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EvilVegan 03-04-07, 06:14 PM

I'm working on a campaign in which evil/good take a back burner to the belief that Order, Chaos, or Balance is the most important principle. (I in no way invented this system, I stole it from Ultima 7 b : Serpent Isle). Each Faction is defined by 3 principles. Order - Ethicality - The belief that there is great value in abiding by rules of conduct. Logic - The drive to complete a task and avoid the distractions that will prevent its completion. Discipline - Clear, reasoned thought, free from any instinctual biases. Chaos - Tolerance - That which encourages the acceptance of all things. Enthusiasm - The energy that allows one to perform great tasks. Emotion - The ability to perceive those feelings that come from the heart, as opposed to coming from the mind. Balance Harmony is Ethicality tempered with Tolerance - The ability to be at peace with the self, the individual and the world. Dedication is Enthusiasm tempered with Discipline - That which permits one to surmount obstacles and lead others. Rationality is Emotion tempered with logic. -The ability to comprehend life and understand the world around us. The excesses are the closest thing to "evil" in my system, each one representing a virtue taken to far to an extreme. Excesses are: Prejudice - Ethicality without Tolerance - Disrespect for the beliefs and rights of others. Apathy - Discipline without Enthusiasm - A spirit of hopelessness which retards positive action. Ruthlessness - Logic without Emotion - Taking self-advancing actions without regard to the wants or needs of others. Anarchy - Tolerance without Ethicality - A lack of standards of conduct. Wantonness - Enthusiasm without Discipline - Acting without self-restraint. Insanity - Emotion without Logic - An inability to overcome emotional impulses with rational thoughts I plan on making at least 6 templates relating to the excesses to show what happens when the spiritual force of one virtue goes out of line, these will be creatures that would seem "Evil" in most standard campaigns, seeking to pull the balance too far in favor of one side or the other. ALSO Negative and Positive energy are different in my campaigns. They are more closely related to the Taoist influences they're based on. Positive energy is masculine and at its best bright, short-lived, and motivating. At its worst it is harsh and destructive. Negative energy is feminine and at its best steady, long-lived, and calming. At its worst it is draining and consuming. A living creature is a balance of positive and negative energy. An undead creature is still one that is mostly negative energy, but it still contains a spark of positive energy that allows it to remain mobile (A creature of pure negative energy does not move. It can still be sentient.) A being pushed too far to the positive side does everything with more gusto, speed, and recklessness. The opposite of an undead human is a positively charged human who can never remain still, must constantly burn off energy, and they are extremely short lived (compared to undead, some lasting only minutes, others taking months to overload). A purely positive energy creature cannot stop moving and typically dissolves in a matter of seconds. The soul of a creature is what keeps the balance of negative energy and positive energy and also keeps the spirit bound to the body. A dead creature without a soul is still perfectly balanced negatively and positively, but is merely a corpse without a spirit. I can't think of a good name for the opposite of an undead creature. So, obviously I'm not having standard paladins. Monks and barbarians fit still (but I'm not having them either, IMC). But as a stand alone philosophy what else should would I need to consider before incorporating it into my game, or what tweaks can you think of for it?