In a universe with deities that are tangible beings that can and do intervene directly in the lives of mortals, ethics takes on a more concrete aspect. Good and evil become not just nebulous, subjective concepts but actual tangible forces that can be measured and harnessed by magic or divine influence. As such, alignment is an important part of any character, friend and foe, and understanding it is of paramount importance. Every creature has an alignment representing its ethical outlook. For most creatures, alignment is personal and descriptive, and can change over time with effort and growth. For other creatures, such as aligned outsiders, alignment is a fundamental part of its physical existence, and requires herculean effort and miraculous power to change.
A creature’s alignment is a combination of its position on two independent axes: Law vs Chaos, and Good vs Evil. A creature can eschew extremes on either axis, and this is referred to as Neutral on that axis. A creature that is Neutral on both axes is called True Neutral. A creature must have greater than animal intelligence, -3 or higher, in order to have an alignment. Mindless creatures, and those with animal intelligence, are Unaligned unless they are also aligned outsiders.
CHAOS
Chaos is often viewed as entropy and disorder, but it is also highly flexible and independent. To a chaotic creature, rules exist as a matter of convenience and can and should be ignored if the situation calls for it. While onlookers might see a chaotic character’s actions as random or irresponsible, chaotic does not mean crazy and there is often a reason that makes sense in context. Chaotic creatures tend to be individualistic, and find conformity for conformity’s sake unpleasant.
EVIL
Evil is often viewed as sadistic and malicious, but it is also practical and convenient. The suffering of others is not necessarily a goal, but neither is it a deterrent. Evil characters are often ruthless and lack empathy toward others, but evil does not mean deranged. An evil creature is just as capable of cooperation as any other, and may even find it easier since it tends to be unhindered by scruples and deeply devoted to its personal goals. Evil characters tend to be selfish and motivated by personal gain, and often find altruism for the sake of altruism incomprehensible.
GOOD
Good is often viewed as weak and futile, but it also caring and amicable. To a good creature, preventing suffering is an important goal, even toward those that are unfamiliar or may have ignoble intentions. While this often causes some to believe they can take advantage of good creatures, good does not mean naïve. Good creatures do not usually seek violence as their first option, but most are capable and effective when it becomes necessary, willing to put themselves in harm’s way so that others do not have to. Those with this alignment tend to do the right thing because it is the most beneficial for the greatest number of people, and find suffering for the sake of suffering abhorrent.
LAW
Law is often viewed as dogmatic and inflexible, but it is also cooperative and constructive. To a lawful creature, rules and codes are what allows societies to form and function, and standing together means remaining strong. Lawful does not mean foolish, however, and such a creature is as likely to rebel against a despot as a chaotic one, even if they might have different goals once the regime has been overthrown. Lawful creatures tend to prefer to work closely with others, and find discord without purpose alarming.
NEUTRAL
Neutrality is often viewed as ambivalent or passive, but it is also reasonable and versatile. To a neutral creature, extremes are usually unhelpful and the causes of more problems than they solve. Any given action or concept should be judged and used based solely on how well it fits the situation at hand, not by quibbling over which details might be unpleasant. Neutral does not mean imprudent, however, and long-term effects of an action require as much consideration as immediate results. Neutral creatures tend to find loyalty to one ethos over another as counterproductive.
UNALIGNED
An unaligned creature is one that operates only on instinct or programming. Such a creature is no more responsible for its actions than a natural disaster, and is not capable of understanding consequences of its behavior. A creature that normally has an alignment is treated as unaligned while possessed or compelled, and it is not metaphysically accountable for any activities beyond its control, though it will almost certainly have feelings about those actions if control is restored. Because of the alignment shift, a temporarily unaligned creature can lose divinely granted abilities, but these abilities are automatically restored along with the creature’s normal alignment without requiring restitution or repentance.
USING ALIGNMENT
After deciding what your character's alignment is based on personality, the most common ways that alignment impacts play is through alignment traits and alignment damage. Alignment damage is a special kind of energy damage that utilizes the metaphysical essence of that alignment. A creature is always immune to alignment damage from an alignment it has, so a good creature need not fear good damage. Alignment traits are a bit less straight-forward. Many effects in Realm of Runes, such as spells, can have an alignment trait. Sometimes this trait is applied because the effect deals alignment damage, but just as frequently it has an unbreakable association with the esoteric plane that embodies that alignment. A spell that conjures an angel likely has the good trait, while one that raises undead typically has the evil trait.
Simply using an effect with an alignment trait does not have any ethical implications for your character. Casting an evil spell does not inherently make you more evil, though the nature of such spells can make finding non-evil uses for them difficult. The only time your character may be restricted or penalized for using an effect with an alignment trait is if your character follows a deity. All deities have an alignment, just like characters do, but as esoteric entities alignment is a fundamental aspect of their nature, much like outsiders. Alignments opposite to their own are anathema to their very being, and using an effect with one of these alignments is always anathema to that deity and cause for an immediate loss of granted abilities and power. Further, spells with opposition traits are considered an exception from any spell lists available to divine casters that follow a deity. So even though animate dead is theoretically available to any character that casts divine spells, it cannot be used by a character that gets their spells from a good deity because it has the evil trait. Any other source of spells does not care if the source of its power has an alignment trait, though other spells like circle of protection function specifically against effects with a specific alignment trait.
Alignment serves two purposes in Realm of Runes. It flexibly represents a character's ethical outlook without becoming a set of handcuffs for them, and can change over time as a character grows and changes its perspective. It also provides a versatile toolkit for interacting with the world in a more esoteric or selective way than blasting away with fire or hacking and slashing. Next time we'll take a more detailed exploration of ritual casting, the system that makes magic available to everyone regardless of class.
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