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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 6956657" data-attributes="member: 42582">I think Gygax describes TN fairly well (DMG p 23, PHB p 33; by way of contrast, I don't think the 3E description makes much sense at all):Absolute, or true, acreatures view everything which exists as an integral, necessary part or function of the entire cosmos [and] looks upon all other alignments as facets of the system of things. Each thing exists as a part of the whole, one as a check or balance to the other, with life necessary for death, happiness for suffering, good for evil, order far chaos, and vice versa. [E]ach aspect - evil and good, chaos and law - of things must be retained in balance to maintain the status quo; for things as they are cannot be improved upon except temporarily, and even then but superficially. Nothing must ever become predominant or out of balance. Nature will prevail and keep things as they were meant to be, provided the "wheel" surrounding the hub of nature does not become unbalanced due to the work of unnatural forces - such as human and other intelligent creatures interfering with what is meant to be. Within this naturalistic ethos, humankind serves a role also, just as all other creatures do.So True Neutrality is a naturalistic ethos, which holds that nature cannot be improved upon, but equally will prevail and ensure that things are as they are meant to be, provided deliberate human action does not unbalance the "wheel" of nature.A true neutral person obviously isn't indifferent to suffering vs wellbeing - like everyone else, s/he thinks it is better to be happy than sad, and unlike evil people s/he is not ready to run roughshod over others to get what s/he wants.But unlike those of the good alignments, s/he does not think that human action can actually make the world a better place. Rather, human action is a threat to wellbeing because it destabilises the natural order.In real life, this sort of outlook is exemplified by Stoicism and some similar classical philosophies, and also some versions of Taoism and Buddhism. I think it's clever of Gygax, and imaginative, to extend it to druids as nature priests. (And I think it shows a lack of imagination not to allow TN monks: consider eg the Jet Li character in Tai Chi Master.)(If, in PS, true neutral spirits maintain ledgers tallying their deliberately generous against their deliberately cruel actions, then something has gone pretty wrong, because this is exactly the opposite of the naturalistic outlook that Gygax describes. And it seems pretty silly to me - just as the 3E description of TN does.)</blockquote>

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