A New Look at Alignments

Players and GMs alike have always had a love-hate relationship with alignments, so why not rock the boat? For Dheghom, alignments have been reimagined to reflect more nuanced character development, whether for PCs or NPCs, but providing additional axes that establish other perspectives.

The intention for alignment in this system is that it be descriptive rather than prescriptive, meaning that alignment should not be used to hold a player's feet to the fire to remove agency. However, if a player wants their character to act with Morality, but begins to abandon their precepts, they should consider changing how their alignment is recorded on their character sheet. Allow alignment to evolve as characters make choices, face dilemmas, and adapt to their circumstances, capturing the nuance of morality, instinct, and philosophy.

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Alignment Axes

To provide depth and complexity, alignment in Dheghom is defined by five axes, each representing a pair of competing tendencies or philosophies. These axes help articulate your character's perspective on stability, reasoning, progress, relationships, and morality.

Order or Chaos

Order. A belief in structure, tradition, and hierarchy. Characters aligned with order see systems—whether societal, personal, or natural—as essential to stability and progress. They strive to uphold these systems, believing in their necessity for creating a lasting legacy.

Chaos. A rejection of imposed systems or structures, embracing unpredictability and entropy. Those aligned with chaos believe control is an illusion, and that disorder and change are the natural state of all things. They value freedom and spontaneity over conformity.

Reason or Impulse

Reason. A reliance on logic, analysis, and calculated decision-making. Reasonable characters value evidence, methodical thinking, and clarity in problem-solving, even when facing moral or emotional complexities.

Impulse. A preference for instinct and immediate reactions over deliberation or forethought. Impulsive characters act in the moment, prioritizing gut feelings and emotional responses over planning or reflection.

Industrialism or Naturalism

Industrialism. A belief in progress, innovation, and reshaping the world through tools, technology, and societal advancements. Industrialist characters see adaptation and innovation as necessary steps for survival and dominance.

Naturalism. A reverence for nature as the only true constant, rejecting artificial constructs as disruptions to the natural order. Naturalist characters see growth and progress as unnecessary, favoring simplicity and harmony with the natural world.

Parasitism or Interdependence

Parasitism. A tendency to exploit others for personal gain, thriving at the expense of those around them. Parasitic characters prioritize self-preservation and advantage, often at the cost of relationships or shared well-being.

Interdependence. A belief in mutual reliance and collective strength. Characters aligned with interdependence value collaboration, trust, and the recognition that survival is best achieved through shared effort and unity.

Amorality or Morality

Amorality. An indifference to ethical concerns, focusing on survival, pragmatism, or personal ambition. Amoral characters often disregard right and wrong, treating morality as situational or irrelevant to achieving their goals.

Morality. A commitment to a personal or societal code of ethics, using right and wrong as guiding principles. Moral characters often choose to act according to these principles, even when such choices come with significant costs.

Exploring Alignment

Alignments are not prescriptive of good or evil or any sense of what is right or wrong. However, you can create characters with that intent, if you so choose. Below is an example of how one combination, OINIM (Order, Impulse, Naturalism, Interdependence, and Morality), can result in three drastically different characters.

The Impulsive Youth (The "Good" Character). You try to be a good person who deeply values your community's traditions (Order, Interdependence, Morality) and your connection to the land (Naturalism). However, your youthful impetuousness often gets the better of you (Impulse), leading to reckless actions that, despite your best intentions, cause hardship for the very people you care about.

The Ethical Saboteur (The "Neutral" Character). You believe you recognize right from wrong (Morality). The industrial world is a blight and the land should be protected from its pollution (Naturalism). The laws of greedy nations are the laws of the corrupt, but your community (Interdependence) and its traditions (Order) are older and adhere to a world of growth, life, and purity. You do not waste time with politics or plans; when you see a target, you act (Impulse). You use technology against itself, a just method of letting fire and explosives cauterize the wounds technology has created.

The Cult Leader (The "Evil" Character). You are convinced that you alone see the righteous path (Morality), a world returned to a purer, natural state (Naturalism), governed by a strict and unyielding moral code (Order). You view those you attract to your cause as your first flock, a community (Interdependence) that you must bind to your will for its own good. You are often overly passionate or even violent (Impulse) when imposing your vision. Your righteousness is absolute, justifying any manipulation or emotional outburst as a necessary tool to lead the unenlightened.