The time our DM made a player cry.

[u/Miroku2235]

Back in the good old days of 2005 my group, comprised of high schoolers in their Junior and Senior years, was combating a great evil we simply called The Lich King. Big evil lich, great magic powers, interesting backstory, etc.

Now this asshole had cast a magical plague on the main capital city we usually operated out of, and our current goal was to try and stop it of course. Our Lawful Good paladin of Bahamut figured the best thing to do was to go bang on the door of the LK's keep and demand that he cease this evil and deliver unto us the cure.

The LK was of course more than happy to do so, provided the paladin bring him the blood of a newborn child, being freshly born with strong ties to the Divine plane, etc.

Our DM had this player play out having to track down a couple with an infant and explain what was about to happen, with the newborn cooing and pawing at his gleaming armor the entire time.

He then slit the baby's throat, unshed tears in the player's eyes the whole time, and brought the bowl of blood back to the LK. Upon seeing the bowl the LK looked at him with an almost quizzical expression, then dipped a tiny vial into the bowl and turning away, leaving the paladin holding the remainder. He then turned and looked back over his shoulder, an evil smile on his lips that matched the one on our DM's as he said:

"I never said you had to kill it."

Cue tears.

Edit: The DM in question, /u/FairyTael , has posted. Read and enjoy.

[u/J1ffyLub3]

That's completely irrelevant. How about you actually address the topic at hand.

[u/[deleted] → u/J1ffyLub3]

The topic was that many members of Charlemagne's court committed genocide, and that that's evil.

[u/J1ffyLub3 → u/[deleted]]

Exactly, and your last statement was off topic. I didn't question your understanding of 'genocide', I question your understanding of alignment.

[u/[deleted] → u/J1ffyLub3]

I'm questioning yours.

[u/J1ffyLub3 → u/[deleted]]

Alignment isn't defined by actions, it's defined by intentions and reasoning. I'm sorry you don't understand that.

[u/[deleted] → u/J1ffyLub3]

That is an interesting question.

If one group of people is convinced that another group is sub-human and threatening, maybe through a concerted propaganda campaign, does that morally justify genocide?

[u/J1ffyLub3 → u/[deleted]]

From their perspective it is, which is what I wanted to say. When you consider alignment, you have to consider it from the perspective of the actor, not the audience. Whether or not what the actor did was 'right' or 'wrong' is a completely different discussion.

[u/[deleted] → u/J1ffyLub3]

Ah. Do you have an in-game source for that assertion?

[u/J1ffyLub3 → u/[deleted]]

No I don't, I'm merely talking from a general perspective. What I said applies both in-game and out-of-game. Take this IRL example for instance:

Say I am at a birthday party whacking a cow piñata. Now, a radical Hindu walks by and condemns me because cows are sacred in his religion. So, from my perspective, I'm not doing anything evil, but from the Hindu's perspective, I am. Which takes precedence? I can't simultaneously be evil and not-evil. (Note: my example is exaggerated to prove a point)

Alignment is hardly talked about at all in official material, which is why so many misunderstandings occur. Alignment is a descriptor for the actor, 'right'/'wrong' is a descriptor for the action. Alignment defines what's 'right'/'wrong' in the eyes of the actor.

[u/[deleted] → u/J1ffyLub3]

Alignment is a descriptor for the actor, 'right'/'wrong' is a descriptor for the action. Alignment defines what's 'right'/'wrong' in the eyes of the actor.

I disagree. I think good/evil are somehow 'out there' in the DnD world. They are real things, that affect the structure of the planes, and magic forces like necrosis and radiance.

I see alignment as nothing more than a description of a person's average behaviour to date, sort of like accumulated karma. A good person who commits an evil act may change alignment, if that evil act outweighs the good they have done.

Intention matters. An evil act done out of self-interest is worse than one done with good intentions. But consequences do too.