alignments are detectable with the detect evil or good spell and other abilities

lawful aligned creatures show as a celestial

true aligned creatures show as an elemental

chaotic aligned creatures show as a fey

good aligned creatures show as an aberration

neutral creatures show as an fiend

evil creatures show as an undead

so

lawful good creatures show as a celestial aberration

lawful neutral creatures show as a celestial fiend

lawful evil creatures show as a celestial undead

true good creatures show as a fey aberration

true neutral creatures show as a fey fiend

true good creatures show as a fey undead

chaotic good creatures show as an elemental aberration

chaotic neutral creatures show as an element fiend

chaotic evil creatures show as a fey undead

because of this a creature can show as three creature types

alignment changes

alignments can and do change based on actions

lawful can change to true or chaotic

true can change to chaotic

good can change to neutral or evil

neutral can change to evil

when a creature declares an action that would change its alignment the judge will warn it

a creature that still chooses to do the action has it resolved as normal and the creature's alignment changes after its next long rest

if the creature chooses to not do the action it loses its action that round as its better nature takes hold

outside of combat the character noticeably stops and goes quiet

every creature starts as the alignment of its choice unless otherwise prohibited by species or class

changing alignments back require repentance, restitution, and and then a successful ceremony atonement spell

changing alignments in the opposite direction when no sins have been committed requires a ceremony dedication

sable's law dictionary

adultery

adultery is when a married creature has consensual sexual contact with someone they are not married to or sexually assaults anyone, even if the creature is not sapient

adultery is less than honorable and changes a lawful creature's alignment to true unless it was done without consent which then changes it to chaotic

adultery is considered prima facia consent to divorce unless formally forgiven (consensual sex after learning of the adultery is considered forgiveness)

ambushing others

ambushing a sapient creature changes your alignment to chaotic

attacking a creature you have surprised or from a hidden position is considered an ambush

a creature that fights on the same side as someone that ambushed the creatures on the other side has acted dishonorably and becomes chaotic

attacking first

attacking first is defined as doing anything that causes everyone to roll initiative even if you don’t go first in the initiative order

attacking first includes casting a spells even if the spell cast is not an attack spell, get consent before casting a spell

attacking first includes moving to within your speed of an opponent (get consent first, not enforced in settlements you are considered to have consent to enter)

attacking first includes drawing a weapon (seriously, don’t walk around with your weapons at the ready unless you want combat, be careful with ranged weapons even when hunting as every encounter starts at hostile if your ranged weapon is out)

attacking first includes any action, even a ready action is obvious and triggers a initiative roll

attacking first automatically ends all claims of self-defense

attacking first does not apply when used against targets that do not consent to surrender when given the chance to surrender but asking someone to surrender with out legal cause is considered attacking first

attacking first does give advantage on initiative for the single character the declared the action

bribery

bribery is offering, asking for, giving, or receiving, any gift bestowed to gain consent

payment for goods are services rendered are not bribes as long as they follow prevailing wage and price guidelines

bonuses and gifts don’t count as a bribe as long as there is not quid pro quo or set in advance

bribery will change a good creature’s alignment to neutral unless the desired resulting action is evil then it changes the creature's alignment to evil

bribery will change a neutral creature’s alignment to evil if the desired resulting action is evil

bribery will change a lawful creature’s alignment to true if the desired action is less than honorable and chaotic if the desired action is dishonorable

bribery will change a true creature’s alignment to chaotic if the desired action is dishonorable

a creature learning or knowing a bribe was attempted on its behalf by the creature it continues to call the bribing creature an ally is enough to change its alignment

cannibalism

cannibalism is eating the flesh, drinking the blood, or otherwise consuming the living essence of a sapient creature

cannibalism done in self-defense with a racial ability is not punished

cannibalism done in self-defense changes a good creature's alignment to neutral

cannibalism used for any other reason changes your alignment to evil

a dragon or dragon kin (including all reptiles) never have their alignment change because of cannibalism but will have their alignment changed for the harm cause if any, which may explain why so few of their kind end up as undead because they are usually ritualistically eaten at death

