Gaming Without Alignment

[Buttercup]

For me, alignment is merely a guide to assist character creation and roleplaying. As was said above, Detect Evil really only picks up on fiends and undead. If one of my players actually wanted to play a paladin, I'd come up with a code of honor to replace alignment.

Instead, I tend to use reputation, just like in the real world. If cheat, lie and steal, sooner or later word gets around and people refuse to interact with you, or even hunt you down.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed is an alignment less d20 variant. (Fortunately, the name is becoming Arcana Evolved which may end a lot of confusion with Unearthed ARcana.)

My issue with alignment in D&D 3.# is that it's used more than ever before in spells and detections and powers, but it's less well defined. Granted, the design team did a nice job removing a lot of the 1E "alignment as straitjacket" elements, and I commend them for that. I prefer a game where there aren't black and white dividing lines because many players use it as a crutch to justify flat-out slaughter. Sure, I know we're all there to slaughter, but I like it when there's some roleplaying about the motives and a chance to negotiate. Plus I hate when the game bogs down into yet another OOC argument about "killing baby orcs".

So go ahead. Take alignments out. It's not for everyone, but I think it makes for a deeper and more satisfying experience.

 

[MonsterMash]

I'm toying with the idea of removing alignments and using a system similar to the code of honour and reputation that is in the Mongoose Conan RPG. Though I need to decide what to do with the detect/protect from Good/Evil spells, etc.

 

[Desdichado]

I despise alignment, and haven't used it for anything other than a quick fix on a character concept at the beginning of play. Currently I don't use it at all, but I've also made a number of house rules that make alignment NA anyway. Since I've got a ton of new classes and an all new magic system, none of the rules issues have come up.

In regular D&D, I just minimize alignment to the point of having no impact. If you're a spellcaster and preparing spells like detect alignment you're essentially wasting spell slots. Pick something more useful next time, 'coz that one sure won't be.

 

[ruleslawyer]

I read somewhere that the Unearthed Arcana (which I do not own) features rules for gaming without alignment, is this true?

In case it wasn't clear, I think you mean Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed, which indeed does not use alignment.

IMC, PCs get good and evil "points"; certain creatures, like [evil] undead and fiends, are just evil, and others good, while most folk are in a giant gray area, having failed to earn enough points, good or evil, to fall on one side of the fence. Anyone with a sufficient number of "points" registers as the appropriate alignment to a detect spell (in effect, your points are equal to the Aura of Good or Aura of Evil possessed by a cleric, paladin, or blackguard) and can be the target of a smite [alignment] ability. I keep the alignment descriptors for all spells. Law and Chaos are off the page as personal alignments, but very much there as cosmic forces; in effect, these are alignments that are possessed by outsiders only, but there are specific lawful and chaotic "traits" that can be possessed by certain monsters or landscapes, and even acquired by PCs.

In short, I find some system of measuring conduct useful, whether it's an alignment, honor, or taint system. You could play without any of those things, of course, but I'd just ditch the paladin (and blackguard) class entirely and throw out all those alignment-based spells and effects. Check out AU for an example of how to do this. [Note, of course, that AU has the Green/Positive Energy vs. the Dark/Negative Energy, so it doesn't escape the opposed-effects idea either, just the specific "good"/"evil" nomenclature.]

 

[KB9JMQ]

I complete agree with Joshua Dyal. I basically ignore alignment and it has no impact on our gaming. The group I play with also ignores it.
It has never been an issue.

 

[smetzger]

Just use Good, Neutral, and Evil. Threw out all Law and Chaos spells and effects.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

I prefer not to.

Use alignment, that is.

Smite Evil smites Things Man Was Not Meant To Know, Smite Good... doesn't really exist in recent campaigns...

Paladins get kicked out (but don't lose their powers) by their organizations for violating a written code of conduct, leading to some paladins who would be very Lawful Neutral by the RAW. The blackguard class doesn't exist, since fallen paladins can continue to advance, albeit as fugitives from justice hunted by their brethren.

Clerics operate Eberron-style.