DM Entry: Important Notes about Alignment

This is a brief article of some notes of mine that discuss alignment as it is used in D&D and in my games, and how it affects your character.

Alignment is a statistic on your character sheet that facilitates role-playing—much more than any other statistic on your character sheet. It defines how you are likely to respond to any given event.

I will list some examples of deeds below. But before I get to that, I want to discuss what happens with your character if you do things that do not match your professed alignment.

For the average character, performing a couple of actions here and there outside of your alignment is not going to change your alignment. It is only when your actions become *predominately* those of some other alignment. For example, if your character has written down that he is chaotic good, and then every time he sees someone breaking the law he ends up hauling the criminal into the authorities, after awhile he may change alignment, perhaps a step toward lawful, thus becoming neutral good.

For the D&D game (and my games in particular), the alignment on your character sheet represents what you do *mostly*. It is not a hard and fast rule or a straitjacket. For example, a neutral good character might find that he wants to do something evil “just this once.” That won’t change his alignment. However, if every time he is faced with a moral dilemma (good or evil) he chooses to go with evil rather than good actions, his alignment might change.

For characters that have class levels in Cleric or Paladin or some other class that follows the precepts of a deity or religion, doing actions outside of those permitted by your deity or religion can cause you to lose class abilities, and then eventually change your alignment. For example, a neutral good cleric of Pelor that animates a zombie might find he has been put on probation by Pelor, losing all of his spells and class abilities until he completes a quest and receives a proper atonement. If the same cleric refuses to come back in line with the precepts of the faith, he could change alignment and at that point he will also have to choose a new deity or religion if it is an alignment outside of those allowed by his faith.

What happens to my character if his alignment changes? When your character changes alignment, you lose all experience points for the level you are on (returning to the minimum xp for your level), and also gain a -50% xp penalty until you gain a level. There may be other repercussions as well, like being kicked out of your church or losing some associations. And you might not be able to benefit from magic items that require a certain alignment.

How will I know if my character’s alignment changes? There are two ways this can happen. 1) You can willingly choose to change your alignment. 2) The DM will inform you that your character’s alignment has changed, either because of your role-playing actions or perhaps because of sinister magic items that alter your alignment. In any circumstance, if your alignment changes, you suffer all of the penalties for changing alignment.

Alignment on the Outer Planes. Now a word about alignments on the Outer Planes. The Outer Planes are the abodes of the gods, the home of the afterlife for mortals, and the haunts of such extreme beings like angels and demons. Out there your alignment actions can have an effect on the planes themselves. On the Outlands are gate towns, each connected to some Outer Plane. These frequently slide over to their nearby plane when the attitudes and actions of the citizens tip the balance enough to change the town’s alignment. For example, in Plague-Mort (the gate town to the Abyss that resides on the Outlands, near the Abyss), fiends frequently go about town causing chaos and evil, until the town is so out of control (finally becoming so chaotic and evil) that it slips into the Abyss.

Alignment in Occipitus. In the Shackled City adventure path, there is a situation on Occipitus, the 507^th layer of the Abyss (a plane of Chaos and Evil). There was a war long ago where demons fought against angels and tipped the balance of a portion of Mount Celestia (a plane of Law and Good). Many angels and demons died in that battle and some portion of Mount Celestia slipped into the Abyss, partially merging itself with Occipitus. In this layer of the Abyss, both moral (good vs evil) and ethical (lawful vs chaotic) behavior actually shapes and reshapes the environment. It is the hope of many lawful good outsiders (angels, for example) that that portion of Mount Celestia be returned to its rightful place. However the denizens of the Abyss take unholy delight in perverting the pure good of that place, and hope that that portion of Mt Celestia will completely merge with the Abyss. In this place, every lawful and/or good deed is exaggerated and revitalizes that portion of Mt Celestia that is found there. Conversely, every chaotic and/or evil action is also exaggerated and pulls that portion of Mt Celestia further into the substance of the Abyss itself. In a sense, the battle for good and evil, law and chaos, still rages on Occipitus until the merging is complete or Mt Celestia is restored. This is why Kaurophon constantly tries to warn the party about its actions. It is his hope that Mt Celestia be restored. A simple evil act like animating a zombie (while “simply” evil on the Material Plane) is an act of severe violation against the very core of Mt Celestia down here in the Abyss. Kaurophon explains that the gods of Mt Celestia and the gods and demon lords of the Abyss watch the events of this place, waiting with baited breath to act on behalf of their plane if something goes too far in one direction or the other.

In the real world, alignments (moral behavior and ethical actions) are highly subjective. And it is the topic of every religion to guide people with their own particular version of what is good and what is evil.

In Dungeons & Dragons, alignments are *not* subjective. Good is specifically defined, and so is Evil. I will try to discuss some of those things below for each alignment.

Good

Helping others just because it’s the right thing to do, not for reward.

Charity. Providing material assistance for those in need. Like food for the hungry, clothing for the naked, lodging for the homeless, hope to the hopeless.

Healing. Healing wounds, removing disease, and neutralizing poison for those around you, strangers as well as allies; and for the purest of good, even healing your enemies.

Personal Sacrifice. One of the acts of good that I view as the best definition of good is personal sacrifice. If you help someone at a personal cost just because it’s the right thing to do, this is one of the strongest acts of good you can do. This comes in various forms, from the poor man who gives his last gold piece to provide food to a starving child, to the most extreme like martyrdom, sacrificing yourself for the good of someone else, especially strangers and your enemies.