just because dragon kin don't change alignment because of cannibalism doesn't mean other's are not hostile to the practice or that the draconic don't know other's find it offensive when applied to non dragon kind

causing fire damage

fires that gets out of control will change a lawful or true creature's alignment to chaotic

charity

good creatures must help the needy or their alignment will change to neutral

most of the time help can be as little as getting the needy to a temple with the same alignment as the needy person

yes, this also means no one that can reach a temple of their alignment on their own is ever truly needy

in a great city and most other communities no one is ever technically needy despite the fact that neutrally aligned creatures can be suffering great deprivation and evil aligned creatures are literally dying of disease, hunger, and exposure in the unholy gardens behind their chaotic evil temples everywhere

lawful and true temples must provide housing equal to the lower of their or the needy creature's lifestyle or the temple's lifestyle

good and neutral temples must provide food equal to the lower of their or the needy creature's lifestyle with good temple's lifestyle

consent

consent is often required for all sorts of activities with other sapient creatures

lawful good creatures must establish consent with the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth and without bribery, or coercion and expect the other party is as well

lawful neutral creatures must establish consent with the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth and possibly bribery but without coercion and expect the other party is as well

lawful evil creatures must establish consent with the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth plus possibly bribery, and coercion and expect the other party is as well

true good creatures must establish consent without bribery, coercion, or fraud and expect the other party is as well

true neutral creatures can establish consent with bribery but not with coercion or fraud and expect the other party is as well

true evil creatures can establish consent with bribery, and/or coercion, but not fraud and expect the other party is as well

chaotic good creatures can establish consent with fraud but not with bribery or coercion and expect the other party is as well

chaotic neutral creatures can establish consent with bribery and/or fraud but not coercion and expect the other party is as well

chaotic evil creatures can establish consent through coercion, bribery, or fraud or any combination of the three and expect the other party is as well

a creature's alignment will change based on how it attempts to establish consent weather it is successful or not

coercion

coercion is threatening to do harm or doing harm to force a behavior or consent

coercion changes a creature's alignment to evil

coercion by lawful creatures used to get a creature to do something that is less than honorable changes its alignment to true

coercion by anyone used to get a creature to do something dishonorable changes its alignment to chaotic

knowing coercion was performed on your behalf is enough to change your alignment if you stay as an ally

arresting is not considered coercion

creating undead

a good creature that creates an undead has its alignment changed to neutral

a creature that loses control of an undead it created changes its alignment to evil

if a created undead does something evil the spellcaster that created it becomes evil as well

if a created undead does something chaotic or dishonorable the spellcaster that created it becomes chaotic as well

if a created undead does something less than honorable the spellcaster that created it becomes true as well unless it is already chaotic

darkness

only good creatures consider fighting a creature blinded by darkness to be dishonorable and good creatures don't consider it dishonorable in self-defense

disguise

a lawful creature that conceals its identity is less than honorable and changes its alignment to true

a lawful creature that changes its identity to appear as someone or something else is dishonorable and changes its alignment to chaotic

lawful creatures rely on heraldry when in armor to prevent this alignment change

in your heraldry all classes, and subclasses, as well as their levels and your personal sigil are required to clearly visible from your front

failing to display your heraldry makes you true

wearing false heraldry makes you chaotic

divorce

requires the consent of the one being divorced

committing adultery, spousal abandonment, or nonconsensual acts are all considered consent for divorce

if there are more than the two in the marriage the others must pick a side or divorce everyone involved on both sides

assets are divided with adults getting two shares and each dependent under thirteen getting one share

guardianship of the dependents goes to lawful guardians first, true guardians second and chaotic guardians last with biological parents getting priority over adopted parents, and biological mothers over biological fathers then adopted mothers over adopted fathers and then mothers over fathers with the exception of dependents over the age of six getting to chose

fraud

is any lying used to get consent

using a spell, like the various charm, illusion, or shape changing spells to get consent is also considered fraud

a charm spell that requires or effects a social skill roll is considered fraud, an charm spell that does not require a skill roll is considered coercion

honorable combat

honorable combat must be asked for and consented to

honorable combat is a duel where the creatures start 30 feet apart with no active magic spells on either opponent at the beginning of the combat

