In a thread on alignment in general discussion, Eris404 was interested in various corruption rules as a replacement for alignment. I'd be interested in seeing others, but here are my current house rules:
8. Corruption: Although many natives are not aware of it, good and evil are active, real powers in Ladros. A corruption check is made whenever a character commits one of the following deeds: (1) an action that is excessively sadistic or cruel (DM judgment); (2) the killing of innocents; (3) the use of magic to cause harm to an intelligent creature or override the will of one. A corruption check is a wisdom check made against a variable DC. The severity of the act is one variable: 10 for bad, 15 for really bad, and 20 for awful. The number of corruption points already possessed by the character is another: each current corruption point adds one to the corruption check DC. Finally, magic brings moral issues into a tighter focus: the vitality points used in a spell that leads to a corruption check (or the bonus of a magical weapon used to commit a corrupt act) is added to the DC. If the check fails, the character earns one corruption point.
9. Corruption leading to evil or madness: When a character has as many corruption points as half his or her wisdom score, he or she is in danger of succumbing either to evil or madness. The first time a corruption check is made when the corruption total is greater than half the character’s wisdom score, the character must choose whether to accept a drift toward evil (that should be role played) or resist the corruption of his or her soul. If the character embraces evil, the character should role play increasingly violent and selfish tendencies; every time the opportunity to commit a corrupt act presents itself, the character must make a will save vs. a DC of 10 + number of corruption points to resist. When corruption points exceed wisdom, the character is evil, and an NPC. If the character chooses insanity instead, make a madness check on the following table. Roll 1d20 and add the character’s corruption point total. If the roll is a natural 20, add 20 and roll again, adding the new result. If the roll is a natural 1, roll again and subtract that roll from the result. If that roll is also a 20, keep adding or subtracting and rolling again until a result other than 20 results. Total the roll or rolls and consult this table:
Corruption Total + d20 Symptoms Duration
4 or less No madness. This time.
5–12 Delusion: The character suffers from delusions, and it is very difficult to convince the character that they are not real. 2d6 minutes
13–19 Suspicion: character gains a deep distrust of everyone, suspecting them of secretly plotting him or her harm or working for dark forces. 2d6 hours
20–25 Panic: The character is convinced that he or she is in mortal danger and flees, if possible, or attacks the nearest target in desperation. 2d6 rounds
26–30 Withdrawal: The character becomes depressed, argumentative, stubborn, and unwilling to interact with the world. 2d6 hours
31–35 Fury: The character flies into an insane fit of anger. If in combat, he or she attacks nearest target; otherwise, he goes on a violent rampage, destroying everything that can be destroyed near at hand. Thereafter, he or she overreacts dangerously to events that others would find irritating or stressful. 2d6 rounds plus permanent effect
36–49 Disease: The character falls prey to a horrible wilting disease (Fortitude save DC 20 + corruption points). The disease incubates for one week, then causes 1d3 points of temporary constitution damage and a –2 reaction modifier (due to horrible skin lesions). The reaction modifier is permanent and cannot be healed. If the character wishes to avoid this disease, he or she can inflict it on the closest possible emotional relation instead and gain 2d4 corruption points (no further check needed). Special
50 + Dementia: The character is entirely lost to madness and becomes an NPC. Death is usually not far behind. Special
10. Increasing frequency of corruption checks: As the corruption point total grows, madness checks must be made in other situations (reflecting an increasing loss of self control). Use the following table for progressively more frequent trigger conditions:
Corruption Point Total Trigger condition
1–4 None.
5–8 Injury: Whenever the character takes damage in combat or dangerous noncombat situations, he or she must make a madness check.
9–11 Will save: Whenever the character has to make a will save, he or she must check for madness (whether the save succeeded or not).
12–14 Using magic: Whenever the character uses magic or a magical device, check for madness.
15–17 Threat: Whenever the character is in a stressful situation (whether real or imagined), make a madness check.
