PC Alignment - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

PC Alignment

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Sep 24, 2003 22:10:44 In my campaign, one of my characters is a Lawful Evil Drow, who wishes to become all powerful. However, he acts almost constantly as though he were Good, but for that on occaision he does something only self-serving. He goes with the other group members as though he were Good, and he usually acts it.

That is why I thought of this system. It sets the characters at aa alignment, without giving them large penalties for changing their alignment. (Though this may be mostly because I run a low-XP campaign.) The penalties for changing alignment are about half to a quarter as severe as those in the DMG, usually. There are some exceptions.

Every large deed for good, law, evil or chaos, affects your character, as do their actions. IMC I keep track of their alignments, givning them Alignment Points in their chosen stats. Their AP changes without them knowing it, and it also, eventually, leads to fame. The AP works as follows.

For the Law/Chaos side, 21+ AP is Lawful, 20 to -20 is Neutral, and -21 and less is Chaotic. The same goes in regard for side two, Good/Evil.

All neutral characters start at 0 AP of that side, all others start with 25 or -25 AP on that side depending. It takes effort to move AP, but it can be done. Law and Chaos often move faster IMC than Good and Evil.

That said, excessive amounts of AP 100 or -1oo for an example, is so extraordinary that you gain some abilities from it. On the side of Law/Chaos, a 100 gives you such a stern belief in the Law that people will turn over information that much more easily, awed by your desire to do your duty. A -100 means you are so free-spirited, that people gather to help you and admire you as a Hero in your own right. On side 2, a 100 means you are so determined to help others that people will go to great lengths to aid you, whereas a -100 means people instinctively fear you, and you are often loathed when not nearby.

The special abilities I gave to each of these is thus, though Neutral people have a halved effect;
On Side 1:
+100- Any Law-obeying person has a +4 modifier to help you in any way they can.
-100- The chaotic elements are likely to listen to you, gaining a +4 modifier to help you.

On Side 2:
+100- Even people who hate you admire you and trust you, you gain a +2 bonus on all diplomacy checks. Sources of Evil also attempt to hunt you down.
-100- You are so feared that people will give you what you need, you gain a +2 on all Intimidate checks. Also, any truely good person will try to "help" you, by either killing or incapacitating you for the greater good.

Of course, a player has yet to reach any AP of 100 or -100.
#2
iaijutsumaster1
Feb 07, 2005 23:51:29 It seems that under your system Neutral Characters on either access get no benefits no matter what they do. This doesn't seem balanced. It makes extremely aligned characters more powerful than neutral characters, albeit only slightly so.
#3
vharuck
Feb 18, 2005 16:07:10 What sort of good acts does he do? Dashing into a burning building to save a baby? Donating to a church? Because traveling and not arguing with one's party (which is the only example you gave) is not good. It's pretty much just accepting of the fact that one needs allies.
#4
scipio
Feb 26, 2005 18:12:45 This is an interesting system, the only problem I've seen is that it doesn't affect all characters equally. When it comes to classes which have an alignment requirement (We'll use the examples of a monk and druid) they have different chances of no longer being able to meet that requirement. It would only take a lawful character (the monk) 5 chaotic acts before he is no longer lawful (he'd reach 20 AP and be neutral) under this system. However, the druid would need to commit 21 such acts to reach either 21 or -21 and no longer be neutral.
#5
zombiegleemax
May 30, 2005 10:19:22 I agree with a few of the posts. This doesn't seem like a very balanced system.

It seems that instead, you might have a system that people get points for acting their alignment, and people lose points for acting either opposite their alignment or an extreme example of another alignment.

So, everyone starts at 25 on both of the axes. Then, if they go below 0 in either axis, they have to change alignments, and start over at 25 on that axis.

If they go above 100, then you give them a bonus appropriate to the alignment. I.E. maybe the good evil get the things you mention before, but the Neutrals get a +4 on social interactions with larger groups of people or something (to represent their ability to appease to more groups.)

