Alignment

[Dinkem]

I don't know if a topic of alignment has been posted; I searched, and the only ones brought up were ones involving a roleplay on the board, and a few about weapons and alignment. Anywho, on with it

Been thinking, since it's still up in the air about what alignment actually does in game, here's a few ideas.

1.) Physical description of character : On your profile, say you're saintly, you have a glow, you're demonic, you have horns, etc. This is a pretty generic idea, but basically, the eviler you are, the more it shows, as well as the ... gooder(?) you are.

2.)Side adventures: You're good, you go on one time holy quests, you're evil, you can work against the good.... if you want to. Nothing like a double agent, or a demon trying to redeem themselves.

3.)How NPC see you: This is pretty much the same as physical description of character, but similar to how the tavern keep/patrons act as you enter after your billionth fight in his pub at Talinus docks. Just general reaction

I don't know, just shooting some things off the top of my head. If this is all redundent, let me know.

[zmflavius]

these are all interesting ways alignment could be implemented, though the last option seems to be a bit difficult.

[Dinkem]

Yeah, that was just kinda a half thought one I was thinking up the other night discussing the game with my father. I figured that if NPC were to react/respond to your physical description, then it might require alot of going back through the game itself, rewriting, etc, for just a few lines of dialog or such, so meh.

[smv1973]

The GM in the past has said that at some point Alignment would play a larger part of the game. Also that there would be adventures that had someting to do with Alignment.

[Joddelle]

1 & 3 sound a lot like how alignment works in Fable. I loved that game, but it was way too short.

[thingirl]

Yeah, that was just kinda a half thought one I was thinking up the other night discussing the game with my father. I love talking about the game with dad. And since he was out of town the week of the SHC, I ran his 3 through it (since it was compleatly random).

Oh and the Tarn fountain has an alignment factorDip your SS (Saintly)/ Iakor's (Demonic) weapon in the fountian and it will get a permanent, one-time +2MR/ +1SP bonus. (Hey, if you dip Iakor's, can you dip SS?)drink from the fountain and you get healed.
After dipping SS: nothing changes.
After dipping Iakor's: drink from the fountain and you lose some SP

[Dinkem]

Heh, well my dad honestly doesn't know what I'm talking about when I mention the game to him, but he's good enough to listen.

I have yet to get to Tarn, I think I just finished up with runeskin's minions, all of the scenarios for that, and The Blizzard In Hawklor. Just kinda wandering/grinding for right now. Thank you for the tip, though.

I'm demonic right now... I also kinda noticed a text when I rest I hadn't picked up before that might have something to do with it. Either I'm really worn down, or being demonic is affecting my health occasionally, just in text.

[thingirl]

Congratulations! You have Stoneskin Fever! And you can become saintly by exchanging the weapon you got from Prince Iakor (Runeskin reward scenario) at Myzarl's shop in Blade Square for a Shimmering Silver weapon.

And you access the fountain by there are three copper statues in different places in Tarn and you can get a copper square from each of them. Put those squares in to the pipe that is (from entrance) 2E, 2N, 1W.

Mom is like that too. Like, when Alanne was number 2 in SHC I was bragging to her (and I have at least 1 post here) talking about it.

[Dinkem]

Right now, I have the Tzal-Kagoth, and I've tried to trade it to Myzarl, but she's not budging. And, even though I have the Creyn Blade, I'm hanging onto this piece.

[Joddelle]

Mezaryl will not take Tzal-Kagoth or any other weapon from the Haunting at Durnsig. You have to trade in one of Iakor's weapons from the aftermath of the Runeskin Scenarios to get the Shimmering Silver weapons.

[thingirl]

That's what I said! But I read it and it seamed like you bought Iakor's at the shop. I edited it to make more sense.

[Charley]

I like all the suggestions (although I agree that the last one would be hard to implement). Making mention of alinement in the profile and having separate adventures and random encounters/events for people of different alinement would be good and I think not too difficult to implement.

Also, everyone you kill rather than subduing should negatively affect your alinement and conversely everyone you subdue rather than killing should positively affect your alinement.

I've saved so many innocents and it has done nothing for my alinement. I could have killed everyone I came across and sold their souls to Redcoat and just by having the SSL I would be saintly (something's not quite right with that).

On the other hand, I tried to start a different and evil character but had no choice but to save people and be noble otherwise I couldn't really advance in the game. Having options/adventures for evil characters would be great.

[Dinkem]

I've saved so many innocents and it has done nothing for my alinement. I could have killed everyone I came across and sold their souls to Redcoat and just by having the SSL I would be saintly (something's not quite right with that).

