Alignment

Zero-level player characters begin with no real alignment. Spells and magical items affect zero-level PCs as if they were true neutral. Instead of fixed beliefs, zero-level characters have an alignment tendency, which the DM assigns to reflect each PC’s behavior and attitude. DMs may keep track of alignment tendencies by giving each character two alignment scores: one for law/chaos and the other for good/evil. On a scale of one to 20, higher numbers indicate greater commitment to law or good, with 10 in the middle. A character’s alignment remains true neutral until the score drifts more than five points in either direction. The charts below show what alignment tendency the different scores represent. Negative numbers are possible.

Morality Chart

Alignment Tendency	Evil	Neutral	Good
Score	5 or less	6-14	15 and above

Ethics Chart

Alignment Tendency	Chaotic	Neutral	Lawful
Score	5 or less	6-14	15 and above

The DM adds or subtracts points from a character’s alignment score whenever the PC does something typical of a certain alignment. These acts are easy to recognize. Love, forgiveness, and heroic bravery are good, while cruelty, greed, and treachery are evil. Chaotic characters dislike and disobey rules, preferring to make decisions as the moment inspires them. They might also exhibit different behavior in similar situations. Lawful characters work toward organization and consistency. Neutrality might be manifested as the absence of opinion, or it might represent a conscious attempt to balance extremes. Isolated acts of necessity, such as making friends or self-defense, do not alter alignment scores. Actions of choice, such as forming close friendships or giving to charity, might affect alignment. Willful actions such as senseless slaughter on the part of a good or lawful character certainly require an alteration of one’s alignment.

When a zero-level character is first created, the player can choose for the character any score between zero and 20 in both law/chaos and good/evil, if they don’t wish to begin the game as a true neutral. This represents the teachings of that character’s friends and family. The score can change rapidly if the character does not follow old habits. A PC might take part in fascinating adventures which cause alignment changes. In this way the player characters can move themselves off the true neutral mark if they wish to start the game with an alignment.

The DM should tell players what their characters’ alignment tendencies are at the end of each adventure, but not the exact scores. PCs rarely know precisely how lawful, chaotic, good, or evil they are. Every decision is a moral dilemma for zero-level characters which could shape their entire lives. When characters reach first level, they automatically become whatever alignment they tend toward at that time.