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11 months ago ::
Jul 21, 2012 - 1:20AM
#1
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Date Joined:
Aug 25, 2007
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One of the uses for Alignment is to define the personality of a character.
to define it as a seperate personality from the personality of the player.
but foe this use alignment doesen't seem the best tool to me, the nature/demeaner system from vampire seems more intresting to me.
maybe have some modual that alouws you to randomize or inspire for character personality traits.
And that in some way rewards actualy sticking to these traits.
traits like character intrests/hobbies.
and personalities like shy/agrassive
maybe also a table to generate famely and siblings based on race.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 21, 2012 - 3:21AM
#2
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Gah. Was there -ever- a game of Vampire where fully half the party didn't take Loner/Rebel? If there was, it wasn't in Indiana. As for traits, the big problem with those (as I've seen implemented; there's always room for new ideas I spose) is that they become another avenue for 'optimization'. Pathfinder has traits; it's almost unheard of for most characters to not have 'Reactive' (+2 init). Even down to random non-combat-affecting things, the forester/tracker is 'mechanically' better than, say, the bookbinder. I find it sickening to see in action, but...that's what years of 'optimization' give you. I'd like to see something better, but...I wouldn't want to be the one designing it. 
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11 months ago ::
Jul 21, 2012 - 3:27AM
#3
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Date Joined:
May 17, 2009
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Such is the trend of imbalance, my dear. If you make one option mechanically better than all the rest, those who care will flock to it.
Seriously, though, you should check out the PbP Haven. You might also like Real Adventures, IF you're cool. | Knights of W.T.F.- Silver Spur Winner | |
4enclave, a place where 4e fans can talk 4e in peace.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 21, 2012 - 3:30AM
#4
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Such is the trend of imbalance, my dear. If you make one option mechanically better than all the rest, those who care will flock to it.
If it were anyone but you I'd have to crucify them for it. You get a pass, though. As long as you're not that evil Rashalik_Mons masquerading again. 
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11 months ago ::
Jul 21, 2012 - 3:37AM
#5
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Date Joined:
May 17, 2009
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If it were anyone but you I'd have to crucify them for it. You get a pass, though. As long as you're not that evil Rashalik_Mons masquerading again.
Heh. Well, it's true, at any rate, imbalance really pushes optimization to the fore. I'm glad I get a pass, though. Try not to be that bizarro-Anjelika, I really do like getting along with people that have different opinions than me.
Seriously, though, you should check out the PbP Haven. You might also like Real Adventures, IF you're cool. | Knights of W.T.F.- Silver Spur Winner | |
4enclave, a place where 4e fans can talk 4e in peace.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 21, 2012 - 4:05AM
#6
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Date Joined:
May 27, 2012
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One of the uses for Alignment is to define the personality of a character.
to define it as a seperate personality from the personality of the player.
but foe this use alignment doesen't seem the best tool to me, the nature/demeaner system from vampire seems more intresting to me.
maybe have some modual that alouws you to randomize or inspire for character personality traits.
And that in some way rewards actualy sticking to these traits.
traits like character intrests/hobbies.
and personalities like shy/agrassive
maybe also a table to generate famely and siblings based on race.
With the 9 alignament you have cover the basic ethical and moral behavor, in the vampire anallogy it's like rebel/bizarre/judge. If you want, you can allow the option of have a nature (your true alignament) and a demeaner (the alignament you show in public).
Anyway, alignament is just a guide, there's no two LG equal.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 21, 2012 - 4:17AM
#7
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Date Joined:
Jun 15, 2006
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Nature isn´t a bad idea for a future module but I rebember some "natures" could helps you to get willpower easier or more difficoult. Some personality traits/nature could be got like extras by feats or themes.
I see it like "background reward", for example the "willpoints" would be "action points" that could be got by PCs due to a good roleplaying (virtues, duty, allegiance, vices..).
"Say me what you're showing off for, and I'll say you what you lack!" (Spanish saying)
Book 13 Anaclet 23
Confucius said: "The Superior Man is in harmony but does not follow the crowd. The inferior man follows the crowd, but is not in harmony"
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11 months ago ::
Jul 21, 2012 - 5:52AM
#8
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Date Joined:
Mar 27, 2004
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The nine point grid never seemes flexible enough to me. There were a lot of gray areas conering clonflicts between axis, and it seemed to cause more arguments than it solved. There are lots of ways one could inerpret a character of a particular alignment acting, and operating under the OP's basic assumptions, there could easliy be argument over how to play certain characters. I never liked other people at the table using the alignement system as impetus to tell me how to role play.
I don't belive a character's personality needs any direct mechanical representaion.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 21, 2012 - 11:49AM
#9
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The nine point grid never seemes flexible enough to me. There were a lot of gray areas conering clonflicts between axis, and it seemed to cause more arguments than it solved. There are lots of ways one could inerpret a character of a particular alignment acting, and operating under the OP's basic assumptions, there could easliy be argument over how to play certain characters. I never liked other people at the table using the alignement system as impetus to tell me how to role play.
I don't belive a character's personality needs any direct mechanical representaion.
I don't remember where the rule ever drifted up from, but it was mentioned at least in passing in...-SOME- old book. Anywho...
Tendencies. That's how you cover your gray areas. LN(G) - Lawful Neutral with Good tendencies, for instance. You're primarily that law&order person...but -every- now and then, you'll shrift a corner here and there for the betterment for good. It's like the cop who catches you doing something he's fully within his rights to arrest you for...and lets you go anyway because you're not bothering anyone, endangering anyone, or because a particular set of unfortunate, not-standard circumstances led to that situation. You know he's quite lawful neutral...but he's erred on the side of good and, given the chance, would probably do it again (but probably not to you again).
Tendencies help make for interesting alignment situations while being 'mechanically' within the realm of spells that affect you and whatnot (when spells are hard-coded obviously).
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11 months ago ::
Jul 21, 2012 - 12:11PM
#10
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Date Joined:
Feb 19, 2012
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In 4e I told all my players to just be unaligned. If they exhibited more good or evil tendencies, then I'd suggest they move their alignment and really champion that cause.
For DNDN, I just flatout made every PC "good" since they weren't one of the "badguys" even though a few PCs have highly questionable ethics.
I don't think alignment covers how people really are, and always boiled into arguments in my groups. I think the religious tenets in 4e were much more mechanically interesting than the 9 alignments. Moradin's desire to build and create inspired my Kalashtar paladin to worship him and his teachings. I think some kind of belief-system with no direct benefit to the PCs would be good. Worst case, action points and bonus XP... but, then that lets in a whole different badness.
"What's stupid is when people decide that X is true - even when it is demonstrable untrue or 100% against what we've said - and run around complaining about that. That's just a breakdown of basic human reasoning."
-Mike Mearls
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