Requesting assistance regarding aligment - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Requesting assistance regarding aligment

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
bill_zagoudis
Jan 26, 2013 18:47:13 Hi! i know such threads are common feel free to ignore it if it's boring to you!

so i am a new player and i am going to participate in an epic compaign for some time,so i'd like to start in a right manner.
i have decided that my character is definately going to be mellee(3.5 edition) and i do not exclude even a lawfull good fighter and blackguard as a choice,the point is that my aligment could really viewed as anything depending on the situation and whos looking at it for example:

-my character will be straightforward and bold(sometimes rude) quite comfortable with violence which he will consider a part of our world

-he will have strong emotional attachement with his comrades,would only consider harming them if they would die anyways and that would be of some benefit

-he will help/protect the innocent tough he has no interest in errands and would definately not sacrifice for them as he considers himself more important(he will save more lives then theirs in the longterm)

-he has absolutely no interest in wealth and material poccesions,except weapons/tools,but he desires power for himself to reform his enviroment as he sees fit,he thinks it will be better for him to have the power to do things right,rather than having a democracy where others can be corrupt/deceived/or lacking determination to do what they must due to restrictive morals and beliefs,but as a leader he will provide for his people and not for himself

-he considers order and discipline to be the most efficient way to organise a society/army/group etc,he is willing to follow but only as long as the leader decides close to what he would,he of course prefers to lead and demands obedience when doing so

-he cares little for the opinions of others unless they are people of great intellectual depth,that can provide meaningfull insight or his few close comrades

-his enemies are those whose selfishness,greed,bloodlust,dogmatism,stupidity etc is making the world a worse place to live(we are probably going to face a cult that will seek to summon some powefull demon into the world and serve him as a god) against such enemies he will not only be brutal,but will have no qualms about deceiving,poisoning and torturing them and will have absolutely no interest in giving them of 'fair trial' or a chance for reconciliation, he will just use them to destroy the others of their kind and if such is not possible kill them.

-if he would come in a situation where he could sacrifice himself to 'save the world' he would do it

-despite his brutality he has absolutely no interest in causing pain to the enemies(let alone innocents),he just dispatches them in the most efficient way

-yet he is not without understaning or completely merciless,he cares about his comrades emotions,sometimes even likes the idea of monogamy etc...

-he would consider making pacts with lawful evil entities to gain power,he would use for the greater good,though chaotic evil he destroys on sight

-his attitude varies from humble to megalomaniac...yes i know that's odd,he considers himself 'just a tool to an end' but also the 'best tool you can get',also he is proud of his power(benefit of fantasy worlds!)

-he will be cold and calculating outside at times,while emotional at others(passion,rage,love etc)

-he will accept 'the ends justify the means' arguements

-he will view himself as the protector of the weaker and sometimes foolish party members

i know not all of the above fit but if nothing else he's going to be a coulorfull character

seriously what aligment is that? i feel that it could be anything,and if we fall on the trap of rewarding aligment points for every minor action his aligment would be shifting to contradictory aligments, for instance such a disciplined character should be lawfull but he may perform chaotic acts
and it would make no sense to be chaotic good in the 1st month and lawful evil the second and who knows what on the 3rd...or is it just neutral/unaligned?

any reply would be appreciated especially from veteran dms,sorry if the post is boring/common etc thx for reading
#2
Tech-Priest
Jan 26, 2013 20:02:41 Call him Neutral or Unaligned and be done with it. Alignment doesn't belong in D&D in any way, shape, or form. Your actions & personality should determine the outcome of situations, sure, and the DM should accomodate that- BUT they should NOT be binding, set-in-stone parameters that you're not allowed to stray from or you'll be penalized.
#3
lolabonne
Jan 26, 2013 20:15:53
Call him Neutral or Unaligned and be done with it. Alignment doesn't belong in D&D in any way, shape, or form. Your actions & personality should determine the outcome of situations, sure, and the DM should accomodate that- BUT they should NOT be binding, set-in-stone parameters that you're not allowed to stray from or you'll be penalized.

Bingo!
#4
Centauri
Jan 26, 2013 21:32:53
i feel that it could be anything

Yep.

I recommend treating alignment like blood type. It's a feature of your character, and it interacts with certain aspects of the world, but doesn't influence (and is not influenced by) your behavior. Be a decent, trustworthy player, and it's not going to matter what your written alignment is.

#5
MrCustomer
Jan 26, 2013 23:35:50 He would most likely be Neutral.

Neutral people are basically good, but aren't commited enough to self sacrifice. They are bound by relationships with others as motivations for their actions.

