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11/20/09(Fri)16:52 No.6791718>>6791351
Very well.
All of the posters here attempting to take this elegantly simple new alignment system and map it onto the outdated, oft-ridiculed, and largely inaccurate 9-block D&D alignments are missing the point. There ISN'T a Neutral category, because Gentleman/Hooligan and Dapper/Scruffy aren't indicators of who you ARE, but merely who you APPEAR to be. They're not Moral categories, they're Social categories, which, in my opinion, is the most interesting part. They label a character based on what he/she Does, and not on what they Should do/Would Do.
Gentleman/Hooligan is how your actions are perceived by yourself and others - it's your reputation. It's what your character has done, and what others will use to predict your actions in the future. Nobody is "Neutral" because everybody has a pattern of behavior, a past, and things they've done in that past. If you are "Neutral," then I'd like to see your character sheet which discusses how you sat in a darkened, locked room your entire life and did nothing.
Dapper/Scruffy is very literally how you look and act in front of others. Yes, people can look "forgettable" or otherwise unremarkable, but this determination can only be applied in relation to other people. A character who looks "nondescript" might look very dapper when placed next to a stinking hobo, just as the most well-heeled raconteur would look downright shabby when placed next to a King.
tl:dr - This alignment system is relativistic, intuitive, and applies to fluid Social perception. D&D's system is absolute, hierarchical, and applies to inflexible Moral perception. Don't try to mix them, they have nothing in common. |
