Alignment all weird?
Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 5:42 pm
The thread on playing evil got me thinking about alignment. The game's view just doesn't match my perception of how alignment is supposed to work.
I'm pretty sure that true alignment is only supposed to always show up when faced w/ adversity & stress. IN NORMAL RELAXED EVERYDAY LIFE, ALIGNMENT ONLY MANIFESTS AS TENDENCIES TO RULES&PROPRIETY (L) vs. DISREGARD&IMPULSE (C), AND COMPASSION (G) vs. MANIPULATION (E).
Assume that there is a regular bloke by the name of X. Next, assume that some dumb turd went and knocked up X's teenage daughter.
X's Reactions, IMHO:
LG - support the daughter, raise&love the grandkid, let the kids get hitched if they feel like it, or go out of your way to mess up the father's reputation by showcasing him as an amoral individual (no outright lies, but loads of truth-bending if need be) if they don't
NG - support the daughter, raise&love the grandkid, sue daddy for all he's got and feel naughty but ultimately OK about it
CG - *shotgun wedding*, but back off if the guy won't get bullied into it (then support the daughter, raise&love the grandkid)
...
LN - sue daddy, threaten him w/ rape charges if he tries to weasel his way out of it
TN - depends on your mood before the reveal, rather random, anything but truly vicious or extremely benevolent behaviour goes
CN - *shotgun wedding*, but cap daddy if he tries to get out of it
...
LE - threaten daddy w/ rape charges, settle BEFORE court for major $$$ (cuz you wouldn't want people to hear about it, of course!), then send the daughter "to study abroad for a year" (actually, involuntary incarceration at a convent), pawn the grandkid off for secret adoption. never feel at all bad about the results.
NE - extort daddy, then hit him w/ rape charges anyway, disown pregnant daughter, and feel totally good about yourself anyway
CE - seduce/rape the daddy's mother/sister/wife/daughter, get said individual pregnant, somehow manage to implicate another enemy of yours as the guilty party, start a sweet little bloodfeud between everyone you hate in this world, and watch from the sidelines, rubbing hands together and thinking how your daughter getting preggers actually turned out to be such *FUN*. oh, and either kick the daft bint to the kerb while still pregnant, or quietly dispose of the infant shortly after birth, and then manage to implicate yet another enemy of yours with kidnapping or murder charges!
...hence, I see Korgan as CN, Jan as CG, Keldorn as LN, Vicci as borderline CN-NE, etc etc, and really only Haer Dalis as the CN he's made out to be.
I'm pretty sure that true alignment is only supposed to always show up when faced w/ adversity & stress. IN NORMAL RELAXED EVERYDAY LIFE, ALIGNMENT ONLY MANIFESTS AS TENDENCIES TO RULES&PROPRIETY (L) vs. DISREGARD&IMPULSE (C), AND COMPASSION (G) vs. MANIPULATION (E).
Assume that there is a regular bloke by the name of X. Next, assume that some dumb turd went and knocked up X's teenage daughter.
X's Reactions, IMHO:
LG - support the daughter, raise&love the grandkid, let the kids get hitched if they feel like it, or go out of your way to mess up the father's reputation by showcasing him as an amoral individual (no outright lies, but loads of truth-bending if need be) if they don't
NG - support the daughter, raise&love the grandkid, sue daddy for all he's got and feel naughty but ultimately OK about it
CG - *shotgun wedding*, but back off if the guy won't get bullied into it (then support the daughter, raise&love the grandkid)
...
LN - sue daddy, threaten him w/ rape charges if he tries to weasel his way out of it
TN - depends on your mood before the reveal, rather random, anything but truly vicious or extremely benevolent behaviour goes
CN - *shotgun wedding*, but cap daddy if he tries to get out of it
...
LE - threaten daddy w/ rape charges, settle BEFORE court for major $$$ (cuz you wouldn't want people to hear about it, of course!), then send the daughter "to study abroad for a year" (actually, involuntary incarceration at a convent), pawn the grandkid off for secret adoption. never feel at all bad about the results.
NE - extort daddy, then hit him w/ rape charges anyway, disown pregnant daughter, and feel totally good about yourself anyway
CE - seduce/rape the daddy's mother/sister/wife/daughter, get said individual pregnant, somehow manage to implicate another enemy of yours as the guilty party, start a sweet little bloodfeud between everyone you hate in this world, and watch from the sidelines, rubbing hands together and thinking how your daughter getting preggers actually turned out to be such *FUN*. oh, and either kick the daft bint to the kerb while still pregnant, or quietly dispose of the infant shortly after birth, and then manage to implicate yet another enemy of yours with kidnapping or murder charges!
...hence, I see Korgan as CN, Jan as CG, Keldorn as LN, Vicci as borderline CN-NE, etc etc, and really only Haer Dalis as the CN he's made out to be.