Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Illithidbix Feb 28, 2015 21:23:37	So, 5E is pretty light when it comes to rules and alignment intersecting. But I suffer a obsession with it given my a militant anti alignment tenancies (best discussed on the dozens of threats I've already frothed about it), so here is my attempt to find all the points where alignment matters for rules purposes. The total count is more than I initially expected, but mostly within the DMG.   Players Handbook Very few.   Class ability or requirements Nothing I can find. Even the paladin entry mentions: “Your oath and alignment might be in harmony, or your oath might represent standards of behaviour that you have not yet attained.” – Which I personally think is pretty damn cool, I very much like concept and personalisation of the Oath myself.   There are a ten mentions in Spells. And only one really is any case where alignment is more than personality.   Animal Shapes, Magic Jar, Polymorph, Shapechange, True Polymorph. All these spells mention you retain your alignment and personality, even for the spells where the mental ability scores are changed!   Conjure Celestial and Conjure Fey Both specify that the summoned creature won't do actions that violate it's alignment,.   Modify Memory "A modified memory doesn't necessarily affect how a creature behaves, particularly if the memory contradicts the creature's natural inclinations, alignment or beliefs.”   Nystul's Magic Aura.  Mask- "You change the way the target appears to spells and magical effects that detect creature types ...You choose a creature type and other spells and magical effects treat the target as if it were a creature of that type or that alignment.”   Spirit Guardians: Causes radiant damage if caster is good or neutral, necrotic damage if the caster is evil.   Very pointedly Divine Sense, Detect Good and Evil and Detect Thoughts doesn't reveal the target's alignment, so as far as I know there is actually no way for a player to directly determine another creature's alignment. “Good” and “Evil” in a spell context mostly refers to Celestials, Fiends and Undead and sometimes also Fey and Elementals.   The list of pantheons and deities list their alignments but again this has no required relation to that of their clerics and paladins.     Monster Manual Again pretty sparse; I've found eight monsters with mechanical implications of alignment. (Technically “lycanthrope” is five monsters)   Demilich Lair Trait – The first time a non-evil creature enters the demilich's lair they take 3D10 necrotic damage.   Lemure: Hellish Rejuvenation: The lemure returns to life unless killed by a good-aligned creature with a bless spell cast upon them or it's remains are sprinkled with holy water.   Night Hag Nightmare Haunting “if the target dies and if the target was evil it's soul is trapped in the hag's soul bag.”   Player Characters as Lycanthropes and Vampires The character's alignment changes to that of the lycanthrope and lawful evil if they are turned into a vampire.   Rakshasa: Damage Vulnerabilities: Piercing from magic weapons wielded by good creatures.   Sprite: Heart Sight: The sprite touches a creature and magically knows the creature's current emotional state. If the target fails a DC10 charisma saving throw, the sprite also knows the creatures alignment. Celestials, fiends and undead automatically fail the saving throw. This minor ability is actually very unusual.   Unicorn: Lair Traits: When a good-aligned creature casts a spell or uses a magical effect to restore hit points to another good aligned creature the target regains the maximum number of hit points. Curses effecting any good-aligned creature are suppressed.   I think Heart Sight is kinda curious as it's the only a CR ¼ creature that posses a ability to allow them to directly detect a creature's alignment. No other monster or PC ability I have found allows this. Lots of monsters have Detect Good and Evil or Detect Thoughts but as mentioned above this doesn't reveal the target's alignment. Even with angels; whilst Planateer's and Solar's Divine Awareness allows them to know if they hear a lie, the can't just know a creature's alignment.     Dungeon Master's Guide   The DMG contains by far the most mechanical effects of Alignment, most notably in the rules for Planes (which isn't much of a surprise given the Great Wheel is kinda based around Alignment) and some magic items.   Bringing Back the Dead (Page 24): A soul can't be returned to life if it doesn't want to be. A souls knows the name, alignment and patron deity (if any) of the character attempting to revive it and might refuse to return on that basis.   Loyalty rules for NPC Party members: When other party members act in a manner that runs counter to the NPC's alignment or bond reduce the NPC's loyalty score by 1D4.   Planar Rules   Psychic dissonance in Outer planes: CON saving throws at end of long rests to avoid exhaustion if Good or Evil creature is on plane off opposed alignment.   Mount Celestia: Blessed Beneficence; good-aligned creatures gain the benefit of Bless and Lesser Restoration spells whilst on this plane.   The following planes require Wisdom or Charisma saving throws after long rests spent on the plane or change your alignment.   Bytopia: Pervasive goodwill The Abyss: Abyssal Corruption Nine Hells: Pervasive Evil Mechanus: Imposing Order.     Magic Items:   Candle of Invocation Benefits cleric or druid who's alignment matches the candle with free 1st level spell slots.   Deck of Many Things Balance card changes alignment. One of the least of your problems from putting this in your game...   Ring of Mind Shielding: Includes making you immune to magic that allows others to know your alignment. Again noting that only a Sprite's Heart Sight seems to allow you to do this.   Talisman of Pure Good and Talisman of Ultimate Evil No surprises here.   Sentient Magical Items and Artifacts Too many to list, notably it's a key part of the conflict mechanic.   And given that two of the sample Artifacts are the Book of Exalted Deeds and Book of Vile Darkness, this isn't a surprise.     So really it's quite possible for alignment to never come up in a game, at least as rules are concerned. Anyone able to spot any I've missed?
