Behold_the_Void
2007-11-10, 04:00 AM
I've been doing some worldbuilding recently, and I'm coming on an interesting question regarding alignments. I'm going to give a few examples here, based off some of the more extreme racial alignment cases (Dwarves and Orcs, in this case). I'm looking for opinions on how I should treat this, since I have a number of ideas myself and am not sure what I want to go with.
So let's start with the orcs. Orcs are by definition "often chaotic evil," which is a pretty severe alignment in many cases.
Now, the Monster Manual classifies them as "aggressive humanoids that raid, pillage and battle other creatures."
In the setting I have going with a lot of strong empires, while there is still the definite aspect of raiding and pillaging that I will likely preserve with most of the "savage humanoids".
However, we've got communities of orcs that are not particularly capable of raiding, especially if they're neighbors with rather powerful human, elven or dwarven empires.
Now, according to the blurb in the Monster Manual Gruumsh does not at all tolerate peaceful behavior from his people. However, since I'm more than happy to bend D&D Black-and-White Morality, I'm altering it so that Gruumsh isn't going to smite each and every orc community that doesn't go out and slaughter x non-orcs in x days. I am assuming here that some orcs are able to make martially capable but primarily agriculture or hunter-gatherer-based communities, as they lack the manpower to make proper raids.
Now, these orcs, being good servants of Gruumsh, have been properly socialized in the orc way. They hate elves and dwarves and humans (although many of them probably don't even know what the former two are, as they are unlikely to ever come in contact with them in their lives), believe orcs are the greatest thing ever, etc. etc..
They're also more or less peasants. Agriculturists, hunter-gatherers or what have you, their primary concern is making sure their village sustains itself and they can go about their lives.
How do they ping on a detect spell? Are they chaotic evil? Are they even evil? Socialized orc prejudices notwithstanding, they're mainly a bunch of dudes who want to get on with their farming. The DMG, as I recall, tends to identify most peasant-types as neutral. Not particularly good but not horrendously bad either.
Now let's take a look at the Dwarves. Same deal here, good followers of Moradin, honor thy clan, be good, upstanding and contributing members of dwarven society, forge lotsa stuff, whatever. But even then, this community is more or less peasants. They too have their own inherent prejudices, they hate goblinoids and giants, distrust elves, tend to be isolationist and somewhat surly with strangers. Do these guys ping as Lawful Good? Or even lawful or good?
So let's start with the orcs. Orcs are by definition "often chaotic evil," which is a pretty severe alignment in many cases.
Now, the Monster Manual classifies them as "aggressive humanoids that raid, pillage and battle other creatures."
In the setting I have going with a lot of strong empires, while there is still the definite aspect of raiding and pillaging that I will likely preserve with most of the "savage humanoids".
However, we've got communities of orcs that are not particularly capable of raiding, especially if they're neighbors with rather powerful human, elven or dwarven empires.
Now, according to the blurb in the Monster Manual Gruumsh does not at all tolerate peaceful behavior from his people. However, since I'm more than happy to bend D&D Black-and-White Morality, I'm altering it so that Gruumsh isn't going to smite each and every orc community that doesn't go out and slaughter x non-orcs in x days. I am assuming here that some orcs are able to make martially capable but primarily agriculture or hunter-gatherer-based communities, as they lack the manpower to make proper raids.
Now, these orcs, being good servants of Gruumsh, have been properly socialized in the orc way. They hate elves and dwarves and humans (although many of them probably don't even know what the former two are, as they are unlikely to ever come in contact with them in their lives), believe orcs are the greatest thing ever, etc. etc..
They're also more or less peasants. Agriculturists, hunter-gatherers or what have you, their primary concern is making sure their village sustains itself and they can go about their lives.
How do they ping on a detect spell? Are they chaotic evil? Are they even evil? Socialized orc prejudices notwithstanding, they're mainly a bunch of dudes who want to get on with their farming. The DMG, as I recall, tends to identify most peasant-types as neutral. Not particularly good but not horrendously bad either.
Now let's take a look at the Dwarves. Same deal here, good followers of Moradin, honor thy clan, be good, upstanding and contributing members of dwarven society, forge lotsa stuff, whatever. But even then, this community is more or less peasants. They too have their own inherent prejudices, they hate goblinoids and giants, distrust elves, tend to be isolationist and somewhat surly with strangers. Do these guys ping as Lawful Good? Or even lawful or good?