Alignment Without Alignment (3.5e Variant Rule)
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Alignment With (Hopefully) Fewer Arguments
The 3.5 alignment system produces both certainty and disagreement as to what each alignment means, which in turn produces nasty arguments. Further, its basic purpose, indicating which side the character is on, can be, and often is, done better without mechanics.
However, alignment has too many mechanical effects to be just dropped. And a lot of players seem to like having alignments.
Below is a replacement for the 3.5 alignment system. It is still not useful for indicating which side a character is on (or for indicating personality, which I understand some groups attempt to use alignment for), but will hopefully result if fewer arguments than the 3.5 system.
Note: Since I have copied open content from a third-party OGL source, I have included an OGL notice (User:Ideasmith/Legal Note Alignment (3.5e Other)) and a web address (www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1556346700/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all")
Alignments
These alignments replace the standard 3.5 alignments. Use the description to determine whether a character is eligible for the alignment. Change the alignment of any creature, including any deity, to whichever of these alignments fits best. If in doubt, the creature’s alignment is ‘unaligned’. Also, each alignment has an ‘equivalent’ 3.5 alignment. Use the equivalent 3.5 alignment listed for mechanical effects only, the characters’ behavior need not fit the 3.5, alignment, or indeed any 3.5. alignment.
Brain-Sucking (BS): Brains sucking creatures just want two things out of life: to feed and to propagate their race (or at least spend their Friday nights trying). They couldn’t care less about galactic struggles or ethical dilemmas, and some of the nastier critters will even gladly sacrifice themselves as cannon fodder to preserve their species. All animals and most vermin are brain-sucking. Treat as N for mechanics, including but not limited to class eligibility and spell effects.
Demented (DE): Demented characters are just plain whacked-out, their thought processes totally nutzoid. Either their actions are totally random and unpredictable, like a chaotic neutral munchkin, or they follow normal trains of thought to completely bizarre conclusions, such as deciding that the best way to cure sunburn is to the skin the patient. Treat as CN for mechanical effects, including but not limited to class eligibility and spell effects.
Eeevil! (E!): These baddies are a nasty lot, always scheming to do bad things to good people. Most Eeevil! Plans involve words like ‘enslave’, ‘exterminate’, and ‘hoodwink’. Why do the forces of Eeevil! Do such awful things? For the kicks, baby, for the kicks. Eeevil! Villians take particular pleasure in defeating lantern-jawed heroes. Treat as NE for mechanical effects, including but not limited to class eligibility and spell effects.
Gun Bunny (GB): Gun bunnies don’t concern themselves with issues of good or bad; they just want toys. Toys that can destroy worlds! Gun bunnies aren’t happy unless they have the coolest, most destructive gear anyone’s ever seen, and they’re usually willing to work for anyone or to do anything it takes to afford bigger blasters. Nothing ticks of gun bunnies more than running out of ammo, and they never willingly go anywhere without at least one weapon on them. Treat as N for mechanical effects, including but not limited to class eligibility and spell effects.
Lantern-Jawed (LJ): Lantern-Jawed characters see themselves as quite heroic. They’re out for fame, fortune, honor and glory – emphasis on the glory. Whether they’re insisting on single-handedly fighting of an orcish horde or trying to sweep a princess off her feet, lantern-jawed characters do everything in the most ostentatious attention-starved ways they can. Lantern-jawed characters find mysterious loners annoying, but really hate Eeevil!-doers. Treat as NG for mechanical effects, including but not limited to class eligibility and spell effects.
Mysterious Loner (ML): Mysterious loners have no ties to anyone or anything, and that’s just the way they like it. Mysterious loners never ‘join’ factions – they just hang out and collect the benefits. Mysterious loners usually have secret goals and schemes, and keeping them secret is their primary concern. If a mysterious loner has a home planet, a name (many end up slapped with a nickname by their allies) or any motivation whatsoever, he isn’t telling. Mysterious loners don’t mix well with lantern-jawed types. Treat as N for mechanical effects, including but not limited to class eligibility and spell effects.
Smugly Omniscient (SO): Smugly omniscient characters know everything worth knowing – or at leaste act like they do. They can be incredibly irritating, because no matter what knowledge they might possess, they never just say it, instead speaking in annoying hints and riddles. When asked why they won’t just spit it out – particularly when they need to be understood – some smugly omniscient characters make excuses about how the truth would melt people’s brains or something. The really smug ones just smirk. This alignment is very common among outsiders. Treat as LN for mechanical effects, including but not limited to class eligibility and spell effects.
Stodgy (ST): Stodgy folk respect the law and are deeply invested in honoring ancient traditions, though really they’re just interested in maintaining the status quo. They aren’t necessarily happy with the state of the universe, but they’re certain that any unseen alternatives would surely be much worse. Stodgy characters hate big changes, and do their best to ignore anything that contradicts their rules. Because they like the idea of a predictable universe, stodgy characters are big fans of ancient prophecies. Demented characters and wiseacres get on stodgy characters’ nerves. Treat as LN for mechanical effects, including but not limited to class eligibility and spell effects.
Sycophantic (SY): Sycophants live to serve everyone! Well, maybe not everyone; odds are there’s a select group of people the sycophant will bend over backwards to please. Most sycophants are practically mindless, but a few might question their priorities if the boss starts using them for target practice. Treat as LN for mechanical effects, including but not limited to class eligibility and spell effects.
Unaligned (UA): This is a ‘catchall’ alignment. If you don’t fit any of the other alignments, you can be unaligned. If you do fit one of the other alignments, you can still be unaligned. Treat as N for mechanical effects, including but not limited to class eligibility and spell effects.
Wiseacre (WA): Wiseacres don’t take anything seriously, no matter how grim the going goes. They have a cynical quip for every situation, though they’re as likely to be obnoxious as amusing. Wiseacres can seem mildly heroic or villainous, depending on the depth of their sarcasm, but mainly they’re just out to have fun, take stuffy enemies down a peg, and above all cover their own ass. Wiseacres enjoy annoying stodgy types. Treat as CN for mechanical effects, including but not limited to class eligibility and spell effects.
Alignment Change
A character can change alignment in the following manners:
Alignment Lapse: A character who acts inappropriately to his/her alignment for either a full year or for the time it take the character to gain a level becomes unaligned.
Divine Attunement: An unaligned who has acted appropriately to a given deity’s alignment for either a full year or for the time it take the character to gain a level may change his/her alignment to that of a deity by praying to that deity on the day of the year holiest to that deity (or the equivalent as appropriate to the campaign setting).
Alignment Magic: Any alignment-changing magic has the effects specified. Where standard 3.5 alignments are specified, the GM will need to determine which new alignments are appropriate to the effect.
Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Variant Rules
| Author | Ideasmith + |
| Identifier | 3.5e Variant Rule + |
| Rated By | Ghostwheel +, Spanambula +, Sulacu + and Qwertyu63 + |
| Rating | Rated 0 / 4 + |
| Summary | A replacement for the alignment system which is less likely to cause arguments. + |
| Title | Alignment Without Alignment + |
