Dumping Alignment (mostly...)?

[donm61873]

OK, I'm rebuilding an old campaign under 3.5, and I'm dropping alignment, except related to holy/good or unholy/evil things and magic.

The classes aren't much of a problem - remove aura from Clerics, Paladins don't exist as a class (it's a prestige class, but a strange one), etc. But the spell system - that looks like a pretty daunting task.

So I was wondering if anyone else out there has attempted/done/thought about this concept. I can't be the only one who doesn't like alignment...

 

[Planesdragon]

OK, I'm rebuilding an old campaign under 3.5, and I'm dropping alignment, except related to holy/good or unholy/evil things and magic.

If that's the case, you'll do fine.

IMC your alingment has next-to-no game effect. You automatically get the Good or Evil subtypes (and, thus, being affeected by holy or unholy weapons) if your alingment and religion match, but a simple spell does the same thing.

 

[Razz0putin]

I'm completely with you on this I downplay alingment as much as possible. So far it hasn't come up in my games. However the rules as written have some places where if you don't have them you're cheating certain classes like the paladin. I haven't had anyone play one yet but if I did I'd try and give them some other small ability. I liked the forgotten realms method of only detecting evil in progress, at least that's how I understood they used to do it don't play it myself.

 

[Arbiter of Wyrms]

I use basically just what you're describing. All of the subtypes are still there, and outsiders, paladins, blackguards, vile and exhalted characters, and clerics register under detect spells, but otherwise there're no significant rules changes other than the blank spot were alignments used to go on character sheets. Nobody was using holy anarchic weapons anyway, and I make some alternate spells available that I found in Dragon (detect lie, heretic, etc.)

works just fine.

 

[Nifft]

IMC people have no alignment, but they have descriptors (if they merit such) and some have codes of honor / conduct / whatever that have religious or other effects.

Axiomatic / Anarchic weapons deal +1d6 damage to "unaligned" folks, and other effects (like Unhoy Blight) treat those without descriptors as Neutral. Living critters register as vaguely "good" just to mirror how mindless undead critters register as vaguely "evil".

-- N