Laws of Krynn

Good and Evil exist in the Dragonlance setting. They oppose one another and are (usually) held in balance by Neutrality. Good, Evil, and Neutrality are part of the nature of supernatural forces in the Dragonlance setting like the gods of Krynn, dragons, and many monsters. However, mortals are more complicated than that. The elven race was created by the gods of Good, and the ogres were created by the gods of evil, but they were all gifted by the gods of Neutrality with free will. The White Robed Wizard strives to use his magic for the betterment of his fellow mortals, but he is fallible and capable of inflicting just as much harm as his black robed brethren. Like the Kingpriest of Istar, we all have the propensity for both overwhelming good and unspeakable evil.

The catch is that we get to make the choice which side of ourselves we give ear to. We decide what path to take based on our values and our experience. In the end, we strive toward ideals, even though we stumble off the path from time to time. What is most important is what and whom our characters value.

Mechanically, that means that there are a few big, overriding aspects of the setting that describe the constant push and tug between these two cosmic forces. They exist anywhere and everywhere a character may be within the setting.

At any point during the game, players may invoke one or more of these aspects by spending fate points just as they would one of their character aspects. An example of this might be when Tanis and his friends needed a way to escape the Temple in Neraka, it could be that Tanis’ player invoked the Evil Feeds upon Itself aspect as he tosses the Crown of Power into the crowd causing the forces of evil to begin fighting over it, thus providing the companions with enough cover to escape in the chaos.

The point is to provide an interesting twist just when the players need it most.

Good Redeems Its Own

Examples from the novels include the following:

The elves of Qualinesti’s timely rescue of the companions from the slave caravan.

The return of the good dragons at a critical moment during the Battle of the High Clerist’s Tower.

Caramon’s devotion to his brother.

Evil Feeds on Itself

Examples include:

Verminaard’s top generals plotting against him.

The resentment most evil dragons felt toward their humanoid masters.

Pyros and Ember battling in the sky above Pax Tharkas.

The Queen of Darkness abandoning her knights during the Chaos war.

Raistlin challenging the Dark Queen in the Abyss.

Neutrality Maintains the Balance

Examples include:

The gods of Neutrality siding with the gods of Good during the Dragon Wars.

The gods of Neutrality siding with the gods of Evil during the Chaos War.

Raistlin magically showing up on the steps of the Library of Palanthas.