The D&D Alignment system: too restrictive?

[undeadsteak]

Wooh, bring out the chaotic paladins! XD *Gimme your money, or ill call upon my god to smite yah!"

[CrimsonTears]

Well, there can be lawful good warlocks too! "Lay down your weapons, evil beings, or I shall channel the devilish dark forces of hell unto thee in the name of Torm!"

[Grigori]

Actually I think a chaotic paladin would be more like a paladin that will do anything, outside of the law or within, to smite whatever evil he is focused on... Like an insane person... Self fulfilled, with the support of the church or not... of course, this could be a fighter/cleric/warpriest type that fancies themselves a paladin of sorts... completely roleplayable...

[CrimsonTears]

Well, I'm talking about actual paladins/barbarians/warlocks. Not someone who -believes- to be one. Do the people of the not-lawful monk order just -believe- themselves to be monks?

[Skink]

I have played a lawfull barbarian... eventually the DMs changed my alignment and I had to take fighter levels... it was frustrating... but anything is playable

[Dustiness]

The alignment system doesn't work brilliantly. I tend set it up as best I can to suit my character concept and build, then roleplay accordingly, but after a while I tend to ignore it.

There's a time to be evil, a time to make war, a time to be goodly, a time to do chores, a time to make chaos, a time to bring law, a time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together.

[undeadsteak]

and a time to go to the bathroom!

[GodBeastX]

Alignment is a guideline for your character. It's a general representation of your total actions. A good person doesn't generally suddenly become evil. They shift as they make actions. Eventually they will total up to evil. Then they can shift back good over time.

The alignment system pretty much exists for the benefit of certain classes and abilities, otherwise it's pointless.

[Elusa]

The alignment system is only as restrictive as you let it be. Just because you're lawful good doesn't mean you won't steal. It just means you won't steal to benefit yourself. A good guide I looked at said that with alignments, good/evil comes first, lawful/chaotic second. Lawful good characters might disobey the law if it benefits the greater good. It's just a general picture, not a concrete fact. In multiplayer it matters even less than single player, since your character can't really shift in alignment.

Honestly, once your character has been created, your alignment no longer matters. What matters is how you roleplay and how others perceive you. If you roleplay like a chaotic good character but you picked lawful good, you're chaotic good. I don't recall seeing server rules saying "YOU MUST ROLEPLAY EXACTLY LIKE YOUR ALIGNMENT."

As long as you don't go from lawful good to chaotic evil ;-)

[undeadsteak]

heh, if you picked lawfu lgood to be a paladin, and then act chaotic good.. i'd think thats a problem, acutally.

[Elusa]

Only because it conflicts with the class requirements. I'm not saying roleplay however you want. Class restrictions are in place for a reason. Chaotic paladins make no sense.

[CrimsonTears]

People's actions are aways moving in ups and downs in their alignment. The alignment you pick isn't a static thing you must obey at all times (except in a few extreme cases like paladins). That name you pick is just the "middle point" a character's actions gravitates to.

You're good and do something evil, you usually will feel bad and try to do something to ease your own guilty. You're evil and save someone on a whim, you'll try to rationalize it by using that person to further your ends.

People take actions away from their alignment all the time. There's just three things that could be good to remember: the actions won't be radically opposing to the natural alignment unless there is some overwhelming reason for that; it's a natural thing for the character to do the "self-balancing", even if subconsciously; and alignments can change, but it's never something you just wake up and decide you're sick of being good/evil, it's a major change in the way the characters sees the world and his/her place in it.

[GDwarf]

Agreed, the alignment system is about as restrictive as ropes of tissue.

It's useful in spells and for class restrictions, but it isn't a straightjacket. A CE character can enforce the law to help someone. It's incredibly unlikely that he'll do so, but not impossible.

Now, exceptions do have to be made for Paladins, Monks, Barbarians, and any other class restrictions. In those cases it's your class, not your alignment, that restricts you, but you are restricted to acting a certain way (That is, if you want to keep advancing in that class.)

[undeadsteak]

i never really got bards restrictions.. why can't they be lawful again?

[--chupacabra--]

A bard, like any rock star, must be able to: trash hotel rooms, take copious amounts of mind-altering substances, and court the opposite sex relentlessly and by any means necessary, and all without it hurting his/her conscience. Ergo the 'chaotic' rule.