[RPG] How to discourage players from roleplaying out of their alignment when using a 3.5e alignment system in a 4e game

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My GM would like to implement the 3.5e grid-based alignment system in his 4th edition game. He would also like to implement better penalties for not playing within your alignment.

I understand that 4e doesn't provide for any such thing as penalties so he doesn't have an applicable framework to proceed from.

What are some house rules that could work here?

Best Answer

Alignment is a description of how you have acted in the past, NOT a restriction on how you act in the future

There can be no penalties because alignment is not a straitjacket. This was one thing that 4e absolutely got 100% right (though I prefer the 9 alignments to the 5).

Playing out of alignment may anger others who share your alignment, may draw the attention of people who prefer the alignment that you’re uncharacteristically acting like (e.g. cause Evil creatures to try to corrupt you more), and so on, but these are all roleplaying issues, and that is all they should ever be.

The Dungeons & Dragons alignment system is simplistic and binary (well, nonary, I suppose). It can be a little useful as a shorthand for what side you are on, but trying to use it as anything more is a mistake that leads almost solely to arguments.

There’s a quote I like particularly well here:

Alignment just determines what color your light saber is.

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