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Message: <blockquote data-quote="gizmo33" data-source="post: 2161086" data-attributes="member: 30001">alignmentOk, I'll take one puff of the the alignment thread crack pipe (oh, is that a Chaotic Evil comment?) and pass it on.  I can stop anytime I want, really. GIZMO'S RULE 1:  The players don't get to decide what is good and what is evil, what is lawful or what is chaotic. It's probably polite (and I strongly encourage), when following rule 1, to tell the players ahead of time before they do something. To help you decide, as a DM (because you can't make up your mind about every possible action before hand) I'd come up with some general guidelines.  Here's the best one: GIZMO'S RULE 2:  Decide whether the ends justify the means. IMO this is arbitrary, like everything else on this subject.  Forget about the real world.  Intelligent people come down on either side of Rule 2 and will debate it until the Sun burns out.  Once you make a decision on this, it's a heck of a lot easier to judge situations on the fly.  Sure, in the real world this is oversimplifying things, but I really think you just won't be able to come to a decision otherwise.  If you want, you can follow what your religion, or tribe, or president, or whatever tells you - but ultimately you need to be the authority on this issue on this game.  Just like you're the authority on which gods exist that PCs can worship.   So once you decide, make a list of means, or a list of ends, and then consider the general alignment.  IMC, I use means, so here's a short example list: 1.  killing2.  cannibalism3.  torture4.  use of poison5.  letting people die6.  talking about crack pipes in front of minors I'm sure you can list 100 more.  Write down "evil", "good", "good with an explanation" etc.  Next to each.  Example "it's ok to kill prisoners if they're evil.".  Or maybe, "it's chaotic to kill prisoners without checking with your superiors first".  or "It's good to eat people as long as that person is your deceased relative and you're doing so to honor their memory." Once you have this list, you're ready to judge alignment.  And that's your job in a DnD game that uses alignment.  So you have to make alignment decisions unambiguously.  The rules depend on it.  Share the list with the players or don't.  In either case, update/expand it as necessary, never forgetting Rule 1. Be considerate about putting your players into impossible situations.  A lawful good paladin in an evil kingdom is either going to have to be evil, or break the law.  Don't laugh at players in this situation.  Perhaps a paladin from a certain culture would be both lawful and good by commiting suicide at that point?  In other cultures suicide would be evil?  chaotic?  IMO - DMs DECIDE.  Death might not be such a bad thing in a campaign that has an afterlife anyway.  Who says that a 100 innocents getting destroyed by a nuclear fireball is such a bad thing if they're all going to go to the Seven Heavens afterward and live the rest of eternity in bliss?  Sure, it would be nice to stop it, but commiting evil acts to prevent people from going to paradise prematurely might seem a little silly when you consider the cosmic realities of your campaign but *that's what you should do*- consider the cosmic realities - it's your campaign!  Don't let the players or the real world be your DM on this or any other issue.</blockquote>

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