That is a little odd. Especially in scenarios where you do something to negatively affect allignment, it will only go down by one point, usually. And then it's back up within the next few turns, or if you equip your SS weapon again. The same can be said for demonic items, though my personal experience has seen that I can remain Devilish, one step above Demonic, I think(I think) on the alignment ladder.

[Badstench]

I like the idea that the game will evolve to a point where alignment will determine how your character will progress in the game.

The GM let slip that he was an avid D&D gamer. I wonder from that admission whether his ultimate goal is to include aspects of Dungeons & Dragons into the mechanics of Sryth.

I would love to see alignment play a part in choices made, more so than they are now.

[zmflavius]

That is a little odd. Especially in scenarios where you do something to negatively affect allignment, it will only go down by one point, usually. And then it's back up within the next few turns, or if you equip your SS weapon again. The same can be said for demonic items, though my personal experience has seen that I can remain Devilish, one step above Demonic, I think(I think) on the alignment ladder.

It's Diabolic. In other stuff, I agree that the SSL and Iakor weps effect on your alignment is strange, mainly because, they are WEAPONS who do what their wielder uses them for.

[thingirl]

The quests are a nice idea. Maybe evryone could ascess the quests, however it would be extreamy hard (all ememys 12+ at least and enemy SP *0.5) for those of the wrong alignment.

[Dinkem]

The quests are a nice idea. Maybe evryone could ascess the quests, however it would be extreamy hard (all ememys 12+ at least and enemy SP *0.5) for those of the wrong alignment.

There could even be certain trials for people with the right alignment. Sorta like a 'see if you're down with the cause' scenarios. Handsome rewards, exp, etc if you pass. All enemys at 12+ seems cool, and even if you have a weapon equipped that could bring down the enemy's roll number, it wouldn't effect it that much, maybe by two points or so.

[Oldschool]

This talk of alignment and Ezerok's reappearance. Portentous or coincidental? I'm hoping for the former by far, leaps and bounds actually. :)

[Choson One]

Hey do you get powers by reaching Saintly or Demonic? If not how about this of the top of my head.

Judgement - A large beam of light appears from the floor over your enemy and makes a blinding light. (Damage Unknown)

Demonic Destruction - You snap your fingers and your target explodes! (Damage Unknown)

Just basic ideas.

[zmflavius]

Hey do you get powers by reaching Saintly or Demonic? If not how about this of the top of my head.

Judgement - A large beam of light appears from the floor over your enemy and makes a blinding light. (Damage Unknown)

Demonic Destruction - You snap your fingers and your target explodes! (Damage Unknown)

Just basic ideas.

No, you don't get powers for it. However, an additional special attack from your alignment is an intriguing idea...

[thingirl]

It would add interest to weather to trade your Iakor's weapon for a SS weapon or not.

[Young Ned]

I like the idea of alignment-based powers, but don't think it should be implemented until alignment has been revamped so that you have to work to get to Saintly or Demonic, rather than just wield the correct weapon.

I suppose it would be too much for such a revamp to completely reverse things and require you to get to Saintly the hard way before you could even wield an SS weapon (or to Demonic the hard way before you could wield an Iakor's weapon)... even if the hard way was made easier by having more frequent effects on your alignment from your actions, which should be part of any alignment revamp.

[thingirl]

Maybe change it to Iakor's can't let you go higher than Neutral and SSx changes you to good the first time you wield it.

[Daffanka]

I honestly see a lot of problems with alignment. While it'd be cool to make it have some sort of impact on gameplay, you'd have the central problem that's around in most games that feature alignment; motivation. If you are a demonic warrior whose enjoyments usually involve bathing in the blood of first borns, you'd have a hard time justifying going after Hawney Jakk for the good of the village if you could just burn it to the ground and grab all the loot. You'd have a kind of cognitive dissonance in the game when it tries to make you go help people despite your recent open baby buffet.

If anything, I don't think alignment should be represented by an evil-good scale, as the nature of the game and its adventures demands a character that would sit on the upper scale. I'd be all for a lawful-chaotic scale, for example, which I feel would better represent the various motivations of an adventurer.

On one of my alts, who I originally intended to be evil, the furthest I could stretch it to was an old, bitter veteran who did what he did for the reward and because it was the only thing he knew how to. He's a guy who killed the traitor in Rise of the Frost Demon because he simply saw him as a traitor and didn't bother finding out anything more. He's still sitting cozily in Demonic because Iakor's basher is such a cool weapon and fits him perfectly, but the way I play and perceive the character doesn't reflect that at all.

[Young Ned]

Hmm, good points. It might actually be better, then, to leave alignment at having no game effect, as presently. Repped for making me think... :cool:

[thingirl]

Actually, the fountian in Tarn has a slight Alignment feature. If you dip Iakor's, the water turnnes black and you lose SP. But if you dip SSx afterwards, it cleans it.