By the By, there is little difference between lawful Evil and chaotic evil beings as far as morality goes, Evil is that you should be more focused on. I would rethink trusting devils over demons.

Unless there is a mechanical need to choose an alignment (such as to qualify for a class) I would leave it neutral. Even then it's definition should not control your character much, rather use the list you made there.
#6
Grimli
Jan 27, 2013 2:25:42
i feel that it could be anything,and if we fall on the trap of rewarding aligment points for every minor action his aligment would be shifting to contradictory aligments, for instance such a disciplined character should be lawfull but he may perform chaotic acts
and it would make no sense to be chaotic good in the 1st month and lawful evil the second and who knows what on the 3rd...or is it just neutral/unaligned?

To be clear, does your DM reward characters with alignment points?

You did say 3.5?

The issue here is you are asking us to intrepret what you are giving us with what we beleive that alignment would be.

Alignment discussions can get ugly around here.

If you DM say you don't need one then don't select one. But you asked for a suggestion.

Reading your post to me sounds like Lawful Neutral stressing that your character has a personal code.

If you DM stresses the alignment restrictions for 3.5 Blackguard then perhaps Lawful Evil.

This is only my opinion though.
#7
baldhermit
Jan 27, 2013 3:59:54 Being a new player starting in epic, I do not think alignment is the issue here.
#8
Krusk
Jan 27, 2013 8:39:01 The only way to get an answer your DM agrees with is to ask your DM to read that and pick for you. Alignment is very subjective and if your group is one that cares about it, picking the "wrong one" can be a big deal.
#9
Mad_Jack
Jan 28, 2013 20:25:34
Chaotic Neutral

He has deeply held principles and a personal code, that doesn't particularly follow that of anyone else except coincidentally, and applies that code to each situation according to the particular circumstances present at the time. This may often present itself as him seemingly contradicting himself at times or appearing inconsistent.

He's not Lawful because he doesn't respect the laws of others unless they're useful to him or currently in accordance with his own personal codes.

#10
CliveDauthi
Jan 29, 2013 15:04:19
Unless your DM demands it, don’t even bother thinking about Alignment.

Alignments IMO are for people who can’t RP their way out of a wet-bag and need something to help them decide what their character would do.

Simply Role Play what your character would do naturally.

If a DM forces you to choose, always choose Neutral, that way you can do anything you want and if someone gets prissy over Alignment, just say your character did it on a whim of fancy.