it is dishonorable to interfere with an honorable combat so a creature interfering in an honorable combat changes its alignment to chaotic

interfering includes voluntarily getting inside the 30 foot circle the combatants started with

continuing to fight your opponent in an honorable combat that has been interfered with is dishonorable and also changes your alignment

lawful creatures refusing honorable combat change their alignment to true

dependents, non-fighters, and true creatures can and often do appoint champions

chaotic characters could care less about honorable combat or its rules unless it gives them an advantage somehow

the long lost gods of the hobgoblins prevented fortune of the many from being considered interference, not that the fey care, but others bemoan the fact

innocent

everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a divine trial

no one traveling at a normal pace to a divine trial can be arrested for on that trip

a lawful creature must set out immediately after its forth long rest after being informed of the order to appear

a true creature cannot resist arrest but doesn't have to appear on its own

a chaotic creature believes no one can judge it and often resists arrest

known refusal to appear makes a creature subject to arrest

incapacitated opponents

attacking an incapacitated opponent will change a creature's alignment to chaotic and evil

indentured servant

any creature that is not free is an indentured servant

a creature's freedom can be taken away because of crimes (including debts and capture in war)

by divine law sentient creatures cannot be born into indentured servitude with the key word being born, the war-forged and auto-gnome are crafted

criminal slaves must work off their debt with the fine for their crimes being the debt owed

enemies in war must work off three years of their current lifestyle or seven years of their current lifestyle if they were an enemy combatant

an enemy combatant is anyone that has not had a long rest since fighting so it is common to negotiate a surrender for sometime after a long rest

indentured servants must be paid their prevailing wages with which they can pay their lifestyle costs, tithes and offerings

what the indentured servant returns to its master is used to pay off its debt

it is not unknown for some indentured servants to die before that time or to just never pay their debt off

indentured servants that refuse or shirk work can be paid less or have their pay withheld all together after a trial

lawful indentured servants will not try to escape or shirk their duties as long as they are treated well

true indentured servants will not try to escape from their duties as long as they are treated well

indentured serpents can refuse to be sold to a master of a different alignment

larceny

is the taking of another sentient creature's property with the intent of permanently depriving the owner of that property

it is assumed that the property was borrowed if no one is there to ask unless or until other mitigating factors arise such as refusing to return the property when asked, trying to sell the property, or allowing the property to be stolen, lost, or destroyed

taking another creature's property is not larceny if the creature gives its consent

larceny is dishonorable and will change a creature's alignment to chaotic

marriage

can be between two or more creatures but all creature's involved must give their consent to enter the marriage with every other creature involved

murder and manslaughter

the alignment changes are under coercion

murder requires the creature pay fifteen years of the victim's lifestyle

manslaughter requires the creature to pay seven years of the victim's lifestyle

needy

needy is defined as any sapient creature lacking anything that would cause material suffering

most notably food, or water, and shelter in hostile environments

this may also include the need for various cures and restoratives as well depending on the circumstances

a creature in harm's way is considered needy

a good creature not helping the needy changes its alignment to true

none of the above apply to the needy that refuses the help

offerings

on temple day each week good creatures must pay two day's lifestyle to their temple and neutral creatures must pay one day's lifestyle

failure to do so at your first opportunity changes your alignment

offerings go to help the needy

needy good creatures can always get food at a good temple appropriate to their lifestyle

needy good and neutral characters can always get food at a neutral temple appropriate to their lifestyle

good creatures pay the listed costs for spells at good temples

good and neutral creatures pay two times the listed costs for spells at neutral temples

all creatures pay three times the listed costs for spells at evil temples

parley

parley is often requested verbally or with a white flag

refusing to parley is dishonorable and will change a creature’s alignment to chaotic

a parley that is used to gain an advantage over an opponent is dishonorable and changes the creature's alignment to chaotic

such things as rearranging the positions of the combatants and so on count as trying to use the parley to gain an advantage with such actions automatically ending the parley as does anything listed under attacking first

personal property

personal property is the possessions a creature personally owns and takes care of

a boat, a herd, or a steading is personal property if the creature takes care of it with no more than help from its family

