Moral Compass Help Requested

[Malfarian]

Hello All,

*Assessment updated* Feedback appreciated.

I want to create/modify an alternate alignment system for my D&D/Fantasy games. I spent years playing Vampire the Masquerade and I enjoyed the Paths/Roads of Humany etc system there which had hierarchies of sins. I don’t want a strict hierarchy, rather a set of fleshed out questions which help characters understand what their lines are.

Think of it as a questionnaire/survey that characters would take in session 0, then again around session 10, to see how they’ve changed.

This is not intended as a mechanical system, though I have some ideas of tying some abilities to where you are on the spectra, but that’s way down the road (some good/some bad).

Here is my brainstorming and I’d love your critiques, additional questions and comments.

Thanks,
Mal

What is your moral compass?

Mercy/Aid Others
• You hear a woman scream over the hill or otherwise far away. Do you help them?
• You see a person running from a pursuer, they look like they’re in trouble. Do you help them?
• Town guard just captured a young boy stealing food from a card and they are preparing to cut off his hand. Do you help the boy?
• You capture a young street urchin steeling from you. What do you do?
• You see someone murder someone, what do you do?
• You see a person kill someone is self-defense, what do you do?
• Who was nice to you as a kid?

Wealth & Possessions
• Do you steal?
• Would you take found items?
• Would you steal from your enemies?
• Would you rob a grave? Archaeological site?
• Would you take from the dead?
• You find a noble’s ring, do you return it? Would you ask for anything in return?

Honor
• Are you Truthful?
• Do you keep your word?
• What if no one would know?
• When you lie, do you feel bad?
• Follow the law?
• What circumstances would you break the law?
• Would you follow the law if it didn’t benefit you?
• It’s night and you come to a river crossing, there is a rowboat to bring people across. The ferryman is not in sight, do you wait for them to return or just take the boat?

Authority
• When a noble is walking towards you on the street, do you move out of the way?
• An incident has occurred on the street, as people come out to see it, the town guard tell you to go back indoors, do you?
• The local lord levies at 10% tax on all income, do you pay it when asked? What if you are not asked?
• Conscription is mandatory, and your friend is upset her son is to be drafted, what do you advise?
• Would you turn in or report a friend for committing a crime?

Killing
• Would you kill in self-defense?
• If an opponent surrenders, do you kill them?
• If an enemy surrendered in the heat of a battle, do you let them?
• Would you threaten prisoners?
• Would you torture prisoners?
• Would you hunt rare creatures for their parts? For example Unicorns etc
• If you could not afford a magic item, would you kill the shopkeeper to take it?
• Would you kill guards to cover up a crime?
• Would you kill someone in cold blood?
• Would you poison someone?
• Would you stab someone in the back?
• Would you accept a contract to kill someone?
• If you later realized that it was an 8 year boy, would you complete the contract?

Temperament
• You see a friend being dragged off by beasts, do you rush after them? Or gather your forces?
• After carefully planning a rescue, your leader changes the plan on the fly. How do you handle the plan changing?
• After two weeks on the road towards a destination, your party leader finds a new mission in another direction. How do you handle the change?

[Bjarkmundur]

Let's just start with how a player feels answering these questions.
Answering as if Adrian (see signature)
I'm curious as how you interpret these.


Mercy/Aid Others
• You hear a woman scream over the hill or otherwise far away. Do you help them?
Yes.
• You see a person running from a pursuer, they look like they’re in trouble. Do you help them?
Maybe, not always.
• Town guard just captured a young boy stealing food from a cart and they are preparing to cut off his hand. Do you help the boy?
Yes.
• You capture a young street urchin steeling from you. What do you do?
Give him a job to do and a copper piece, with a promise of a second piece once the job is done.
• You see someone murder someone, what do you do?
Subdue him until the city watch arrives.
• You see a person kill someone is self-defense, what do you do?
I stay as a witness for when the city watch arrives.


