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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kreynolds" data-source="post: 281591" data-attributes="member: 2829">The player's. It's his character after all. Your job is to inforce alignment labeling. I'll explain this more in a bit.It's the same either way. Slitting someone's throat in D&D or the real world is the same, no matter which way you look at it. It could be evil or it could be representative of total neutrality and/or chaotic behavior, but it isn't evil by default. Assuming it's evil by default immediately labels such a game as taking place in a utopian society, where the acts of good and evil are clearly spelled out and all unanimously agree.To an extent. Like I said, you have to keep in mind that you're perspective might be different, and you're perspective is the most important since you are the DM. Your perspective decides whether or not someone can use an alignment attuned magic item. Your perspective decides whether or not an alignment attuned spell will protect/effect someone. Your perspective decides whether or not someone can have access to a particular class feature or features, and it also decides whether or not someone loses a particular class feature or features.Because of all of this, your perspective has the most potential to completely destroy the image of a character, and believe me, the player knows their character far better than you ever will (optimally, anyway).The trick is that you must be impartial in deciding what is right or wrong and good or evil. You have to look at it with a fair eye. Slitting someone's throat is not always an evil act. It depends upon the circumstances, and that's just one example.You don't understand. The laws of the land and the rules of the country have no bearing at all, whatsoever, in any way, shape, or form, on whether or not something is good or evil. Laws of the lands and rules of the countries determine whether or not something is right or wrong, but never good or evil.Good and evil is a matter of perspective, the perspective of all involved.It doesn't matter. If it is against the law of the lands to steal apple pies from people's window sills, that doesn't mean it would be evil to do so. It simply means it's against the law, or wrong, if you prefer.Sometimes what is against the law and what is evil is the same, but not always.Alignment guidelines exist for many reasons, some of which include class and prestige class availability, magic items, spells, etc. Technically, it's your job as the DM to determine if an act is evil, but trust me, that most certainly doesn't mean that you're right, as it is all a matter of perspective.Remember this though, law never equates to good and evil. Never.</blockquote>

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