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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Theo R Cwithin" data-source="post: 4940760" data-attributes="member: 75712">A sword, orc, fireball, the stunned condition, etc, are all 'small', well-defined notions, easy to categorize/parametrize in some fashion.  An orc stands X tall, is Y strong, has tusks and an underbite and an overwhelming odor of gym socks, prefers to use a falchion, which is a sword Z long doing N damage and weighing W lbs.  Simple definitions, whether or not they square with the real world.Alignment, though, is vague and amorphous, despite the apparent simplicity of book definitions.  For example, one of the definitions cited above emphasized the Lawful qualities of honor, truth, tradition, inflexibility, recognition of authority.   Arg never misses his daily rites, honors his father and the chieftain, never lets a perceived slight to his tribe go unpunished.  But Arg is a barbarian, and, like others of his tribe, revels in the havoc of rape, pillage and plunder of rival tribes' villages and invading caravans.  By some measures, Arg is Lawful (honor, tradition, authority, ritual); by others, he's Chaotic (pillage, 3e barbarian class prereq, rage, slaughter of rivals).  Is Arg Lawful or Chaotic?I really think this hits the nail on the head.  What alignment really "is" doesn't matter for a lot of roleplay; it can be a guide or somehow encode an elaborate set of rules - whatever the table demands.  But the problem arises when alignment is used for mechanical effect.  When a paladin is using detect evil, what exactly is he detecting?   Evil radiation?  A stench of Evil?  Evil atomic particles?  Detection implies some Evil has some sort of measurable physical manifestation; heck, entire planes are built of the stuff! (Though I'm not sure what the Plane of Heck itself is built of.)  In this case, Evil can be detected, protected against, hedged out, bound, turned, switched, etc.Unfortunately, this absolute notion of alignment doesn't mesh well with the squishy conceptual notion.  If the bartender discussed earlier was emitting Evil radiation [absolute definition of evil], then he detects as evil, whether or not he routinely commits grave atrocities against puppies and babies.  If the bartender is just some miserable, dark-hearted miscreant stuck in a dead-end job who harbors no love for his fellow man, then maybe he doesn't detect as evil.This I like. It allows one to differentiate between "evil" and "Evil".  The first is just an adjective meaning "really bad" but has no mechanical effect.  The second- capital E Evil- has a clear definition based on plane of origin, descriptor, number of HD, etc, and has mechanical effects.  So demons are Evil, Demogorgon is Evil; vampires are Evil; bandits are evil, the mafia boss is Evil; hobgoblins are evil, the hobgoblin king is Evil; frost giants are Evil, their ogre servitors are evil; 2nd level NE Rogue/Cleric PC is evil, high-level tainted NE half-blackdragon Blackguard/Assassin PC is Evil; etc.</blockquote>

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