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Message: <blockquote data-quote="delericho" data-source="post: 3117727" data-attributes="member: 22424">In my experience, the vast majority of alignment problems simply cease to be if you take a mature and reasoned view of alignments. Defining a 'mature and reasoned' view is the real trick, of course <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Firstly, when creating characters, the players get to choose an alignment: Lawful Good, Neutral Good or Chaotic Good. I don't allow Evil or even Neutral PCs at character creation. (Naturally, I would make an exception for an 'evil campaign'. But I don't run such things.)After character creation, alignment is determined by PC actions, and is monitored by myself. I do not 'enforce' alignment - the player chooses his character's actions, and if the aggregate of those actions follows another alignment more closely than the one on the sheet, then I change the sheet. I don't give warnings about out-of-alignment actions, and I don't make a fuss about it. (I have, in the past, made my players aware of my interpretation of alignments, and if they want more information they only have to ask.)Unless the PC has an alignment restriction, that's it as far as alignments go. If the PC does have an alignment restriction, then the consequences of the change are applied, again without much fuss. I don't give the right to appeal a change of alignment - if you need that 'Good' entry on your sheet, make sure you act in a 'Good' manner. Don't follow the default CN alignment of most adventurers for months, and then complain when your alignment is changed to match your behaviour.IMC, that's a decision for the player. The cleric is not absolutely required to smite. If he chooses to do so, we deal with the consequences in character.Yes, it can be done. I choose not to, except in unusual campaigns.Yes. And alignment is determined by the aggregate of their actions. Therefore, an otherwise good character with a blemish on his record is probably Good, unless his misdeed was truly heinous.Likewise, the kitten-saviour is probably Evil, unless the pattern of his actions leans significantly more towards kitten saving than cold-blooded murder.Yes, and yes. In the specific case of the Paladin, the boundaries we follow are as given in the PHB. Any evil actions, and the Paladin loses his class features until he atones properly. Any alignment shift away from LG, and he loses his class features until he returns to the LG alignment and then atones. And if he grossly violates the paladin code, as stated in the PHB, he loses class features until he atones.But those are the limits. I never say to a player, "you can't do that, you're LG" or "you must do that, you're LG", where LG can be replaced with your alignment of choice.A DM could do that. I wouldn't be comfortable playing at his table, though. I have this thing about Evil people and Evil deeds being labelled as Good.</blockquote>

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