Alignment
All characters in Legends of Kesmai, and some objects, have an alignment, indicating whether they serve the forces of Light or Darkness:
- Lawful (serves Light)
- Neutral (not committed to either Light or Darkness)
- Chaotic (serves Darkness)
- Evil (serves Darkness)
Most of the creatures encountered in Legends of Kesmai are of chaotic alignment, as befits the depraved manner in which they were brought to life by the Brotherhood of Yasnac. Adventurers who have turned repeatedly to murder and other antisocial activities quite naturally carry an evil alignment. On occasion, one will encounter a monster whose unrestrained dedication to the forces of Darkness has earned it an evil alignment. Although there is incessant warfare between the minions of Light and Darkness, chaotic creatures do not attack their own kind. They will, however, attack all non-chaotic beings, just as evil monsters attack all non-evils.
All player characters begin as lawful beings, except for Thieves, who are inherently neutral. Neutral alignment brings with it certain conditions you should be aware of before entering the game. New players are advised to select a lawfully aligned occupation (preferably a Fighter) for their first character.
A character’s alignment can affect the behavior of other creatures strongly, since some are very sensitive to the company they keep. Lawfuls sometimes tolerate the presence of neutrals, but chaotics rarely do. Thieves are inherently neutral; their unique Guild training enables them to appear lawful to everyone else, except Knights and higher-level Thieves, who can see through their disguise. Since the Sheriff and his deputies are all Knights, they will attack a Thief on sight, and their skill and experience leave little doubt as to the fate of the slow-witted or sluggish Thief. Non-Thieves who have turned neutral because of misdeeds lack the inherent disguise ability of the Thief, and so are subject to attack by all lawful NPCs at all times. Should this happen, see: Restoring Lawful Status.
On your Creature List display, the alignment of all the living beings within sight is indicated by the text color. These designations should be observed carefully before attacking any other character:
| Alignment | Text Color |
|---|---|
| Lawful | cyan |
| Chaotic | yellow |
| Neutral | green |
| Evil | red |
| Aggressor | magenta |
Certain weapons also carry an alignment, and are therefore limited in use to PCs or NPCs of the same alignment. If you come across a weapon with a different alignment than your own, you won’t be able to use it; it will leap from your hand, or you won’t be able to get a good grip on the weapon and will fumble it when you try to fight with it. Weapons of lawful alignment often have a blue glow, while evil or chaotic weapons sometimes glow red.
Lawfully aligned weapons hit with extra effect when wielded against creatures of evil alignment. Weapon alignment can be determined by examining a weapon, by using the Identify spell or by a shopkeeper appraisal.
