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Message: <blockquote data-quote="D+1" data-source="post: 2156214" data-attributes="member: 13654">Danger!  Hijack warning!A lot of people really just have no clue about alignment.  Good people kill - they just generally kill evil people because evil people generally have it coming.  But there is nothing that says that a good-aligned character must ALWAYS perform good deeds and NEVER do anything non-good in order to remain good - paladins and other very specifically alignment-restricted characters excepted of course.  But there is plenty of indication that alignment doesn't prevent you from doing a bloody thing, that one act will not necessarily alter your alignment, that even good characters might occasionally do bad things - and that's all VERY good for roleplaying.Not at all.  There is, in fact, the anti-hero type of character so often seen in movies.  A character who doesn't do the right thing but we cheer him on because he kicks ass.Good characters are allowed to execute prisioners - particularly evil prisoners who only shortly before were trying to kill them.  It is POSSIBLE to play a good-aligned character who will refuse to ever kill a prisoner or allow one to be killed - but it is FAR from the only possible characterization.  Paladins in particular are often walking exectution machines awaiting only the justification of seeing evil being perpetrated before killing those responsible both savagely in battle, and dispassionately executing prisoners after the battle is over.  Other LG characters who are NOT paladins are a bit freer yet with being able to push the envelope a bit now and again when circumstances are right.The purpose of alignment for PC's is to act as a GUIDE, to assist players with a general reference of morals and ethics.  No character is EVER restricted by alignment to performing ONLY certain acts, and the occasional ruthless behavior when backed by circumstances within the game isn't the same as WILLFULLY taking actions that are intended to alter a characters alignment.Well the whole point of redemption is in PAYING for past transgressions.  If you were obnoxious and abusive to people then you redeem yourself by being pleasant and kind - but you still have to accept that people might continue to dislike you for what you've done to them in the past rather than forgive you.  If you were a cold, heartless murderer before then there's only so much you can do to try to redeem yourself - but it would include laying down your own life for the sake of someone who hates you.You can't EXPECT forgiveness even if you repent, and depending on the severity of your past behavior it is quite understandable that you might not EVER be forgiven.  Forgiveness is certainly a good thing to do - when forgiveness is indeed warranted, but forgiveness isn't the same thing as complete absolution of responsibility.Darth Vader achieves a measure of redemption by killing the Emperor in Star Wars - but even had he survived he doesn't just pick up where he left off as a Jedi does he?There's no one answer to cover it all, no formula or universal rule to apply.  It depends on circumstances, motivations, and goals as to whether forgiveness is deserved, punishment exchanged for pardon, and whether religious tenets takes precedence over personal philosophy and desires, or secular law.</blockquote>

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