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Elfland’s Ethics & World Building | World-Building: Causes & Consequences | World-Building: Geneses

B/X D&D presents three alignments. These are “basic ways of life” that “guide the acts of both player characters and monsters.” The three alignments are Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic. Implicit in the rules are three important ideas:

1. Alignment guides a creature’s actions. Thus, a Lawful creature will behave in a Lawful behavior at least most of the time.
2. The cumulative moral weight of a creature’s actions determines that creature’s alignment. Thus, a Lawful creature who starts to behave less Lawful and more Chaotic may experience a shift in alignment at some point in time determined by the DM.
3. At no time does a creature’s alignment dictate that creature’s actions. Thus, a Lawful creature is free to act in a non-Lawful manner.

The fundamentals of moral philosophy/theology fit in well with alignments. These fundamentals, adapted to B/X D&D terminology, tell us that:

1. Actions have an objective moral quality. Every action is either Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic. The creature’s opinion about the action it performs do not change the action’s objective moral quality. Murder does not become a good act just because of the murderer’s opinion about murder.
2. The seriousness of an action’s objective moral quality falls into two categories: minor and major. Once again, the creature’s opinion about the action’s seriousness does not change the action’s seriousness. Murder does not become a minor action just because the murderer thinks murder is not seriously wrong.

All of this results from my son Christopher asking me about the alignments of the false deities who rebelled against Iesmi, the One and True. Let’s draw some conclusions from the previous world-building post.

Iesmi’s alignment is Lawful. Iesmi is the only actual deity; consequently, only Iesmi can justly demand worship from his creatures. Isarn Egni, the Forge Lord, claims to be the creator of the dwarves, and this claim is partially true, but Isarn Egni is not a deity. He is one of Iesmi’s creatures. Iesmi gave life to the lifeless dwarf form made by the Forge Lord. This means dwarves who worship Isarn Egni worship a false god. What’s more, Isarn Egni knows he was created by Iesmi. The same must be true of the other so-called deities.

So, Christopher reasoned, that means the false deities are Chaotic and those who worship them are also Chaotic? Not necessarily. We further complicate matters by addressing the issue of culpability. To be fully culpable for a seriously evil action requires both:

1. That the creature freely chooses to commit the act.
2. And that the creature understands the objective moral quality of the act.

Thus, someone who is forced to murder is not fully culpable for the act of murder. Someone who does not know murder is seriously evil is not fully culpable for the act of murder. In either case, however, the act of murder is still evil (or Chaotic, to return to B/X D&D terminology).

Since I am not interested in a campaign world where player characters who follow deities other than Iesmi are automatically Chaotic, that means I must expand on the two criteria used to determine culpability. In the process, we can find a way through the dilemma posed by Christopher’s question. So, in the next world-building post, I’ll take a closer look at Deorcynsse and his guise as Valsch Witan, the entity that the halflings understand is the False Light opposed to Way of Iesmi.

Tags: B/X D&D, Catholic, world-building

Elfland’s Ethics & World Building | World-Building: Causes & Consequences

At the end of the last post, I said that this post would look at the different B/X D&D player character races, focusing on those races’ patron deities and creation stories. I also said that none of those patron deities are really deities, and that none of the stories are fully true.

I’ve got to backpedal a bit here. Most the patron deities are not deities. Most of the stories are not fully true. One race, however, has maintained authentic worship of the Sole Creator. That race’s religious traditions preserve the Sole Creator’s truth insofar as mortal creatures can understand it.

Let’s start with the three races that get it wrong before looking at the one race that gets it right.

Dwarves, Elves, and Humans

Isarn Egni, the Forge Lord, mined iron from the depths of the First Mountain. He purified the metal with the heat of his gaze, and then hammered it on the Dread Anvil into the forms of Heled and Murgeda, the first dwarves. Isarn Egni gave his creatures life by plunging them into pure spring water untouched by sunlight. He then gave Heled and Murgeda dominion over all lightless places as well as the lands surrounding the entrances to the world-under.

Har Marei, the Queen of Waves, created the elves from coral and seafoam. She brought to life Indóar and Lona, the first elves, through an infusion of her own blood, and she blessed them with the dolphin’s playful heart and the shark’s predatory instincts. She made their forms changeable and cyclical, like the tides and the phases of her lunar abode. Har Marei gave Indóar and Lona dominion over the seas and all coastal places.

Drit Watar, the Father of Morning, formed Kras and Aefen, the first humans, from the dust of the ground. Drit Watar then implanted in each a mote of light, bringing his creations to life. Kras and Aefen received from Drit Watar dominion over all lands, including the plants and beasts of those lands.

Halflings

In the beginning, Iesmi, the One and True, created the Werdaz, immaterial beings of immense power. Iesmi then created the cosmos: time, the stars, the worlds, and all the plants and beasts living on those worlds. He assigned the Werdaz to watch over the myriad aspects of his creation, commanding the Werdaz to benevolently care for their charges. On one world, Iesmi created the halflings, shepherds and farmers, material creatures limited by their bodies and senses. Iesmi gave the halflings dominion over that entire world.

At first, the Werdaz marveled at Iesmi’s newest creatures. They desired to imitate the One and True. Iesmi gave the Werdaz permission to take the material of that world and form new creatures. Iesmi then gave these forms life, and a multiplicity of mortal creatures came to be. But Deorcynsse, the first of the Werdaz, resented the halflings. He hated their weakness, and he coveted their favored status.

