Soup of Kings
2009-04-19, 12:30 PM
"Look at that selfish prig," muttered Jonas. "How can he live in such decadence, knowing that people are going hungry in his city?" He pulled his face away from the window of the mayor's house, where a grand feast was being held, and turned to his friend Nicolas. "I just don't get it, Nick. What sort of evil, conniving bas-"
"Now, come on," interrupted Nicolas. "Yeah, he lives in the lap of luxury, but I wouldn't go so far as to call him evil. I hate him just as much as you, but hardly anyone actually ever starves here. And he has always kept us safe from the raiders and wild beasts."
"Alright, then, if he's not evil, what is he?" queried Jonas. "He's definitely not good."
"But that's just the thing. He is good, at heart. He just loves being catered to. Probably has all his life. It's not a question of morality, per se..."
Sometimes things just don't quite fit into the system of Good and Evil, Law and Chaos that we've always believed in. Not that it's a bad system, exactly. Anything more than nine alignments starts to get confusing, and I think the nine current ones do an excellent job of covering a wide range of people. But some people want more depth in their role playing. To this end, I decided to convert the system of Purity and Corruption from Fable II into D&D. Yes, this post is inspired by Fable II.
This gives us three axes for alignment; a moral axis of Good and Evil, a legal axis of Law and Chaos, and a disciplinary axis of Purity and Corruption. (Really, this gives us four (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55828) axes, and I was sorely tempted to include Funk and Squareness, but I'm a very lazy person and there's no way I could manage 81 alignments :smallbiggrin:)
As for examples, it's not too hard to figure out. If you've played Fable II, you know how it works. Sleep for a week and you become corrupt. Eat tofu and you go pure. Jack up the rent on your property and you turn corrupt. Let people live in it for free and your purity gets a boost. Let's examine our friend the mayor again. He's Corrupt, Lawful and Good. There's a fine but distinct line between goodness and purity. The mayor can be both corrupt and good. Although he lives decadently, he still tries to keep his people reasonably well off. On the flip side of that particular coin, a Pure Lawful Good character would never accept bribes, would live simply and humbly, etc. If you choose to incorporate Funk, it gets even more complex. For example, everyone's favorite paladin Miko would be a Pure Lawful Good Square. Elan would be Pure Chaotic Good Funky. The list goes on, but you get the point.
Note that this system is NOT for people who are satisfied with nine alignments. I myself find it confusing, but I think there's some people out there who would like it, or at least find it fun to try out.
At the moment, this is a work in progress, meaning that it's not done. Dur. At the moment, I'm working on the Corrupt alignments. More to come after that if I don't come down with a sudden case of apathy.
"Now, come on," interrupted Nicolas. "Yeah, he lives in the lap of luxury, but I wouldn't go so far as to call him evil. I hate him just as much as you, but hardly anyone actually ever starves here. And he has always kept us safe from the raiders and wild beasts."
"Alright, then, if he's not evil, what is he?" queried Jonas. "He's definitely not good."
"But that's just the thing. He is good, at heart. He just loves being catered to. Probably has all his life. It's not a question of morality, per se..."
Sometimes things just don't quite fit into the system of Good and Evil, Law and Chaos that we've always believed in. Not that it's a bad system, exactly. Anything more than nine alignments starts to get confusing, and I think the nine current ones do an excellent job of covering a wide range of people. But some people want more depth in their role playing. To this end, I decided to convert the system of Purity and Corruption from Fable II into D&D. Yes, this post is inspired by Fable II.
This gives us three axes for alignment; a moral axis of Good and Evil, a legal axis of Law and Chaos, and a disciplinary axis of Purity and Corruption. (Really, this gives us four (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55828) axes, and I was sorely tempted to include Funk and Squareness, but I'm a very lazy person and there's no way I could manage 81 alignments :smallbiggrin:)
As for examples, it's not too hard to figure out. If you've played Fable II, you know how it works. Sleep for a week and you become corrupt. Eat tofu and you go pure. Jack up the rent on your property and you turn corrupt. Let people live in it for free and your purity gets a boost. Let's examine our friend the mayor again. He's Corrupt, Lawful and Good. There's a fine but distinct line between goodness and purity. The mayor can be both corrupt and good. Although he lives decadently, he still tries to keep his people reasonably well off. On the flip side of that particular coin, a Pure Lawful Good character would never accept bribes, would live simply and humbly, etc. If you choose to incorporate Funk, it gets even more complex. For example, everyone's favorite paladin Miko would be a Pure Lawful Good Square. Elan would be Pure Chaotic Good Funky. The list goes on, but you get the point.
Note that this system is NOT for people who are satisfied with nine alignments. I myself find it confusing, but I think there's some people out there who would like it, or at least find it fun to try out.
At the moment, this is a work in progress, meaning that it's not done. Dur. At the moment, I'm working on the Corrupt alignments. More to come after that if I don't come down with a sudden case of apathy.