Goblin Squad Member
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One of the questions regarding alignment is how does a character who has an evil core and active alignment make a major game change and seek redemption; forsake the monster he is and turn towards a good alignment.
Factions might allow major changes to core alignment that would be rare, difficult and hard to game. Not all factions would need to offer the change to core alignment, but most religious factions probably would, allowing a player to rededicate her life with membership in the faction. It would require some modification of the factions as we understand them.
1. The character would be joining a faction without meeting the alignment restrictions. The character could start at (new) Rank 0, and only advance to Rank 1 when all other membership requirements are met. There may be costs involved, or other restrictions. For example, while the character is at Rank 0, he might not be able to join or advance in any other faction. He may be limited to vows of poverty, etc., if that kind of thing could be implemented.
2. Upon gaining Rank 0, the character's core alignment is reset to the faction's alignment. If he belongs to other factions that require a different core alignment, he is considered lapsed and is no longer eligible for benefits of those memberships. A character can rejoin such a faction in time, if he later meets the membership restrictions.
3. If he was an active member of a faction that is an enemy of his new faction, he may be considered an apostate in his old faction. If so, he is flagged as hostile to members of his old faction for some time (2 weeks per rank held?). A character can never rejoin a faction after he has rejected it through apostasy.
4. A character can only seek redemption in new factions, not those he belongs to, even in lapsed status. Factions have long memories, and will not be there for you in the future if you reject them.
The redemption process would be limited, with each character only able to be redeemed a limited number of times without alienating all factions. It might have any number of restrictions on the Rank 0 members, as they wait for the core alignment to slowly correct the active alignment. And rejecting past faction allies may lead to revenge for apostates, depending how forgiving that faction is.
I assumed changing Core alignment would have to do with questing.
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Goblin Squad Member
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A general sentiment:
I'm a bit circumspect on making a social grouping transfer or accumulation of "social credit" just a form of PvE or grinding at a system. Some sort of expensive series of player-set contracts with obvious onus (aka in any other circumstance: raw deal) on the neophyte? And final pardon/grading on the masters/leaders (highest ranked players) of the council of a particular faction. I know in EVE goons set up "pay us x money to join" and other dubious shenanigans such as that, but player-bespoke quest-contracts would be preferable I think.
Responding to the OP:
For factions those all seem suitable checks and balances and hoops to jump through. I like. I think for severe reversals perhaps the above "raw deal" contracts would be useful "player discretion" tools to test and challenge the resolve of the "turn-coat" and even add a final deterrent to a clear attempt at a mole embedding in a faction etc. also brings an element of "faith" vs "conned".