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A Look at Alignment Through the Editions
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<blockquote data-quote="Tequila Sunrise" data-source="post: 6262187" data-attributes="member: 40398"><p><strong>Introductions</strong></p><p></p><p></p><p>Each chapter begins with an intro to what alignment is, and how it should be used.</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">In 2e, alignment is the final step of character creation, while it comes near the end in 3e and 4e.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">2e and 3e both adhere to the 9-alignment grid, while 4e simplified things down to 5 alignments.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Both 2e and 3e make a point to say that alignment is a tool for role playing, rather than a straitjacket to restrict characters. This makes me suspect that alignment has been a hot topic of debate since D&D's earliest days.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Both 2e and 3e mention that nobody is entirely consistent in their actions, and that alignment does not restrict a player from acting out of character. In passive contradiction to these assurances, both editions impose penalties on characters for acting too much out of character. In 3e, only characters of certain classes are penalized for changing alignment, but 2e docs xp from anyone who changes alignment!</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Both 3e and 4e advise players to choose only Good or Neutral (Unaligned) alignments. I expected to find a similar injunction in the 2e chapter, but I guess evil PCs weren't considered such a no-no in the 2e era? Or maybe it was considered common sense to avoid Evil PCs?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The 3e intro begins with a description of a holy book that zaps evil-doers, followed by an emphatic statement that alignments are <em>real and fundamental cosmic forces</em>. This contrasts with parts of the 2e alignment chapter, which states that good and evil are in fact subjective!</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The 4e intro describes alignments as cosmic teams, which transcend even the gods and all other allegiances. (Except for Unaligned, which is a non-alignment.) 4e's 4 actual alignments all represent a conscious choice to play for one team or the other. This is in contrast to 2e and 3e, which present alignments as either conscious choices or as mere attitudes.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Oh, and most people in the 4e game world are Unaligned. I wonder if alignment would be more or less controversial if each edition had presented broad demographic comments like this? (Or even percentages!)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The 2e intro ends with the claim that the 9 alignments serve well to define the attitudes of most people in the world. Setting aside the questionable validity of this claim, it implies that some attitudes fall outside of the 9 alignments...but doesn't follow up with guidelines or even hints at what to do so.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The 3e intro ends by giving DMs explicit permission to change a PC's alignment if his actions better match something other than what the player has written on his CS.</li> </ul></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tequila Sunrise, post: 6262187, member: 40398"] [B]Introductions[/B] Each chapter begins with an intro to what alignment is, and how it should be used. [LIST] [*]In 2e, alignment is the final step of character creation, while it comes near the end in 3e and 4e. [*]2e and 3e both adhere to the 9-alignment grid, while 4e simplified things down to 5 alignments. [*]Both 2e and 3e make a point to say that alignment is a tool for role playing, rather than a straitjacket to restrict characters. This makes me suspect that alignment has been a hot topic of debate since D&D's earliest days. [*]Both 2e and 3e mention that nobody is entirely consistent in their actions, and that alignment does not restrict a player from acting out of character. In passive contradiction to these assurances, both editions impose penalties on characters for acting too much out of character. In 3e, only characters of certain classes are penalized for changing alignment, but 2e docs xp from anyone who changes alignment! [*]Both 3e and 4e advise players to choose only Good or Neutral (Unaligned) alignments. I expected to find a similar injunction in the 2e chapter, but I guess evil PCs weren't considered such a no-no in the 2e era? Or maybe it was considered common sense to avoid Evil PCs? [*]The 3e intro begins with a description of a holy book that zaps evil-doers, followed by an emphatic statement that alignments are [I]real and fundamental cosmic forces[/I]. This contrasts with parts of the 2e alignment chapter, which states that good and evil are in fact subjective! [*]The 4e intro describes alignments as cosmic teams, which transcend even the gods and all other allegiances. (Except for Unaligned, which is a non-alignment.) 4e's 4 actual alignments all represent a conscious choice to play for one team or the other. This is in contrast to 2e and 3e, which present alignments as either conscious choices or as mere attitudes. [*]Oh, and most people in the 4e game world are Unaligned. I wonder if alignment would be more or less controversial if each edition had presented broad demographic comments like this? (Or even percentages!) [*]The 2e intro ends with the claim that the 9 alignments serve well to define the attitudes of most people in the world. Setting aside the questionable validity of this claim, it implies that some attitudes fall outside of the 9 alignments...but doesn't follow up with guidelines or even hints at what to do so. [*]The 3e intro ends by giving DMs explicit permission to change a PC's alignment if his actions better match something other than what the player has written on his CS. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]
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