Alignment Situations IV

[Sarcoth]

Now for something a little different!

The same party of six from AS3 (Alignment Situation III) binds their wounds from the skirmish with the 15 sailors and are able to save 3 of the 5 sailors that were bleeding to death. The group LG and NG win out by deciding to take the remaining (9) sailors to the town guard. Unable to find any guards throughout the town, they had to return to the city gates. While explaining the reason for turning the sailors over to the guard, the guard appears reluctant to charge the sailors but takes them under custody.

The party leaves the guard and heads back to the docks, but the Ranger says he’ll meet back up with them in awhile.

Situation A: The Ranger catches up with the party about an hour later and tells them that he saw all the sailors leave the guard as if they were set free. Upon some information gathering from the locals of the town, he found out that sailors are permitted to taking non-citizens of the town captive and forcing them into labor. These groups of sailors are referred to as “Press Gangs”.

Question 1: How would the different alignments reacts to this after being involved in the situation from AS3?
LG:
NG:
CG:

Situation B: The party decides to get a couple rooms at one of the inns in town. The next day they try looking for jobs or quests to do for the people in the town. While down near the docks, the same 9 sailors from the day before plus another 9 jump them in the street. The sailors are again using clubs as weapons.

Question 1: How would the party members react to this second encounter?
LG:
NG:
CG:

Question 2: If the whole party survives the encounter, what will they do with the sailors this time around?
LG:
NG:
CG:

Thanks for your time.

AS5 will further build on the current group in this same city.

Alignment Situations I: http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46181
Alignment Situations II: http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46316
Alignment Situations IV: http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46441

 

[apsuman]

I really don't think that the Law/Chaos thing applies here. All of my answers apply to all three alignments.

Situation 1:
Take note of the strange practice and stay away from the sailors.

Situation 2:
If 18 sailors attack, slay them all. Protect yourself, your party, and your possessions.

There would be nothing to with the sailors this time because they would all be dead.


g!

 

[Felix]

I think NG would side with CG this time and not decide to take the sailors to the city guard.

The CG character would want to slay them all. I would.

The NG character would want to stomp them, and then make sure that they can heal those survivors. They might leave them there, and they might not.

The LG characters might take the survivors to the labor camps and submit them as subjects for hard labor - the party has just become a "Press Gang". The surviving sailors are pressed into labor and never seen again. The bosses of the Press Gangs will tell everybody to keep the hell out of the party's way, and perhaps ask the party if they want a job. I'm sure they can find something useful for the party to do.

 

[Vaxalon]

This comes down to a question that is actually much broader than it is made out to be.

"What should good people do when they find that their government is evil?"

The answer is: If they have the power to change it, they change it; and if they don't have the power to change it, they organize (in the case of lawful good) or self-improve (in the case of chaotic good) until they DO have the power to change it.

 

[Enkhidu]

...The CG character would want to slay them all. I would...

Since when does a CG alignment condone slaying helpless people?

I really have to scratch my head at the reponses people have given, mostly about the "chaotic" portion of alignment. Now in order to talk about this in a relevant and meaningful way, I'm going to have to use an example - this time around it will be from your standard 4 color comics.

Let's talk about Batman. Batman, as written in most of his incarnations, is CG. He fights evil where he finds it, but does so as a vigilante - working completely outside the law. He realizes that certain criminals need to have some of their civil rights broken in order for the Law to do its job: he works outside the framework of recognized organization (and, if you pay attention to some of the stuff with him in the various Justice Leagues, even organizations he voluntarily joined).

One thing, however, is very important to remember - it is generally accepted that Batman does not kill. Killing breaks not just an Ethical barrier for the Dark Knight (which he has no problem with), but a Moral one. Sure, he might kick the holy bejeezus out of criminals, but he doesn't kill them, going so far as to save the lives of his adversaries if they end up in mortal danger while he pursues them.

So that behavior you described? Its not CG, its N.

 

[Victim]

Who said that the CG character would kill helpless people? I'd imagine that he'd kill them while they were attacking him or others. The sailors are acting as SLAVERS. I can't imagine him going easy on them.

I don't see how a code versus killing applies at all. The party just proved that capture and arrest methods don't work. Now there's still a band of slavers wandering around the city looking for weak non citizens to capture.

