08-03-2007, 08:12 PM
(From the WoW RPG book!)
There are nine alignments in Warcraft that make up comprise the moral codes characters follow: lawful good, lawful neutral, and lawful evil; chaotic good, chaotic neutral, and chaotic evil; and neutral good, neutral and neutral evil. These basic philosophies are the building blocks of your character's view of life, other people, battle and so forth.
Most PCs will be of good or neutral alignment, as communities are built upon cooperation and common goals. There are evil Horde and Alliance to be found, however. An evil campaign is difficult to run, and remember: The Warcraft game is about heroes.
If the Horde Attacks, It Must Be Evil
One of the best qualities about the World of Warcraft RPG is that there are many layers of good and evil, right and wrong. The animosity between the races of the Alliance and Horde can put lawful good characters at each others' throats. An orc can be raised within the shamanistic heritage of her people, learn to channel positive energy and become a healer, follow Thrall and her religion's rules to the letter, and still have no compunctions against killing a lawful good paladin who is following his lord's orders to rid the world of the orcs who killed his parents.
It is easy for good characters to be at the wrong ends of swords, and it is just as easy for evil characters to band together to fight the greater good.
Alignment does not mean you must force characters into nine cookie-cutter molds. Personality quirks and life experiences make us all different; it is possible to have a lawful good paladin grumble against the commands of his lord or a chaotic evil barbarian feel the lonely bite of a winter's evening and wish to have a pleasant conversation. Use alignment as a guide that allows shadows of gray to color an interesting character, not as a leash with which to chain your character.
Lawful Good: The best of the best, the lawful good character acts on the side of goodness, righteousness and order. The warrior who is beholden to a lord or a church, the priest dedicated to healing the wretched - anyone who cannot stand by while others suffer. They will chase evil to the end of the world.
Lawful Neutral: The hater of chaos, a lawful neutral character will stick to the letter of the law, whether it is her personal code of rules, her king's or her religion's. This character finds chaos as abhorrent as evil and will not bend her personal guidelines even to help another if it will contribute to chaos.
Lawful Evil: A being who gains power through methodically destroying others is lawful evil. Power comes through order, but one can be orderly about slaughtering innocents. Tradition is important, but goodness is not.
Chaotic Good: The hero of the downtrodden, the chaotic good character cares not for laws and order but only for doing good. If he must break the law to help others, he will do so without compunction. This character will steal to feed a poor family or stand up to his own master to defend a falsely accused servant.
Chaotic Neutral: The true individual, the chaotic neutral character prizes her own freedom above all else. She does not want ties to either good or evil to influence her, preferring to make her own way as she sees fit.
Chaotic Evil: With the drive of pure hatred, the chaotic evil character will do whatever he can to attain his goals. He is bound by no laws, no master and no compassion. While unlikely to run down the street slaying innocents (chaotic evil does not mean stupid), this character would have no regrets about doing so.
Neutral Good: Ultimately a giver, the neutral good character will do what she can to help, working within law or chaos; but ultimately she prefers her own council in the end.
Neutral: A middle-of-the-road character, a neutral character finds it difficult to fit into any other distinction. He does what seems to be a good idea, whether it flows with law or chaos, good or evil. Often a follower, he'll rarely go against the group.
Neutral Evil: A neutral evil character serves only herself. She follows no law but also has no drive towards chaos. She kills or steals as she sees fit to get what she wants.
There are nine alignments in Warcraft that make up comprise the moral codes characters follow: lawful good, lawful neutral, and lawful evil; chaotic good, chaotic neutral, and chaotic evil; and neutral good, neutral and neutral evil. These basic philosophies are the building blocks of your character's view of life, other people, battle and so forth.
Most PCs will be of good or neutral alignment, as communities are built upon cooperation and common goals. There are evil Horde and Alliance to be found, however. An evil campaign is difficult to run, and remember: The Warcraft game is about heroes.
If the Horde Attacks, It Must Be Evil
One of the best qualities about the World of Warcraft RPG is that there are many layers of good and evil, right and wrong. The animosity between the races of the Alliance and Horde can put lawful good characters at each others' throats. An orc can be raised within the shamanistic heritage of her people, learn to channel positive energy and become a healer, follow Thrall and her religion's rules to the letter, and still have no compunctions against killing a lawful good paladin who is following his lord's orders to rid the world of the orcs who killed his parents.
It is easy for good characters to be at the wrong ends of swords, and it is just as easy for evil characters to band together to fight the greater good.
Alignment does not mean you must force characters into nine cookie-cutter molds. Personality quirks and life experiences make us all different; it is possible to have a lawful good paladin grumble against the commands of his lord or a chaotic evil barbarian feel the lonely bite of a winter's evening and wish to have a pleasant conversation. Use alignment as a guide that allows shadows of gray to color an interesting character, not as a leash with which to chain your character.
Lawful Good: The best of the best, the lawful good character acts on the side of goodness, righteousness and order. The warrior who is beholden to a lord or a church, the priest dedicated to healing the wretched - anyone who cannot stand by while others suffer. They will chase evil to the end of the world.
Lawful Neutral: The hater of chaos, a lawful neutral character will stick to the letter of the law, whether it is her personal code of rules, her king's or her religion's. This character finds chaos as abhorrent as evil and will not bend her personal guidelines even to help another if it will contribute to chaos.
Lawful Evil: A being who gains power through methodically destroying others is lawful evil. Power comes through order, but one can be orderly about slaughtering innocents. Tradition is important, but goodness is not.
Chaotic Good: The hero of the downtrodden, the chaotic good character cares not for laws and order but only for doing good. If he must break the law to help others, he will do so without compunction. This character will steal to feed a poor family or stand up to his own master to defend a falsely accused servant.
Chaotic Neutral: The true individual, the chaotic neutral character prizes her own freedom above all else. She does not want ties to either good or evil to influence her, preferring to make her own way as she sees fit.
Chaotic Evil: With the drive of pure hatred, the chaotic evil character will do whatever he can to attain his goals. He is bound by no laws, no master and no compassion. While unlikely to run down the street slaying innocents (chaotic evil does not mean stupid), this character would have no regrets about doing so.
Neutral Good: Ultimately a giver, the neutral good character will do what she can to help, working within law or chaos; but ultimately she prefers her own council in the end.
Neutral: A middle-of-the-road character, a neutral character finds it difficult to fit into any other distinction. He does what seems to be a good idea, whether it flows with law or chaos, good or evil. Often a follower, he'll rarely go against the group.
Neutral Evil: A neutral evil character serves only herself. She follows no law but also has no drive towards chaos. She kills or steals as she sees fit to get what she wants.