18+, or > WIS score Constant: When corruption points exceed wisdom score, the character is permanently insane.
8. Corruption: Although many natives are not aware of it, good and evil are active, real powers in Ladros. A corruption check is made whenever a character commits one of the following deeds: (1) an action that is excessively sadistic or cruel (DM judgment); (2) the killing of innocents; (3) the use of magic to cause harm to an intelligent creature or override the will of one. A corruption check is a wisdom check made against a variable DC. The severity of the act is one variable: 10 for bad, 15 for really bad, and 20 for awful. The number of corruption points already possessed by the character is another: each current corruption point adds one to the corruption check DC. Finally, magic brings moral issues into a tighter focus: the vitality points used in a spell that leads to a corruption check (or the bonus of a magical weapon used to commit a corrupt act) is added to the DC. If the check fails, the character earns one corruption point.
9. Corruption leading to evil or madness: When a character has as many corruption points as half his or her wisdom score, he or she is in danger of succumbing either to evil or madness. The first time a corruption check is made when the corruption total is greater than half the character’s wisdom score, the character must choose whether to accept a drift toward evil (that should be role played) or resist the corruption of his or her soul. If the character embraces evil, the character should role play increasingly violent and selfish tendencies; every time the opportunity to commit a corrupt act presents itself, the character must make a will save vs. a DC of 10 + number of corruption points to resist. When corruption points exceed wisdom, the character is evil, and an NPC. If the character chooses insanity instead, make a madness check on the following table. Roll 1d20 and add the character’s corruption point total. If the roll is a natural 20, add 20 and roll again, adding the new result. If the roll is a natural 1, roll again and subtract that roll from the result. If that roll is also a 20, keep adding or subtracting and rolling again until a result other than 20 results. Total the roll or rolls and consult this table:
Corruption Total + d20 Symptoms Duration
4 or less No madness. This time.
5–12 Delusion: The character suffers from delusions, and it is very difficult to convince the character that they are not real. 2d6 minutes
13–19 Suspicion: character gains a deep distrust of everyone, suspecting them of secretly plotting him or her harm or working for dark forces. 2d6 hours
20–25 Panic: The character is convinced that he or she is in mortal danger and flees, if possible, or attacks the nearest target in desperation. 2d6 rounds
26–30 Withdrawal: The character becomes depressed, argumentative, stubborn, and unwilling to interact with the world. 2d6 hours
31–35 Fury: The character flies into an insane fit of anger. If in combat, he or she attacks nearest target; otherwise, he goes on a violent rampage, destroying everything that can be destroyed near at hand. Thereafter, he or she overreacts dangerously to events that others would find irritating or stressful. 2d6 rounds plus permanent effect
36–49 Disease: The character falls prey to a horrible wilting disease (Fortitude save DC 20 + corruption points). The disease incubates for one week, then causes 1d3 points of temporary constitution damage and a –2 reaction modifier (due to horrible skin lesions). The reaction modifier is permanent and cannot be healed. If the character wishes to avoid this disease, he or she can inflict it on the closest possible emotional relation instead and gain 2d4 corruption points (no further check needed). Special
50 + Dementia: The character is entirely lost to madness and becomes an NPC. Death is usually not far behind. Special
10. Increasing frequency of corruption checks: As the corruption point total grows, madness checks must be made in other situations (reflecting an increasing loss of self control). Use the following table for progressively more frequent trigger conditions:
Corruption Point Total Trigger condition
1–4 None.
5–8 Injury: Whenever the character takes damage in combat or dangerous noncombat situations, he or she must make a madness check.
9–11 Will save: Whenever the character has to make a will save, he or she must check for madness (whether the save succeeded or not).
12–14 Using magic: Whenever the character uses magic or a magical device, check for madness.
15–17 Threat: Whenever the character is in a stressful situation (whether real or imagined), make a madness check.
18+, or > WIS score Constant: When corruption points exceed wisdom score, the character is permanently insane.