 

[Enkhidu]

Victim,

So would you consider the killing of the 18 member press-gang to be a good act - even after you had beaten them?

 

[RigaMortus]

I don't think the government is evil as much as it is corrupt.

Situation A
I think all alignments would want to find out what the heck is going on, why such a thing is allowed. They would just have different ways of doing so. The Lawful person would want to talk to the people in charge. The Chaotic would want to find out on his own, maybe try to make some street contacts. The Neutral person would want to do whatever seemed the most convienent at the time.


Situation B
Question 1

They would all meet them with the same force as they are being met with. They would try not kill them if possible, but assume it is going to happen. I don't think a Good person would be required (by his alignment) to try and heal an enemy that is bleeding to death while the enemy's allies are still attacking him. However, if he DID decide to try something like this, it would be a VERY Good act. The reason I say that is because maybe the enemies will see that he showed some mercy on their friend and that will make them reconsider their actions.

Question 2

LG: Would take any survivng sailors BACK to the guards and say something like, "Lose something?" Then he would demand to know what is going on here. He would demand to ask to speak with their superiors.
NG: I think he would be very curious as to why the guards let them go and would also seek answers from them as well. It makes the most sense.
CG: Would tell the group, "See, this is what you get when you trust in "authority"." Generally, I think the CG person would have a field day saying "I told you so" when it comes to the corrupt guards. I think he would escort the sailors out of town and tell them not to come back "Or else". Heh, sometimes that is good enough. They were already bested twice. They can keep coming back with more people, but what is the point? It went from 15 sailors, to 18 sailors, what's next? 25? 30? Why didn't they show up with 50 sailors to begin with? I think the CG guy would give them the beneift of the doubt, again, and hope they learned their lesson this time.

 

[apsuman]

Since when does a CG alignment condone slaying helpless people?

Let's talk about Batman.

So that behavior you described? Its not CG, its N.

In your example, Batman lives in a society that has an organized judical system that can handle everyone of his opponents.

In an alternative timeline comic published by DC some years ago, aliens invaded enslaved everyone and would kill 10 people every time a masked hero rose up against the invaders. They were only slightly less harsh to the unmasked. Heroes were the bane of society, in the issue a crowd crippled the Flash. The JLA would have been the best group to fight the invaders but all the heroes were cow-towed into non-action. All but one, the Batman operated by stealth, since he was never seen there was never any retribution to innocents. The average worker bee alien grew fearful of the rumors of the shodow figure (or somesuch). Well, if memory serves the underground batman Killed aliens. Because jsut beating them upwould mean the death of innocnets. (now, I might have remembered wrong correct me if you can). I know the alternative timeline is not canon but as a guide...

Good character in an immature political system can kill slavers attacking them.

IMHO.


g!

 

[ced1106]

Originally posted by Sarcoth

Situation A: The Ranger catches up with the party about an hour later and tells them that he saw all the sailors leave the guard as if they were set free. Upon some information gathering from the locals of the town, he found out that sailors are permitted to taking non-citizens of the town captive and forcing them into labor. These groups of sailors are referred to as “Press Gangs”.

Question 1: How would the different alignments reacts to this after being involved in the situation from AS3?
LG: "This is an evil town. We must deal with our enemies in our own way."
NG: "I told you so, you dumb twit!"
CG: "Let's trick the fire giants into attacking the town!"

Situation B: The party decides to get a couple rooms at one of the inns in town. The next day they try looking for jobs or quests to do for the people in the town. While down near the docks, the same 9 sailors from the day before plus another 9 jump them in the street. The sailors are again using clubs as weapons.

Question 1: How would the party members react to this second encounter?
LG: "I regret we must slay them all. It is too far to bring them to proper justice."
NG: "I told you so, you dumb twit!"
CG: "Let's trick the fire giants into attacking the town!"

Question 2: If the whole party survives the encounter, what will they do with the sailors this time around?
LG: "The nearest town that is just an honorable is too far away. We must slay them, then find a way to bring this town to justice."
NG: "You talk too much."
CG: "Let's use 'em as a decoy when we attack the fire giants!"
NG: "Morons! The people I am travelling with are morons! FIREBALL!!!"



Cedric.
aka. Washu! ^O^