D&D (2024) One D&d and alignment: new approach

[aia_2]

I read some time ago a post (likely not here, but honestly i do not remember where it was!) where it was explained that with one d&d the alignment will be replaced by a new feature with a completely different mechanics (devotion iirc).

Is this the end of one of the most underrated and unusued features in D&D?

Don't you think that alignment has never been fully deployed in the game for its potential? ...and now it appears that the got rid of... It is like having a Ferrari and use that car to go to buy milk and newspapers only (and then get back to home). After long time you use a Ferrari in this way you find it useless and you sell it...

 

[Mecheon]

Is this the end of one of the most underrated and unusued features in D&D?

I really don't want to start an alignment fight immediately, but, this is not how I'd describe alignment at all.

In my experience, from my NWN PW background, its always been somewhere between "DM decides they don't like how you've been RPing and screws your character over if you're one of the Required Alignment Classes" to "Player becomes obnoxious and uses their alignment as an excuse for being obnoxious"

 

[Horwath]

on my last two characters I didn't even write down alignment.

it's that useful in our games.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I read some time ago a post (likely not here, but honestly i do not remember where it was!) where it was explained that with one d&d the alignment will be replaced by a new feature with a completely different mechanics (devotion iirc).

Is this the end of one of the most underrated and unusued features in D&D?

Don't you think that alignment has never been fully deployed in the game for its potential? ...and now it appears that the got rid of... It is like having a Ferrari and use that car to go to buy milk and newspapers only (and then get back to home). After long time you use a Ferrari in this way you find it useless and you sell it...

Alignment is still used, it's not going away.

 

[Charlaquin]

I read some time ago a post (likely not here, but honestly i do not remember where it was!) where it was explained that with one d&d the alignment will be replaced by a new feature with a completely different mechanics (devotion iirc).

Whoever wrote that post was either confused or lying. The playtest packet is freely available and not very long at all, I recommend reading its contents yourself if you want to discuss them. You’ll find that they contain nothing at all about alignment. Devotion is a completely different mechanic that appears in (alongside alignment) in the 5e book Mythic Odyssey of Theros.

 

[Branduil]

I am not a fan of alignment. IME there have been three primary uses of alignment in games:

1) Paladins using their canon-justified position as exemplar of "good" to commit war crimes
2) "Chaotic Neutral" characters who act in random, unbelievable, and violent ways, causing great damage to the party and the world
3) Players justifying war crimes against "always evil" races

I don't think it has historically been good for the game and it often enables toxic behavior from both players and DMs. Something like "devotion" could be good, really anything that is more about examining the motivations and needs of characters rather than "you got the good/evil/chaos/law juice in your veins" would be preferable.

 

[Langy]

Whoever wrote that post was either confused or lying. The playtest packet is freely available and not very long at all, I recommend reading its contents yourself if you want to discuss them. You’ll find that they contain nothing at all about alignment. Devotion is a completely different mechanic that appears in a couple of 5e books (alongside alignment).

The playtest packet isn't the entire playtest. It's only the first part, the "races" with a few bits here and there to clarify rules that the race changes touch upon; future weeks will have more/different things for people to playtest.

Personally I hope they remove the standard 'alignment' system and replace it with something more complex (or just get rid of it entirely).

 

[Charlaquin]

The playtest packet isn't the entire playtest. It's only the first part, the "races" with a few bits here and there to clarify rules that the race changes touch upon; future weeks will have more/different things for people to playtest.

Yes, but since those weeks are in the future, we here in the present don’t know what the contents of those packets are. So again, whoever “explained” that 1D&D is replacing Alignment with Devotion must either be confused or lying.

Personally I hope they remove the standard 'alignment' system and replace it with something more complex (or just get rid of it entirely).

I don’t disagree, but I don’t think it’ll happen.

 

[Langy]

Yes, but since those weeks are in the future, we here in the present don’t know what the contents of those packets are. So again, whoever ”explained” that 1D&D is replacing Alignment with Devotion must either be confused or lying.

I don’t disagree, but I don’t think it’ll happen.

It was a rumor they've heard, not something they are claiming is in the current playtest. Doesn't mean it's accurate, of course.

 

[Charlaquin]

It was a rumor they've heard, not something they are claiming is in the current playtest. Doesn't mean it's accurate, of course.

Right, it’s inaccurate. Because we have one packet so far, and it doesn’t contain anything about alignment. The rumor is misinformation, rooted either in misunderstanding or deception.