Shiny, Bearer of the Pokystick
2006-11-17, 10:54 AM
I've been listening in to a lot of debates about alignment over in d20, but I haven't seen many people actually posting here in homebrew about what they'd like to do instead; I'm going to try to fill that gap.
I'll be really, really surprised if my ideas haven't been tried before, though I'll be even more surprised if they're completely unoriginal. :smalleek:
Anyways...the goal of a variant alignment system would be to address extant concerns (mine and those of others), as follows:
Overuse/misuse of Detect X as a substitute for investigation.
Unrealistic reductionism of complex ethical systems.There's probably more, but those are the main ones to my mind.
Someday I will make a thread without a bulletted list, but it is not this day.
Anyways:
Natures and Codes:
The Nature & Code system is a way for dungeons masters to incorporate a more complex system of ethics and 'good and evil' into their game, and a way for players to define their characters in ways that are not expressible in the simple terms of normal D&D 'Alignment'. It consists of two equally important parts: a creature or player's nature, and that creature or player's code.
The Nature and Code system replaces and supplants the standard alignment system. If you wish to simplify matters, it is fairly easy to simply use the Nature system on its own, without the Code system; this may prevent many 'abuses of alignment' that might otherwise occur, although it does not provide the role-playing guidelines the Code system is intended to.
Nature: A creature's nature is their natural tendency, the way they react under stress, the most fundamental basis of their ethos. Nature is innate and in most senses, immutable; only the most powerful magic or the most prolonged and profound commitment can change a character's nature.
A creature's nature follows the pattern of Alignment; that is, a creature may be chaotic, evil, good, neutral or lawful in nature, or any pairing of these traits.
In the case of classes or other character options that carry an Alignment requirement, a Nature requirement may be used instead; thus, a person with a chaotic nature that allows them to summon the rage of a Barbarian could maintain that ability (thanks to their fundamentally chaotic Nature) even while behaving lawfully- for instance, acting as a methodically implacable, dedicated stalker of wrongdoers.
The Nature of most creature cannot be percieved by mortal magic; detect spells and similar abilities register a creature's nature only in the case of extraplanar creatures from planes with alignment traits, beings with divine rank, and lifelong servitors or allies of such creatures. Aligned planes are held to be possessed of rudimentary sentience, allowing them to possess a "nature" of their own.
Most of the time, a creature is unaware of their own nature, or at least, unaware that it is of any cosmic significance; they may recognize that they are contemptuous of law or of the 'weakness' of charity, but likely they have their own reasons for doing so.
As a general rule, assume that any creature whose nature cannot be ascertained by detect spells is also immune to other effects dependent on Nature; the mixture of self-image, fundamental characteristics, and perception is so complex in ordinary mortal beings that such magics generally find few and slippery footholds.
With the exceptions of outsiders and deities, a creature's Nature is not a product of their birth. To some extent, upbringing may change a creature's nature (i.e. a "prolonged and profound commitment" to a certain way of life), but for the majority of intents and purposes, a creature's Nature is a product of chance- good individuals arise in evil societies, bad individuals in good.
Only sentient beings (of above-animal intelligence) have Natures.
Most mortal beings are unclear on the precise meaning of any given Nature; while they may have a fuzzy idea that certain principles (i.e. Life) are 'good', and others (i.e. Destruction) are 'evil', etc., the precise application of these principles, and their manifestation in a creature's actions, is a product of Code, not Nature.
While a character may have an evil nature, there is every likelihood they percieve their actions as justified by their Code (and thus 'good'). Good and Evil natures are abstractions based on the viewpoint of the mages who first noted and recorded the variations in essence observable among outsiders; good and evil, in character terms, are relative concepts dependent on culture and perspective, as a matter of course.
Augh. I'm at work, folks....so I have to leave this unfinished for the moment. Be back to present the Code System soonest. In the meantime, tell me what you think of Natures?
I'll be really, really surprised if my ideas haven't been tried before, though I'll be even more surprised if they're completely unoriginal. :smalleek:
Anyways...the goal of a variant alignment system would be to address extant concerns (mine and those of others), as follows:
Overuse/misuse of Detect X as a substitute for investigation.
Unrealistic reductionism of complex ethical systems.There's probably more, but those are the main ones to my mind.
Someday I will make a thread without a bulletted list, but it is not this day.
Anyways:
Natures and Codes:
The Nature & Code system is a way for dungeons masters to incorporate a more complex system of ethics and 'good and evil' into their game, and a way for players to define their characters in ways that are not expressible in the simple terms of normal D&D 'Alignment'. It consists of two equally important parts: a creature or player's nature, and that creature or player's code.
The Nature and Code system replaces and supplants the standard alignment system. If you wish to simplify matters, it is fairly easy to simply use the Nature system on its own, without the Code system; this may prevent many 'abuses of alignment' that might otherwise occur, although it does not provide the role-playing guidelines the Code system is intended to.
Nature: A creature's nature is their natural tendency, the way they react under stress, the most fundamental basis of their ethos. Nature is innate and in most senses, immutable; only the most powerful magic or the most prolonged and profound commitment can change a character's nature.
A creature's nature follows the pattern of Alignment; that is, a creature may be chaotic, evil, good, neutral or lawful in nature, or any pairing of these traits.
In the case of classes or other character options that carry an Alignment requirement, a Nature requirement may be used instead; thus, a person with a chaotic nature that allows them to summon the rage of a Barbarian could maintain that ability (thanks to their fundamentally chaotic Nature) even while behaving lawfully- for instance, acting as a methodically implacable, dedicated stalker of wrongdoers.
The Nature of most creature cannot be percieved by mortal magic; detect spells and similar abilities register a creature's nature only in the case of extraplanar creatures from planes with alignment traits, beings with divine rank, and lifelong servitors or allies of such creatures. Aligned planes are held to be possessed of rudimentary sentience, allowing them to possess a "nature" of their own.
Most of the time, a creature is unaware of their own nature, or at least, unaware that it is of any cosmic significance; they may recognize that they are contemptuous of law or of the 'weakness' of charity, but likely they have their own reasons for doing so.
As a general rule, assume that any creature whose nature cannot be ascertained by detect spells is also immune to other effects dependent on Nature; the mixture of self-image, fundamental characteristics, and perception is so complex in ordinary mortal beings that such magics generally find few and slippery footholds.
With the exceptions of outsiders and deities, a creature's Nature is not a product of their birth. To some extent, upbringing may change a creature's nature (i.e. a "prolonged and profound commitment" to a certain way of life), but for the majority of intents and purposes, a creature's Nature is a product of chance- good individuals arise in evil societies, bad individuals in good.
Only sentient beings (of above-animal intelligence) have Natures.
Most mortal beings are unclear on the precise meaning of any given Nature; while they may have a fuzzy idea that certain principles (i.e. Life) are 'good', and others (i.e. Destruction) are 'evil', etc., the precise application of these principles, and their manifestation in a creature's actions, is a product of Code, not Nature.
While a character may have an evil nature, there is every likelihood they percieve their actions as justified by their Code (and thus 'good'). Good and Evil natures are abstractions based on the viewpoint of the mages who first noted and recorded the variations in essence observable among outsiders; good and evil, in character terms, are relative concepts dependent on culture and perspective, as a matter of course.
Augh. I'm at work, folks....so I have to leave this unfinished for the moment. Be back to present the Code System soonest. In the meantime, tell me what you think of Natures?