yes, adoption is often used to grab and control as much as possible

mounts and personal vehicles as well as the arms, armor, magical foci, and other magical items you regularly use on an adventure are personal property

taking another creature's property that is not personal changes the creature's alignment to neutral

taking another creature's personal property changes your alignment to evil

note this is in addition to the penalties listed for larceny if it also applies

prevailing wages

prevailing wages are what a particular job pays

a standard workday is ten hours

to work twelve hours costs one-third more

to work fourteen hours costs two-thirds more

to work sixteen hours costs twice as much

requiring a worker to work more than twelve hours changes a good employer's alignment to true

requiring a worker to work more than fourteen hours changes any employer's alignment to evil

creatures that pay less than prevailing wages daily change their alignment to true

creatures that pay less than half prevailing wages change their alignment to chaotic

ranged attacks

ranged attacks against targets while outside of the range of their prepared ranged attacks is not honorable and changes a creature's alignment to true

a creature that is close enough to move and attack you is never considered out of range

fleeing creatures or creatures that cannot see you have no ranged attacks

resisting arrest

changes the creature's alignment to chaotic as does assisting anyone else in resisting arrest

sapient

any creature that can understand a language is considered sapient

sexual assault

is any sexual contact without consent

lawful creatures must be married to each other to give consent for sex

self-defense

is a lawful reason for causing harm or even killing

self defense includes the defense of self or the defense of others that qualify for the self-defense claim

attacking first is not self defense unless the opponent refused an opportunity to surrender

shunning

lawful, true, good, and neutral creatures can have their alignment changed because of the actions of their party

one way to prevent this is to shun the offending party members

from the time of the shunning on the two creatures are no longer allies and all abilities, effects, or spells are cast on the other as if they are not allies until the offending creature makes restitution

treating the shunned creature as an ally changes the shunning creature's alignment

the shunning can end if the creatures makes atonement

stealth

using stealth and hiding used against a sapient creature changes a lawful creature's alignment to true

stealth and hiding used to infiltrate or gain an advantage against an opponent changes a creature's alignment to chaotic

this also applies to invisibility and illusions

surrendering opponents

attacking a surrendering opponent will change your alignment to chaotic evil

this also applies if the creature is are part of a group that attacks surrendering opponents and does not shun them immediately

attacking a surrendering opponent is never considered self-defense no matter what happened before the creature tried to surrender

temple trials

everyone is allowed a temple trial

the temple chosen is determined by the alignment of the litigants

in mixed alignment lawsuits the following order is followed: lawful over true over chaotic while simultaneously respecting good over neutral over evil

court costs are paid by the losing litigant which includes a detect evil and good spell as well as any other spells the judge decides are necessary

temple trials are as just as the temple they are held in

truthfulness

lawful creatures must tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth or their alignment changes to true

true creatures don't have to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, but if they actually lie their alignment changes to chaotic

chaotic creatures can lie like rugs

tithes

on temple day each week lawful creatures must pay two day's lifestyle to their temple and true creatures must pay one day's lifestyle

failure to do so at your first opportunity will change your alignment

tithes support the temple and its staff as well as lodging for the faithful

lawful temples always provide housing to the best of their ability to the lawful needy

true temples always provide housing to the best of their ability to the lawful and true needy

lawful creatures pay 1cp + 1cp per spell level for spells (plus the cost of any expendable components) at lawful temples

lawful and neutral creatures pay 1sp + 1sp per spell level for spells (plus twice the cost of any expendable materials) at neutral temples

all creatures pay 1gp + 1gp per spell level per spell for spells (plus thrice the costs of any expendable materials) at chaotic temples

torture

torture is covered under coercion when done for coercive purposes and when done for any other reason it changes the creature alignment to chaotic evil

unconscious opponents

are treated as if they surrendered

attacking an unconscious opponent will change a creature's alignment to chaotic evil

using poisons

will change a lawful or true creature’s alignment to chaotic when used on sapient creatures

will change a lawful creature’s alignment to true when used on non-aligned creatures

this does not apply to a creature with a racial poison damage ability when they use that ability

this also applies to the use of biological weapons