Dominance of Chaos in the current official modules

[Nerzenjäger]

Hi there,

have I missed something? I by no means have played all of the offical modules so far, but with those I have, it seems to me, that there is a heavy inclination towards "chaos" being the default alignment for the bad guys. I don't want to sound ranty, but is there a module, where the "evil"-doers are on the side of law? As of now, the implied setting reminds me more of WHFRP where chaos is - ultimately - evil. However, what I would like to see is more of the Moorcockian approach to the eternal struggle (I know of course, that there is also the earlier representation of the model introduced by Poul Anderson).

Your thoughts, community?

[Raven_Crowking]

Lawful characters believe fundamentally in unity and prioritize the values of mankind: order, authority, loyalty, and charity. They support organized institutions and “do what is right.” They have a moral conscience that points them toward the appropriate action. Fundamentally, lawful characters choose the path of mankind over the path of supernatural dominance. At higher levels, lawful characters find themselves interacting with celestials, angels, demi-gods, and powerful Lords of Law. In mundane life, there are many shades of lawful behavior, and not all lawful characters agree on the same course of action at any time; though they invariably unite when mankind is threatened by outside forces.

Chaotic characters believe fundamentally in entropy and seek constantly to undermine or rule those around them. They are willing to disrupt the natural order of things – including established governments, guilds, and relationships – if they see a material benefit in doing so. They are open to agreements with supernatural powers, even if such agreements risk the primacy of man by allowing strange beings into the material plane. Fundamentally, chaotic characters choose the path of greatest personal power and success over any greater principle. At higher levels, chaotic characters find themselves aligned with demons and devils, sinister monsters, extraplanar creatures, and the supernatural Chaos Lords. In mundane life, chaotic behavior covers a wide spectrum of chicanery, subterfuge, aggression, and power politics, and chaotic characters are always looking for an advantage over their peers.

I think the alignments chosen in various modules thus far follow the above quite well. Yes, there will be Lawful creatures that are also out to kill you, but when the push comes to shove they will work with you against the bigger threat....but, also, most of the modules thus far have dealt with the larger threats to the rule of humankind that are exemplified in the Appendix N fiction.

An adventure where the Lawful (but evil) enemies work against you, and then work with you against the common foe, is a good idea, though, and I would like to see it as well. I am guessing that the robot(s?) in Frozen in Time will be Lawful. But we'll see.

[Skars]

Just introduce some overly zealous followers of Logos

[finarvyn]

Historically, in the earliest campaigns such as Arneson's Blackmoor, alignment was mostly law = "us" and chaos = "them" with a few neutrals thrown in. (Not totally, as Dave had some Chaos PCs.) They didn't really differenciate good and evil as being different from law and chaos; it was sort of assumed that lawful guys did good stuff and chaotic guys did bad stuff. Notice that D&D had spells like "detect evil" but not "detect chaos".

DCC takes a similar approach. This doesn't mean that you can't add that extra layer of alignment if you like. It just means that the assumption is simply that chaos guys are pretty much the bad guys.

[Rick]

Spoiler for Colossus, Arise: (Highlight text below to see it clearly)

Antagonists The Cult of the Chaos Titan are actually "strictly aligned with Law". They're "highly regimented, holding to an unswerving belief in the cyclical order of the universe", and "see the destructive violence of the chaos titan as a crucial part of the universal order, the devastating apocalypse that presages rebirth".

[Doug Kovacs]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the very first module we completed: Doom of the Savage Kings.

In Doom the Jarl is Lawful. Although he doesn't do the killing himself he has helped put the Hound's killing on a schedule. I think this is an example of when Law gets the upper hand on Chaos, but remains "evil".

I'm pretty sure there is also moral ambiguity in Jewels of the Carnifex too.

Look to modules written by Harley Stroh for inclusion of something more subtle and interesting than law always equals good and chaos always equals evil.

[Gameogre]

As one of my players said it"In DCC Chaos is mostly Evil,Lawful is Evil and most Neutral's are Evil! Good is anyone you don't have to roll initiative on within the first twenty four hours."

[Doug Kovacs]

I also noticed that what I happen to be working on at this very moment ( cover art, maps, & handouts) involves an end encounter with an enemy that is Lawful.

This adventure is written by Michael Curtis and is associated with free RPG day. Keep an eye out for it.