Good Spells. Perhaps this is a simple concept but casting Good spells is a simple way to do a good deed. Learning, preparing, and casting spells with the Good descriptor are all good acts.

Mercy. When you are fighting against someone and they drop their weapons and plead for mercy, the good character stops attacking and accepts the plea. To ignore a plea for mercy is a strong act of evil.

Forgiveness. Abdicating your right to exact vengeance. Encouraging someone who is trying to turn from evil. Not holding the past against them. These sorts of things are essential for good characters. Forgiving those who ask but do not deserve it.

Bringing Hope.

Redeeming Evil.

Taking Exalted Feats.

Tithing to a Good Church or Religion.

Slaying Creatures that have the Evil Subtype. This is always a good act.

Being Humble.

Showing Kindness or Love to those who have Harmed You.

Chastity. Resisting inappropriate sexual encounters.

Zeal. Taking a righteous stand against overwhelming or impossible odds.

Channeling or Infusing Good Outsiders. When you share your body with that of an angelic being.

Performing Exorcisms. Casting out evil possessing spirits.

Consecrating or Hallowing a Church or other Religious Place.

Overthrowing an Evil Regime or Government.

Sometimes people assert that doing something evil to help the greater good is a good act. But in D&D, doing something evil is an evil act, regardless of whether or not it is for the cause of good or helps the cause of the greater good.

Evil

Lying. Misrepresenting the truth for personal gain. In D&D, lying itself isn’t evil unless it’s done for personal gain.

Betrayal. Betraying the trust of an ally or family member, or even the people of your community.

Murder. Killing creatures with Intelligence scores of 3 or higher for nefarious purposes like theft, personal gain, perverse pleasure, etc. Killing in self defense or in defense of the helpless is not evil.

Vengeance. Taking revenge against slights against you, seeking to punish people for their actions.

Animating or Creating Undead. This is an inherently evil act, one of the most heinous crimes.

Evil Spells. Learning, preparing, and casting evil spells are evil acts.

Harming a Soul. Doing harm to a soul is one of the most powerful forms of evil a person can do.

Using Others for Personal Gain. This is perhaps the strongest definition of evil in my games. Selfish acts at the expense of others, especially if it causes harm (even the slightest) to someone else.

Greed.

Bullying and Cowing Innocents.

Bringing Despair. The opposite of bringing hope.

Tempting Others. Tempting others to do evil.

Taking Vile Feats.

Slaying Creatures with the Good Subtype. This is always an evil act.

Indulgence. Engaging in inappropriate sexual encounters, indulging substance abuse with drug or alcohol addiction. This also includes seduction of a good creature into such acts.

Cannibalism. Consuming any portion of a creature that has an Intelligence score of 3 or more.

Sadism and Masochism.

Self-Mutilation or Self-Harm.

Necrophilia. Especially taking the Lichloved feat.

Bestiality. Having sex with a creature that has an Intelligence score of 1 or 2.

Humiliation.

Intimidating, Painful, Excruciating, Sadistic, or Indescribable Torture. See the Fiendish Codex II page 22.

Performing a Bloody Sacrifice to a Demon Lord (or the like).

Desecrating a Good Church or Place.

Possession. Possessing an unwilling creature, or facilitating such possession.

Inflicting Pain to gain Power.

Using Evil Spell Components.

Speaking a Dying Curse.

Overthrowing a Good Regime or Government.

Lawful

Lawful Spells. Learning, preparing, and casting lawful spells are lawful acts.

Slaying a Creature with the Chaotic Subtype.

Swearing Fealty to a Leader.

Overthrowing a Chaotic Regime or Government.

Bringing a Lawbreaker to Justice.

Reporting Lawbreakers.

Helping to Revise Unjust Laws.

Disciplining Underlings.

Resolving Disputes through the use of the Law.

Accepting Legal Judgment against You.

Following a Rule you think is Stupid.

Obeying a Leader that you do not Respect.

Chaotic

Chaotic Spells. Learning, preparing, and casting chaotic spells are chaotic acts.

Slaying a Creature with the Lawful Subtype.

Overthrowing a Lawful Regime or Government.

Cheating. Breaking the rules.

Stealing. Taking things that don’t belong to you.

Breaking Laws.

Humiliating Law Enforcement.

Inciting or Partaking in a Riot.

Disobeying Orders from Superiors.

Disobeying Law Enforcement.

Morally Neutral (Neither Good nor Evil)

Ethically Neutral (Neither Lawful nor Chaotic)

For both of these alignments, as long as you strike a balance between the acts you perform, you will maintain your neutral alignment. If you are neutral good, you should have an equal amount of lawful and chaotic behavior, for example. And if you are chaotic neutral, you should have an equal amount of good and evil actions.

If you have made it this far, I have a little bonus since we are not able to play this weekend. Everyone who comments on this post (using the Comment link below) will be eligible to “Dice Off” against each other for a special magic item. In the comment, just put the name of a fictional character (like Superman, Optimus Prime, Darth Vader, Robin Hood, Robocop, Jessica Rabbit, etc.) and what you think his/her D&D alignment would be and why. The magic item will be specific to one of your character classes, but chosen by the DM. We will do the “Dice Off” at our next game session.