Just a thought.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Sep 24, 2003 22:10:44	In my campaign, one of my characters is a Lawful Evil Drow, who wishes to become all powerful. However, he acts almost constantly as though he were Good, but for that on occaision he does something only self-serving. He goes with the other group members as though he were Good, and he usually acts it. That is why I thought of this system. It sets the characters at aa alignment, without giving them large penalties for changing their alignment. (Though this may be mostly because I run a low-XP campaign.) The penalties for changing alignment are about half to a quarter as severe as those in the DMG, usually. There are some exceptions. Every large deed for good, law, evil or chaos, affects your character, as do their actions. IMC I keep track of their alignments, givning them Alignment Points in their chosen stats. Their AP changes without them knowing it, and it also, eventually, leads to fame. The AP works as follows. For the Law/Chaos side, 21+ AP is Lawful, 20 to -20 is Neutral, and -21 and less is Chaotic. The same goes in regard for side two, Good/Evil. All neutral characters start at 0 AP of that side, all others start with 25 or -25 AP on that side depending. It takes effort to move AP, but it can be done. Law and Chaos often move faster IMC than Good and Evil. That said, excessive amounts of AP 100 or -1oo for an example, is so extraordinary that you gain some abilities from it. On the side of Law/Chaos, a 100 gives you such a stern belief in the Law that people will turn over information that much more easily, awed by your desire to do your duty. A -100 means you are so free-spirited, that people gather to help you and admire you as a Hero in your own right. On side 2, a 100 means you are so determined to help others that people will go to great lengths to aid you, whereas a -100 means people instinctively fear you, and you are often loathed when not nearby. The special abilities I gave to each of these is thus, though Neutral people have a halved effect; On Side 1: +100- Any Law-obeying person has a +4 modifier to help you in any way they can. -100- The chaotic elements are likely to listen to you, gaining a +4 modifier to help you. On Side 2: +100- Even people who hate you admire you and trust you, you gain a +2 bonus on all diplomacy checks. Sources of Evil also attempt to hunt you down. -100- You are so feared that people will give you what you need, you gain a +2 on all Intimidate checks. Also, any truely good person will try to "help" you, by either killing or incapacitating you for the greater good. Of course, a player has yet to reach any AP of 100 or -100.
#2 iaijutsumaster1 Feb 07, 2005 23:51:29	It seems that under your system Neutral Characters on either access get no benefits no matter what they do. This doesn't seem balanced. It makes extremely aligned characters more powerful than neutral characters, albeit only slightly so.
#3 vharuck Feb 18, 2005 16:07:10	What sort of good acts does he do? Dashing into a burning building to save a baby? Donating to a church? Because traveling and not arguing with one's party (which is the only example you gave) is not good. It's pretty much just accepting of the fact that one needs allies.
#4 scipio Feb 26, 2005 18:12:45	This is an interesting system, the only problem I've seen is that it doesn't affect all characters equally. When it comes to classes which have an alignment requirement (We'll use the examples of a monk and druid) they have different chances of no longer being able to meet that requirement. It would only take a lawful character (the monk) 5 chaotic acts before he is no longer lawful (he'd reach 20 AP and be neutral) under this system. However, the druid would need to commit 21 such acts to reach either 21 or -21 and no longer be neutral.
#5 zombiegleemax May 30, 2005 10:19:22	I agree with a few of the posts. This doesn't seem like a very balanced system. It seems that instead, you might have a system that people get points for acting their alignment, and people lose points for acting either opposite their alignment or an extreme example of another alignment. So, everyone starts at 25 on both of the axes. Then, if they go below 0 in either axis, they have to change alignments, and start over at 25 on that axis. If they go above 100, then you give them a bonus appropriate to the alignment. I.E. maybe the good evil get the things you mention before, but the Neutrals get a +4 on social interactions with larger groups of people or something (to represent their ability to appease to more groups.) Just a thought.