Monk Alignment Concern


Skull & Shackles

Silver Crusade

I'm toying with a monk archetype for the AP. I know I don't like being evil, but good sounds obnoxious. So LN it is. However, how would you play a lawful neutral pirate? A CN one makes sense...it is Jack Sparrow. Any thoughts on a LN pirate?

Maybe one that demands order for piracy? Kind of like a Pirate Navy? All for the good of the ship? Maybe opposed to all forms of piracy except flat-out killing and slavery?


A Lawful Neutral Pirate would likely be a state-sponsored pirate with a Letter of Marque. Think of the English privateers who attacked Spanish gold galleons several hundred years back.


Loyalty to the crew and staunchly following the captain's orders, insists they all get an equal cut, violently puts down mutiny. Probably the one that deals out punishment for offenses on the ship. Ranks to aim for would be FIrst Mate or Bosun.

Silver Crusade

Thanks to both of you. I think I may lean more Ptolmaeus' side. I can see that fitting with this AP better. Though I'll have to figure out how to become a captain, as I plan on that. I'll probably just go with the current captain is unfair to the crew.


tcharleschapman wrote:
I'll probably just go with the current captain is unfair to the crew.

I think you can safely proceed on that assumption....... ;D


Lawful doesn't always mean someone is hellbent on bring order to everything.

Consider the ancient Samurai quandary; "Which is better to serve - the Just Lord or the Evil Lord?"

:
It's the Evil one. Because of their warrior code, Bushido, serving the Evil one is the harder trial of the Samurai. Basically because Samurai be Samurai and such.

Lawful neutral in this campaign shouldn't be too much of a bother.


I'd just have the player conceive of an explanation for the monk sticking with the crew. Perhaps an oath - of allegiance to another PC or to cleanse the seas of their evil nemesis?

A LN character may well simply have a code of their own they adhere to.


Bah, simply take the East of Faith trait and be a monk who's "decided to walk the world a spell."

Before a friend of mine have to leave our run of the AP after book one, he ran a monk named Xian Wu who was played kind of like Shepard Book from Firefly. That character was the first first mate of the campaign.

Sczarni

Yes, Lawful can mean anything from having a personal code of behavior, to having a deliberate contract with a small group, to having official approval from a government. Any or all of these could apply to a Lawful pirate.

Silver Crusade

Of course, there's always the Martial Artist archetype, or the brawler archetype for fighter if you want to do monk-style stuff without being lawful (our group's monk went with Martial Artist and is NE).

We do have a LN on board though, and he goes with the "captain's word is law" style. We decided that if the players want something different, we discuss it out of character and the players' decision is what the captain PC decided on. That way the Lawful character's player was not bound to whatever the others decided, while the character would still be very strict "captain's orders".


This is something that has come up a few times already at our table.

I personally think of most pirates as Lawful in nature--they believe strongly in the causality of natural law--wind, burning sun, storms, etc. They have a strong heirarchy--in some ways very similar to the rules governing Devils. But, most importantly, they have a CODE:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_code

I think playing a Monk who was FERICIOUSLY devoted to this code would be awesome! Not just because of the obvious role play opurtunities that may open up if you really forced the issue on 'stricking one another' but also because of the social fun that rules on Dice & singing would open up for puns and what not.

Most of my table disagrees, and see's pirates more as the Chaotic Johnny Depp type characters--but I think that he is an exception, even in the movies, to the rule & not the standard for a Pirate's ethical position.


Personally, I have a hard time seeing a pirate as lawful. They are more about personal freedoms and avoiding the law. Sure, they have a code, but this is NOT law. The existence of the code does tend to make CN a problem though for some. At best, a pirate MIGHT be lawful evil IMHO, LN requires obedience to the law without favor to good nor evil. I see most pirates as neutral and some buccaneers as CG. Johnny Depp is Hollywierd, not piracy. Enjoyable for the screen and perhaps in role play. Captain Kidd tried to be lawful and got hung for his troubles.

Liberty's Edge

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Jack Sparrow's dad (Edward Teague, Keeper of the Code) is definitely Lawful.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Pirates are bandits of the sea. I've never seen any bandits or thugs in any role-playing game played as having a Lawful alignment and rarely have I seen them Neutral. To me it's pretty simple. You seek out travelers and take their stuff without provocation. Seems pretty chaotic to me.


Martial Artist archetype solves the problem out of the gate. Play whatever alignment you wish!


From Wikipedia, an example of Morgan's code, it would not go over well on the Wormwood for obvious reasons:

I. Every man has a vote in affairs of moment; has equal title to the fresh provisions, or strong liquors, at any time seized, and may use them at pleasure, unless a scarcity (not an uncommon thing among them) makes it necessary, for the good of all, to vote a retrenchment.

II. Every man to be called fairly in turn, by list, on board of prizes because, (over and above their proper share) they were on these occasions allowed a shift of clothes: but if they defrauded the company to the value of a dollar in plate, jewels, or money, marooning was their punishment. If the robbery was only betwixt one another, they contented themselves with slitting the ears and nose of him that was guilty, and set him on shore, not in an uninhabited place, but somewhere, where he was sure to encounter hardships.

III. No person to game at cards or dice for money.

IV. The lights and candles to be put out at eight o'clock at night: if any of the crew, after that hour still remained inclined for drinking, they were to do it on the open deck.

V. To keep their piece, pistols, and cutlass clean and fit for service.

VI. No boy or woman to be allowed amongst them. If any man were to be found seducing any of the latter sex, and carried her to sea, disguised, he was to suffer death; (so that when any fell into their hands, as it chanced in the Onslow, they put a sentinel immediately over her to prevent ill consequences from so dangerous an instrument of division and quarrel; but then here lies the roguery; they contend who shall be sentinel, which happens generally to one of the greatest bullies, who, to secure the lady's virtue, will let none lie with her but himself.)

VII. To desert the ship or their quarters in battle, was punished with death or marooning.

VIII. No striking one another on board, but every man's quarrels to be ended on shore, at sword and pistol. (The quarter-master of the ship, when the parties will not come to any reconciliation, accompanies them on shore with what assistance he thinks proper, and turns the disputant back to back, at so many paces distance; at the word of command, they turn and fire immediately, (or else the piece is knocked out of their hands). If both miss, they come to their cutlasses, and then he is declared the victor who draws the first blood.)

IX. No man to talk of breaking up their way of living, till each had shared one thousand pounds. If in order to this, any man should lose a limb, or become a cripple in their service, he was to have eight hundred dollars, out of the public stock, and for lesser hurts, proportionately.

X. The Captain and Quartermaster to receive two shares of a prize: the master, boatswain, and gunner, one share and a half, and other officers one and quarter.

XI. The musicians to have rest on the Sabbath Day, but the other six days and nights, none without special favour.

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