Post by joshuagoliath on Jan 25, 2014 8:01:55 GMT
Alignments are written into almost any game system you look at. Often, they come along with a strict moral and/or ethical code of conduct, and a note encouraging the GM to make sure PCs adhere to that code, or else be “punished” with an alignment shift. Some systems actually say PUNISHED. Others say “forced” or “required to change”, or similar such wording.
Why?
Our stories and lore are filled with villains who fooled everyone with their behavior, and with heroes that do “wrong” for a good cause. There are also people who would argue if these characters were actually good or evil. But this leads to the question- is alignment based on the actions of a person, or their motives? If I do good deeds, but for an evil reason, am I good or evil? What if I do evil, but for a good reason?
Here’s a story to think about.
*A politician manages to gain control of the assembly of senators, who also vote to give him supreme authority. With supreme authority, he abolishes the senate, and realigns the entire government. Corruption in the system is all but destroyed. The military grows, and gains power and authority, but rarely is it abused. Instead, the trade lanes are patrolled better than ever. Training of the troops has increased, resulting in some of the best soldiers in recorded history. With the increased spending, top notch gear is provided. Red tape in the bureaucracy is reduced by 50% or more. Trade is increased. Slavery is re-established, but it’s not just a “you’re this race, you’re a slave”- it’s primarily a punishment, while also some groups were collectively put into chains, mainly for resisting the new government- usually violently. While the government is primarily ran by, and composed of, the most common race, it is not limited to that race, and anyone, regardless of race, can hold a high rank, including some of the highest ranks in the military, as well as many of the regional governors. This Supreme Ruler manages to destroy an agency that was separate from the Senate, but tied to them, that had kept a “status quo” situation for longer than memory, resulting in a stagnation for many members of the previous senate. With this group gone, those who had refused to care for themselves sank into nothing (often resulting in slavery), while those who provided were actually able to enjoy their rewards. As a whole, just about everyone prospered, if they were willing to work for it. Small petty feuds and wars between groups all but disappear, racial tensions are virtually unheard of. The only real conflict is with a relatively small group that’s fighting the new government, and causing problems left and right.*
At first read, this seems like he’s actually a pretty good guy. He did a few things that were kind of bad. After all, most people agree that slavery is not a good thing. But, by and large, he did a lot of good, right? Now, if you didn’t recognize this story, it’s Emperor Palpatine, from Star Wars. The villain. The group he got rid of was the Jedi, and that small group of troublemakers was the Rebellion.
But, he did so much good… how can he be the BAD GUY?! His motives are what define him as the bad guy. <Yes, I know, based on the EU, there’s a veritable ton more of stuff about his actions and motives. This is the simple version>. His motives were personal power, destruction of the Jedi (mass murder), and the ability to work openly with the dark side of the Force. His motives were evil.
In Palladium Fantasy, I had a Ratling Necromancer of miscreant alignment. My buddy was playing a changeling wizard. He was either miscreant or diabolic. We lived, for several years (him openly as a changeling!), in a town as its protectors. We kept bandits away, we got rid of the demon-cult that was there, and we disposed of several threats in the area. Hell, we even made toys for the kids! We got minor magical items and high quality gear for the local guards. We were generally viewed as “good guys”. But, deep down, we were still evil. Those threats we “disposed of”, often ended up in our lab as an experiment. And when the town finally rose against us (a ratling necromancer and a changeling were just too much after a while. They couldn’t take it anymore) we packed our bags, and quietly left town (they had a choice- let us leave quietly, or we’d fight our way out… they didn’t like that option). Then, I cast the spell “summon vampire”. Several secondary vamps showed up, along with a Master who wanted to know why his minions were walking off. We made a deal. My buddy and I gave out every detail of the towns layout, the way the guards operated (training), what equipment they had, etc. We just wanted to watch, and we wanted the person who roused everyone against us. It was bloody. It was our reminder that we were EVIL.
But for so long, everyone thought of us as GOOD (or at worst, one of the selfish alignments). Even the GM had started to forget that we were evil characters. After that campaign was over, he asked us why, if we were evil, we had done all that GOOD for the town. The answer was simple: we needed a base of operations, and, if the people liked us, they profited from our presence, and we didn’t hurt any of the locals, they were much less likely to try to kill us (and it did work that way for a while). For the most part, they kept other adventurers from realizing what we were, so we were left alone. It was IN OUR BEST INTEREST to “play nice”.
