D&D General The child stealing food to survive scenario, for alignment

[Kobold Avenger]

I brought this up in the other thread because I feel it a better thing to debate about alignment, especially the LG alignment than Orc babies.

What would a character do if they caught a poor street kid stealing food from a merchant in the city? The child is obviously quite poor impoverished and in poor health, so they are likely stealing to survive or to feed their family. The city most certainly has laws that could be harsh for the child now that they are caught, in that it could either be imprisonment or the child loses a hand. What would your character do in this situation now that they caught this little thief?

I think the answer is very obvious for what a NG or CG character would do, in that they'd at least let the child go. But for LG characters this might be more of an internal conflict to them.

 

[Umbran]

I think the answer is very obvious for what a NG or CG character would do, in that they'd at least let the child go. But for LG characters this might be more of an internal conflict to them.

Not really. I mean, it isn't like LG is this intense struggle for every single action. Sometimes, there's solutions that are strongly both, but when there isn't, sometimes you lean a little more to Law, sometimes a little more to Good, and it all comes out in the wash.

But if you want to be both, the answer is simple - the child is under the age of majority? They are not fully responsible for legal behavior. Done. Not really hard.

 

[Krachek]

i don’t what the LG character would do, but the player will certainly help the child!

 

[Oofta]

Funny thing is, this came up in a game once. My LG PC (leaning LN) saw a kid stealing something so he stopped him using a non-lethal force by knocking him down.

Everybody at the table was aghast. The baker was out that loaf of bread and would suffer because of the loss. Maybe it wouldn't bankrupt the baker, but the baker worked hard to earn money for his family, the kid didn't.

I explained that if the kid was hungry I'd throw in a few gold for an apprenticeship so he could earn his keep, but theft is wrong. If the kid got away with stealing a loaf of bread now, the lesson he learns is that he can get away with theft. In a couple of years it wouldn't be the loaf of bread, it would be the baker's earnings for the week.

The way I viewed it my PC saw a crime and stopped it using appropriate, non-lethal, means. People work hard for a living and taking something you didn't earn was wrong.

 

[jgsugden]

A character of any alignment could respond in any way. Alignment is a tendency, not a restriction.

Cruddles, my CG Deep Gnome wizard, would likely help the kid escape and leave a few coins.

Lex, my CG human monk (who is a tad crazy), would capture the kid, force him to be honest, and then buy the bread for the kid as a reward for being honest. He'd also protect the kid if the punishment would be too steep from the constables.

Myztek Dryken Delerosh, a LG fighter/wizard, a former CE Thayvian under a helm of opposite alignment, would capture the kid, hand him over to the constables and say the law is the law.

Tyrstern Fossilrock, Mountain Dwarf NG barbarian, would place a bet on whether the kid was caught and would otherwise stay out of it.

Kyrus, the Jack of all Trades Elf, NE, would either ignore it, or use the situation to force the kid to work for him.

Crynare, my CN mage/thief, would steal the bread because it clearly meant a lot to the kid. He stole what people valued most.

Myska Urge, CG tiefling ranger/fighter/rogue/sorcerer, would capture the kid and teach him the importance of redemption, compelling him to do a greater service for the world than the harm he had just done.

While some of those might fit into your definition of their alignments, some of it won't - and that is ok. They're all being played as individuals with personalities. The alignment assigned to them is just the best fit, not necessarily a good fit.

 

[Cadence]

Doesn't 1e read like the LG character should do whatever the law requires. And then work within the system to change the law if they think it was ungood.

 

[Zardnaar]

Theft isn't good or evil it's more law/chaos.

LE. Kids gonna get treated harshly if caught.

LN. Will probably do whatever the law says. Might be lenient might be harsh.

LG. Will probably do what the law says but tempered by mercy and the law isn't likely very harsh.

What happens would depend on the level of social support in that society. Best case scenario charity helps the family out or adopts kid. Worst case kid is treated as an adult and loses a limb (very rarely death).

 

[Zardnaar]

Not really. I mean, it isn't like LG is this intense struggle for every single action. Sometimes, there's solutions that are strongly both, but when there isn't, sometimes you lean a little more to Law, sometimes a little more to Good, and it all comes out in the wash.

But if you want to be both, the answer is simple - the child is under the age of majority? They are not fully responsible for legal behavior. Done. Not really hard.

That's a modern concept.

Kids in UK could get deported to the colonies, sent to a workhouse etc.

Death and/or mutilation in some cultures.

 

[pming]

Hiya!

I brought this up in the other thread because I feel it a better thing to debate about alignment, especially the LG alignment than Orc babies.

What would a character do if they caught a poor street kid stealing food from a merchant in the city? The child is obviously quite poor impoverished and in poor health, so they are likely stealing to survive or to feed their family. The city most certainly has laws that could be harsh for the child now that they are caught, in that it could either be imprisonment or the child loses a hand. What would your character do in this situation now that they caught this little thief?

I think the answer is very obvious for what a NG or CG character would do, in that they'd at least let the child go. But for LG characters this might be more of an internal conflict to them.

CE - Threaten the kid and abduct them, turning them into an unwilling slave, using every opportunity to humiliate, hurt and degrade said child.
CN - Who knows? Maybe congratulate the kid on successfully stealing it...then taking the food for themselves. Fair is fair, right?
CG - Give advice on who and how to do it...so they can more easily fend for themselves, and 'stick it to the man' (re: rich folks).

NE - Kill the kid and take his stuff.
TN - Shrug, and continue on his way. It wasn't MY food...or food from my family...so...survival of the fittest I guess.
NG - Tell kid they understand, be honest and kind. Tell kid not to do it again, then take the kid to an acceptable church, orphanage or NPC that can help the kid out.

LE - Arrest the kid. Keep the spoils for themselves and accuse the kid of lying when the kid speaks up about it, then using that as a means to get power/control over the kid's life in some way.
LN - Arrest kid. Return goods. Take kid to authorities and let the system deal with him.
LG - Arrest kid. Make kid return goods and apologize. Take kid to authorities and offer to take the kid under their wing to reform them into a better person and member of society.

Those were off the top of my head. Variations would be vast, as every person is different, but those are base line generic reactions I'd have in my campaign.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Weiley31]

Whatever the answer: there has to be a Lawful Stupid Paladin involved. That way, you have the scenario that sets up said Paladin as a reoccurring Rival to the Party who shows up at the worst possible times to make situations more interesting.