Alignment=Sucks.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 bill_zagoudis Jan 26, 2013 18:47:13	Hi! i know such threads are common feel free to ignore it if it's boring to you! so i am a new player and i am going to participate in an epic compaign for some time,so i'd like to start in a right manner. i have decided that my character is definately going to be mellee(3.5 edition) and i do not exclude even a lawfull good fighter and blackguard as a choice,the point is that my aligment could really viewed as anything depending on the situation and whos looking at it for example: -my character will be straightforward and bold(sometimes rude) quite comfortable with violence which he will consider a part of our world -he will have strong emotional attachement with his comrades,would only consider harming them if they would die anyways and that would be of some benefit -he will help/protect the innocent tough he has no interest in errands and would definately not sacrifice for them as he considers himself more important(he will save more lives then theirs in the longterm) -he has absolutely no interest in wealth and material poccesions,except weapons/tools,but he desires power for himself to reform his enviroment as he sees fit,he thinks it will be better for him to have the power to do things right,rather than having a democracy where others can be corrupt/deceived/or lacking determination to do what they must due to restrictive morals and beliefs,but as a leader he will provide for his people and not for himself -he considers order and discipline to be the most efficient way to organise a society/army/group etc,he is willing to follow but only as long as the leader decides close to what he would,he of course prefers to lead and demands obedience when doing so -he cares little for the opinions of others unless they are people of great intellectual depth,that can provide meaningfull insight or his few close comrades -his enemies are those whose selfishness,greed,bloodlust,dogmatism,stupidity etc is making the world a worse place to live(we are probably going to face a cult that will seek to summon some powefull demon into the world and serve him as a god) against such enemies he will not only be brutal,but will have no qualms about deceiving,poisoning and torturing them and will have absolutely no interest in giving them of 'fair trial' or a chance for reconciliation, he will just use them to destroy the others of their kind and if such is not possible kill them. -if he would come in a situation where he could sacrifice himself to 'save the world' he would do it -despite his brutality he has absolutely no interest in causing pain to the enemies(let alone innocents),he just dispatches them in the most efficient way -yet he is not without understaning or completely merciless,he cares about his comrades emotions,sometimes even likes the idea of monogamy etc... -he would consider making pacts with lawful evil entities to gain power,he would use for the greater good,though chaotic evil he destroys on sight -his attitude varies from humble to megalomaniac...yes i know that's odd,he considers himself 'just a tool to an end' but also the 'best tool you can get',also he is proud of his power(benefit of fantasy worlds!) -he will be cold and calculating outside at times,while emotional at others(passion,rage,love etc) -he will accept 'the ends justify the means' arguements -he will view himself as the protector of the weaker and sometimes foolish party members i know not all of the above fit but if nothing else he's going to be a coulorfull character seriously what aligment is that? i feel that it could be anything,and if we fall on the trap of rewarding aligment points for every minor action his aligment would be shifting to contradictory aligments, for instance such a disciplined character should be lawfull but he may perform chaotic acts and it would make no sense to be chaotic good in the 1st month and lawful evil the second and who knows what on the 3rd...or is it just neutral/unaligned? any reply would be appreciated especially from veteran dms,sorry if the post is boring/common etc thx for reading
#2 Tech-Priest Jan 26, 2013 20:02:41	Call him Neutral or Unaligned and be done with it. Alignment doesn't belong in D&D in any way, shape, or form. Your actions & personality should determine the outcome of situations, sure, and the DM should accomodate that- BUT they should NOT be binding, set-in-stone parameters that you're not allowed to stray from or you'll be penalized.
#3 lolabonne Jan 26, 2013 20:15:53	Call him Neutral or Unaligned and be done with it. Alignment doesn't belong in D&D in any way, shape, or form. Your actions & personality should determine the outcome of situations, sure, and the DM should accomodate that- BUT they should NOT be binding, set-in-stone parameters that you're not allowed to stray from or you'll be penalized. Bingo!
#4 Centauri Jan 26, 2013 21:32:53	i feel that it could be anything Yep. I recommend treating alignment like blood type. It's a feature of your character, and it interacts with certain aspects of the world, but doesn't influence (and is not influenced by) your behavior. Be a decent, trustworthy player, and it's not going to matter what your written alignment is.
#5 MrCustomer Jan 26, 2013 23:35:50	He would most likely be Neutral. Neutral people are basically good, but aren't commited enough to self sacrifice. They are bound by relationships with others as motivations for their actions. By the By, there is little difference between lawful Evil and chaotic evil beings as far as morality goes, Evil is that you should be more focused on. I would rethink trusting devils over demons. Unless there is a mechanical need to choose an alignment (such as to qualify for a class) I would leave it neutral. Even then it's definition should not control your character much, rather use the list you made there.
#6 Grimli Jan 27, 2013 2:25:42	i feel that it could be anything,and if we fall on the trap of rewarding aligment points for every minor action his aligment would be shifting to contradictory aligments, for instance such a disciplined character should be lawfull but he may perform chaotic acts and it would make no sense to be chaotic good in the 1st month and lawful evil the second and who knows what on the 3rd...or is it just neutral/unaligned? To be clear, does your DM reward characters with alignment points? You did say 3.5? The issue here is you are asking us to intrepret what you are giving us with what we beleive that alignment would be. Alignment discussions can get ugly around here. If you DM say you don't need one then don't select one. But you asked for a suggestion. Reading your post to me sounds like Lawful Neutral stressing that your character has a personal code. If you DM stresses the alignment restrictions for 3.5 Blackguard then perhaps Lawful Evil. This is only my opinion though.
#7 baldhermit Jan 27, 2013 3:59:54	Being a new player starting in epic, I do not think alignment is the issue here.
#8 Krusk Jan 27, 2013 8:39:01	The only way to get an answer your DM agrees with is to ask your DM to read that and pick for you. Alignment is very subjective and if your group is one that cares about it, picking the "wrong one" can be a big deal.
#9 Mad_Jack Jan 28, 2013 20:25:34	Chaotic Neutral He has deeply held principles and a personal code, that doesn't particularly follow that of anyone else except coincidentally, and applies that code to each situation according to the particular circumstances present at the time. This may often present itself as him seemingly contradicting himself at times or appearing inconsistent. He's not Lawful because he doesn't respect the laws of others unless they're useful to him or currently in accordance with his own personal codes.
#10 CliveDauthi Jan 29, 2013 15:04:19	Unless your DM demands it, don’t even bother thinking about Alignment. Alignments IMO are for people who can’t RP their way out of a wet-bag and need something to help them decide what their character would do. Simply Role Play what your character would do naturally. If a DM forces you to choose, always choose Neutral, that way you can do anything you want and if someone gets prissy over Alignment, just say your character did it on a whim of fancy. Alignment=Sucks.