Alignment Issues!

[Nemesis Destiny]

I have no problem with alignments being separated from the game's mechanics (in somes ways, its better), but there has to be an option to reconnect them.

This is one of those times where I feel it would be easier and more palatable to the preferences of those who like it (i.e. not me) to have the mechanics for alignments be "on" by default, but VERY clear that they are easily removed/disconnected, and spelled out as to how.

 

[Dragonhelm]

Personally, I prefer the system of 9 alignments although I'd be willing to replace "True Neutral" for "Unaligned."

This is what I'd like to see too. Of all the alignment systems in D&D, none are as iconic as the 9 alignments. I feel they are more descriptive.

In regards to 4e, I like it, but it feels like it is missing something. I think Unaligned is the best part of it, and I feel it would work best taking the place of True Neutral.

 

[Nebulous]

I think 5e will find a simple, elegant balance to please everyone regarding this issue. They're straddled both sides of the fence, so now is a perfect time to find common ground.

 

[Elf Witch]

I like the 9 alignments so I would want them to be able to be used in the game but I know a lot of people don't so there should be a fairly easy way to handle either adding them or taking them out.

I also would change the way detect evil works define what is really evil. In my games I DM there is a difference between evil and breaking the law. So a thief or someone who cheats customers are not evil just because of that.

Evil is murder, rape , child abuse, being a cleric of an evil god those will make the evil radar ping.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

10 alignments ftw!

I also would like to exclude detect... spells as they worked in 3.x

IIRC, detect evil did not work on random people. And detect alignment was automatically detected by the targeted person.
Those spells made playing eveil people like emperor palpatine useless...

This said: stripping D&D off 4 alignments was a really stupid move from 4e designers. If you intended to have no mechanical effects derived from alignment , why slaughter a sacred cow for the sake of it?

 

[Viking Bastard]

I actually think there should be 10 alignments: the told 9 alignments plus 4e's Unaligned.

[...]

Anyhow, that's just my 2 cents.

Lawful Good
Lawful
Lawful Evil
Evil
Unaligned
Good
Chaotic Good
Chaotic
Chaotic Evil

I like it! Subtle changes can go a long way.

 

[Knightfall]

Lawful Good
Lawful
Lawful Evil
Evil
Unaligned
Good
Chaotic Good
Chaotic
Chaotic Evil

I like that. A bit of everything. And all of Neutrality goes under Unaligned.

However, I think what Nivenus meant was this...

Lawful Good
Lawful Neutral
Lawful Evil
Neutral Good
True Neutral
Neutral Evil
Chaotic Good
Chaotic Neutral
Chaotic Evil

and

Unaligned

 

[drothgery]

If you must include both of pairs of classical AD&D alignments that pretty much always were identical in play (that being NG & CG on the Good side and LE & NE on the Evil side) as a bone to tradition, I guess that's okay. And Lawful Neutral has its points. But for all that's holy, keep old-school True Neutral (which can only be described as the mindset of an insane person) and Chaotic Neutral (i.e. the alignment of players who want to be evil but the DM won't allow it, or just aren't interested in working with the party) out of the game.

 

[Aldarc]

I like that. A bit of everything. And all of Neutrality goes under Unaligned.

However, I think what UngeheuerLich meant was this...

But Viking Bastard was working-off Nivenus's proposal.

 

[howandwhy99]

I remember 5 alignment, remember when dual alignments didn't exist? Just good, evil, N, lawful, and chaotic?

My OD&D game uses the original 3 order, neutral, chaos, but good and evil do have a little bit of tie in, mainly due to magic. You could almost call it a 7 point ALN system, but the base 3 are the graph. Good & Evil are defined by order as one thing and Chaos as another. Basically order is "good" and chaos is bad for order and vice versa for chaos. Order is evil and chaos is good. It depends upon one's perspective.