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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ruleslawyer" data-source="post: 2642064" data-attributes="member: 1757">That, sir, is an excellent point.IMHO, alignment still exists in D&D for a simple reason: The narrative one. AL grounds the grand cosmic struggle between Good and Evil (capitals intended) that underpins the default high-fantasy setting that is D&D. F'rex, in Greyhawk (the "default" D&D setting), most nations are pretty strongly defined by allegiances to higher powers (LG Rao, CE Iuz, LE Hextor), or by their neutrality relative thereto (the Free City). This is the way that the struggle works, and thus how politics plays out is either a matter of straight-out tyrannical rule (Iuz), blind adherence to traditional structures of rulership which have been "proven" to maintain social stability (the Caliphate of Ekbir, the old Great Kingdom), fanatical theocracy (the Pale), or constant infighting between a number of erstwhile rulers, none of them particularly good (the 'modern" Great Kingdom). No one is likely to get political power in Veluna or Furyondy by promulgating an evil discourse, only by hiding his evil intent under a veil of lies and deception and employing those oh-so-handy alignment-concealing spells to do so. That's why they exist, after all. I find this state of affairs perfectly acceptable: Most people who did truly nasty things as political leaders in the real world didn't take office under an open declaration of all the "evil" they would commit. Now, other worlds (such as, say, Hyboria) have a very good reason for ditching the alignment system because there is no such cosmic conflict for which AL could serve as grounding. If there are gods, they don't care about us, or worse, are alien monstrous beings who see us as food or soul-sucked slaves. The characters are largely murderous, thieving, lawless rogues who thrive under the worst conditions at the edge of civilization. Great fun, all of this, but it's not really the Shining Legion against the Hordes of Darkness stuff. IOW, it depends on the tone you want. But if your concern is that "cutthroat realistic politics" would be out of the picture, then it seems your problem may be more with the ease of use of Detect spells than with alignment per se. Cutthroat realistic politics are easy to imagine (1) in a neutral or evil society, or any society that doesn't have a 95%+ Good population or (2) in any society in which the Evil folks with political aspirations get themselves some decent anti-Detect spells.</blockquote>

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