The history of how the origin of alignments can be traced to fantasy armies suggested for a wargame can be found in Part 1 of this series on OD&D alignments. In Part 2 we looked at the problems of the alignment system as written in the 1974 version of the game.
A possible solution: "unfolded alignments"
In this third part of the series, we will look at how to tweak the OD&D alignment system in order to solve most of it's issues while preserving two important things it brings to the game:
- spells and other magical effects that presume the existance of the cosmic or metaphysical forces of Law, Neutrality and Chaos; and
- the faction play centered on the interactions between the factions that are inspired by the aforementioned forces, but not synonymous with them.
At the same time, I would like the morality and behaviours of characters and monsters to be independent from the two elements above, even if sometimes informed by them. Having this in mind, OD&D alignments can work very well if you unfold them into two elements:
- Intrinsic cosmic atunements;
- Factions, their languages and codes of conduct.
Eureka!
1. An intrinsic cosmic atunement
Some creatures are inherently tied to cosmic forces of Order, Entropy and Balance.
Another possibility is to have an elemental alignment: Air, Earth, Fire or Water.
These metaphysical essences determine how they interact with certain magical effects, but have no rules-effect on their own (only affecting how certain magical effects will interact with them during play), but it could tie in nicely with a more outlandish character backstories.
- Cosmic alignment at character creation: player characters are unaligned by default (the exception being Clerics and Anti-Clerics - see below). Optionally, at character creation, players could choose to have their character be aligned to one of the cosmic forces, or even to one of the elements:
A metaphysical essence of Law, Chaos, or Neutrality (alternatively, to avoid confusion with the factions below, these forces could be called Order, Entropy and Balance) determines how each creature interacts with certain magical effects.
For example, a sword that deals extra damage to Chaotic (or Entropic) beings would affect an undead monster (magically animated by the mysterious energies of Chaos/Entropy), regardless of its factional allegiance.
As another example, a dryad could be cosmically aligned to the forces of Neutrality/Balance (which could be thematically linked to the balance of Nature).
Each creature can only be aligned to one of the three cosmic forces at any given time. Unlike factional alignment, a creature’s intrinsic cosmic alignment is generally fixed unless a supernatural event (such as a curse or divine intervention) changes it.
In this interpretation, most creatures would not be cosmically to any of these forces. Humans and other humanoids with free will, even if aligned with a faction that, for example, holds Law/Order sacred, would be unaligned (there are exceptions, but we'll get to that). Mundane animals and most unintelligent monsters would likewise be unaligned.
Perhaps it should even be possible to be aligned to cosmic forces other than the ones mentioned above. One possibility, which would make a lot of sense both in-game and rules-wise, would be elemental alignments.
As with cosmic alignements, most creatures would be elementally unaligned. Some creatures, however, could be magically and intrinsically tied to Air, Earth, Fire or Water (elementals, obviously, and maybe a few other creatures, such as balrogs - there are references in both Chainmail and OD&D to balrogs being fire-type creatures).
Being aligned to one of the elements precludes being aligned to others. It does not preclude also having a cosmic alignment though - using the same example, a balrog could be aligned to both Chaos/Entropy and Fire.
2. Faction Allegiance
Even if the cosmic forces described above are an objective fact in the game world, they are still distant, mysterious and poorly understood. Over centuries, they could inspire religions, philosophies and war banners - these movements may see one given force as "good" and another as "evil", but that has more to do with the imagination of mortals (and what they stand to gain) than with fact. The cosmic forces aren't necessarily good or evil: they simply exist.
At character creation, a character or creature can choose to join Team Law, Team Chaos, or Team Neutrality (if it exists as an organized force).
Membership in a faction grants the ability to learn its divisional language—for example, the Lawful Language for Team Law or the Chaotic Code for Team Chaos.
Changing factions during the campaign would be possible, as this aspect represents ideological or political allegiance rather than an immutable trait. Learning a new divisional language, however, is not as immediate: perhaps it could be done in downtime (at least a few months of intense learning).
Let's have a look at what the three factions could look like in-game:
Team Law
Possible names: Church of the Law, Empire of the Law
Divisional language: the Lithurgical Language
Values: The force of Law is good, as are creatures and magic items animated by it. The force of Chaos is evil, and creatures and items infused with it (especially undead) must be destroyed. The force of Neutrality is meaningless, and and creatures and items infused with it are delusional. Also, rules are meant to be followed.
Team Chaos
Possible names: Chaos Confederacy, Chaos Uprising
Divisional language: the Chaotic Code
Values: The force of Chaos is good, as are creatures and magic items animated by it. The force of Law is evil, and creatures and items infused with it (such as pegasi) must be destroyed. The force of Neutrality is weak, and creatures and items infused with it are pathetic. Also, rules are meant to be broken.
Team Neutrality
Possible names: Faerie Conspiracy, Woodland Conjuration
Divisional language: the Neutral Nominations
Values: The forces of Law and Chaos are the product of universal imbalance - while not good or bad, they can lead to pain. The force of Neutrality sustains the world's existence and must be respected. Also, rules can never be truly followed or broken, as the rules of this Universe are well beyond the understanding of mortals.
Conclusion
This approach allows OD&D to maintain both the cosmic significance of alignment and the strategic, roleplaying element of factions, without the contradictions that arise from treating them as the same thing. It also clarifies how spells and abilities interact with alignment, preventing the confusion caused by Neutrality's dual meanings.
This will be followed by Part 4 (coming soon), the final post in this series, where a proposed tweak of the alignement system will be applied to how the game is played, especially in regards to the Cleric, the Magic-User, intelligent magic items and each monster in OD&D.
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