Grappling with Player Alignment

Hello everyone and welcome to Grappling with... where I try to show you how to Grapple with various player mechanics. Today it's Alignment

The alignment mechanic in D&D is one of the most thorny for players and DMs. While the 9 sided matrix on the face of it seems sophisticated and intelligent, they can also enable a whole lot of player behaviours that can end up being headaches for DMs and other players. A good way to think of alignment is that it's like alcohol. Some will like to use it occasionally, while others won't and both are ok. When it becomes a problem is when it becomes a crutch for everything else you do when you role play.

An excellent example of this are so-called 'chaotic neutral' or 'chaotic evil' characters who wish to trash everything around them because all they think of is themselves. Or perhaps a lawful neutral character who is so anal about law enforcement that he feels that he has to dob his friends in when they are breaking into a house.

Part of this comes with an overemphasis by veteran D&D players on how important these things are. I have a friend who I respect as a great DM. However, one area that we differ is that he is very into emphasising the alignment system, whereas I (particularly in 5th) feel that there are other tools that are better to encourage role play.

Having said all this, there are plenty of ways for DMs to help players grapple with alignment.

1. Chaotic evil/neutral does not mean chaotic stupid- If you have a character that continues to disrupt the world, then it is up to you to illustrate to them that there will be repercussions. A good role player will either stay their hand or find a clever way to disrupt the world that you can respond to. Otherwise they may be suffering from Sandbox Syndrome (which I'll be discussing in a later article).
2. Lawful Good does not mean 'dull'- Everyone wants to play the bad guys, and it can seem counterintuitive to be the 'good guy', but Lawful Good characters can be exciting too, as they can be great conduits for quests as people will rush to them for aid.
3. Remind players that alignment is a little part of a character- not all of it- Two Lawful Good characters can come to blows- because their background still sets them off. Maybe one is a fanatical anti-magic zealot and another a wizard? In any case, a good aligned party can still have tension and secrets with each other as well as the world.
4. Encourage corruption/redemption- One of the great things about the Alignment system is that it mechanically illustrates a way to show a fall from grace or a way to redeem oneself. As the DM, you should encourage players to feel free to change their alignment should they feel their characters shift one way or the other. This way, the system becomes a proactive tool to enhance role playing.
5. Make sure the world reacts to alignments differently- This seems bleedingly obvious, but different places will see these alignments differently. Chaotic evil may gain a grudging respect in the den of a criminal but will probably be treated with fear and distance in a reputable establishment.

And that's it for now!