#2 Tempest_Stormwind Feb 28, 2015 22:02:33	There's only one that comes to mind: magic traps (Glyph of Warding and Symbol) can be set to respond to particular alignments. Which is a little odd, but still present.
#3 LuisCarlos17f Mar 01, 2015 0:28:57	I use aligments and allegiances (religion, tribe, country, family, clan, code of honor, Nature..) and spells can hurt enemies with same aligment but opposite allegiancy. And my own definition of CB is different.
#4 moonbeast Mar 01, 2015 2:54:56	Illithidbix wrote:
#5 Brock_Landers Mar 01, 2015 3:35:13	moonbeast wrote:
#6 Mephi1234 Mar 01, 2015 5:35:23	Illithidbix wrote:
#7 RCanine Mar 01, 2015 8:38:06	You forgot one in the MM:
#8 Illithidbix Mar 02, 2015 17:34:50	Yeah I generally take the principle that if I'm going to houserule something (e.g. I don't care about Alignment), I should be fully aware of what this changes.   Tempest_Stormwind wrote:
#9 Qmark Mar 02, 2015 19:29:25	Tempest_Stormwind wrote:
#10 Mephi1234 Mar 03, 2015 4:48:54	Illithidbix wrote:
(Reply to #10) The_White_Sorcerer	Mephi1234 wrote:
#12 Mephi1234 Mar 03, 2015 14:19:49	The_White_Sorcerer wrote:
(Reply to #12) The_White_Sorcerer	Mephi1234 wrote:
#14 edwin_su Mar 03, 2015 15:09:22	Mephi1234 wrote:
(Reply to #14) Pompadour64	edwin_su wrote:
#16 Mephi1234 Mar 03, 2015 18:41:52	Huh.  It appears I misremembered it.   I could have sworn it said something about wizards in there...    I guess that does fall back on to warlocks and NPCs.    I'd keep the Magic Resistance for Chain, though.
#17 AaronOfBarbaria Mar 04, 2015 3:40:01	My reading of the familiar sidebars in the Monster Manual has that variant rule being a thing that can happen outside of the find familiar spell and the warlock pact of the chain - meaning none of those rules apply, just the ones found in the sidebar do.   So a warlock might have an imp familiar because of their pact of the chain, but they don't get the magic resistance... and a separate warlock (or other character) might come across an imp in their travels that says "Hey, you. How about I come with you and help you on your quest?" and if they agree would get the telepathic bond, the shared magic resistance, and nothing else.
#18 Mephi1234 Mar 04, 2015 4:20:23	Well, that can certainly be a ruling too, but if that is something that happens, its clearly going to be because the DM wants to give out a familiar to someone.   For PCs, who have lots of opertunities to get familiars, the chances of it coming up for them are moot.    For NPCs, well, they're NPCs.   They don't necessarily follow the same path that adventurers do.   Either case, though, it falls under "DM fiat" to whomever gets one.   Chain Warlock is the only magic user that's promised one of the advanced familars.