What is good? What is evil? What is neutrality? The philosophical ideals that we represent in Legends of Kralis are often similar to the tides of the ocean. At one moment a character can be performing an altruistic action (good) and the next doing an act of depravity (evil) while at the same time not taking a stand against anything that does not affect them (neutral).
The questions of what good, evil and neutrality are, is difficult to answer as each rests on the particular perspective of not only the character but also the player.
Many times players do not wish to deal with the philosophical questions of good, evil and neutrality. Often that is just fine. However, these are games made to push the limits of a player's point of view to take a different look at what is evil and what is good.
It is up to you as the GM to push these boundaries. To make the players think, if just a little bit, about good and evil. Heroes do good, or at least they struggle to do good. Doing good is not always an easy task, it is more often easier to do acts of evil. Doing good is a goal, one that is held aloft, held above struggle and grief to expand a character’s and a player’s point of view.
Being good or evil, requires a certain point of view or temperament, ideals that spur the character not to just avoid doing evil acts or good acts, but to actively promote the existence of either.
What is good? It is an altruistic view of the world. It is not nice, polite, well mannered,t or self-righteous. It is the power behind the great power of Positive Energy that pushes beings to take on evil and crush it wherever it grows. It is a vision of the just, filled with hope, peace, benevolence and righteousness. Goodness is right understanding, right thoughts, right speech, right action, right effort, and right mindfulness of yourself in the world to prepare for the ultimate attainment of Wisdom and Enlightenment.
What is evil? Evil views the world through a self-interest that will only have a direct improvement of the self. It is often characterized by a lack of compassion for anyone, a tendency to enjoy causing harm, and a disregard for wants and needs of others. Evil, more than just being opposed to good, is the great power behind Negative Energy. It is often vile, corrupt and irredeemable. This is not being bad, or naughty, or even not nice. It is dark, cruel, cold, and often utterly malevolent. Evil is more than just not having right thoughts or right actions. It ranges from a deep hatred, to a deep selfishness, to a complete lack of caring for others. Being evil is not always a reign of chaos or lack of control over themselves. It can be very calculating and manipulative, and not all evil is ugly or in your face.
Those who are neutral concerning good and evil have compunctions against killing the innocent but lack the commitment to make sacrifices to protect or help others. Neutral beings are committed to others by personal relationships.
Being good or evil can be a conscious choice. For most, though, being good or evil is an attitude that one recognizes but does not choose. Being neutral on the good-evil axis usually represents a lack of commitment one way or the other, but for some, it represents a positive commitment to a balanced view. While acknowledging that good and evil are objective states, not just opinions, these beings maintain that a balance between the two is the proper place for people, or at least for them.
Animals and other creatures incapable of moral action are neutral rather than good or evil. Even deadly vipers and tigers that eat people are neutral because they lack the capacity for morally right or wrong behavior.
So what is .....???
Good
This is an altruistic view of the world and those who live in it, characterized by a concern for dignity, personal sacrifice, respect for others, gentleness with the helpless, weak, down trodden, and a commitment to those in need. Everyone and everything has a right to live in peace and harmony, living by the best version of the “golden rule”: doing to others as they would have done to them.
Neutral
Neutrality defines the world neither as black and white, nor as only shades of gray, but as a rainbow of all colors where no one color dominates and all are allowed to participate. This view advocates a middle of the road approach that revolves around allowing each his own independent or self-constructive action. This can denote a lack of concern for larger issues, as an indifference to good or evil as “constructions” of society or it can denote a sincere devotion to maintaining a balance of good and evil in the world.
Evil
This view of the world is based almost entirely on self-interest or interest for a group that will directly improve the self. It is characterized by a lack of compassion for anyone, a tendency to enjoy causing harm, and a disregard for wants and needs of others.
It can also be interpreted as a colder approach, meaning that the character believes that predators strengthen the world by eliminating the weak and making themselves stronger. Such a character might believe that to do otherwise is a crime and that it is evil not to do so.
In other cases, the killing of innocents, may be considered evil to others, while to those of an evil outlook would justify it as making the world a better place, better suited for those who know what they want. Note that most people who have been regarded as “evil” do not view themselves as such. It is not a chaotic, out of control world view, it can be cold, calculating and manipulative. Being evil is not always ugly or in your face about what it does.
Devoted Philosophies
Once you obtain enough philosophy points you may begin to feel the pull of the great good that is positive energy of the Omniverse or the vile corruption of evil that is driven by the negative energy of Chaos and the darker places of the Celestial Realms. You may choose to become devoted to either good or evil philosophies. In doing so you have decided to take on specific roles and responsibilities within the world you exist. Those that choose to be devoted to a philosophy tend to be zealots in their philosophical outlook. In either view they never weaver in their outlook or decisions.
Characters of a devoted good philosophy tend to follow a path of integrity that exalts mercy, benevolence and tradition. Those of a neutral philosophy tend to follow a path of harmony that exalts conformity, tradition and universalism. Those of an evil philosophy tend to follow a path of supremacy that exalts power, hedonism, and achievement. Those that are devoted gain the following benefits so long as they remain devoted to their philosophical outlook. Those of a neutral philosophy can never be devoted to an outlook of neutrality.
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