#dungeoncraft #dnd tip: Alignment is one of the most often misunderstood aspects of @Wizards_DnD. A common misconception is that the ultimate objective of all "Good" aligned characters is to eliminate "Evil" aligned characters and vice versa.

This misreading is responsible for many of the misguided criticisms of D&D: "Good" characters are duty-bound to slaughter goblin children (because they're "Evil"), D&D is all about "killing others and taking their stuff" (because killing "Evil" creatures is always okay), etc.

This interpretation of Alignment has *never* been supported by the written D&D rules, going all the way back to AD&D 1E. Re-read the appropriate passages in the various Player's Handbooks and DMGs; I'll wait.

(And yes, I'm aware of a few comments Gary Gygax made on message boards long after he was no longer associated with D&D. Gary wrote a lot of contradictory things over the years. Again, read what he--and his successors--wrote in the actual rulebooks.)

In @Wizards_DnD, "Good" and "Evil" can, and regularly do, find common cause. Let me illustrate by way of pop culture touchstone. Consider the X-Men.

Prof. X and his clan battle evil-doers, right? They're "Lawful Good." But not Wolverine (as often depicted, anyway). Wolverine has altruistic aims, but unlike his fellow X-Men, if the expedient way to achieve those aims is to kill--even a helpless target--he's okay with that.

In #dnd terms, Wolverine is "Lawful Evil," IMO. So is The Punisher, and Chow-Yun-Fat's assassin in THE KILLER (honorable, but he kills people for money!). Odysseus is not "Good," nor is Batman. "Good" characters revere life, disdain suffering, and aren't interested in "revenge."

You may not agree. Some of this is debatable, of course, but that's a testament to the richness the Alignment system brings to D&D. Alignment ensures that every D&D adventure, every D&D story, is a *morality play.*

We're *meant* to argue about what "Lawful Good" or "Chaotic Neutral" means, just as Batman and Superman endlessly debate their respective approaches to crime fighting. The arguments and debates reveal *character.*

Not only is it possible for "Good," "Neutral," and "Evil" characters to share a singular goal and join forces to battle Strahd, or oppose the duergar warlock in RotFM, it can be ideal. Let the PCs and argue, debate, and get on each other's nerves. That's *drama.*