So, Deorcynsse plotted treason, seducing many other Werdaz to his cause. These rebels sowed discord among the other races, asking why the halflings should have dominion. In the guise of Valsch Witan, Deorcynsse claimed to be Iesmi’s messenger. His false light led many astray from the Iesmi’s Way. The seduced Werdaz corrupted their charges, bringing disorder and violence to the world.

Tags: B/X D&D, Catholic, world-building

Once upon a long time ago, a hound lived on the lands around a castle in the vicinity of Lyons, France. The hound belonged to a knight who enjoyed hunting. When the knight went out to hunt, he left his son, still an infant, under the hound’s protection. And so things went week after week, and the hound faithfully fulfilled its duties.

After a long hunt one day, the knight returned to find his infant son’s room a terrible wreck. The crib was overturned. Smears of blood stood out in horrible contrast on the walls and floor. The hound sat near the door, its muzzle grisly with gore. Enraged and grieved, the knight drew his sword and chopped off the hound’s head.

Then, the knight heard his infant son’s cries. Moving the crib aside, the knight’s tearful eyes saw two sights: his infant son alive and unhurt, and nearby the mangled corpse of a deadly viper. The faithful hound had killed the serpent to protect the baby.

Stricken by grief, the knight buried his hound beneath a small cairn. He planted trees around the grave. The trees grew quick and tall, and the peasants honored the hound as a saint, asking the hound to protect their own infants.

Hound of St. Guinefort (Planar, Lawful)
Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 3+3** (M)
Move: 210′ (70′)
Attacks: 1 bite
Damage: 2-7
No. Appearing: 2-5
Save As: Fighter 3
Morale: 9

The hounds of St. Guinefort are angelic canines believed to be the ascended spirits of heroic dogs. They appear much like muscular hounds with coats of shining fur, gold or silver in color. Their eyes glow with intelligence. These creatures can always detect evil, and they are immune to disease and poison. When fighting Chaotic creatures, the hounds have +1 to morale, to hit, and to damage. Once per day, a hound of St. Guinefort may bark instead of bite. Its bark causes 4-9 points of damage to every Chaotic creature within 30 feet of the hound. Undead within the same radius might be turned; treat the hound as a 3rd-level cleric. The hounds of St. Guinefort have infravision with a 90-foot range, and they are 75% likely to see invisible or hidden creatures. The hounds speak the languages of angels and of men.

Tags: B/X D&D, Catholic, monsters

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. (St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians 13:1)

Gong of Resounding: This flat, circular metal disk is about one foot in diameter. The gong’s magic has no effect on any creature within 10 feet of it. The gong is untuned, producing a discordant reverberation when struck. All creatures at least 10 feet away but within 120 feet must save versus Spells or lose the ability to speak coherently for one turn. Intelligent creatures who rely on leaders to direct their activity suffer a -2 penalty to morale, spellcasters lose the ability to cast spells, magic items that require command words are unusable, et cetera. The gong can be sounded three times per day, and then its magic deactivates for 24 hours.

Cymbal of Clanging: This slightly convex brass disk has a hole drilled in its bell. A leather strap is affixed through the hole. The disk is about a foot in diameter, and its magic has no effect on any creature within 10 feet of it. When struck, the cymbal’s harsh clang forces creatures at least 10 feet away but within 120 feet to save versus Spells. Creatures that fail the saving throw become enraged, and they must move to engage in melee combat with the nearest other creature. This rage lasts for six rounds. The cymbal can be sounded three times per day, and then its magic deactivates for 24 hours.

Tags: B/X D&D, Catholic, magic items

While blink dogs are known for their goodness, it is not true that all blink dogs embrace the righteousness common to their kind. A rare few, almost all of whom live solitary lives, embrace Chaos, falling under the sway of the sole wicked deity in the blink dog pantheon.

Blink Dog Deities, Continued

Almost all blink dogs honor the father and mother of their kind, Bupgau and Ghavau, as well as those deities’ son, Vufhaf. Ghavau, mother of all blink dogs, has an elder sister called Gav. Bupgau spurned Gav in favor of Ghavau, and Gav vowed revenge. She whines and whimpers in the mind’s ears, urging blink dogs to reject the pack. Few blink dogs listen to Gav, but those who do become feral and monstrous.

Gav appears as an emaciated blink dog at least twice as large as normal. Her fur is sparse, and her flesh is scabrous. Her lipless jaws ceaselessly drool venom, and her ragged claws blacken the ground where she walks. Gav represents madness, cruelty, and vengeance.

Feral Blink Dog (Monstrous, Chaotic)
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 4+8** (M)
Move: 150′ (50′)
Attacks: 1 bite/2 claws
Damage: 1d8/1d3/1d3
No. Appearing: 1 (1, C)
Save As: Fighter 5
Morale: 8

A feral blink dog appears as a larger, wilder member of its species. Its fangs drip with saliva, and its claws are obviously dangerous, being curved more like a raptor’s talons than the nails of a dog. Both highly intelligent and wicked, a feral blink dog as the same teleportational ability common to its kind. When attacking, it “blinks” close to an enemy, attacks, and then reappears 10 to 40 feet away. If it has the initiative, it can attack without risking a counterattack by “blinking” away. Its instincts prevent teleportational mishaps. A feral blink dog’s bite causes suppurating wounds. Half of the damage caused by its bite cannot be healed by either natural or magical means unless the victim first receives a Cure Disease.

Tags: B/X D&D, monsters