Alignment Without Alignment (3.5e Variant Rule)
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Alignment Without Alignment[edit]
(With thanks to jqavins for help with the intro.)
This is not an alignment system. It is a system for dealing with stuff that would be ‘orphaned’ by dropping alignment. It is intended to work with any 3.5-compatible product (or as many as possible) and to be easy for the DM to apply.
There are two things alignment gets used for: determining which side a creature is on and indicating a creature’s morals/ethics. This system does neither of these things.
There are two different ideas in RAW, both represented by this thing called "alignment." One is a matter of loyalties, hostilities, morality, behavior, and culture. The other is a mechanic regarding creatures and people divided up into nine categories on a three by three grid. The goal here is to separate these two things. Under the new rules, loyalty, hostilities, morality, behavior, and culture are matters of role playing with no mechanical entanglements. The thing about nine categories is a matter only of meaningless mechanics, a vestige of the previous system, required only to fill the holes left behind if the old system were dropped outright.
Any new rules that fill all the holes left behind by getting rid of alignment in 3.5 must, of necessity, have the same metaphorical "shape" as the alignment rules they replace. So the new rules look a lot like alignment, but have very little to do with which side one is on and nothing to do with morality. New words are introduced to replace Alignment, Neutral, Good, Evil, Lawful, and Chaotic in order to separate the new rules from morality. Other than the new words and the separation from morality, the new rules are essentially the same as the old ones, with the one further exception that they now mean very nearly nothing.
This will hopefully result in fewer arguments than the 3.5 system.
Rule Changes[edit]
Terminology: The names of alignments, and of stuff named after alignments, are replaced as follows: ‘Alignment’ becomes ‘Modetenor’; ‘Law and ‘Lawful’ become ‘Past’, ‘Neutral’ (with respect to Law/Chaos) becomes ‘Present’, ‘Chaos’ and ‘Chaotic’ become ‘Future’; ‘Good’ becomes ‘Beginning’, ‘Neutral’ (with respect to Good/Evil) becomes ‘Middle’, and ‘Evil’ becomes ‘Ending’. Use the initial letter for the two-digit abbreviations, with the exception of ‘Present’ which is abbreviated ‘R’. (So ‘Past Beginning’ would be abbreviated ‘PB’, while ‘Present Middle’ would be abbreviated ‘RM’.
The words are different because what they refer to is different. Modetenor is not a measure of morals, ethics, or hostility, but rather of the character’s attunement (or lack of attunement) to certain energy forces. Attunement to these forces affects which character classes are available, various cleric abilities, spell and magic item affects and the effects of certain planar traits’
Modetenor Behavior: All creatures, including all player characters, are, regardless of actual behavior, considered to be behaving in perfect accord with every modetenor. Note, however, that particularly old fashioned &/or out-of-touch outsiders may be offended, or even outraged, when observing behavior they consider inappropriate.
Modetenor Change: Modetenor can be changed as follows (and not in any other manner):
- 1. By such powerful magic as atonement or the helm of opposite modetenor.
- 2. Upon gaining a level, a character may change modetenor one step. This takes place before class selection.
- 3. If a large amount of time has passed since the last time the character has changed modetenor by any means, the character may change modetenor one step, possibly with restrictions. To determine this, check the modetenor line of the appropriate monster stat block:
- * If the modetenor the character is changing to is the one in the stat block (or one of them, if the stat block indicates a range), at least one year must have passed.
- * Other wise, the amount of time depends on the broadness indicator, two years if Often, three years if Usually, four years if Always.
- * Humans can always change modetenor one step if at least one year has passed.
Examples[edit]
EXAMPLE ONE: THE PALADIN
This is a line by line description of how the paladin class is changed by this. Omitted lines are unchanged.
This bit from the SRD:
Alignment
Lawful good.
Becomes:
Modetenor
Past beginning.