Your motives are what define you. Don’t forget that. Don’t let the GM forget that. But, remember, that means YOU THE PLAYER, need to think about your motives. YOU need to be able to justify why your PC is behaving the way he is.
But, we also need to consider that your alignment is based upon, to a degree, a neutral view. Do you think Hitler saw himself as evil? What about Ghengis Khan? Kim Jung-Il?
Your motives are what define you, but what labels them as good or evil is an outside, neutral view. Selfish, cruel, or manipulative motivations will push you towards the darker side of the spectrum.
When you create your character (or the NPC), keep all of this in mind. Your behavior defines how OTHERS see you, but your motives define how you ARE. Perception defines how you see yourself.
I mentioned justifying your actions via motives. You also need to justify your motives themselves. It’s all well and good to tell your GM that your evil wizard wants to spare the bandit’s life because you want to appear good, but, truthfully, in a lot of cases plenty of good characters could kill him and be justified. If, instead, you say that you want to spare his life to make him a tool, so that you can use and manipulate him later, with him owing you his life, that’s a good (well, evil) answer. Or if you say that you want to leave him alive, because then he will slow down the adventuring party following you, that’s a good (evil) answer, too.
GMs, you need to not just accept a players actions. They have an alignment for a reason. Don’t force them to adhere like superglue to the “code” most alignments put forth, but, they should be “generally” along the lines of it. If you have an evil character who’s saving people left and right, during a break, pull the player aside and ask him/her about it. If there’s a good character that’s killing everyone that gets in his way, ask about it. WHY are they behaving that way? If they can’t justify their actions (reasonably well at least), then, and ONLY then, does it merit further discussion about repercussions. If there’s a good reason, then accept it and move on.
This is also a great tool. How much more does it impact that party when the fighter they’ve been helping, who seemed like such a great guy, turns out to be evil? When they watch him willingly slaughter innocent children to get the last little bit of the way to the goal? All this time, they thought they were helping the GOOD guy, and hurting the BAD guy. But, at the last minute, they find out that the “villain” they were fighting about killed that village not because he was in it for himself, but because they were demon worshippers who were trying to summon a demon lord. And the fighter who’s been alongside them, rescuing women and children, wasn’t just a “lucky survivor”, but is instead a servant of that demon lord, sent to kill this champion that destroyed the town.
The hidden alignment is a powerful tool, especially for evil. It’s also a tool that should be used carefully, or the players will expect it every time.
That’s all for now.. questions? Anything you’d like me to expand upon?
Why?
Our stories and lore are filled with villains who fooled everyone with their behavior, and with heroes that do “wrong” for a good cause. There are also people who would argue if these characters were actually good or evil. But this leads to the question- is alignment based on the actions of a person, or their motives? If I do good deeds, but for an evil reason, am I good or evil? What if I do evil, but for a good reason?
Here’s a story to think about.
*A politician manages to gain control of the assembly of senators, who also vote to give him supreme authority. With supreme authority, he abolishes the senate, and realigns the entire government. Corruption in the system is all but destroyed. The military grows, and gains power and authority, but rarely is it abused. Instead, the trade lanes are patrolled better than ever. Training of the troops has increased, resulting in some of the best soldiers in recorded history. With the increased spending, top notch gear is provided. Red tape in the bureaucracy is reduced by 50% or more. Trade is increased. Slavery is re-established, but it’s not just a “you’re this race, you’re a slave”- it’s primarily a punishment, while also some groups were collectively put into chains, mainly for resisting the new government- usually violently. While the government is primarily ran by, and composed of, the most common race, it is not limited to that race, and anyone, regardless of race, can hold a high rank, including some of the highest ranks in the military, as well as many of the regional governors. This Supreme Ruler manages to destroy an agency that was separate from the Senate, but tied to them, that had kept a “status quo” situation for longer than memory, resulting in a stagnation for many members of the previous senate. With this group gone, those who had refused to care for themselves sank into nothing (often resulting in slavery), while those who provided were actually able to enjoy their rewards. As a whole, just about everyone prospered, if they were willing to work for it. Small petty feuds and wars between groups all but disappear, racial tensions are virtually unheard of. The only real conflict is with a relatively small group that’s fighting the new government, and causing problems left and right.*
At first read, this seems like he’s actually a pretty good guy. He did a few things that were kind of bad. After all, most people agree that slavery is not a good thing. But, by and large, he did a lot of good, right? Now, if you didn’t recognize this story, it’s Emperor Palpatine, from Star Wars. The villain. The group he got rid of was the Jedi, and that small group of troublemakers was the Rebellion.
