A Simple Scenario
DM: “You and your party enter the Messy Puddle Tavern. It sits in the slums and the inside matches its name. You look around and notice that everything is a bit rundown. Including the people.”
Player 1: “I look around, does anyone seem to be out of place?”
*(Player 1 rolls)*
DM: “Good roll! Everyone seems to be quiet and to themselves, but you do notice one guy looking over at you with scowl as he mutters something under his breath. He then…”
Player 1: “I walk up and punch him in the face and threaten to kill him.”
Player 2: “I thought you were lawful good? You can’t just do that…”
Ok, maybe that’s a little crazy for some of you out there, but these types of scenarios can happen all the time in Dungeons and Dragons. And when they do, they often leave many players and Dungeon Masters confused about how to proceed. Lots of player’s and DMs have their own take on what alignment represents for them, and I cannot speak for everyone out there. But I can share my take on it and how I incorporate it in my games.
Alignments According to Dungeons and Dragons
In the Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook alignment is described (broadly) as a creature’s/player’s moral and personal attitudes. It is one-part morality (Good, Neutral, or Evil) and one-part views on society and order (Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic).
Great! But what does that mean when a player creates their character? Do they have to always follow their alignment exactly? If they don’t follow what their alignment suggests are, they playing the character wrong? For me the answer to those last 2 questions is No.
Alignment When Building a Character
When a player sits down to create a character building the stats is the easiest part of the process. It’s all dice rolls, and transcribing details based on details for the races, classes, etc. The challenge most players will confront is building out who that character is to them. And What they want to roleplay them as. Besides building the Backstory one of the biggest helps in determining what type of hero you are playing is alignment. It helps you visualize how you character will react in most situations and how they typically try to behave in a typical day.
Some DMs struggle with handling Alignments and so will often ignore them completely which is completely acceptable. The thing about the rules is you can decide how you want to use them in your game. Nothing is ever 100% guaranteed! But I encourage DMs and players to embrace the use of alignments. The alignments can add another layer to your adventure. When you think hard about how you would react because of the views your character has can lead you into some very interesting plots and scenes.
So, You Are Saying I Should Follow My Alignment?
Using your alignment when deciding how you might act or react to a situation creates interesting dialogue and situations. But that doesn’t mean it is something you have to run every one of your choices through.
People in real life are not simple. We face challenges and moral conundrums every day. Most people are not always law-abiding citizens or loving and kind 24/7 (unless you are Mr. Rogers… R.I.P.). We are emotional beings filled with self-doubts and voices pushing us in different directions.
The same can be said for our pen and paper alter-egos. Sometimes players get carried away in the moment and find their characters doing things they might not normally consider or do. And that’s ok! Acting out of character can also create unique opportunities for the game at hand.
AM I Playing My Character and Their Alignment Right?
I always find this question odd when my players ask me this. Is there a right or wrong way to play a character? Play your character how you want but try to hold on to that vision you had when you first created them. You do that and not only will you be playing them “right” but you will also have an amazingly great time!
Tips for Handling Alignments
When running a campaign where you want alignments to have meaning for your players, there are much better ways of dealing with players going overboard, than saying “You can’t do that, it doesn’t make sense with your alignment…”
Create RP moments – I had a player once who was chaotic goodwho went overboard with getting information from a cultist. After the scene was done, I told him that his character felt ill after what he had done. He knew it had to be, but it still didn’t sit right. I also had him suffer from PTSD occasionally when he slept from the atrocities, he did that day. Making saving throws (DC 10) or waking up exhausted. This created consequences and great RP opportunities for you and your players.
Alignment Shifting – Another thing that is commonly done if a player is constantly doing things that are not in his alignment. Is a slow alignment change. People change in real life and it is possible to see that occur in game. Seeing a player slowly fall (or quickly) from grace or change courses from the dark road they have been on to one of filled with light, creates some of the most unique and intriguing character development you can imagine.
In Conclusion
Alignments are a guideline to help you decide who you want your hero to be. And it is a guideline that when used appropriately can continue to help you develop who your character is! When you make your next pen and paper adventuring murder Hobo spend some time thinking about who you want them to be.