Wealth & Possessions
• Do you steal?
No
• Would you take found items?
Yes
• Would you steal from enemies?
Yes, but this is really a question about who you consider your enemy
• Would you rob a grave? Archaeological site?
No.
• Would you take from the dead?
If buried in honor, no. If left to rot, yes.

Honor
• Are you Truthful?
Yes.
• Do you keep your word?
Yes.
• What if no one would know?
Still.
• When you lie, do you feel bad?
No, I feel I am justified when I do so.
• Follow the law?
I only support the law to the same extent it supports me.
• What circumstances would you break the law?
When the law has proven incompetent or unwilling.
• Would you follow the law if it didn’t benefit you?
This is really a question of what I count as benefiting me enough to break the law.
• If driving at night and you come to a red light in the country, you KNOW no other cars are coming, do you stop? If you stop, do you wait for it to turn green?
I usually take the cart when travelling between wards.

Killing
• Would you kill in self-defense?
Preferably not
• If an opponent surrenders, do you kill them?
No
• If an enemy surrendered in the heat of a battle, do you let them?
Yes, but my warforged friend has terrible tantrums, so I can't always account for his actions.
• Would you threaten prisoners?
When and if I do so, I feel justified.
• Would you torture prisoners?
Preferably not.
• Would you kill rare creatures for their parts? Unicorns etc
My rommate would never let me, nor would it be difficult for her to stop me.
• Kill shopkeepers? Guards? Kids?
Not on the grounds of being such, no.
• Would you kill in cold blood?
I don't know what that means. Without emotions? Maybe.
• Would you stab someone in the back?
Don't know what that means either. Betrayal? No. Ambush? Yes.

It feels pretty comprehensive, although it lacks a way to gauge a player's respect for authority.

[Malfarian]

Thank you so much for answering! I feel like I have a strong sense who Adrian is now. I do see that I should modify some questions, again thanks for that.

I will also need to add some questions about authority.

Best,
Mal

[Malfarian]

New questions added and some edited.

Thanks.
Mal

[JNAProductions]

My last character I played in a long campaign, Agate, would have the following to say...

Mercy/Aid Others
• You hear a woman scream over the hill or otherwise far away. Do you help them?
Of course-without a second thought.
• You see a person running from a pursuer, they look like they’re in trouble. Do you help them?
Definitely-but find out WHY they're being pursued, and capture them in turn if they are, in fact, in the wrong.
• Town guard just captured a young boy stealing food from a card and they are preparing to cut off his hand. Do you help the boy?
Yes. And then topple the guard and get them replaced.
• You capture a young street urchin steeling from you. What do you do?
Teach him how to steal better, and then take him in so he doesn't HAVE to.
• You see someone murder someone, what do you do?
Get the murderer, capture if possible, kill if not. Then pay for a quick ressurection on the victim.
• You see a person kill someone is self-defense, what do you do?
Get the whole story, and protect them as needed.
• Who was nice to you as a kid?
Family, friends. Good childhood.

Wealth & Possessions
• Do you steal?
Once-a Deck Of Many Things from a half-drunk party member. Returned it later, though.
• Would you take found items?
Found where?
• Would you steal from your enemies?
Yes. Not so much for money, but to disarm them and otherwise make them incapable of acting effectively as my enemy.
• Would you rob a grave? Archaeological site?
Sure. Did it to get powerful weapons when the world was in danger.
• Would you take from the dead?
They don't need their stuff anymore. While it's distasteful, it's better to take from the dead than the living.
• You find a noble’s ring, do you return it? Would you ask for anything in return?
Yes, and probably just a favor to be cashed in later.

Honor
• Are you Truthful?
Generally yes, but quite skilled at lying when needed.
• Do you keep your word?
Yes.
• What if no one would know?
Still keep it.
• When you lie, do you feel bad?
Depends. If I'm lying to try to catch someone in evil who I don't think is really evil, but need to know, yes. In general, no, because I lie with purpose.
• Follow the law?
Depends what law.
• What circumstances would you break the law?
The law is unjust, or even a just law is preventing good.
• Would you follow the law if it didn’t benefit you?
So long as the law is just.
• It’s night and you come to a river crossing, there is a rowboat to bring people across. The ferryman is not in sight, do you wait for them to return or just take the boat?
I swim across. I'm strong enough to manage on my own.

