Alignment

by Vivian Abraham, c.2001?

The Rules

Those of you who have played with me as a GM are familiar with Viv's standard modifications to alignment. Those who have not, essentially I distinguish between evil (with a little "e") and Evil (with a capital "E"), and spells detect Evil, not evil.

For example,

A Cleric of Vecna radiates big-E Evil, due to channeling the power of an Evil deity.  Both the regular work with Negative Energy and association with an Evil deity are at work.  
Larix e'Kura, noted torturer and headsman for the Guvners, relishes their job.  However, they does not detect as Evil.
The Tiefling hospital worker who gives all their money to the poor, though, gives off a mild aura of Evil, due to their connection to the Hells of Chaos.

So, in short, spells that detect or affect Evil only work on those channeling powers from Evil gods, channeling negative Energy, or from Evil-aligned planes, or tainted by said forces. There will always be uncertainty on the subject - that torturer may gain the notice of an Evil god who decides to reward them for his actions. Then, they too would gain the Evil descriptor.

In Play

When choosing alignment, note that I like character development and tension, and that doesn't happen as much when one always stays inside their neat little alignment quadrant.

Because lower-case alignments don't have much game effect, they are chosen by you, but can be changed by me if you act against them. I'll let you know if you are particularly interested. Maintaining your alignment is usually only important a) if you are a monk, a cleric, or have a prestige class with an alignment restriction, b) if you are on the border between a normal alignment and a capital letter one.

Here is my guide to alignments. Please use this to choose your alignment and keep it in mind if you want to stick with a particular one. Alignments are defined here by virtues. Follow the virtues of the alignment and you will probably stay on the "right" path. Stray from them too far, or follow other virtues to their exclusion, and you will probably switch alignments. Switching between various lower case alignments is easy. Switching between lower case and capital letter alignments is harder.

  • The Virtues of Law: Honesty, Fealty, and Honor. Truth is security and stability. Be true to your word, your lord, and yourself.
  • The Virtues of Chaos: Cleverness, Independence, and Flexibility. Take pride in and rely on your own abilities and learn from others.
  • The Virtues of Good: Compassion, Justice, and Sacrifice. Love thy neighbor, be fair to thine enemy, goodness is its own reward.
  • The Virtues of Evil: Hatred, Mistrust, and Selfishness. Secure your own place. Hate those below you and fear those above you. Trust no one.
  • The Virtues of Neutrality: Common Sense, Acceptance, and Dispassion. The world is not black and white. Find the balance between your needs and the needs of others