The Opposite of Envy

[Pbartender]

That depends on how you define the terms.

Right... and that's the main problem with the entire exercise of trying to find the polar opposites of the Seven Sins.

Even I fell into it, when I tried.

 

[Mark Chance]

Right... and that's the main problem with the entire exercise of trying to find the polar opposites of the Seven Sins.

Even I fell into it, when I tried.

The Seven Virtues are Fortitude, Prudence, Justice, Temperance, Faith, Hope, and Love. That's a pretty good list, and if I were inclined to use one in a game, that'd be it.

Many years ago I read a fascinating piece that explained how Pride is the root of all of the other Deadly Sins. It even waxed paradoxical, linking Pride to qualities normally associated with low self-image today. (As in, "Where do you get off thinking that you ought to feel better about yourself than you do?") I wish I could remember the title, author, et cetera.

 

[Pbartender]

The Seven Virtues are Fortitude, Prudence, Justice, Temperance, Faith, Hope, and Love. That's a pretty good list, and if I were inclined to use one in a game, that'd be it.

Yep, those are pretty much the ones I remember... and probably the ones I'd use as well.

The OP, however, mentions...

Their counterparts, usually known as the "7 holy virtues" or "7 saving graces", are a little more obscure. It's not just that they are newer but also because they are a little harder to pin down. There are more than a couple different variations on what they are exactly and I have found that, out of all of them, nothing is more difficult to describe as the opposite of envy.

...which is valid. There are quite a few minor variations on the list, as there are for the Sins, though one set of Sins is best known today.

 

[Mark Chance]

There are quite a few minor variations on the list, as there are for the Sins, though one set of Sins is best known today.

Indeed. There are often variants of lists. There's more than one numbering system for a certain list of commandments, for example.

If one were inclined to do so, one could implement competing sects based on such differences. Imagine two sects of paladins, one that substitutes Indifference for Anger on the list of Deadlies.

I've sort of done this. I had a "public relations" arm of Hextor staffed by LN clerics in one campaign. That same campaign introduced the players to the racist LG paladin of Wastri the Hopping Prophet.