Alignment Changes

[johnlewismcleod]

Agreed BHM...but I don't think anyone contests the fact that chaotics will not care much about where a warlock's power comes from or even what type of magic user he/she is. It's the rest of the population that do and will.

[Blindhamsterman]

I'd argue that anyone but Lawfuls quite possibly will not *shrug* all down to personal oppinion I guess!

really I think that each warlock will start off as the stuff suggests on a negative reaction with most good folk, and a positive reaction with evil folk... neutrals wont much care either way. But thats all based on the assumption folk know the PC or NPC is a warlock. If the warlocks source of power is something other than a demon or devil pact, the above changes again as other pacts may have less stigma with the right peoples (fey-pacts and elves for example)

[NESchampion]

You haven't identified any reason why the character must be retired instead of continuing to be played but without access to those class abilities they would lose for falling out of alignment;

Playing a transition while you are powerless, like a cleric changing deities, could certainly be very much fun. But playing a PC you know will never again be able to raise up to level-appropriate challenges is not. That it's the topic here, not transitions in-between patrons or the like. I know it's just my prediction, but I'd claim most people would just retire if their PC doesn't have a future as level-appropriate PC ever, being stuck for example with 6 levels of cleric/warlock without powers. My preference would be to offer a less harsh future from such PCs in reward for their falling rp.

Oh, and also the troubles with mechanics. I like to think players can be trusted to just not use active powers, but many powers are passive, too.

In the case of the Warlock class Complete Arcane doesn't say anything about losing abilities for not being chaotic or evil, so the closest analog is Barbarians: you keep all your class abilities, you just can't progress as a Warlock unless you become chaotic or evil again.

Fair enough, this would certainly make it somewhat easier for "fallen" warlocks. For good rp reasons, "fallen" warlocks casually using their powers like nothing doesn't sound too swell, though. The tether to the lower planes that gives you the powers should be expected to run two ways, and it's a temptations you probably wouldn't want to play with if you've decided to turn away from the path it beckons for you.

The entry on warlocks is mixed with this regard. Some segments say it's inborn and innate, other sections say some warlocks are bound to try and fulfill the whims of their pact maker. There's nothing that states that warlocks lose their abilities if the character becomes out-of-alignment though. If a player wants to follow that for RP purposes they can, but there's no restriction to do so, and it's not "bad rp reasons" if they continue to use their powers while lawful good and saving orphans or whatever else.

[Brokenbone]

I can't remember if fallen Paladins essentially become like 1 for 1 levels of the "Warrior" class normally reserved to NPCs... the sort of crappy version of fighter. Obv. not in ALFA, there is no way absent vault edits or console edits to get rid of "things an honor system won't cover" like passive all-the-time CHA buffs to saves or aura type stuff... honor system will stop people though from say, Laying on Hands or praying for spells I guess.

Anyhow I think the original point of this thread was actually in reply to a bugged / bad compiled BG which was giving alignment points for opening and closing doors, some weeks ago. Alignment shifts without DM intervention are fairly rare, though I think I've a couple of time seen chaotic shifts in statics, trying to claim more pay than agreed on something or looting corpses which really want to be "baned or blessed", don't hugely agree with all the rare ones I've seen, but also, do not care either. If I was starting to get nearer and nearer the edge of a "gonna lose class advancement" kind of situation, I'd maybe bring it up to a DM team, but cosmetic like effects of the silly alignment numbers are kind of a "nothing" absent mechanical impact, even if they came from questionable sources.