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<blockquote data-quote="Samothdm" data-source="post: 281666" data-attributes="member: 5473">Well, obviously we disagree about how to handle this (which is why I posted this in the firstplace - I wanted some other viewpoints).&nbsp; But, what am I missing in your explanation.&nbsp; You are viewing this situation differently than I am, so how would you handle it?&nbsp; Let's put it another way.&nbsp; Let's say I have a lawful good character, a chaotic neutral character, and a neutral character.&nbsp; How would you think they should react to the situation?&nbsp; More importantly, how would/should they justify their actions (as, to your point, all three could slit the throats and have their own reasons for doing so).&nbsp; &nbsp;That's fine - but could you explain a little more what exactly you mean?&nbsp; How &quot;flexible&quot; can you get?&nbsp; You mentioned that alignment can affect some class abilities (if they're based on alignment) or some spells or what-not.&nbsp; But, what if you're playing a character who isn't going to be affected by those?&nbsp; Let's take this rogue, for example.&nbsp; What should happen to him?&nbsp; Nothing?&nbsp; As a DM, I shouldn't impose a gradual alignment change on him so that he is detectable by a &quot;detect evil&quot; spell?&nbsp; &nbsp;But I'm not talking about a law here.&nbsp; I'm talking about what the average person would think.&nbsp; In other words, would the average person want to associate with this guy on a regular basis, or call him a friend?&nbsp; I'd so &quot;no.&quot;&nbsp; Not because he was breaking a law.&nbsp; But, because this &quot;throat-slitting guy&quot; makes the average person feel uncomfortable.&nbsp; He creeps him out.&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Because he's doing something that's not moral.&nbsp; Why is it not moral?&nbsp; Because, once incapacitated, these brigands are no longer a threat.&nbsp; The threat has been taken out of them due to the sleep spell.&nbsp; Granted, they'll wake up sooner or later.&nbsp; In the meantime, they can be disarmed, chained up, kept alive, and eventually put in prison.&nbsp; Why would the characters do that?&nbsp; Because it's the law?&nbsp; Not necessarily.&nbsp; Because it's the decent, &quot;good&quot; thing to do.&nbsp; Again, I realize that this is an ideal and utopian ideal.&nbsp; But, that's the world that I portray in my campaign.&nbsp; The characters know that.&nbsp; It's what they can expect from other NPCs.&nbsp; If people are just random in their violence, then the lines between &quot;good&quot; and &quot;evil&quot; are blurred.&nbsp; While that works for some genres of fiction and gaming, it doesn't quite work in IMC.But, again, I am really very interested in how you would see this played out in a game in which you participate as a player or DM.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Samothdm, post: 281666, member: 5473"] Well, obviously we disagree about how to handle this (which is why I posted this in the firstplace - I wanted some other viewpoints). But, what am I missing in your explanation. You are viewing this situation differently than I am, so how would you handle it? Let's put it another way. Let's say I have a lawful good character, a chaotic neutral character, and a neutral character. How would [B]you[/B] think they should react to the situation? More importantly, how would/should they justify their actions (as, to your point, all three could slit the throats and have their own [B]reasons[/B] for doing so). That's fine - but could you explain a little more what exactly you mean? How "flexible" can you get? You mentioned that alignment can affect some class abilities (if they're based on alignment) or some spells or what-not. But, what if you're playing a character who isn't going to be affected by those? Let's take this rogue, for example. What should happen to him? Nothing? As a DM, I shouldn't impose a gradual alignment change on him so that he is detectable by a "detect evil" spell? But I'm not talking about a law here. I'm talking about what the average person would think. In other words, would the average person want to associate with this guy on a regular basis, or call him a friend? I'd so "no." Not because he was breaking a law. But, because this "throat-slitting guy" makes the average person feel uncomfortable. He creeps him out. Why? Because he's doing something that's not moral. Why is it not moral? Because, once incapacitated, these brigands are no longer a threat. The threat has been taken out of them due to the sleep spell. Granted, they'll wake up sooner or later. In the meantime, they can be disarmed, chained up, kept alive, and eventually put in prison. Why would the characters do that? Because it's the law? Not necessarily. Because it's the decent, "good" thing to do. Again, I realize that this is an ideal and utopian ideal. But, that's the world that I portray in my campaign. The characters know that. It's what they can expect from other NPCs. If people are just random in their violence, then the lines between "good" and "evil" are blurred. While that works for some genres of fiction and gaming, it doesn't quite work in IMC. But, again, I am really very interested in how you would see this played out in a game in which you participate as a player or DM. [/QUOTE]

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