Baby's alignment?

[Umbran]

This is interesting that a thread like this came up because I had been pondering the alignment of a couple of children in a campaign I am writing, they had been made vampire, so the obvious alignment is CE, BUT they are too young to understand, and innocence then puts a kink in the whole evil thing, so I was trying to figure what their alignment would have been before they were brought to the dark side.

There's no real kink, because of the vampirism. That introduces a spiritual element that removes the free will of the victim - vampires al always evil for that reason - the evil animus now controls the body. What the person was before is irrelevant, because they are no longer the same person once they become a vampire.

 

[frankthedm]

Although I do wonder how the paladin would've reacted had they been evil.

As dungeonmaster, you have a responcibility to know the correct course of actions to that situation BEFORE you allow Paladins in your game. You need not SHARE said info [I like Knowledge Religion for moral questionsm myself], but you should know what will be the correct choice of actions where Good and Evil are real forces.

 

[rowport]

This is a pretty interesting, thoughtful thread. Cool.

My 'out-of-game' answer would be TN, as others have posited, because babies cannot understand the world around them enough to interpret moral scales.

My 'D&D' answer would be NE, because babies are extremely self-interested as an early developmental phase (quite literally, they believe that the world revolves around them) and the D&D alignment explanations in 3.0/3.5 essentially equate selfishness to evil.

OTOH, if either of the above might lead to any harm inflicted against an infant, that would change straight away. No infants will get intentionally harmed in any game I play, if I can stop it...

 

[Nifft]

Chaotic Evil. They slowly grow into Lawful Evil, thence into Lawful Good, and finally they mature as Chaotic Good individuals.

Chaotic Evil (0-7) -- Utterly selfish and destructive. Pulls wings off flies.

Lawful Evil (8-15) -- Concerned with rules more than mercy. Punishment viewed as justice.

Lawful Good (16-30) -- Craves honor, wants to "reform the system", thinks self-sacrifice looks all noble.

Chaotic Good (31-death) -- Jaded, views the world as individuals, sees as many exceptions as rules.

Politicians and editors may evolve one phase further, to Chaotic Evil.

-- N

 

[Nifft]

PS: In my campaign...

... no-one has an alignment descriptor simply due to behavior. All living things are, by default, vaguely good, just like all undead are vaguely evil.

IMC, the "Detect" spells detect the descriptor, not the intent.

If you obtain divine or fiendish sponsorship -- by becoming a cleric or paladin, for example -- you gain an alignment descriptor, and you detect as strongly good or evil.

So, a living baby would detect as slightly good. Despite their "actual" alignment.

-- N

 

[FireLance]

Animals are pretty self-centred, and carnivorous animals regularly inflict pain and death upon other animals. Does this make them evil?

IMC, a newborn baby (apart from "Always" alignment x races) is pretty much in the same situation. Its responses are instinctive, not reasoned. As such, its actions cannot really be consdered good, evil, lawful or chaotic.

As it develops, the norms of its society gradually influence it to act in certain ways and eventually, it develops an alignment. For ease of DMing, this will have happened before my PCs encounter it.

 

[The Other Librarian]

Baby's Alignment?

Chaotic Evil, or at least Chaotic Tarty. Otis is CE too. Dr Satan, who knows, but he should have been in the BOVD.

 

[Ranger REG]

Babies are Chaotic Evil. They care only for themselves and shamelessly flaunt the laws of society while taking and taking, giving nothing in return.

Oh and they scheme, too.

Oh, for the umpteenth time, babies don't sound like Bruce Willis.

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

Baby's Alignment?

Chaotic Evil, or at least Chaotic Tarty. Otis is CE too. Dr Satan, who knows, but he should have been in the BOVD.

Ah, best joke of the batch!

"Work?! You ever work?! Yeah I'll bet you have. Scooping ice cream to your ****heel friends on summer break!"