Is this an evil act, or not?

[RuinousPowers]

So in our game the group put to sleep a number of guards to avoid unnecessary bloodshed (using excellent role play and strong dwarven ale). It was a detailed plan they executed well. One player however specifically went to a few of the guards and slit their throats while they slept. The character was neutral good. The comment made was that he wanted to make sure they didn't wake while they lead the refugees away. He could have bound them up I feel as they were likely out for the count. As the guards were of varying alignment the group was leery of killing people who didn't deserve it. Suffice it to say his act angered the group and shocked me. I believe an alignment shift is in order. I can see this changing him to neutral evil now. Thoughts??

In my alignment interpretation it would be a neutral act.

 

[MGibster]

Hey, guys. If any of you find me dying of the plague and it appears I'm suffering greatly, make sure you get my enthusiastic consent before you cut my throat. Because there's a good chance I'll elect to take my chances with the plague.

 

[Mannahnin]

Hey, guys. If any of you find me dying of the plague and it appears I'm suffering greatly, make sure you get my enthusiastic consent before you cut my throat. Because there's a good chance I'll elect to take my chances with the plague.

How about the guards from yesterday's post? (#101)

 

[Guest 7034872]

How about the guards from yesterday's post? (#101)

Yeah, that seemed awfully cold.

 

[aco175]

My group is playing Forge of Fury right now and they came to the part of the troglodyte warren and the the babies. After killing all the adults, they had no problem killing the babies. I think there was a reference to them suffering slowly or kill them all at once. I think intent plays a lot into whether it is evil. Kind of like a deer that gets hit by a car and is trying to hobble around on broken legs. You would rather not kill it, but know that it has no chance to live more than a few days in pain.

The part about human guards may be a bit more murky. They are humans after all but chose to be employed by the BBEG. I do not have time or ability to get to know everyone on a personal basis to determine their alignment so I need to discriminate based on things like how they are dressed and who their friends are- and if they attacked me in the past.

 

[Maxperson]

So in our game the group put to sleep a number of guards to avoid unnecessary bloodshed (using excellent role play and strong dwarven ale). It was a detailed plan they executed well. One player however specifically went to a few of the guards and slit their throats while they slept. The character was neutral good. The comment made was that he wanted to make sure they didn't wake while they lead the refugees away. He could have bound them up I feel as they were likely out for the count. As the guards were of varying alignment the group was leery of killing people who didn't deserve it. Suffice it to say his act angered the group and shocked me. I believe an alignment shift is in order. I can see this changing him to neutral evil now. Thoughts??

If this is 5e you can't change his alignment, because it's player chosen and there's no mechanism for the DM to force a change. That's okay, though, because alignment in 5e is purely a roleplay thing. It really doesn't matter what's on the PCs character sheet. On the DM side of things anyone who knows that the PC murdered helpless guards is going to act accordingly. Just have the world react to this PC based on what he does, not what alignment is written down on his sheet and everything will work out the way you want anyway. If the wrong people find out, this PC could end up in prison or executed for his crime.

 

[Maxperson]

Lol. I had no idea this was a necro-thread

It can be hard to tell a fresh zombie from a living person.

 

[Nikosandros]

Lol. I had no idea this was a necro-thread

Did the thread originally die because of the plague or did a merciful mod slit its throat?

 

[MGibster]

How about the guards from yesterday's post? (#101)

Sounds like something I might have done in my younger days (as a player character not in real life). These days, I don't think the groups I run with would do that kind of thing.

 

[Maxperson]

Did the thread originally die because of the plague or did a merciful mod slit its throat?

Mods generally use a special ritual designed to keep threads from coming back to life.