© 1995, 1998, 1999 v3.1 - HTML 3rd Edition
by Carey A. Mueller
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Everyone has their own ideas about alignment. I try to be pretty flexible about alignment. After all, in the Avamor campaign world there are over 30 cultures with their own views on what’s right and what isn’t. In general, I’m going to follow a very American ethical system, taking into account the society a character comes from (cannibalism of enemies is an accepted practice among the Mraas).
Alignment is used as a general guide. I’ll be strict about alignment only with certain classes (priests and paladins). The only game effects that alignment has is with regard to spells which detect alignment, (un)holy items, and certain magical devices which have alignments of their own.
Alignment is a set of ethics (Law - Neutral - Chaos) and morals (Good - Neutral - Evil). If your character walks into an area consecrated to a different alignment, picks up a similar item, or encounters a powerful creature of the same sort, he or she will feel it. Sometimes, the conflict is so great (or the alignment so strong) that one or the other will take physical damage from the contact.
It’s possible to change alignment. The more your character acts a certain way, the more his/her alignment will shift to match those actions. A major shift will occur if a Lawful Good character commits murder. A minor shift will occur if a Lawful Good character steals some money in order to feed himself, but pays the person back when he’s able. Two minor shifts equal a major shift. Three major shifts will move your character’s alignment one step. Any time your character is about to rack up a major alignment violation, I’ll tell you. And you can reconsider, if you wish. Paladins and priests will be warned of even minor violations.
Here’s a brief guide about your character’s ethics and morals. This is not meant to question your (the player’s) ethics and morals, but rather to get a general feel for your character’s conscience. Note that there are many variations possible on each of these responses - any of which can be perfectly valid. Remember, this is a GENERAL GUIDE! Every situation is different.
| Situation: The party is in a foreign town. The guard at the gate has just told them about the town’s laws. | ||
| Society’s laws should always be obeyed, even when I don’t agree with them. | Lawful. | |
| I will judge whether these laws are beneficial to the society or not. | Neutral. | |
| I will obey the laws only when it is to my advantage, or when it doesn’t hurt me. | Chaotic. | |
| Situation: The party has just captured a known and convicted murderer. | ||
| Justice must always be tempered with mercy. Kill him quickly and painlessly. | Good. | |
| Justice is blind. Let the punishment always fit the crime. Torture him until his suffering matches that of his victims, or sell his possessions to repay his victims. Then kill him. | Neutral. | |
| It helps no one to torture him. Let’s just kill him and get it over with. | Neutral. | |
| Let’s just take whatever useful belongings he has. | Chaotic. | |
| Justice will be applied only when it suits me, and then, only to my advantage. Let’s torture him until he gives us all the useful information he has, then sell him into slavery overseas. | Evil. | |
| If he has something I want, I take it without telling anyone else. | Evil. | |
| There is no such thing as a punishment that is too harsh. | Evil/Neutral. | |
| Situation: A town is about to be attacked by an invading army. The players have to decide to stay and defend the town, or to go to the king and return with an army. | ||
| I will do everything I can to save these few innocents. But if I cannot save them and stop this greater danger too, I will grieve, and let them die. | Lawful Good. | |
| I will do everything I can to save these few innocents. If I can’t save all of them, then I’ll save as many as I can. | Chaotic Good. | |
| By their dying, these people will delay the oncoming army. I’m sad for their deaths, but it does serve a greater good. | Neutral Good. | |
| Death comes for us all eventually. Others will be born to take their place. | Neutral. | |
| So they’re going to die. Big deal. Let’s try to get some use out of them before they croak. | Neutral Evil. | |
| Okay, I’ll make a deal with the army’s leaders. I’ll kill the town gate guards in return for a share of the loot. | Chaotic evil. | |
| Why not force the townspeople to surrender and sell them into slavery ourselves. That way, most of them get to live, and we make money for looting their homes and selling them. | Lawful Evil. | |
Copyright 1999 by Guardian (cmuel59749@aol.com).
Last updated 11/02/00.