Authority
• When a noble is walking towards you on the street, do you move out of the way?
Only as much as I would for anyone else. They don't get special privileges just because they were born noble.
• An incident has occurred on the street, as people come out to see it, the town guard tell you to go back indoors, do you?
Hell no. I'm almost certainly vastly more competent than the guard, so I'll help them.
• The local lord levies at 10% tax on all income, do you pay it when asked? What if you are not asked?
Depends on the lord. Good lord, keeps his people safe and rules fairly, I'll pay (if asked, or if I remember-I probably won't remember if not asked). Bad lord, unfair taxes etc. etc., then hell no, prepare for dethroning.
• Conscription is mandatory, and your friend is upset her son is to be drafted, what do you advise?
Work with the government (if just) to ensure he gets a safe, if not necessarily easy, job. Simply because they're the friend of an adventurer does not award them special privileges, but someone has to be a messenger/medic/whatever else is relatively safe.
• Would you turn in or report a friend for committing a crime?
Yes-assuming they had selfish motives for the crime. If they needed to do it to do good, then they get a pass.

Killing
• Would you kill in self-defense?
Yup.
• If an opponent surrenders, do you kill them?
Nope.
• If an enemy surrendered in the heat of a battle, do you let them?
Yes, but with this warning: "Break the peace and you will die."
• Would you threaten prisoners?
Only with what I'd actually be willing to do.
• Would you torture prisoners?
No.
• Would you hunt rare creatures for their parts? For example Unicorns etc
Probably not.
• If you could not afford a magic item, would you kill the shopkeeper to take it?
No.
• Would you kill guards to cover up a crime?
Only if the guards are themselves evil and the crime was committed against a heinous government.
• Would you kill someone in cold blood?
Only with VERY good reason.
• Would you poison someone?
Yes.
• Would you stab someone in the back?
Yes.
• Would you accept a contract to kill someone?
If I was already gonna kill them, sure.
• If you later realized that it was an 8 year boy, would you complete the contract?
Youth does not excuse evil. But, your typical 8 year old isn't evil, just bratty. In other words, under some set of circumstances, I would conceivably do it, but certainly not as a matter of course.

Temperament
• You see a friend being dragged off by beasts, do you rush after them? Or gather your forces?
Rush in.
• After carefully planning a rescue, your leader changes the plan on the fly. How do you handle the plan changing?
We have plans now?
• After two weeks on the road towards a destination, your party leader finds a new mission in another direction. How do you handle the change?
Depends on the situation.

[Malfarian]

This thread has become more fun than I could have imagined. Thank you both!

[Bjarkmundur]

My last character I played in a long campaign, Agate, would have the following to say...
• After carefully planning a rescue, your leader changes the plan on the fly. How do you handle the plan changing?
We have plans now?

That just about sums it up xD

[Malfarian]

Welcoming any further additions or critiques.

[SaigonTimeMD]

Just as a critique, the Wealth/Possessions section seems to be almost exclusively about stealing and/or taking things from others. You might want to add more questions to determine what types of wealth people favor, i.e., whether they value bankable/spendable cash or material possessions/lavish living conditions, and so on. Other questions could pinpoint the ethics of how said wealth is accrued (taking an easy, less moral way to make cash faster over a difficult, more ethical way that makes cash slower), spent (on oneself, on others, on charity, etc.), and what one would be willing to part with under different circumstances. Sorry I don't have specific questions to switch out/add, I just hope it acts as a springboard to flesh that section out a bit more.

[Bjarkmundur]

http://cdn.doublequotes.net/design-quotes/away/a-designer-knows-he-has-achieved-perfection-not-when-there-is-nothing-left-to-ad-403x403-nk9oo0.jpg

[Evil DM Mark3]

OK, answering as a current PC Skimbibble-Pokeypoke and an ongoing NPC Herbert Vas Windermere. My own thoughts as to the questions included in regular text.

