BookTenTiger
He / Him
The thread on Hobgoblins made me start fantasizing about running an all-goblin campaign. The players would play as Goblins, Bugbears, and Hobgoblins in an Empire of Goblinoids. Maybe there would be ancient elven and dwarven ruins, a rival empire of orcs, and so on...
I started thinking about alignment. Since Goblinoids are the default race, the standard alignment of good - neutral - evil / lawful - neutral - chaotic doesn't make much sense. I thought it would be fun to replace it with something else.
So I came up with this idea for an alternate alignment, based on the characteristics of goblins, bugbears, and hobgoblins, which range from brash to cowardly, from selfish to group-minded:
First axis: Initiative
Ambitious - Shrewd - Cautious
Ambitious: Your Goblinoid has strong desires for power, wealth, or land. You are not content to sit around and let others enjoy the spoils!
Shrewd: Your Goblinoid is neither the first through the door nor the last. You feel satisfied with your lot in life.
Cautious: Your Goblinoid calls themselves cautious because they don't like the sound of 'cowardly.' You are rarely the first to act; this is probably why you are still alive!
Second axis: Loyalty
Individualist - Partisan - Nationalist
Individualist: Your Goblinoid is motivated by self-interest and survival. You will usually act first to protect yourself or meet your needs before others.
Partisan: Your Goblinoid is loyal to a group, be it a troop, clan, or fellow scavengers. You will act to protect those who you care about, or who are worthwhile allies.
Nationalist: Your Goblinoid is a diehard loyalist to the Goblin Empire! You act in ways that bring honor, spoils, or vengeance to your nation, even if that means self-sacrifice!
Here's what some characters might look like:
Gorug, an Ambitious Partisan Bugbear Barbarian
Gorug is a Bugbear Rogue who is loyal to current crew, but not to those he worked with in the past. Gorug wants glory and gold, but will usually hold back from leaping into situations that could hurt his teammates.
Shazak the Tall, a Cautious Nationalist Hobgoblin Paladin
Shazak is loyal to the Goblin Empire, and knows all the Tenets of Goblinkind by heart. However, he is loathe to put himself in danger; he would rather rally some goblins or maybe a big meaty bugbear to charge in first!
Rateye Rufus, a Shrewd Individualist Goblin Warlock
Rateye Rufus finds his own way through life. He made a deal with a Sewer Demon and he's sticking with it. He follows the group because it's better to let a big bugbear take a few hits, but he's not afraid to take what he wants- or what the Rat King desires.
Anyways, I thought this was a fun exercise. What would you think of using this kind of alignment system in an All-Goblin Campaign? Of course, this means all the other NPCs and even monsters would have to follow the same Alignment System... let's see, a Mind Flayer might be a Cautious Partisan, while a Deva might be a Shrewd Nationalist.
What would other alignments look like for other hyper-specific campaigns?
I started thinking about alignment. Since Goblinoids are the default race, the standard alignment of good - neutral - evil / lawful - neutral - chaotic doesn't make much sense. I thought it would be fun to replace it with something else.
So I came up with this idea for an alternate alignment, based on the characteristics of goblins, bugbears, and hobgoblins, which range from brash to cowardly, from selfish to group-minded:
First axis: Initiative
Ambitious - Shrewd - Cautious
Ambitious: Your Goblinoid has strong desires for power, wealth, or land. You are not content to sit around and let others enjoy the spoils!
Shrewd: Your Goblinoid is neither the first through the door nor the last. You feel satisfied with your lot in life.
Cautious: Your Goblinoid calls themselves cautious because they don't like the sound of 'cowardly.' You are rarely the first to act; this is probably why you are still alive!
Second axis: Loyalty
Individualist - Partisan - Nationalist
Individualist: Your Goblinoid is motivated by self-interest and survival. You will usually act first to protect yourself or meet your needs before others.
Partisan: Your Goblinoid is loyal to a group, be it a troop, clan, or fellow scavengers. You will act to protect those who you care about, or who are worthwhile allies.
Nationalist: Your Goblinoid is a diehard loyalist to the Goblin Empire! You act in ways that bring honor, spoils, or vengeance to your nation, even if that means self-sacrifice!
Here's what some characters might look like:
Gorug, an Ambitious Partisan Bugbear Barbarian
Gorug is a Bugbear Rogue who is loyal to current crew, but not to those he worked with in the past. Gorug wants glory and gold, but will usually hold back from leaping into situations that could hurt his teammates.
Shazak the Tall, a Cautious Nationalist Hobgoblin Paladin
Shazak is loyal to the Goblin Empire, and knows all the Tenets of Goblinkind by heart. However, he is loathe to put himself in danger; he would rather rally some goblins or maybe a big meaty bugbear to charge in first!
Rateye Rufus, a Shrewd Individualist Goblin Warlock
Rateye Rufus finds his own way through life. He made a deal with a Sewer Demon and he's sticking with it. He follows the group because it's better to let a big bugbear take a few hits, but he's not afraid to take what he wants- or what the Rat King desires.
Anyways, I thought this was a fun exercise. What would you think of using this kind of alignment system in an All-Goblin Campaign? Of course, this means all the other NPCs and even monsters would have to follow the same Alignment System... let's see, a Mind Flayer might be a Cautious Partisan, while a Deva might be a Shrewd Nationalist.
What would other alignments look like for other hyper-specific campaigns?