A lot has changed in the Forgotten Realms, entire cultures wiped out and a whole new world has been born of the ashes. As a result, the traditional alignment system was too rigid for the new environment. Soulforged Adventures uses a revised alignment system detailed below.
Attitude & Philosophy
Attitudes
All beings with Intelligence 3 or higher have a Noble, Moderate, or Grim attitude. In simple terms, this tells us to what extent they believe the ends can justify the means.
- Grim characters can be nasty, but that doesn’t mean they’re not right. The Grim are prepared to get their hands as dirty as is necessary to get the job done, committing acts against their own beliefs when they think it’ll do more good overall. A Grim hero might kill an innocent to protect a city, while a Grim watchman who believes in the law might lie in court to put away a guilty man. Grim characters who don’t have a cause to fight for do the practical thing, even if it’s not very nice.
- Noble characters will stick to their beliefs, even if that means they don’t advance their cause as much as they could. Though of course their cause is not always a good one. A Noble hero might refuse to kill an innocent, even if doing so would save lives. A self-reliant Noble person might refuse to bow before the weak, even when it would save her great trouble. Noble folk with no particular cause take the most palatable, least controversial option even if it’s less practical.
- Moderate characters seek a balance between these two extremes. They’re unwilling to do anything dreadful (by their own assessment of “dreadful”), but they’re not in the habit of letting matters of principle stop them solving problems. Most ordinary folk are Moderate.
Philosophies
Any creature with 3 or more Intelligence may follow a Philosophy founded upon a Core Belief and against an Opposed Belief. The core belief of a character’s philosophy tells us what she fights in the name of, while its opposed belief tells us what she fights against.
There are 3 Beliefs: Order, Freedom and Benevolence. Each represents an opinion about what it means to do right.
- Order is the belief that people should do as the rules dictate.
- Freedom is the belief that people should be allowed to do as they please.
- Benevolence is the belief that people should do whatever most improves others’ lives.
The Six Philosophies
Tolerance
(Benevolence vs Order)
The Philosophy of Liberty and Acceptance.
Against Order in the name of Benevolence.
Characters who follow this philosophy believe that a moral act is whatever helps people most and that people’s best interests are served when they can do as they please, within reason.
They believe that any rule which doesn’t enhance people’s lives is a harmful rule, but they do not oppose law unconditionally; most believe some restrictions are required to protect freedom
Harmony
(Benevolence vs Freedom)
The Philosophy of Selflessness and Unity.
Against Freedom in the name of Benevolence.
Characters who follow this philosophy believe that a moral act is whatever helps people the most and that people’s interests are best served when they work together for the betterment of all.
They believe that doing what you want instead of what’s best for your community is irresponsible, but they do not oppose freedom unconditionally; most believe that individuals need some power of their own to ensure that the law continues to serve them.
Propriety
(Order vs Freedom)
The Philosophy of Conformity and Regulation. Against Freedom in the name of Order.
Characters who follow this philosophy don’t distinguish between following the rules and doing the right thing. To them, rebellion and wrongdoing are interchangeable, though some believe in necessary evils and might rebel accordingly.
They believe everybody is subject to the rules and that certain acts are objectively wrong. While they are similar in many ways to Harmony characters, in that they promote the unification of people, ideas and efforts, they are more concerned with conformity than prosperity. They do what is permitted or required, not necessarily what is helpful to others.
Fealty
(Order vs Benevolence)
The Philosophy of Obedience and Privilege. Against Benevolence in the name of Order.
Characters who follow this philosophy believe that people must do as they are told; that they’re supposed to live for the benefit and glorification of a higher cause or person, not for themselves or for each other.
Such characters run the gamut from megalomaniacal overlords, to pious priests, to patriots serving their nation.
Self-Reliance
(Freedom vs Benevolence)
The Philosophy of Competition and Strength. Against Benevolence in the name of Freedom.
As likely to be social darwinist bankers or wise druids as they are to be savage brutes, characters of this Philosophy believe that people have the right to do what they want and take what they can, even if that means taking the power and freedoms of others.
Characters who believe in Self-Reliance aren’t necessarily selfish. It pleases many to make people more independent, while others pity the weak but hold that helping them would ultimately do more harm than good.
Individualism
(Freedom vs Order)
The Philosophy of Wildness and Defiance. Against Order in the name of Freedom.
To these characters, law and evil are interchangeable, for none have the right to rule over others and all have the right to do whatever else they please. Of course, some believe in necessary evils.
Since they are usually willing to fight for liberty, these characters are superficially similar to Tolerance characters, but in truth they are of a very different ilk: They believe in freedom no matter the cost, preferring that people be starving wolves rather than fat lapdogs.
Relative Morality
In this system, a character’s philosophy determines what the words “Good” and “Evil” mean to her:
- Those who share her Core Belief are treated as Good by her spells and abilities.
- Those who oppose her Core Belief or support her Opposed Belief are treated as Evil by her spells and abilities.
- The rest are treated as morally Neutral.
The abilities of non-intelligent items use the beliefs of their creator to determine which characters they treat as Good or Evil. For example, a Holy sword made by an Fealty character deals extra damage to Harmony, Tolerance and Individualism targets. (An Unholy weapon under this system would make a great cursed item, since it helps to fight creatures its creator agrees with.)
A character’s Attitude determines her effective morality for the purpose of qualifying for feats, classes and abilities and determining effects of her class features when they depend on her own moral alignment:
- Noble characters are treated as Good for this purpose
- Grim characters are treated as Evil for this purpose
- Moderate characters are treated as morally Neutral for this purpose
This means Grim Clerics channel negative energy and Paladins must be Noble, among many other consequences.
Lawful vs Chaotic
Law and Chaos remain objectively quantifiable, but their old definitions have been replaced:
- Creatures who support Freedom or oppose Order count as Chaotic.
- Creatures who support Order or oppose Freedom count as Lawful.
- Creatures with no Philosophy count as neither Lawful nor Chaotic.