But, he did so much good… how can he be the BAD GUY?! His motives are what define him as the bad guy. <Yes, I know, based on the EU, there’s a veritable ton more of stuff about his actions and motives. This is the simple version>. His motives were personal power, destruction of the Jedi (mass murder), and the ability to work openly with the dark side of the Force. His motives were evil.
In Palladium Fantasy, I had a Ratling Necromancer of miscreant alignment. My buddy was playing a changeling wizard. He was either miscreant or diabolic. We lived, for several years (him openly as a changeling!), in a town as its protectors. We kept bandits away, we got rid of the demon-cult that was there, and we disposed of several threats in the area. Hell, we even made toys for the kids! We got minor magical items and high quality gear for the local guards. We were generally viewed as “good guys”. But, deep down, we were still evil. Those threats we “disposed of”, often ended up in our lab as an experiment. And when the town finally rose against us (a ratling necromancer and a changeling were just too much after a while. They couldn’t take it anymore) we packed our bags, and quietly left town (they had a choice- let us leave quietly, or we’d fight our way out… they didn’t like that option). Then, I cast the spell “summon vampire”. Several secondary vamps showed up, along with a Master who wanted to know why his minions were walking off. We made a deal. My buddy and I gave out every detail of the towns layout, the way the guards operated (training), what equipment they had, etc. We just wanted to watch, and we wanted the person who roused everyone against us. It was bloody. It was our reminder that we were EVIL.
But for so long, everyone thought of us as GOOD (or at worst, one of the selfish alignments). Even the GM had started to forget that we were evil characters. After that campaign was over, he asked us why, if we were evil, we had done all that GOOD for the town. The answer was simple: we needed a base of operations, and, if the people liked us, they profited from our presence, and we didn’t hurt any of the locals, they were much less likely to try to kill us (and it did work that way for a while). For the most part, they kept other adventurers from realizing what we were, so we were left alone. It was IN OUR BEST INTEREST to “play nice”.
Your motives are what define you. Don’t forget that. Don’t let the GM forget that. But, remember, that means YOU THE PLAYER, need to think about your motives. YOU need to be able to justify why your PC is behaving the way he is.
But, we also need to consider that your alignment is based upon, to a degree, a neutral view. Do you think Hitler saw himself as evil? What about Ghengis Khan? Kim Jung-Il?
Your motives are what define you, but what labels them as good or evil is an outside, neutral view. Selfish, cruel, or manipulative motivations will push you towards the darker side of the spectrum.
When you create your character (or the NPC), keep all of this in mind. Your behavior defines how OTHERS see you, but your motives define how you ARE. Perception defines how you see yourself.
I mentioned justifying your actions via motives. You also need to justify your motives themselves. It’s all well and good to tell your GM that your evil wizard wants to spare the bandit’s life because you want to appear good, but, truthfully, in a lot of cases plenty of good characters could kill him and be justified. If, instead, you say that you want to spare his life to make him a tool, so that you can use and manipulate him later, with him owing you his life, that’s a good (well, evil) answer. Or if you say that you want to leave him alive, because then he will slow down the adventuring party following you, that’s a good (evil) answer, too.
GMs, you need to not just accept a players actions. They have an alignment for a reason. Don’t force them to adhere like superglue to the “code” most alignments put forth, but, they should be “generally” along the lines of it. If you have an evil character who’s saving people left and right, during a break, pull the player aside and ask him/her about it. If there’s a good character that’s killing everyone that gets in his way, ask about it. WHY are they behaving that way? If they can’t justify their actions (reasonably well at least), then, and ONLY then, does it merit further discussion about repercussions. If there’s a good reason, then accept it and move on.
This is also a great tool. How much more does it impact that party when the fighter they’ve been helping, who seemed like such a great guy, turns out to be evil? When they watch him willingly slaughter innocent children to get the last little bit of the way to the goal? All this time, they thought they were helping the GOOD guy, and hurting the BAD guy. But, at the last minute, they find out that the “villain” they were fighting about killed that village not because he was in it for himself, but because they were demon worshippers who were trying to summon a demon lord. And the fighter who’s been alongside them, rescuing women and children, wasn’t just a “lucky survivor”, but is instead a servant of that demon lord, sent to kill this champion that destroyed the town.
The hidden alignment is a powerful tool, especially for evil. It’s also a tool that should be used carefully, or the players will expect it every time.
That’s all for now.. questions? Anything you’d like me to expand upon?