Mercy/Aid Others
• You hear a woman scream over the hill or otherwise far away. Do you help them?
Nope. Go other way. I'd look to see if there was anyone more capable in the immediate vicinity but otherwise, yes. Just a quick thought, why a woman in particular?
• You see a person running from a pursuer, they look like they’re in trouble. Do you help them?
Nope. Hide. Again if there aren't other more likely candidates than a fumblefingered academic.
• Town guard just captured a young boy stealing food from a card and they are preparing to cut off his hand. Do you help the boy?
Heh, stupid boy. Not hide good. If its the law of the land to punish without trial, and they lack the legal ability to exercise discretion, then I wonder what I am doing here giving them patronage. Certainly talking the guards around in such a situation is unlikely as they will fear discipline, but if this is extra-legal or they CAN exercise their own judgment then I am more than capable of kicking up enough of a stink to try and stop them.
• You capture a young street urchin steeling from you. What do you do?
You take my stuff? I take your stuff. Fair. Am I still in the same city? If so I give him a clip about the ear and walk away. In a more civilised locale I hand the matter over to law-enforcement. I like these two as they are more or less the same question from different perspectives.
• You see someone murder someone, what do you do?
Hide. Maybe tell people if can get stuff, maybe not tell people if can get stuff. Actual murder? Report it.
• You see a person kill someone is self-defense, what do you do?
Hide. Maybe tell people if can get stuff, maybe not tell people if can get stuff. Depends on the local criminal code and the specific circumstances but ultimately this needs reporting unless I have a compelling reason not to. Don't want some 3rd party getting done for murder.
• Who was nice to you as a kid?
Why be nice to kids? Kids dumb. My Great uncle Elija was, well he didn't mind me in the room when he was reading so long as I was quiet. Pater was a decent sort, I mean, when I saw him. Nana Murgatroid and Masters Smethring and Kloid were understanding.

Wealth & Possessions
• Do you steal?
Can't prove it! As a rule, no. In extremis, well, is theft to survive even truly theft in the legal sense?
• Would you take found items?
I find I keep, get hands off! Define "found item". Purse in the street? Local constable. Ancient sword on the floor of a tomb? Private collection.
• Would you steal from your enemies?
Who else is there? Funny how that works. Stealing from ones enemies has an inverse morality to it, small things like their money, still immoral.
Large things like their barony, absolutely lauded as virtuous. Still, lacking an army or the social class to obtain one I'm going to say no, with the caveat that returning "found items" gets a lot harder and that category gets needfully wider.
• Would you rob a grave? Archaeological site?
Is spooky? Or is really dead? Archaeology is not theft, its a public service. If you don't have permission from the proper people (note, people, not authorities) and you don't have a good reason then it isn't Archaeology, it's theft.
• Would you take from the dead?
Is easiest I would be a rather poor archaeologist if I didn't...
• You find a noble’s ring, do you return it? Would you ask for anything in return?
Maybe, how much he want me give shine rock? I mean, no. I would expect a gentle to express their gratitude in an appropriate fashion of course, but that's his name and face sullied if he doesn't, not mine.

Honor
• Are you Truthful?
Is it easy? Yes.
• Do you keep your word?
Is they scary? I said I was truthful.
• What if no one would know?
Do I gets shinny for saying anyway? I refer the honourable gentle to my previous answer.
• When you lie, do you feel bad?
Hehehehehehe. Its not about one's feelings, its about one's ability to function in society and society at large's ability to function.
• Follow the law?
Is lawman scary? Well, as a matter of course, but personal honour and other considerations are also important.
• What circumstances would you break the law?
Is reason to not break law? Then not break it. Is reason to break law? Law broken. Well I've got a treason charge for releasing state secrets to the people they actually belong to that I need to find an answer for.
• Would you follow the law if it didn’t benefit you?
Pffff The law rarely benefits people, it benefits society.
• It’s night and you come to a river crossing, there is a rowboat to bring people across. The ferryman is not in sight, do you wait for them to return or just take the boat?
Why boat man not with boat? Like me not be with bow. Very suspicious. Likely trap! Legalities aside, do I look like I know anything as technical as how to pilot a boat?

