D&D 5E A different take on Alignment

[Chaosmancer]

The best character I ever DMed for was in 4e, a tiefling fiend warlock.

Her patron was one of the Lords of Dust, demons bound below Eberron, but the other characters could never quite get a good handle on her: was she a dupe? A person making the best of a bad situation? A person driven by desperation? Or a pragmatic opportunist?

The attempts of the other players to sound out her intentions were foiled by her sky-high Bluff check. As DM, I trusted the player to create an interesting and complex character. So, the other characters kept the warlock somewhat at arm’s length, because they couldn’t pigeonhole her, though she got along well with the druid.

The climax of the campaign had the characters defeat an existential threat to Eberron, but at a great cost: the were lost in Xoriat, the plane of madness.

The creatures in Xoriat were brutal, but if killed, residuum could be harvested to either contact Eberron, or if enough creatures were killed, to free themselves. But I told them, once they have committed to a plan to escape, each character had to roll a die. One a 1, their character irrevocably died before being rescued. On a 2, their character survived but was sufficiently maimed that they would have to give up adventuring forever.

Here’s the kicker: the size of the die was inversely proportional to how long it would take the plan to reach fruition. If they waited to harvest enough residuum to free themselves, they would roll a 1d4.

The warlock reached out to her patron. Over the campaign, the warlock had accrued favors to her patron that she would have to pay off, but the patron also saw her as a powerful investment, so he wasn’t about to cut her loose. The patron suspected that the others would not want to work for him, so he offered the warlock a deal. For freeing the warlock, the warlock would accrue a favor to him. For freeing the others, each of them would accrue a favor to the warlock.

The warlock pitched the hell out of this proposal (no pun intended!) to the other characters. The other characters did not trust the warlock enough to accept, though the druid was wavering. The warlock took the deal for herself alone, lamenting her friends.

Time passes differently on Coriat than on Eberron. The swordmage (who had been trapped in Xoriat for 30 years in his backstory) cracked, and one day, simply walked off into nothingness.

The barbarian, the elf and the druid were saved by the barbarian’s great-nephew (the barbarian’s clan had also been contacted). The barbarian got to see his clan triumphant and his great-nephew a hero following in his great-uncle’s footsteps before dying at the literal last moment before crossing over.

The elf survived but suffered a wound so great that he was unable to ever adventure again. He suffered the tragedy of returning to a world in which he did not fit, where his greatest enemies had become his people’s greatest allies.

The druid returned safe and sound but retired from adventuring anyway. The party had been trapped in Xoriat by an enemy seeking to strike at him personally, and he took the deaths of his friends hard. He had a purpose however, nurturing the growth of the founder of his order.

As for the warlock? How do you react when the people whom you trust, whom you have travelled with, literally tell you to your face that they would rather risk madness and destruction than put themselves in your hands? She had left early, arriving mere months after her departure to Xoriat rather than years. In the epilogue, she had followed in her mentor’s footsteps, becoming a crimelord, though one with a bit of a soft spot for orphans.

Glorious. I love things like this. Excellent, and Bravo

 

[Chaosmancer]

Good for you, but do you concede that the default method of advancement in DnD is killing things for XP?

That monster's have XP values attached to them? You concede that right?

What you choose to do isnt really relevant to this discussion.

And if you're honestly telling me you dont regularly see immature dicks at tables going full blown murderhobo despite alignment, we live in different worlds.

We live in different worlds. I've never used XP in a game I DM for

 

[Maxperson]

So... this entire "I can agree with who I wanna agree with" thing was just a smokescreen? You do think that Alignment is required for the proper functioning of Ideals?

You're really unbelievable. Here I am agreeing with you and you can't just accept it. You have to twist what I say and argue even that. Amazing.

 

[Helldritch]

You're really unbelievable. Here I am agreeing with you and you can't just accept it. You have to twist what I say and argue even that. Amazing.

Told ya!!!!!

But to answer @Chaosmancer on character creation.
Usually, I see.
1) pick a class.
2) pick a race.
3) pick an alignment and a god if appropriate.
4) pick Trait, Ideal, Bond and Flaw.
5) pick a background
6) put finishing touches to the character such as skills, spells and equipment. (And a feat if VHuman).

It takes about 5 to 10 minutes to build a character. So alignment comes pretty soon in my campaigns. To each his own I guess.

 

[Maxperson]

Told ya!!!!!

But to answer @Chaosmancer on character creation.
Usually, I see.
1) pick a class.
2) pick a race.
3) pick an alignment and a god if appropriate.
4) pick Trait, Ideal, Bond and Flaw.
5) pick a background
6) put finishing touches to the character such as skills, spells and equipment. (And a feat if VHuman).

It takes about 5 to 10 minutes to build a character. So alignment comes pretty soon in my campaigns. To each his own I guess.

Two things.

First, I usually pick my alignment after I pick traits, ideals, bonds and flaws. Those help guide me to a final decision there. Not that I really need alignment for the reasons I mentioned upthread. Usually I have a personality in mind and I just toss an alignment onto my sheet to make the DM happy if he wants me to pick one, then I just play the personality and forget the alignment.

Second, backgrounds are what give you the list of traits, ideals, bonds and flaws. You SURE you have that in the correct order?

 

[Helldritch]

Second, backgrounds are what give you the list of traits, ideals, bonds and flaws. You SURE you have that in the correct order?

Yes and no.
I have made a document with generic traits, Ideals, bonds and flaws that you can pick from your nationality (currently we play in Greyhawk) so there are TIBF associated with both nationality and backgrounds. So a character could have two of each.

If we were to play in forgot, then backgrounds would be chosen before TIBF as per the usual. I often forget this little things as I have mod the game a bit. The national TIBF is what you show the world and the background TIBF is what you really feel deep inside. Not unlike the Nature and Demeanor you find in Vampire the Masquerade, one of the things that I really loved about that game.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Not really. You're either acting out someone else's script, or your the one you "write" as you play. Heck, actors on improv shows are even authoring their own characters.

IME, they’re completely different activities.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

default method of advancement in DnD is killing things for XP?

Is it? Are you sure?

And if you're honestly telling me you dont regularly see immature dicks at tables going full blown murderhobo despite alignment, we live in different worlds.

Whether or not they are telling you that, I sure as hell am. I haven’t seen a murder hobo in nearly 20 years. Regardless of alignment. Vast majority of people play in good faith.

 

[Flamestrike]

Is it? Are you sure?

Whether or not they are telling you that, I sure as hell am. I haven’t seen a murder hobo in nearly 20 years. Regardless of alignment. Vast majority of people play in good faith.

Yes I am sure.

And no, a large number of people don't play in good faith. Dig up any alignment thread and you'll see the same old culprits assigning an alignment of CG to the Punisher or justifying genocide, infanticide or worse in the name of good.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Yes I am sure.

Well, you’re wrong. Sorry.
In 5e, overcoming challenges, making progress on personal and group goals, and completing quests, are all equal to or greater than violence. As well, you don’t have to fight an NPC to get their xp.

Lastly, even if unofficially, milestone leveling is the new standard.

And no, a large number of people don't play in good faith. Dig up any alignment thread and you'll see the same old culprits assigning an alignment of CG to the Punisher or justifying genocide, infanticide or worse in the name of good.

Internet forums are not indicative of real world trends.

Most people play in good faith.