This bit from the SRD:
Table: The Paladin
This bit from the SRD:
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +0 | Aura of good, detect evil, smite evil 1/day | — | — | — | — |
Becomes:
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +0 | Aura of beginning, detect ending, smite ending 1/day | — | — | — | — |
This bit from the SRD:
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Smite evil 2/day, special mount | 0 | — | — | —'— |
Becomes:
| '5th | ' +5 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Smite ending 2/day, special mount | 0 | — | — | -— |
This bit from the SRD:
| 10th | +10/+5 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Smite evil 3/day | 1 | 1 | — | — |
Becomes:
| 10th | +10/+5 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Smite ending 3/day | 1 | 1 | — | — |
This bit from the SRD:
| 15th | +15/+10/+5 | +9 | +5 | +5 | Remove disease 4/week, smite evil 4/day | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Becomes:
| 15th | +15/+10/+5 | +9 | +5 | +5 | Remove disease 4/week, smite ending 4/day | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
This bit from the SRD:
| 20th | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +12 | +6 | +6 | Smite evil 5/day | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Becomes:
| 20th | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +12 | +6 | +6 | Smite ending 5/day | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
This bit from the SRD:
Aura of Good (Ex)
The power of a paladin’s aura of good (see the detect good spell) is equal to her paladin level.
Becomes:
Aura of Beginning (Ex)
The power of a paladin’s aura of beginning (see the detect beginning spell) is equal to her paladin level.
This bit from the SRD:
Detect Evil (Sp)
At will, a paladin can use detect evil, as the spell.
Becomes:
'Detect Ending (Sp)
At will, a paladin can use detect ending, as the spell. '
This bit from the SRD:
Smite Evil (Su)
Once per day, a paladin may attempt to smite evil with one normal melee attack. She adds her Charisma bonus (if any) to her attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per paladin level. If the paladin accidentally smites a creature that is not evil, the smite has no effect, but the ability is still used up for that day.
At 5th level, and at every five levels thereafter, the paladin may smite evil one additional time per day, as indicated on Table: The Paladin, to a maximum of five times per day at 20th level.
Becomes:
Smite Ending (Su)
Once per day, a paladin may attempt to smite ending with one normal melee attack. She adds her Charisma bonus (if any) to her attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per paladin level. If the paladin accidentally smites a creature that is not ending, the smite has no effect, but the ability is still used up for that day.
At 5th level, and at every five levels thereafter, the paladin may smite ending one additional time per day, as indicated on Table: The Paladin, to a maximum of five times per day at 20th level.
This bit from the SRD:
Spells
While this section is not changed per se, many of the spells on the Paladin’s spell list are changed.
This bit from the SRD:
Special Mount (Sp)
This section is unchanged. While the word 'evil' does occur, it is not in reference to the alignment system.
This bit from the SRD:
Code of Conduct
A paladin must be of lawful good alignment and loses all class abilities if she ever willingly commits an evil act.
Additionally, a paladin’s code requires that she respect legitimate authority, act with honor (not lying, not cheating, not using poison, and so forth), help those in need (provided they do not use the help for evil or chaotic ends), and punish those who harm or threaten innocents.
Becomes:
Code of Conduct
A paladin must be of past beginning modetenor.
Additionally, a paladin’s code requires that she respect legitimate authority, act with honor (not lying, not cheating, not using poison, and so forth), help those in need, and punish those who harm or threaten innocents.
Certain portions of the code of conduct have been removed due to now being meaningless. There is no such thing as an ending act, an ending end, or a future end.
This bit from the SRD:
Associates
While she may adventure with characters of any good or neutral alignment, a paladin will never knowingly associate with evil characters, nor will she continue an association with someone who consistently offends her moral code. A paladin may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are lawful good.
Becomes:
Associates
While she may adventure with characters of any beginning or middle modetenor, a paladin will never knowingly associate with ending characters, nor will she continue an association with someone who consistently offends her moral code. A paladin may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are past beginning.
This bit from the SRD:
Ex-Paladins
A paladin who ceases to be lawful good, who willfully commits an evil act, or who grossly violates the code of conduct loses all paladin spells and abilities (including the service of the paladin’s mount, but not weapon, armor, and shield proficiencies). She may not progress any farther in levels as a paladin. She regains her abilities and advancement potential if she atones for her violations (see the atonement spell description), as appropriate.
Like a member of any other class, a paladin may be a multiclass character, but multiclass paladins face a special restriction. A paladin who gains a level in any class other than paladin may never again raise her paladin level, though she retains all her paladin abilities.