Authority
• When a noble is walking towards you on the street, do you move out of the way?
RUN! Of the 3rd Dahal or higher? Yes. Lady or someone older than me of 4th Dahal? Yes. Otherwise it's their place, not mine.
• An incident has occurred on the street, as people come out to see it, the town guard tell you to go back indoors, do you?
He seed me! RUN! I'll assume, for the moment, he has just cause to be ordering me about, he is a servant of the city after all. But I reserve the right to make formal complaint.
• The local lord levies at 10% tax on all income, do you pay it when asked? What if you are not asked?
What, me poor little goblin, me no have shinnys... If he has to go around asking then he needs to hire more tax collectors. Of course I pay!
• Conscription is mandatory, and your friend is upset her son is to be drafted, what do you advise?
Silly boy let others make him fight. He die. Stupid boy! (Why am I friend of someone of the lower Dahals? A household servant maybe?) If we aren't at war then a soldier's life is to be envied. If we are fighting a defensive war then I think he would rather have a spear and a few dozen men at his side. If its a war of aggression, well my house never votes for those. Maybe Pater can get him moved to the messenger corpse?
• Would you turn in or report a friend for committing a crime?
Is there money? If they lack the moral fibre to do so themselves then yes, after giving their Pater Familius a chance to do it themselves and avoid being totally humiliated.

Killing
• Would you kill in self-defense?
Yup. Lacking other recourse, yes.
• If an opponent surrenders, do you kill them?
Maybe. Might be better as other thing. Its not my place to be taking surrenders. I'd need to look up the accepted protocol, but I assume no, I'd certainly be very surprised.
• If an enemy surrendered in the heat of a battle, do you let them?
Pffff, knifey ribs! I assume so, this question is rather vague and open-ended. I'm not really trained on battle-protocol.
• Would you threaten prisoners?
Yeah, is fun. So long as not getting free. Only with threats I am legally permitted to carry out. Offering rewards tends to work better anyway, at least that's always been Grandpater's policy.
• Would you torture prisoners?
Maybe. If they is tied down real good and I is bored. How barbaric! If you need information that badly hire a diviner!
• Would you hunt rare creatures for their parts? For example Unicorns etc
Sure. I gots dis bow right? I've never been much of an outdoors type, much to Pater's irritation. And Unicorns are sacred so they make a bad example.
• If you could not afford a magic item, would you kill the shopkeeper to take it?
If can kill him, would do so even if can afford. Still, need to be sure not a trap... If I lack the funds, genuinely need the item and this man won't take family credit then I will find it elsewhere and let everyone I know know how unreasonable the man is.
• Would you kill guards to cover up a crime?
Pfff, sloppy. Yes. No.
• Would you kill someone in cold blood?
Best way. Matters of Vital Honour aside, no. And I am unlikely to approach Vital Honour in cold blood.
• Would you poison someone?
Bester way. No.
• Would you stab someone in the back?
Bestest way involving knife. No.
• Would you accept a contract to kill someone?
Depends, who is? I'm starting to get annoyed.
• If you later realized that it was an 8 year boy, would you complete the contract?
Hehe, silly dead boy. Are we done here?

Temperament
• You see a friend being dragged off by beasts, do you rush after them? Or gather your forces?
Tell tribe. Let idiot Plink get gobbos eaten trying If I had reason to suppose that I had time I would seek aid, but "Dragged off by beasts" seems rather iminent
• After carefully planning a rescue, your leader changes the plan on the fly. How do you handle the plan changing?
Oh look a thing that me has go do... Can I tell why the plan changed? If not I'm going to need to know why before we go further, unless we don't have time in which case I am owed an explanation later
• After two weeks on the road towards a destination, your party leader finds a new mission in another direction. How do you handle the change?
More time walking is more time not fighting. By making a note to find a new expedition to join ASAP.