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<blockquote data-quote="John Morrow" data-source="post: 2146193" data-attributes="member: 27012">Which is exactly why the corner alignments are unstable.&nbsp; Good and Evil are issues of ends while Law and Chaos are issues of means.&nbsp; When a Paladin has a choice between Lawful means and Good ends, which should they pick?In the real world, that's largely because of uncertainty and incomplete information.&nbsp; Part of my point is that fantasy games reduce or eliminate the uncertainty and incomplete information that causes us to need trials and protections for the accused in order to ensure justice.&nbsp; But why bother with rules of evidence and a right to not incriminate yourself when guilt can be determined simply by asking the accused, under the influence of various spells that determine truth, &quot;Did you do this crime or not?&quot;It's not a matter of turning the tables.&nbsp; It's a matter of swiftly achieving justice.&nbsp; What is the purpose of mercy, a trial, and rights?&nbsp; Is letting an Adolf Hitler sit in a jail cell for months awaiting trials and appeals that will only lead to an inevitable conclusion really more merciful than simply executing him?&nbsp; Doesn't the fact that not only Hitler but other Nazis killed themselves rather than surrendering suggest that maybe it isn't?And let's not forget in the original situation that the characters did show mercy (they didn't simply kill the prisoners immediately), gave them an opportunity to start repenting by telling them what they wanted to know, and kept their word when one of the prisoners did tell them what they wanted to know (he wasn't executed, as promised, but was shown mercy and released).&nbsp; The Evil prisoners were given an out.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="John Morrow, post: 2146193, member: 27012"] Which is exactly why the corner alignments are unstable. Good and Evil are issues of ends while Law and Chaos are issues of means. When a Paladin has a choice between Lawful means and Good ends, which should they pick? In the real world, that's largely because of uncertainty and incomplete information. Part of my point is that fantasy games reduce or eliminate the uncertainty and incomplete information that causes us to need trials and protections for the accused in order to ensure justice. But why bother with rules of evidence and a right to not incriminate yourself when guilt can be determined simply by asking the accused, under the influence of various spells that determine truth, "Did you do this crime or not?" It's not a matter of turning the tables. It's a matter of swiftly achieving justice. What is the purpose of mercy, a trial, and rights? Is letting an Adolf Hitler sit in a jail cell for months awaiting trials and appeals that will only lead to an inevitable conclusion really more merciful than simply executing him? Doesn't the fact that not only Hitler but other Nazis killed themselves rather than surrendering suggest that maybe it isn't? And let's not forget in the original situation that the characters did show mercy (they didn't simply kill the prisoners immediately), gave them an opportunity to start repenting by telling them what they wanted to know, and kept their word when one of the prisoners did tell them what they wanted to know (he wasn't executed, as promised, but was shown mercy and released). The Evil prisoners were given an out. [/QUOTE]

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