undead an evil act for lawful good characters? [duplicate]

Situation: A character playing a lawful good (Oath of Devotion) paladin found a wondrous item called "Night caller". (This item is a whistle that allows you to cast "Animate dead" at night and call ...
VVilliam's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
820 views

Is negative energy inherently evil?

It has been established that using spells with the [evil] descriptor are evil acts (duh), and raising/using undead is evil (understandable). My question is, does using negative energy in any form ...
Connor Clarke's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
517 views

Can evil outsiders be sanctified?

In the Book of Exalted Deeds, there is a spell called Sanctify the Wicked. The effect of this spell essentially comes down to forcing an evil creature to undergo a year-long process which culminates ...
Arthaban's user avatar
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12 votes
5 answers
9k views

Can a Warlock become Neutral Good?

In my game group there is a player who plays a warlock-druid (1-1). He started as a warlock. He realized he was playing as an NG, but he took CN for the restrictions regarding the alignment of his ...
HaveANiceDay's user avatar
18 votes
8 answers
8k views

How do I fix the group tension caused by my character stealing and possibly killing without provocation?

I am a beginner to D&D. I chose to be chaotic neutral for the freedom of basically doing whatever I want. I was wondering if I was starting to be "that guy"... By that, I was hoping you know that ...
NEWB's user avatar
  • 199
59 votes
4 answers
9k views

Are babies of evil humanoid species inherently evil?

The Monster Manual lists certain creatures as Evil. For example the Duergar, or Grey Dwarves, are Lawful Evil. Is a Duergar baby evil? Here's the situation: A Duergar child is born to the king and ...
lightcat's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
1k views

Are positive and negative energy from their respective planes inherently good and evil?

Are positive and negative energy from their respective planes inherently good and evil? I am talking about the positive energy plane and negative energy plane from the great wheel model, which ...
Ej Sizemore's user avatar
-7 votes
2 answers
875 views

What is D&D lore establishing Evil/Good = Dark/Light? [closed]

D&D is strongly rooted in the duality of Dark/Light (and the tones black/white) as an equivalent for Evil/Good. This is tiring for a number of reasons both as a GM and as a player. While examples ...
lightcat's user avatar
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2 votes
3 answers
563 views

Is using the Consume Life power of the Twilight Sage an evil act, or are the rules silent about it?

While building one of my Pathfinder Society characters, I was thinking about making an Arcanist and applying the Twilight Sage archetype. One of its abilities reads as follows: Consume Life (Su) By ...
R.I.P.30.12.21Baskakov_Dmitriy's user avatar
14 votes
6 answers
2k views

How does the Ring of Mind Shielding interact with effects that affect a certain alignment?

The Ring of Mind Shielding, an uncommon magic item (DMG, p. 191), has the following property (emphasis mine): While wearing this ring, you are immune to magic that allows other creatures to read ...
PixelMaster's user avatar
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4 votes
0 answers
244 views

How can our party forcibly change the alignment of an NPC? [closed]

I can’t really explain why as it would require a deep, deep delve into our campaign’s lore, but our party needs to find the way to change the alignment of an NPC. He’s a homebrew nephilim that was ...
Joseph's user avatar
  • 41
-4 votes
2 answers
520 views

Can a Rogue Modron be a chaotic monodrone in 5e, whereas in previous editions it could not?

In the AD&D 2e book The Planewalker's Handbook, p. 76, it says this about Rogue Modrons (italic emphasis in the original, bold emphasis mine): ...most folks can't tell a rogue modron from a "...
NathanS's user avatar
  • 78.9k
-4 votes
1 answer
708 views

Which alignment-changing forces are strongest? [closed]

I would like to have a campaign where key battles between Good and Evil are fought over which key heroes change from/to one alignment set to another (one 'team' or cult is NE/CE/LE vs. another group ...
Timm Jimm Grimm's user avatar
22 votes
2 answers
1k views

Can my evil pirate character remain evil under the new Adventurers League rules?

I am trying to make heads or tails of whether or not my character can remain Lawful Evil under the current rules of Adventure League. I first scribed the character to be Lawful Evil in Season 7 where ...
MivaScott's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
121 views

Is it a good act to change a bad guy to being a werebear? [closed]

Is it a good act to change a bad guy into a werebear? Since the alignment of a werebear is always lawful good, this would convert the bad guys. But... is it a good act to ignore his intention to ...
RRR's user avatar
  • 231
6 votes
1 answer
1k views

Can Nystul's Magic Aura mask a creature's alignment?

One of the options for Nystul's magic aura is: Mask. You change the way the target appears to spells and magical effects that detect creature types, such as a paladin's Divine Sense or the trigger ...
Ryan C. Thompson's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
182 views

If I make a mummy an angel using a Disguise Undead spell, does it possess the relevant aligned aura?

