They are the absolutes, the pantheon of ideals, the goodly gods and the evil fiends, forever locked in the struggle for the souls of the mortals. The concept that is Lloth is purely evil; that of Mielikki, purely good. As opposite as black and white, with no shades of gray in between. Thus are the concepts, good and evil. Absolute, rigid. There can be no justification for a truly evil act; there is no shade of gray. While an act of good often brings personal gain, the act itself is absolute as its measure is based on intent. This is epitomized by our beliefs in the pantheon, but what of the mortal races, the rational beings-the humans and the races of elvenkind and dwarvenkind, the gnomes and the halflings, the goblinoids and giantkin? Here the question muddles, the absolutes blend.
To many, the equation is simple: I am drow, drow are evil, thus I am evil.
They are wrong. For what is a rational being if not a choice? And there can be no evil, nor any good, without intent. It is true that in the Realms there are races and cultures, particularly the goblinoids, which show a general weal of evil, and those, such as the surface elves, which lean toward the concept of good. But even in these, which many consider personifications of an absolute, it is the individual’s intents and actions that ultimately decide. I have known a goblin who was not evil; I am a drow who has not succumbed to the ways of his culture. Still, few drow and fewer goblins can make such claims, and so the generalities hold.
Most curious and most diverse among the races are the humans. Here the equation and the expectations muddle most of all. Here perception reins supreme. Here intent is oft hidden, secret. No race is more adept than humans at weaving a mask of justification. No race is more adept than humans at weaving a mask of excuses, at ultimately claiming good intent. And no race is more adept at believing its own claims. How many wars have been fought, man against man, with both armies espousing that god, a goodly god, was on their side and in their hearts?
But good is not a thing of perception. What is “good” in one culture cannot be “evil” in another. This might be true of mores and minor practices, but not of virtue. Virtue is absolute.
It must be. Virtue is the celebration of life and of love, the acceptance of others and the desire to grow toward goodness, toward a better place. It is the absence of pride and envy, the willingness to share our joys and to bask in the accomplishments of others. It is above justification because it is what truly lies in each and every heart. If a person does an evil act, then let him weave his mask, but it will not hide the truth, the absolute, from what is naked within his own heart.
There is a place within each of us where we cannot hide from the truth, where virtue sits as judge. To admit the truth of our actions is to go before that court, where process is irrelevant. Good and evil are intents, and intent is without excuse.
Cadderly Bonaduce went to that place as willingly and completely as any man I have known. I recognize that growth within him, and see the result, the Spirit Soaring, most majestic and yet most humble of human accomplishments.
Artemis Entreri will go to that place. Perhaps not until the moment of his death, but he will go, as we all must eventually go, and what agony he will realize when the truth of his evil existence is laid bare before him. I pray that he goes soon, and my hope is not born of vengeance, for vengeance is an empty prayer. May Entreri go of his own volition to that most private place within his heart to see the truth and, thus, to correct his ways. He will find joy in his penance, true harmony that he can never know along his present course.
I go to that place within my heart as often as I am able in order to escape the trap of easy justification. It is a painful place, a naked place, but only there might we grow toward goodness; only there, where no mask can justify, might we recognize the truth of our intents, and thus, the truth of our actions. Only there, where virtue sits as judge, are heroes born.
-Drizzt Do’Urden
(R.A.Salvatore – Passage to Dawn – Part 3)

Eu ia originalmente fazer esse artigo maior cortando ele em várias partes, mas no fim optei por dar uma condensada no conteúdo e dizer tudo o que eu queria logo…

É interessante ver como a moralidade dos Lobisomens é substituída pela harmonia, que mostra mais a relação entre Lobisomem e Espiritualismo. Talvez até pelo enfoque mais grupal do jogo, onde se pensa como matilha e se age com mais Consequencialismo.

Quanto ao D&D, o alinhamento nunca foi o foco do jogo, servindo apenas como ferramenta mecânica, ao meu ver por que o sistema está muito mais ligado a superação de quests, podendo ser feita sem pensar muito no lado da personalidade e sim na efetividade. É mais simples e agrada a um tipo de jogadores.

Quanto no WoD, a moral virar muleta e ser absoluta, acho que isso se dá pois esquecemos que pra cada situação existe uma forma que cada um encara. Portanto se estou conversando com minha mãe, serei o cara bonzinho e bacana e obediente no que for possível. Mas se estou andando na rua de madrugada em um bairro barra-pesada e sou abordado por um sujeito provavelmente vou assumir uma postura mais defensiva e arisca. GURPS tinha uma tabela de reação de NPCs que ilustrava isso… o lojista podia ir muito com a sua cara, e ter asco pelo seu camarada do lado, com PJs deveria ser o mesmo mas sem contar com a sorte dos dados.

Também acho que Moral e Personalidade são coisas bem diferentes que se cruzam. Definir uma não te define a outra. A moral só aparece quando “a ocasião faz o ladrão”, quando se é tentado a ir contra suas crenças. A personalidade por outro lado é seu modo de agir baseado num conjunto de ideais, crenças, experiências e valores. Ou seja, sua moral é um dos fatores da personalidade. O Storiteller abordava-se mais a personalidade do que o Storitelling, que foca mais no âmago do ser. Eu acho que o ideal é juntar as regras de Vicios, virtudes e arquetipos.

parabéns novamente pela qualidade! Um abraço! Keep Posting!