D&D General Do you use Alignment in your D&D games?

[Vaalingrade]

It feels like some might argue that nine point alignment is akin to the set of words for color before "blue" separated from "green". Its limitations might outweigh its use.

Too charitable.

It would literally just describing as the entire visual spectrum as 'black and white'. because technically white is the presence of all color and black is the absorption of all color. Or the other way 'round. I'm not an artist.

 

[Cadence]

Too charitable.

It would literally just describing as the entire visual spectrum as 'black and white'. because technically white is the presence of all color and black is the absorption of all color. Or the other way 'round. I'm not an artist.

We got pretty good telling things apart on those old B&W TVs... Although they had more than one hue (or even a great wheel-y three) of grey in between them. :-/

 

[Crimson Longinus]

It feels like some might argue that nine point alignment is akin to the set of words for color before "blue" separated from "green". Its limitations might outweigh its use.

More like if colours were described on axis from stark to harmonious and from ugly to pretty.

 

[CleverNickName]

Yes, always. We also use hit points, armor class, and other broad generalizations.

 

[Bluebell]

As a nebulous, general guiding principle for PCs and NPCs, I find alignment useful. Broad enough for a range of interpretation but explicit enough to give some guidance. I like how it forces players to think a bit about basic questions like whether they plan to play a heroic character or a more morally grey one, how their character feels about authority, etc. I think for some people, having it codified helps them actually build characters who aren't all just "vaguely neutral good" or "veering all over the place depending on how the player feels today" (though admittedly, some players do that one anyway regardless of what they wrote on their sheet).

But treated as an implicit, easily detectable, tangible force? It's kind of silly, at best. The idea that a person's entire existence can be boiled down to a clear, purely "good" or "evil" essence, let alone what kind of good or evil they are, enough that it can be detected by a spell or changes how they can interact with an object, really belongs more in a children's cartoon.

 

[FrozenNorth]

No. As a GM, I tell my players that I don’t require and will not reference alignment (though I don’t burn their sheets if they want to write something in). As a player, I leave the section blank.

 

[Lyxen]

As a nebulous, general guiding principle for PCs and NPCs, I find alignment useful. Broad enough for a range of interpretation but explicit enough to give some guidance. I like how it forces players to think a bit about basic questions like whether they plan to play a heroic character or a more morally grey one, how their character feels about authority, etc. I think for some people, having it codified helps them actually build characters who aren't all just "vaguely neutral good" or "veering all over the place depending on how the player feels today" (though admittedly, some players do that one anyway regardless of what they wrote on their sheet).

And that's the intent, especially coupled to the fact that since it's really a record of the character's past, it's certainly not a straighjacket.

But treated as an implicit, easily detectable, tangible force? It's kind of silly, at best. The idea that a person's entire existence can be boiled down to a clear, purely "good" or "evil" essence, let alone what kind of good or evil they are, enough that it can be detected by a spell or changes how they can interact with an object, really belongs more in a children's cartoon.

Well. First, it would be nice for the language to be so derogatory. Moreover, this is the principle for actual religions on this planet. Whether you choose to believe or not, still, billions believe it. Finally, you might not like it, but at the same time, it's the essence of some types of fantasy. Why was Galahad allowed to find the Grail ?

As a side note, for the kind of good and evil, well going to another thread, strong servitors of Chaos or Law are probably as detectable in some fantasy genre media. I personally like that the game is more than good and evil, and law and chaos provide a geometrical number of combinations, especially when you add tendencies into the mix. And note that in 5e, in most cases alignments are not detectable.

 

[Scribe]

Why was Galahad allowed to find the Grail ?

Or Vision/Captain America able to lift Thor's Hammer...

 

[Malmuria]

What I've found useful in describing characters (PCs or NPCs) is to use three adjectives. So my current 5e character is described as "independent, charming, reckless."

 

[Scribe]

What I've found useful in describing characters (PCs or NPCs) is to use three adjectives. So my current 5e character is described as "independent, charming, reckless."

So CG/CN?