Alignment Implications

[Alistom]

Hello everyone,

I brief history:
I played a little D&D 35+ years ago and played a mud very briefly in the late 90's.

So, here I am! I did some mud searching, found FK and seen that it was fairly active and decided to take the plunge. I have been trying to understand all of the acronyms and terminology that you all use and it's been tough! Your world really isn't very easy to penetrate but I'm trying.

In any case to the question eluded to: Alignment. When I created my character I really was lost with what to do or select. "Truly Neutral" was offered for alignment so I though that was probably my best option. Since then I have dabbled with a few faiths and done quite a bit of reading. I believe I know which faith I want to pursue.

Now I wonder how much my alignment will effect my decision? I want to stay true during RP (one of the easy acronyms) but I really am leaning toward a specific faith and deity.

What am I to do?

[Harroghty]

True Neutral comes in two flavors really: those who actively strive for balance in the world (e.g. a Harper) and those who don't really have a strong opinion (e.g. some NPC farmer with only a limited speaking part in the campaign).

I think alignment has a lot to do with how your character turns out, not the least of which because of how people will hold you to the standard of your PC's alignment. Evil ranges from serial killer to really, really self-centered; neutral picks up at really self-centered and goes to generally preferring people to be nice; good picks up there and goes to wanting to force people to be nice. There are more detailed statements in the help files for each alignment but it does have a big impact on your PC: affecting how you play, how others expect you to play, and selecting certain features which are available to your PC (for example, deities have followers and clerics of only certain alignments).

Don't feel that this is the end of the world though. TN is a great way to begin as you learn. Later you can apply to gradually shift your PC's alignment in line with your gradually growing understanding and preferences. Or, you can remake the PC or make a totally new one.

[Vaemar]

Welcome to the forums.

True neutral is actually a very good alignment for an undecided character. I personally would follow the roleplay and see where it goes, without worrying too much. First because most deities do indeed accept true neutral followers, and second because you can always apply for an alignment change later, if you think Alistom has actually become good or evil. I don't see much issue in changing to neutral good or neutral evil, if your rp has led you to that point.

[Yemin]

As stated above, TN is a good starting alignment. It was my first as well I believe. To me, an additional method of plaing this is. I do what I want, but I don't really want to be a bad person, without still maintaining no real convictions to help people and be an angel.

Either way, i was under the impression that if your rped followed a route that your visible alignment didn't represent. There was a hidden alignment that the game keeps track off through quests and IMMs and if it diverges too greatly at some point the admins would shift it.

As a fairly experienced DND player these last few years I would personally advise just roleplaying what is true to the character and let alignment follow. Rather than the other way around of trying to follow your alignment. The latter has always felt like a restriction more than a guide.

[Aysa]

There are indeed two flavors of being True Neutral as Sir Harroghty said. And, as he pointed out, there are some that are like philosophical accountants or mathematicians. What you do to one side must be done to the other. Or to get all "WKRP in Cincinnati" on you, for every "Pro", there is an "Elected One".

But, there is another flavor... It is not so much about being neutral, but being caught up in being indecisive. "Am I doing the right thing?" "What is the right thing? By whose standards?" "Just because it is right for me, should I be doing this?" ... the kind of indecision between NG and NE.

As you search for your faith, your faith can help guide you as to "what is the right thing?" and thus guide your character to the appropriate alignment later on.

[Areia]

I would personally advise just roleplaying what is true to the character and let alignment follow. Rather than the other way around of trying to follow your alignment. The latter has always felt like a restriction more than a guide.

This, so much. I used to pick alignments and then work super hard to remain within that alignment. But as many people have said, alignment is not a set thing--it can change over time. mind, it will take quite a lot of time, RP, effort, and reasoning to shift from, say, CE to LG, but small steps are pretty easy to RP out and not unreasonable to make, especially when you're staying true to the character instead of the alignment. It is a subtle difference, but one that has made my own playing so much more enjoyable. Just remember that alignment is only one aspect of your character and, in most situations, not a super significant one. You can even sometimes feel free to make periodic decisions that are outside of your alignment without worrying that it will change too much (unless it's a decision, like, I dunno, murdering your wife and kids or something). No one is super strict LN all of the time, but as long as they tend most often toward LN, then LN is a good alignment for that person.

The only caveat to this suggestion applies to clerics and paladins. The latter need to remain LG here, and clerics do indeed need to conform to usually a small set of alignments. Leaving those restrictions will have large ramifications for the paladin/cleric in question, and frankly, that's one reason I've found clerics less enjoyable to play overall. There is still room for even a LG paladin to grow and change over time, it's just that the changes should remain within LG limits or good-bye, paladinhood. Not that I think class is a super important defining feature to a character, either, but since it's something one tends to put much more effort into building, it can be a bigger blow to lose unless that's just your goal. Anyway, done rambling.

[Alistom]

So... what is CE, LG and LN? I suspect that Evil, Good and Neutral are appropriate but the "L" and "C" I have no idea.

You folks use so many acronyms!

[Aysa]

If good and evil are opposing factors, then law and chaos are also opposing factors.

Someone who is Lawful Evil (LE) -- they would believe that Might makes right... a dictator who has control over military forces would be able to enforce whatever rules he so desired.

Someone who is Chaotic Good (CG) -- they would believe that "For the common good" is best, even if that common good violates the laws of the land.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alignment ... 6_Dragons)

Here is a Wiki Page on the different alignments.

You can also type 'help alignment' while signed on to the game to get further help

[Vaemar]

An alternative interpretation of the lawful-chaotic axis is also that the lawful character has a methodical and planning way of acting, and their behaviour follows a code of sort, based on certain principles. If these principles match the law of some place then they follow it of course, but otherwise they do not.

A chaotic character, on the other hand, is an impulsive and unpredictable person, whose behaviour does not follow principles or an accurate metholodogy, or if it does it does so very loosely.

A good example of this in Dungeons & Dragons is the opposition between devils (who are lawful evil) and demons (who are chaotic evil). Both are evil to the marrow, but devils are more ordered, methodical and regimented in hierarchy, while demons are a wild bunch that is completely unpredictable and destructive, as well as fiercely independent.