I find they’re useful as an informer of your characterisation, but not as a justification for your characterisation. If someone in the party says “why did you kill him” “Because I’m chaotic evil” doesn’t actually answer anything, it feels more in character to say “because I hate his face.”
“We can totes kill these goblin babies and the gods/fate/rules of existance will say we have done a good thing.”
“….Umm how does that work?”
“Well they are evil and one of the known fundamental ways of being good is to destroy things that are evil.”
“But, but, but they are babies.”
“No they are Evil babies.”
Alternatively, you can set that up as a setting rule and just go with the flow of characters who grew up in a world with an objective, measurable, warped morality with cosmic sides to take. You could get an interesting psychology that way.
Ah my old nemesis defined morality systems.
I know they are iconic to DnD and serve as a good starting point for character development but I really wish they would be struck from existance.
I find they’re useful as an informer of your characterisation, but not as a justification for your characterisation. If someone in the party says “why did you kill him” “Because I’m chaotic evil” doesn’t actually answer anything, it feels more in character to say “because I hate his face.”
“We can totes kill these goblin babies and the gods/fate/rules of existance will say we have done a good thing.”
“….Umm how does that work?”
“Well they are evil and one of the known fundamental ways of being good is to destroy things that are evil.”
“But, but, but they are babies.”
“No they are Evil babies.”
Alternatively, you can set that up as a setting rule and just go with the flow of characters who grew up in a world with an objective, measurable, warped morality with cosmic sides to take. You could get an interesting psychology that way.
Yep, I mean, if you’re playing 3.5e then your worldview actually has defined mechanical effects and everything – so it’s a genuine metaphysical thing.