Alignment

Creatures in Sylvan Shards have an alignment along three poles. The first is the degree to which they are selfish or selfless. The second is the degree to which they are willing to accept authority. The third is the degree to which they are aligned with their society’s values.

A creature may place different degrees of importance on any particular part of their alignment at any given time. These decisions are left for players and the GM to determine in any given situation.

Neutral poles can be played in two ways. It may be that the creature doesn’t consider this pole very important or is very inconsistent in how they make decisions in this area. The other possibility is that the creature is very nuanced in their thinking on this topic, and any decision about their moral code would start with, “It depends…”

Self-Interest Pole
Does your moral code protect others or does it exist to protect you from other people?

Selfless: Your moral code is primarily for the benefit of others.

Neutral: You think very much or very little about the right amount of self-interest in your moral code.

Mercenary: Your moral code is primarily for the benefit of yourself.

For the purpose of compatibility with existing creatures and settings, creatures or characters that are considered good in the standard system can map to selfless, and those that are evil can map to mercenary.

Authority Pole
Was your moral code taught to you by another or was it something you decided for yourself?

Lawful: Your moral code was taught to you by a mentor or authority.

Neutral: Your moral code was assembled from many different sources.

Chaotic: Your moral code was something you decided for yourself.

Social Pole
Heroes uphold the values of the community. Villains tear down the values of the community. If the community’s values change, a villain can become a hero and vice-versa, though that usually takes a long time. All players must create characters who are Heroes.

Hero: Your moral code honors the values of life, freedom, and prosperity.

Neutral: Your moral code is a mix between the values of Heroes and Villains.

Villain: Your moral code honors the values of death, slavery, and suffering.

How can a villain have ethics?
At first glance the values of death, slavery, and suffering seem incompatible with morality. However, there are many villainous codes that promote just those values. Here are some examples:
 * “Yang-Hui taught that we must make sure the poor have enough, and so we must create wars and plagues to make sure there are not too many poor for the food we have.” - Lawful Selfless Villain who values death
 * “I’ve been betrayed too many times, so the only people I trust are those who I can trap through debt or blackmail.” - Chaotic Mercenary Villain who values slavery
 * “Through my reading of history and life experience, I’ve come to understand that people who are hungry and in fear for their lives are more likely to help one another and follow my instructions.” - True Neutral Villain who values suffering