Sell me on Eberron

[Wolfwood2]

Right. The theory in Eberron is that all intelligent beings are capable of making moral choices and can decide their own alignments. While you might see cultural biases towards alignments in some cases, free will ultimately wins out. Thus your average goblin is more or less as likely to be good (or evil) as your average human.

Dragons are no exception and are assumed to be born without a predisposition towards any particular alignment.

There are only three major exceptions.

1. Outsiders are assumed to be manifestiations of cosmic principles and so are overwhelmingly pushed towards a specific alignment by their very nature. (But even then, nothing is absolute.)

2. Undead are inherently inclined towards evil, though free willed undead can still reject this evil more easily than outsiders.

3. Lycanthropy is a mystical curse that can change your alignment by altering your very soul, which is the reason it's so feared.

 

[Glyfair]

I don't think this is true. Can you give a quote to back it up?

I believe that impression has come from a number of sources, including the Ask Keith Baker threads.

I believe if you look at the significant dragons you'll see the alignments are all over the place. In fact an "evil colored" dragon started a druidic organization, not matter which color reference you use.

 

[Klaus]

Right. The theory in Eberron is that all intelligent beings are capable of making moral choices and can decide their own alignments. While you might see cultural biases towards alignments in some cases, free will ultimately wins out. Thus your average goblin is more or less as likely to be good (or evil) as your average human.

Dragons are no exception and are assumed to be born without a predisposition towards any particular alignment.

There are only three major exceptions.

1. Outsiders are assumed to be manifestiations of cosmic principles and so are overwhelmingly pushed towards a specific alignment by their very nature. (But even then, nothing is absolute.)

2. Undead are inherently inclined towards evil, though free willed undead can still reject this evil more easily than outsiders.

3. Lycanthropy is a mystical curse that can change your alignment by altering your very soul, which is the reason it's so feared.

To expand on the lycanthropes thing:

The alignment of the lycanthrope is determined by the original true lycanthrope, not by the lycanthropy type. A CE werebear will spawn only CE werebears, whereas a LG werewolf will spawn only LG werewolves.

 

[Henry]

To expand on the lycanthropes thing:

The alignment of the lycanthrope is determined by the original true lycanthrope, not by the lycanthropy type. A CE werebear will spawn only CE werebears, whereas a LG werewolf will spawn only LG werewolves.

Now THERE's a plot hook waiting to happen: An order of Lawful Good Werewolves who heretically follow the Silver Flame, and try to do good without raising the ire of their more "traditional" brethren: The Silver Manes, or some such name... Imagine the PCs getting in the middle of THAT conflict...