Behavior Derived Alignment

Alignment

PSG uses a behavior-derived alignment system, where actual behavior reflects the alignment of a given character. The character is free to engage in any type of behavior but must suffer the consequences of such behavior. It should be noted that some vocations must maintain strict alignment requirements to maintain their vocational benefits.

Morality – is defined as virtuous versus non-virtuous acts (good vs evil). Behaviors of honesty, charity, loyalty, etc., are hallmarks of good behavior while cheating, stealing, and killing others are typically considered evil. A single act does not solidify the ‘good’ or ‘evil’ nature of a character, but repeated acts build up and define the character and his aura. Individuals with negative values for morality are generally evil, while those with positive numbers are good. The more extreme the number, the greater the potency of the alignment.

Ethics – while morality defines the good vs evil scale, ethics defines the chaos versus the law scale. Again, a single act does not define the individual, but a series of acts can shape a character’s outlook. Individuals with negative numbers are more chaotic in nature, while those with positive numbers are more lawful.

Alignment Color Scale (Auras)

Unless the character takes a flaw, enhancement, talent, vows, or oaths to modify his starting alignment he starts with a 0 in both Ethical and Moral scales at character generation. Acts performed after the game starts will determine a character’s alignment. The GM will award alignment points at the end of each game session. Commonly this ranges between +/- 5 points per both Moral and/or Ethical lines. It is not unusual to have no modifications to alignment if the character did not role-play behavior that promotes modifications.

GM Note – the GM should never provide the actual ‘number value’ of a given moral/ethics, even when magical/psionic abilities are used to ascertain alignment. Instead, the GM should use a color code (see below) to provide a range in which the alignment value falls. In essence, such detection views, to some extent, the aura of the target creature. This is because Alignment, for most creatures, is not static and changes over time, especially with humanoids. While an orc can be predominately evil by race, it may be slightly ‘gray’ if it is a newborn or ‘black’ if it is a seasoned witch doctor of the tribe. The same applies to ethics. GMs are encouraged to obscure alignment inquiries and never provide specifics as a creature's alignment is a very personal affair. In some societies, viewing a person’s alignment can be considered a breach of etiquette or an invasion of privacy. Creatures of the outer planes are more polarized, and many also possess abilities to obscure, retard, or mislead alignment detections.

Example 1: Starting at 0,0, a character, Jed, is down on his luck and steals a loaf of bread, then a few days later attacks and steals the money purse of a merchant. The merchant dies because of the wounds sustained in the incident. A town guard, George, attempts to arrest the Jed resulting in a melee brawl – Jed escapes. To avoid the law, Jed breaks into and hides out in a nobleman’s house while it is unoccupied. All of these events occur in a period of 7 days. Jed now has a -4 (Ethics) and -12 (Morality), making him effectively Natural Evil with chaotic tendencies.

Example 2: Starting at 0,0, a character, George, is hunting down a known criminal (minor menus) and volunteers his time and service to the city patrol to find him. During this time, he is granted temporary status as a reserve deputy. He devotes 10 days of his time over the course of a month to aid the police force. Finally, he comes fact to face with the criminal and attempts to arrest him. The criminal refuses to go peacefully, draws a sword, and enters into melee with George. After the combat, George is victorious and manages to capture the criminal and return him to jail to wait for his trial. While recovering from his wounds at the local temple, George also engages in several hours of spiritual meditation. When he is fully healed, he as at +3 (Ethics), +3 (Morality). With a few more months of volunteering, he is on his way to becoming lawful good.

Disadvantages of Inactivity or Willful Ignorance

This category typically applies to individuals who dedicate themselves to a particular faith/philosophy. Where this philosophy requires action when presented with a behavior and the character chooses to ignore the behavior and maintain inaction. A good example would be if a character was worshiping a Lawful Good Deity and witnessed a Rape or a Murder being committed and did nothing to prevent it from happening. Another less obvious example of a lawful character would include keeping silent when a person or ally told a lie to take advantage of others in his presence – inactivity would be considered willful ignorance and could result in an alignment modification.

Failure to act often focuses on characters that have strong religious or philosophical ties, such as monks and paladins. The GM should impose a greater penalty on these individuals, for they are compelled to lead by example. An evil priest who sits ideally by while the city passes an ordinance that outlaws the beating of slaves could suffer under the inactivity alignment modification rule.

Atonement Spells/Rituals – are the most accessible magical way for alignment restoration. Because Atonement is a priest spell, it often requires that the recipient be a devoted worshiper. Most lawful and good faiths impose this requirement, while chaotic and evil faiths are more lenient. Further, the overall alignment of the Deity must be taken into account when an Atonement is cast (not the alignment of the casting priest). A Deity will always draw individuals to his own point of view (Alignment). Thus, a Chaotic Good Deity would add chaos and good aspects to a given character as a result of an Atonement spell, while a Lawful Evil one would bestow law and evil aspects.

Successive castings of Atonement with respect to a given faith become less effective. The second one is 90% effective, the third 80%, and so on. The first casting of Atonement restores 30 points of alignment modification, which is distributed between Law-Chaos and Good-evil. The distribution varies based on the philosophy of the church and the Deity’s alignment. Alignment restoration via other powerful Spells – A Tier-6+ spell can produce the effects of an Atonement spell with respect to the Alignment of the casting Mage instead of the Deity as the controlling factor.

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