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Nah the problem with alignment systems, let alone rewards for it, is you tend to get penalised for not sticking out one path. Say you get +6 Con at Virtue 100, but every point towards Vice is a point away from Virtue.

Guess what you're now never doing, purely for the intent of a mechanical reward later, regardless of how your character would ACTUALLY develop based on the circumstances.

Roleplay is about reacting realistically and displaying a growing character, not an arbitrary number based on how well you can convince your DM that kicking that puppy was totally for the greater good.

If you want a bad morality system, just import an alignment system from an older edition of D&D. If you want something that guides new players, just use the 4e system (they read descriptions of the alignment, choose an alignment, and RP that alignment, but they don't get hamstrung if they stray from that definition).

Mar 22, 2012 -- 11:36AM, MalakLightfoot wrote:

it would help new roleplayers find their role(which my friends currently are :P), and then when they do get into that role, expand it and then start thinking much more for themselves.

Except that alignment and morality systems almost never do this.

The better way to do this is to have a series of questions that the player answers about their character's past and motivations. For example:

1) Where were you born? What was you childhood like? Do you have an siblings?

2) Who was your best friend while you were a child?

3) What was your education like? Did you go to a school? Were you apprenticed?

4) When was the first time you saw a member of another race? When was thefirst time you met an adventurer?

5) What was your own call to adventure? What event took you out of your home and thrust you into the role of an adventurer?

6) Are your parents alive? If not, how did they die? If so, what do they think of your new "career"? How about your childhood friends and / or siblings?

7) How did you learn the skills you use now as an adventurer? Were you naturally talented, or did someone take you under their wing? Was your training formal, or haphazard? Some combination of all of the above?

8) What do you look like? How do you dress? Any distinguishing marks or mannerisms?

9) How did you meet the other members of your party? What do you like most about each one? What do you like the least?

10) Where do you see yourself in ten years? How do you expect your adventuring career to end?

Answering questions like these will tell alot more about a character's motivation and morality then following some arbitrary alignment track. And yes, it will be arbitrary, as it will be filtered through the moral lens of the person who creates it.

Yes, I've thought about doing a little something similar, and this is basically a good idea. When me and my friends start playing again, i'll whip this out and see if their interested. Thank you.

And for the allignment system for the orignals, I actually kinda liked them, they weren't great, but hey, we all have diffrent taste.

Personally (on an other note) I think ad&d is far superior from the newer ones and I don't know what to expect from 5e, haven't read so much about it. But I do still like 4e, it's different, and it's easier for my friends to get in to. 3e and 3.5 I think is decent. 

Going off topic here but what are your opinions about the d&d editions and which is your favorite? (I just like stating my mind, and I am interested in what you guys think). Maybe I shouldn't ask this on this thread...

Mar 22, 2012 -- 5:00PM, Sea-Envy wrote:

The character motivation rules in DMG2 can be used to penalize a character who says they are all ways honorable and then lie and cheat on a whim for any little profit.

But wouldn't a character who lies about being honorable just be being consistent?