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<blockquote data-quote="Jer" data-source="post: 2553934" data-attributes="member: 19857"><p>I disagree Oryan - alignment is all we have in D&D that gives your moral and ethical outlook. The (simplistic) descriptions of good and evil in the PHB give some insight into what "good" and "evil" characters are like. Specifically, it says "good' implies altruism, respect for life, and a concern for the dignity of sentient beings. It also says that good characters "make personal sacrifices to help others".</p><p></p><p>Torture is not showing "concern for the dignity of sentient beings". Notice that it says "sentient" there - not "good" or "nonevil" beings. Using a captured prisoner as trap fodder is not showing a "respect for life". And stealing from a poor innkeeper is not showing "altruism" or "making a personal sacrifices to help others".</p><p></p><p>If a player wants to play a character who wants to torture his enemies, steal from civilians, and/or use a prisoner as trap fodder, I'd say that a DM is well within his rights to say that that character is acting "neutral" (or even "evil") and not "good". Alignment doesn't necessarily dictate what you can and cannot do, but if it doesn't accurately describe how your character acts, then its a useless appendage. If you want to call your character "good" but not act in a "good" manner, then the whole term "good" loses its meaning and its value in the game.</p><p></p><p>Again, I'd say clearly outlining what is considered "good" and "evil" for your campaign is a decent way of preventing this sort of stuff up front. I have some players in my current campaign who specifically picked "neutral" alignments to get around my expectations for good characters, but I have others who love to play the champion and like dealing with the tough ethical questions when they come up. Things like how to deal with prisoners and how to get that necessary bit of information out of them in a "good" manner are fun for me to watch.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jer, post: 2553934, member: 19857"] I disagree Oryan - alignment is all we have in D&D that gives your moral and ethical outlook. The (simplistic) descriptions of good and evil in the PHB give some insight into what "good" and "evil" characters are like. Specifically, it says "good' implies altruism, respect for life, and a concern for the dignity of sentient beings. It also says that good characters "make personal sacrifices to help others". Torture is not showing "concern for the dignity of sentient beings". Notice that it says "sentient" there - not "good" or "nonevil" beings. Using a captured prisoner as trap fodder is not showing a "respect for life". And stealing from a poor innkeeper is not showing "altruism" or "making a personal sacrifices to help others". If a player wants to play a character who wants to torture his enemies, steal from civilians, and/or use a prisoner as trap fodder, I'd say that a DM is well within his rights to say that that character is acting "neutral" (or even "evil") and not "good". Alignment doesn't necessarily dictate what you can and cannot do, but if it doesn't accurately describe how your character acts, then its a useless appendage. If you want to call your character "good" but not act in a "good" manner, then the whole term "good" loses its meaning and its value in the game. Again, I'd say clearly outlining what is considered "good" and "evil" for your campaign is a decent way of preventing this sort of stuff up front. I have some players in my current campaign who specifically picked "neutral" alignments to get around my expectations for good characters, but I have others who love to play the champion and like dealing with the tough ethical questions when they come up. Things like how to deal with prisoners and how to get that necessary bit of information out of them in a "good" manner are fun for me to watch. [/QUOTE]
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