This question involves moral alignments in game systems.
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5answers
1k views
What's the deal with alignment languages?
In early D&D, there was the concept of an "alignment language."
The original "little brown book" D&D says only:
Law, Chaos and Neutrality also have common languages spoken by each ...
23
votes
13answers
3k views
Can a D&D Necromancer be of a good alignment?
I've been considering creating a good-aligned necromancer, but I'm not sure if it's realistic from a role-playing perspective. Is there anything inherent in necromancy that would require someone to be ...
22
votes
7answers
614 views
How can a GM justify changing a player's alignment?
Lately, in one of my campaigns, I've been having problems with a character who everyone agrees is acting out of alignment. Everyone, that is, but him. The problem, of course, is that he's playing a ...
19
votes
6answers
968 views
Is Coup de Grace on sleeping and bound opponents an evil act?
So I was recently participating in a Pathfinder Society game. Our ship was attacked and boarded by pirates. First thing that happened was one of our party cast sleep, and succeeded in putting four of ...
18
votes
8answers
525 views
Would the alignment of a character with multiple personality disorder change?
A character has a certain alignment that in general defines how he acts. With multiple personality disorder or other similar disorders (maybe bipolar disorder with severe depression/severe mania), ...
15
votes
3answers
505 views
Why do D&D Paladins Have to Be Lawful Good?
In just about every edition of D&D (save for 4e), Paladins are required to be Lawful Good. If they stray from that, they are completely stripped of their powers. This means that evil deities can't ...
13
votes
3answers
737 views
Does a summoned monster's alignment matter?
I am playing in a 3.5 game recently, and a question has come up that none of us could really answer.
Does the alignment of a summoned monster (as per the Summon Monster I-IX spells) matter at all?
For ...
12
votes
3answers
624 views
How much greed is too much for a Chaotic Neutral character?
I have recently started GM-ing a new group of players, most of them are unexperienced. One of the players is a Chaotic Neutral Rogue.
This description of Chaotic Neutral mentions that such character ...
12
votes
6answers
244 views
How should a neutral character focused on balance be presented?
In many RPGs (or at least the ones I've heard of) the alignment system tends to have two definitions of a true-neutral character. Generally, they are something to the effect of what follows.
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11
votes
6answers
513 views
How do I handle a player who plays his character far differently than the character was originally presented?
I'm not asking how to make every character be played as I would play them. I'm asking how to handle a situation in which the character that the player presents to me as a GM (with complete back-story, ...
11
votes
2answers
263 views
Cleric's Aligment Changes?
There is an neutral cleric, Maximus, who is worshiping not a deity, but a cause; he's got two domains, War and Travel. At first level, he chose that he'll channel positive energy and will turn undead.
...
11
votes
1answer
173 views
History of the Alignment System
Who created the alignment system?
Was it Gary Gygax & Dave Arneson (D&D)? Or David A. Hargrave (Arduin)?
Or perhaps Michael Moorcock and Paul Anderson?
Where did it come from?
In what ...
10
votes
6answers
526 views
Anyone know of a good generic moral/alignment tracking system?
More specifically, system for tracking a characters morals/alignment, like Humanity in Vampire or darkside points in Star Wars. I'm looking for a system that's either designed to be generic, or could ...
9
votes
4answers
582 views
What are the consequences of the new (5 choice) alignment system in 4e versus the (9 choice) system of earlier editions?
How do you represent creatures from the missing alignments? For example:
Personified forces of nature (chaotic neutral), aka Greek mythology, which, while dangerous, are not necessarily evil?
The ...
8
votes
7answers
910 views
Is casting the spell Blood Transcription an evil act?
A player of mine in a recent game of Pathfinder was playing a Lawful Neutral Magus and was about to drink blood from a fallen spellcaster to get his prepared spells for the day by using the spell ...
7
votes
7answers
516 views
What is a good way to explain the difference between a Chaotic Neutral character, and a character who is just crazed?
When I first started playing with a group of completely new players, one of the first things I did was to explain the alignments as best I could at the time. When describing Chaotic Neutral, my exact ...
7
votes
3answers
377 views
D&D 2E Ranger/Druid Multiclassing Combination - Alignment Conflict
In 2nd Edition D&D, it mentions in the Player's Handbook that Half-Elves can multiclass as Ranger/Druid. This is a contradiction with the alignment rules, stating that a Ranger must be Good and a ...
6
votes
1answer
175 views
How would an Unaligned Vecna worshiper refrain from being/becoming Evil
I have a Tiefling Warlock character that I think I would like to worship Vecna, to uncover more secrets of her pact and unlock more power. How would a character like this refrain from falling from ...
6
votes
2answers
158 views
Good modifications to the lycanthropy alignment change?
Related to my other question, my PCs who have become were-rats don't want to become Chaotic Evil, but do want to remain uncured. They're up for struggles and such, and aren't looking for it to ...
5
votes
5answers
191 views
Games with a granular alignment system?
I've recently started out a Basic Fantasy campaign with several new players.
In this campaign, I want their characters to gradually gain their alignments based on
they actions they take. For example, ...
5
votes
1answer
109 views
Can Bluff be used to emulate an alignment?
If a character has something like the Touch of Golden Ice feat (Book of Exalted Deeds, pg41) could an evil character use bluff to avoid the ill effects, or is there an item that already does this?
5
votes
2answers
153 views
Alignment restrictions and Trap the Soul
Saw it mentioned in a thread (How do you make a vampire cleric stay dead?) and now I'm curious... Does binding a creature's soul into a gem in itself constitute an evil act?
Trap the soul says ...
3
votes
4answers
195 views
How to discourage players from roleplaying out of their alignment when using a 3.5e alignment system in a 4e game?
My GM would like to implement the 3.5e grid-based alignment system in his 4th edition game. He would also like to implement better penalties for not playing within your alignment.
I understand that ...
3
votes
3answers
194 views
Running a “Chaotic Evil” PC in a morally ambivalent group?
So I've been running in a Shadowrun group for a while now and my character served as the group's only moral compass. He got killed in a rather dissatisfying string of events, but now it's time to whip ...
2
votes
2answers
195 views
System for alignment of gods
Are there systems, apart from the classical D&D, that show the moral alignment of gods and rule the degree of matching of the gods disciples or clerics to thier deity?
I want to measure this ...
