Jeremy Ackerman-Yost
Explorer
Marimmar said:
Except that the entire rest of his party is good in one fashion or another. I'd count that as a disadvantage of becoming chaotic evil...
yet another alignment question...
- Thread starter Marimmar
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Except that the entire rest of his party is good in one fashion or another. I'd count that as a disadvantage of becoming chaotic evil...
Will
First Post
Whenever these discussions come up, I reread PHB's stuff on alignments. 
Chaotic may mean impulsive, but that's within the bound of activities the _character_ feels is appropriate. That's where G/N/E comes in.
That is, it's circular. Alignment is 'the stuff this character typically does'.
If an impulsive character often slays those who are inconvenient or annoying... that's CE.
An impulsive character who decides to bind up the mage and leave a 'kick me' note on him, setting him on the thief's guild doorstep, that's CN.
I really disagree with 'impulsiveness' overriding the other part of a character's alignment.
In my game, I would do exactly what the initial poster did. One more act like that, and the character is clearly evil. It's not a punishment, it's a correction of who the character is.
Chaotic may mean impulsive, but that's within the bound of activities the _character_ feels is appropriate. That's where G/N/E comes in.
That is, it's circular. Alignment is 'the stuff this character typically does'.
If an impulsive character often slays those who are inconvenient or annoying... that's CE.
An impulsive character who decides to bind up the mage and leave a 'kick me' note on him, setting him on the thief's guild doorstep, that's CN.
I really disagree with 'impulsiveness' overriding the other part of a character's alignment.
In my game, I would do exactly what the initial poster did. One more act like that, and the character is clearly evil. It's not a punishment, it's a correction of who the character is.
Munin
First Post
I had almost the exact same situation arise in a game I play in.
I play a CN rogue.
While the group was at an inn, three ruffians walked in who I knew were after my friend (a bard npc).
As the bard fled out the back, I sneak-attacked one of the ruffians, taking him to 0 hit points.
To make a long story short, the other two killed the bard before we could get to him. Meanwhile the party's wizard had taken the ruffian I attacked upstairs for interrogation.
In a fit of rage, I killed the ruffian, who was tied up and barely conscious.
This was an evil act, but considering the circumstances, and my alignment, the DM did not impose any penalites.
Munin
I play a CN rogue.
While the group was at an inn, three ruffians walked in who I knew were after my friend (a bard npc).
As the bard fled out the back, I sneak-attacked one of the ruffians, taking him to 0 hit points.
To make a long story short, the other two killed the bard before we could get to him. Meanwhile the party's wizard had taken the ruffian I attacked upstairs for interrogation.
In a fit of rage, I killed the ruffian, who was tied up and barely conscious.
This was an evil act, but considering the circumstances, and my alignment, the DM did not impose any penalites.
Munin
Marimmar
First Post
Munin said:
Well, I did not impose any penalties, I just warned him that continued behaviour of that kind will eventually change his alignment to chaotic evil. Once is never, twice is ever...
There's nothing wrong with being evil, I just get the feeling that his behaviour will get them persecuted in many locales and that the party itself will eventually kick out the fighter for his deeds. It's a downward spiral. When the first paladins and clerics of a good deity show up and get slain, there is no way to ever redeem oneself unless he turns himself in to the authorities which in itself might end in his execution for murder. This could lead to an interesting campaign and ironically it all started out to save the party's paladin whose soul was taken by a deck of many things.
~Marimmar
LostSoul
Adventurer
Re: sorry for not answering
Quick question: did the party make Sense Motive checks, telling them that the mage wouldn't harm them in the future if they let him go? I'm just saying that the players might not have had the same impression that you did.
To clear this up in the future, you could assume that the PCs are Taking 10, and thus made the check (DC 0). Let them know that "your Sense Motive skill tells you that he isn't going to be a threat in the future".
Marimmar said:
Quick question: did the party make Sense Motive checks, telling them that the mage wouldn't harm them in the future if they let him go? I'm just saying that the players might not have had the same impression that you did.
To clear this up in the future, you could assume that the PCs are Taking 10, and thus made the check (DC 0). Let them know that "your Sense Motive skill tells you that he isn't going to be a threat in the future".
Marimmar
First Post
Re: Re: sorry for not answering
Well the mage was well below their level, he fled to escape their wrath, he was taken without any effort at all, he was very much afraid of the party after his capture. These are all indices that he wouldn't like to cross their path again. If the party didn't recognize this... Come to think of it they assumed him to be abe to cast a legend lore spell for which he clearly was of too low a level. So their perception might be a bit impared which has nothing to do with my descriptions in this case since back then they explicitly looked for a low level and thus cheap mage to cast a polymorph other spell on the toad that once was their bard.
~Marimmar
LostSoul said:
Well the mage was well below their level, he fled to escape their wrath, he was taken without any effort at all, he was very much afraid of the party after his capture. These are all indices that he wouldn't like to cross their path again. If the party didn't recognize this... Come to think of it they assumed him to be abe to cast a legend lore spell for which he clearly was of too low a level. So their perception might be a bit impared which has nothing to do with my descriptions in this case since back then they explicitly looked for a low level and thus cheap mage to cast a polymorph other spell on the toad that once was their bard.
~Marimmar
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