Vanilla's page

I've said it before and I will say it again... just don't use alignments. If its good enough for Monte Cook, its certainly good enough for me...

Cheers
Llowellen

Llowellen makes an essential point. You should be more concerned about LN characters not bringing incapacitated felons to the local authorities rather then some worrying morbid quirk over polished skeletal battle souvenirs.

I agree with DeadDM that it is borderline, but revenge isn't evil in itself. The problem is that things often get out of hand, there are a lot of evil intent and actions that usually accompany revenge.

-A lawful good paladin is pure evil to the orc maurader being cut down.
-- I doubt it, orc mauraders usually don't think too much about the ethical ramifications of battle... leastwhile not while they're at it! And afterwards when they're dead it's not much of an issue.

The relevant question would be, what would this orc's relatives think? That they want revenge of course! Evil doesn't really enter into it, besides the orc mauraders relative do know approximately how many humans thev've been murdering the last month. I think the orcs would be uncomfortable justifying their actions in a broader moral realtity beyond revenge.

certain extent. outside of civilization, you can say okay. in town, knock them out and take them to the law for justice. collecting heads
- My Neutral good character would disagree. It's worth a little risk to yourself to carry the prisoners all the way to civilization rather then murder them. Napoleon soiled the memory of his historic persona by slaughtering thousands and thousands of Spanish PoW's. Frontier mentality? Sure, but at the very least set up a jury of outsiders. The party should act as no more then witnesses and accusers.

i know i wouldn't want to play in a group who would stoop to this kind of action.
- Why, as long as they're your friends and you keep in mind it's fantasy then what does it matter. If it spoils your fun I understand. The Golden rule of gaming is that everyone should have a good time.

Of course, a friend of mine I played with once has occasionally played Warhammer 40K as a Chaos Trooper, committing the most despicably evil acts. While engaging in such fantasies is a slippery slope to evil, he seemed like one of those rare sort of nice fellas who can enjoy playing a Chaos Trooper without taking any mental damage from it.
Yes, talk to them I suppose. It sounds like a good way to solve this, but by now you already have, no doubt.

I believe that at some level it is indeed evil to desecrate the bodies that God created (I'm not sure if it's okay if you have just cause - anyone know anything about breaking someone's bones?).

(using some Christian material here) God is the one who smote Sodoma and Gomorra but he is also the one who said to love those who hate you.
Good, I don't think so, except for removing the thugs as a threat to society.
Evil, I'd hesitate to ascribe too much punishment to your players.

But with limited knowledge what can I know? You know your players best, make them and yourself happy. :)

-But the fact they are decorating/lighting them seems to indicate bad intent.
--I think it's cute =^_^=, but you're probably right... since they lost a party member to them.

As a Christian I'm a fierce opponent of moral relativism.

While morbid and probably something of a sin I fail to see the grand evil in using someone's skeletal remains for decoration under most circumstances.

Care for the living (respect the dead, but not at a high cost to the living).

If your players take the skulls of their enemies and polish them into nice little knick-knacks for their living room it shouldn't force an alignment change unless they take an evil pleasure in it.
Evil comes from the inside, not skeletal remains. As long as they do not find pleasure in tormenting their enemies or gloating over the blood they have spilled in revenge I wouldn't infract on their alignment too much, it remains a sin to desecrate someone's earthly remains. Revenge is not evil, but taking pleasure in violence and morbidity may be.

Most importantly however, in regards to D&D, you need to look at the persons as a whole. If they're mostly law-abiding, heroic citizen with an obsession for necromantic-assesories then they have a quirk with clearly evil associations, possibly evil in itself.

They probably deserve an alignment infraction, not an alignment change. Let them work it off if it's so important to them, that's what I would do, but it's your choice.
I think you're letting your personal judgement cloud your perspective a little, this isn't too important I think as long as it doesn't become an obsession or sadistic game - everyone is almost always a little biased.

Good luck with your campaign! ^_^