Generating Alignment for Underworld NPCs?

[mindcontrolsquid]

I've found while populating my megadungeon and rolling for wandering monsters that I've taken to randomly rolling for the alignment of generated humans (warriors, conjurers, theurgists, etc.) to add a layer of unpredictability to encounters. My method is rather rudimentary (roll 1-6, 1-2 = Law, 3-4 = Neutral, 5-6 = Chaos), but I'm curious to see if others do this as well. Or perhaps you feel that any generated NPCs in a dungeon should be (at least potentially) inherently hostile to the party? Am I going about this all wrong? I'm interested in hearing what you guys think about this.

[Stormcrow]

If the area of your dungeon isn't aligned in any particular way, your method works just fine.

Don't automatically make all NPCs hostile. Part of the fun is trying to find unexpected allies.

[mindcontrolsquid]

Oct 3, 2015 20:43:59 GMT -6 Stormcrow said:

Don't automatically make all NPCs hostile. Part of the fun is trying to find unexpected allies.

My thinking precisely. In the past, my group has made something of a habit of finding some hapless creature (usually a kobold) and making him the party "pet." One even became a relatively loyal (albeit very sarcastic) servant after many sessions, and became a decent crossbowman to boot!

[tetramorph]

Since I understand the dungeon as a mythic underworld I would say 1-3 chaotic 4 to 5 Neutral and 6 lawful.

[makofan]

I generally use tetramorph 's scale

[mindcontrolsquid]

Oct 5, 2015 14:52:38 GMT -6 tetramorph said:

Since I understand the dungeon as a mythic underworld I would say 1-3 chaotic 4 to 5 Neutral and 6 lawful.

I see. I'm assuming that this generation method was made with predominantly Lawful parties in mind? A Chaotic party would have a better chance of parlaying with dungeon denizens (via alignment language). Would one reverse this method for a Chaotic party? (Then again, it could be argued that the game itself assumes that the players will be predominantly Lawful...)

[Stormcrow]

Most of the Greyhawk players chose Neutrality for its flexibility.

I wouldn't alter the even balance of alignments. Just because someone is of the same alignment does not make them allies, or even friendly. Two lawful groups encountering each other can disagree and even come to blows.

[tetramorph]

mindcontrolsquid, yes, I tend to default to lawful. I don't find chaotic parties fun to run. I am not a teenager anymore. I would not reverse it for a chaotic party, though. They would be, I presume, descending into the underworld to find more allies and friends for their ravaging of the world. I just don't like running that!

I tend to run these as simple and archetypal: chaos: evil wizard dry-hand-washing and twirling his mustachio as he contemplates his next amazing overpowering of the world; neutral: Conan; law: trying to establish order and civilization in the face of monstrous chaos.

The underworld is an irruption of chthonic chaos onto the surface of the earth. Time for the lawful to go in and "clear it out."

Well, that is just how I like it.

I would roll differently in the wilderness dependent upon location. A lair I would do the same. A typical town would be your way: equal chance for each alignment. In a deliberately lawful settlement I would reverse it: 1-3 law, 4-5 neutral, 6 chaos.

[mindcontrolsquid]

Oct 5, 2015 16:30:37 GMT -6 Stormcrow said:

Just because someone is of the same alignment does not make them allies, or even friendly. Two lawful groups encountering each other can disagree and even come to blows.

Very true, yes. Forgive me for my oversimplification.