Disguise undead (Spell Compendium 66) is a glamer that adjusts the touched corporeal undead creature to look like a similarly-shaped creature to an extent you decide, and also masks the undead ...
Firebreak's user avatar
  • 6,240
9 votes
1 answer
685 views

Do alignment subtypes allow natural weapons to bypass regeneration?

Regeneration in D&D 3.5 is pretty weird on its own, but a discussion with some friends today made me realize that, as far as I can tell, alignment subtypes allow a creature to bypass damage ...
Forrestfire's user avatar
  • 9,449
1 vote
2 answers
1k views

How can we non-lethally subdue a fellow PC character?

In our party we have a sorcerer who looks for opportunities to prank our wizard and paladin. We're new to RP and aren't yet sure about our options for something like this. Is there a way for a lawful ...
Somber Raven's user avatar
1 vote
4 answers
974 views

How can a lawful good Paladin help a lawful evil Giant? [closed]

The story: The Fire giant King has a daughter who was possessed by a powerful Demon. The Daughter is also a powerful evil Cleric with a hundred followers. Under the influence of the Demon she and her ...
tbalaz's user avatar
  • 387
4 votes
1 answer
571 views

Is there an opposite for Dark Speech?

3.5e Book of vile darkness Page48 mentions dark Speech. In short, it's a language of the evil gods of pure vileness. I was wondering if there is also a Good aligned variant of this?
Hyfnae's user avatar
  • 327
13 votes
4 answers
5k views

Can a skeleton be a good paladin that serves a good god?

In the Monster Manual on page 272 it says that skeletons are lawful evil and in the passage of info it gives on them it says Skeletons arise when animated by dark magic. They heed the summons of ...
Perrin Tealeaf's user avatar
14 votes
2 answers
3k views

Does a sentient weapon polymorphed into a creature retain the sentience's personality/alignment?

Consider the spell true polymorph. If you turn a creature into a creature, the new creature retains its alignment and personality. If you turn an object into a creature The creature is ...
Kevin's user avatar
  • 594
0 votes
0 answers
798 views

Are all undead evil? [duplicate]

Based on the creature type undead, are they innately evil? The creature type listing for them does not list it, but its mentioned in the things that everyone knows about the undead. But does that mean ...
Fering's user avatar
  • 27.2k
10 votes
1 answer
6k views

Does a Divine Soul Sorcerer's alignment affect their choice of Divine Magic affinity?

The Divine Soul Sorcerous Origin from Xanathar's Guide to Everything (page 50) has the class feature Divine Magic at level 1. It allows you to pick a "free" extra spell based on having an &...
NathanS's user avatar
  • 78.9k
5 votes
1 answer
2k views

In the history of the Forgotten Realms, has a Nightmare ever been cleansed of evil?

Okay, so this is a bit of a weird question, but as the title says, has there ever been a case in the history of Dungeons & Dragons where a Nightmare has ever been turned back to good? I've only ...
Jay Kay's user avatar
  • 1,803
17 votes
5 answers
8k views

How do you make a character's alignment change in-game?

I want to change the alignment of my warlock drow in game from neutral evil to neutral good. Can you just change it? Do you have to have a monster change it? Can I make the reason because of the ...
user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
337 views

Does a Helm Paladin become fallen if he does this? [closed]

I am DM'ing the official adventure "Expedition to the Demonweb Pits". As the game progresses the party (Human paladin, LG Dwarf cleric, N Human rogue) will find themselves in a situation where: My ...
brainmassage's user avatar
10 votes
3 answers
3k views

What are the implications of running a game with only 2 Major Deities: God and the Devil?

I've been wanting to simplify the general pantheon of 5th Edition down to 2 major moral forces, mirroring the horizontal spectrum of the alignment system: (Good [Neutral] Evil) It seems simple ...
Nicbobo's user avatar
  • 6,648
65 votes
12 answers
11k views

How can I show-not-tell my players that they are The Bad Guys?

My players have an interesting habit of changing their behavior on a dime. Between objectives, they'll be trying to fix problems at small towns they pass through and helping the locals, but once they ...
N. A.'s user avatar
  • 1,057
8 votes
3 answers
2k views

Can an evil character fool Detect Evil by doing good deeds?

A player in my Pathfinder campaign has chosen Lawful Evil as their character's alignment. I've given this my blessing since Lawful Evil characters tend to disrupt the game the least in my experience, ...
Quadratic Wizard's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
621 views

Is a character's OFFICIAL alignment their ACTED or INTENDED alignment? [closed]

I have a Tiefling character. Being a Tiefling, she is half-demon and her demonic nature is in her personality, i.e., she has a contempt for structure, law, and society and enjoys seeing others in pain....
Jessie Cuellar's user avatar
12 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why is creating a golem not considered evil? [closed]

Creating a golem requires binding an earth elemental to it. It is akin to enslaving an intelligent being (the stupidest of them, small earth elementals, have an intelligence of 4 , minimum for ...
anonyme's user avatar
  • 137