Is fighting evil necessary and/or sufficient for being good.

[buzz]

Again, that would mean that fighting evil was not necessary or sufficient. I understood everyhting about his post except "I voted other".

I probably could have voted "not necessary..." I guess I found the question itself flawed, ergo I voted for the option that felt more like "moot".

 

[Janx]

Because Fighting is not sufficient if it involves no Sacrifice, and Fighting is not necessary if Sacrifice can be made some other way.

If you asked him "Is personal sacrifice to help others necessary/sufficient to be Good", you'd get a different answer.

-Hyp.

Addressing the Sacrifice =/!= Fighting angle:

Fighting puts a PC at risk. The risk is the possibility of losing or being injured, and all the repurcussions that might stem from that. By entering combat, you sacrifice your safety.

Therefore, fighting is a sacrifice. Depending on the opposition, the risk may be low, and thus it isn't a great sacrifice, but it is a sacrifice nonetheless.

 

[buzz]

Depending on the opposition, the risk may be low, and thus it isn't a great sacrifice, but it is a sacrifice nonetheless.

I'd say that what you're talking about is "risk" and not "sacrifice," but that may just be semantics.

However, the bit that's missing here is "...sacrifices to help others". Risking your life in combat is not sacrifice (and thus, not Good) unless it benefits someone who is not you.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

In D&D? Absolutely necessary, but not sufficient.

A neutral character might fight against evil out of self-interest, because evil threatens their community, or because evil threatens principles such as freedom or social order which they hold dear: but this does not make them good.

Good characters in D&D not only oppose evil, they actively seek to make the world a better place otherwise. Charity, for instance, doesn't really oppose evil directly, but it makes the world a better place. Going on a dangerous journey to find a rare medicine to save someone's life doesn't really oppose evil, but it's a generous and kind act of self-sacrifice.

That said, I don't think a good character must necessarily be out adventuring against evil. All the examples of good characters like nuns and hospital workers can oppose (fight) evil as they come across it - a nun might offer counselling to someone who is tempted by evil, and a hospital worker might come across evidence that her patients are being deliberately exposed to disease and try to discover who the villain is.