Bending alignments: part 3

The axis system is an old method of helping to build the characteristics of a player character in tabletop RPGs. It places the ethical outlook of an individual on a simple scale based on their attitudes to law and order against freedom and chaos, and whether they are objectively viewed as good or evil.

They are a small part of a character’s composition but one that players often set too much store by, letting it govern how they play, and it’s a common source of argument. Good, evil, law and chaos are subjective viewpoints; it’s up to you how you and your character interpret them.

For the next part of this series, I will take a common role that can fall into any classic role-play setting and present them from the angle of every alignment on the chart. This week:

The Vampire

Monster? Maybe. Powerful, certainly, and dangerous. Vampires are charismatic immortals that must feed on blood to maintain their longevity, power, and (depending on the mythology) concious thought, but does that morbid dependence relegate them to the role of villain no matter what? Or does a vampire find him or herself building traditions to protect themselves from the ire of the people?

Lawful Evil

“It is not the right of the lamb to question the butcher.”

Holding court in an imposing castle, you – and perhaps a small council of trusted friends – find yourself falling into the role of ‘tyrant’ a little too easily. The people in the nearby towns live in fear but this is in your best interest; cattle make for easier meals than prey.

A prominent position makes you a big target, and though none are more powerful than you should one upstart get lucky while you’re vulnerable, forever may be cut short.

Neutral Evil

“You’re right to be afraid of the dark.”

Life on the fringes makes for slim pickings, but make for a better predator. Perhaps you’ve made a lair for yourself in the city, or perhaps you pose as a bandit and pick off wandering traders and pilgrims. Either way you’ve spent a long time trying to make an easy after-life for yourself.

Lone wolves and unruly gangs are vulnerable when bigger predators come hunting, and your territory could easily by lapped up by stronger vampires.

Chaotic Evil

“Blood! BLOOD!”

Why not just give in to the blood-crazed beast that dwells in the hearts of all beasts? Are you a monster for refusing to deny yourself any longer? You feed without remorse, pity or prejudice, becoming stronger with every meal, only to deepen your dependency even further and becoming that most pure vampire: a strigoi.

Monsters of legend often meet their end at legendary heroes, and you’re every kill makes the target on your back that much more tempting.

Lawful Neutral

“Our family have survived the centuries by tradition. Break those traditions, then I shall kill you before you kill us all.”

For vampires to outlast as they were born to do, they must defend themselves through careful stricture and abiding by a set of precautions. New-bloods may rile against the laws you teach them but those that survive will make the bloodline stronger, and will learn the lessons that you did so very long ago.

A house of cards is a vulnerable thing to maintain, and you may find you’re as much at risk of destroying yourself than dying by mortal hands.

Neutral

“I am a monster.”

All the time in the world has been enough to accept your role in this world, a killer, a creature of the night that society will always fear and despise. Though the faces change the attitude remains the same, and so you find yourself feeding without discrimination whenever necessary.

Eternity stretches out ahead of you, and the wonders that it holds are dulled by myopia. Unless you embrace a cause you may find that the dark will come to embrace you.

Chaotic Neutral

“Others must die so that I can live. I don’t have to like it, but I like the alternative less.”

You may not have chosen this life, but you’re not willing to let it end because of other people’s morals. Blessing or curse, your new life has afforded you plenty of new opportunities and tools that you’d be a fool not to use to the fullest extent.

Vampirism is not pleasant, and killing to live is not exactly a desirable or popular lifestyle. Your best hope for survival is to keep a low profile. Backed into a corner, you’re more than prepared to fight dirty.

Lawful Good

“The ribbon is a symbol of my oath, you have nothing to fear from me.”

You have something that most so-called monsters do not have: discipline. You have sworn to only drink the blood of animals, a taste that’s hard to acquire but worth it for the respect you earn from those civilizations willing to work with you, and many are willing to accept the help of a powerful vampire in exchange for protection and freedom of the abattoir district.

Stigmas like yours are hard to shed, and no matter how hard you and others like you fight to prove yourselves you will always be seen as killers.

Neutral Good

“I am a killer, but are you much better?”

The world is full of evil people and civilized folk are less bothered when they go missing than when innocent people do, and innocent people don’t walk around at night so much. Though the cost was high, the powers you’ve gained are a weapon to use for the greater good.

Vigilantes are usually met with mixed responses from the people, and while you may only kill villains that does not make you any less of a killer in the eyes of the law.

Chaotic Good

“If I have to go through every single one of you, I will see the sun again!”

Can vampires and mortals not co-exist? Certainly not so long as so many vampires make cruel sport of killing innocent people and refusing to subsist on animal blood. You shall see the freedom of your kind bought with the blood of those who refuse to tow the line; after all, who better to kill a vampire than a vampire?

You’re seen as a betrayer, and your very actions may very well cause a civil war in which many innocent lives may be lost.

Monsters fall into alignments, certainly, but they may see things very differently to the way most people do and eternity is a very different perspective. Good and evil broadly define a characters attitude to the importance of life, but some characters may have that attitude forced upon them.

I am taking all challenges! Are there any typical characters that you feel are too confined by the alignment grid? What are your opinions? Join the discussion in the comments down below.