Becomes:
Ex-Paladins
A paladin who ceases to be past beginning, or who grossly violates the code of conduct loses all paladin spells and abilities (including the service of the paladin’s mount, but not weapon, armor, and shield proficiencies). She may not progress any farther in levels as a paladin. She regains her abilities and advancement potential if she atones for her violations (see the atonement spell description), as appropriate.
Like a member of any other class, a paladin may be a multiclass character, but multiclass paladins face a special restriction. A paladin who gains a level in any class other than paladin may never again raise her paladin level, though she retains all her paladin abilities.
The section about committing an ending act has been omitted, on the grounds that there is no such thing.
EXAMPLE TWO: PROTECTION FROM EVIL
This is a line by line description of how the protection from evil spell is changed by this. Omitted lines are unchanged.
This bit from the SRD:
Protection from Evil
Becomes:
Protection from Ending
This bit from the SRD:
Abjuration [Good]
Becomes:
Abjuration [Beginning]
This bit from the SRD:
Level: Clr 1, Good 1, Pal 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Becomes:
Level: Clr 1, Beginning 1, Pal 1, Sor/Wiz 1
This bit from the SRD:
This spell wards a creature from attacks by evil creatures, from mental control, and from summoned creatures. It creates a magical barrier around the subject at a distance of 1 foot. The barrier moves with the subject and has three major effects.
Becomes:
This spell wards a creature from attacks by ending creatures, from mental control, and from summoned creatures. It creates a magical barrier around the subject at a distance of 1 foot. The barrier moves with the subject and has three major effects.
This bit from the SRD:
First, the subject gains a +2 deflection bonus to AC and a +2 resistance bonus on saves. Both these bonuses apply against attacks made or effects created by evil creatures.
Becomes:
First, the subject gains a +2 deflection bonus to AC and a +2 resistance bonus on saves. Both these bonuses apply against attacks made or effects created by ending creatures.
This bit from the SRD:
Second, the barrier blocks any attempt to possess the warded creature (by a magic jar attack, for example) or to exercise mental control over the creature (including enchantment (charm) effects and enchantment (compulsion) effects that grant the caster ongoing control over the subject, such as dominate person). The protection does not prevent such effects from targeting the protected creature, but it suppresses the effect for the duration of the protection from evil effect. If the protection from evil effect ends before the effect granting mental control does, the would-be controller would then be able to mentally command the controlled creature. Likewise, the barrier keeps out a possessing life force but does not expel one if it is in place before the spell is cast. This second effect works regardless of alignment.
Becomes:
Second, the barrier blocks any attempt to possess the warded creature (by a magic jar attack, for example) or to exercise mental control over the creature (including enchantment (charm) effects and enchantment (compulsion) effects that grant the caster ongoing control over the subject, such as dominate person). The protection does not prevent such effects from targeting the protected creature, but it suppresses the effect for the duration of the protection from ending effect. If the protection from ending effect ends before the effect granting mental control does, the would-be controller would then be able to mentally command the controlled creature. Likewise, the barrier keeps out a possessing life force but does not expel one if it is in place before the spell is cast. This second effect works regardless of modetenor.
This bit from the SRD:
Third, the spell prevents bodily contact by summoned creatures. This causes the natural weapon attacks of such creatures to fail and the creatures to recoil if such attacks require touching the warded creature. Good summoned creatures are immune to this effect. The protection against contact by summoned creatures ends if the warded creature makes an attack against or tries to force the barrier against the blocked creature. Spell resistance can allow a creature to overcome this protection and touch the warded creature.
Becomes:
Third, the spell prevents bodily contact by summoned creatures. This causes the natural weapon attacks of such creatures to fail and the creatures to recoil if such attacks require touching the warded creature. Beginning summoned creatures are immune to this effect. The protection against contact by summoned creatures ends if the warded creature makes an attack against or tries to force the barrier against the blocked creature. Spell resistance can allow a creature to overcome this protection and touch the warded creature.
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 system for dealing with stuff that would be ‘orphaned’ by dropping alignment. + |
| Title | Alignment Without Alignment + |
