I am torn between None and "You decide". Both options respect both the world's opinion on you and your own self evaluation/perception.
- You acted poorly according to someone's beliefs - you get a reaction from some part of the world.
Allignment generally exists in DnD to help you navigate your character, this is very useful to newer players, because otherwise the game can turn chaotic very quickly (my first DnD session LOL). I see it as a starting point which can then change at turning points in the story.
While your None option leaves things as is, the "You decide" should probably mean some gameplay changes as well. I'd be happy to read about your vision of how this could be implemented.
As I mentioned, the "You Decide" path would be somewhat difficult to implement. I left it vague on purpose so that I didn't lock it down with just one concept. However, I was thinking something along the lines of:
Character Creation. The game has detailed explanations of what each Alignment means and explains that Alignment is useful because certain items and spells are attuned to different alignments. Example: if you are Lawful Good, you could use the sword of a good angel, but if you are Lawful Evil, Neutral Evil or Chaotic Evil, just touching the sword could hurt you depending on the sword's characteristics. At the very least, you wouldn't be able to use it. A good deity wouldn't allow their weapons to be used by evil creatures and vice versa. Besides this, Alignment helps you roleplay your character. Try to make decisions that you think your character would make based on your chosen Alignment, or if you are between two choices in the game, choose the one that fits the Alignment best."
So, at Character Creation, Larian kind of guides players through the choosing of Alignment and explains why Alignment is important both mechanically and from a roleplaying perspective. Then, at various times, an indicator flashes, letting you know that you have just performed an action that unlocks alignment. You can change alignment at that point if you'd like. This would be after you choose to do something that Larian believes could have a significant impact on alignment. Also, the first time it happens, a Tool Tip pops up explaining the mechanic in detail.
For example. You are a Lawful Good character and you see Shadowheart lying on the beach unconscious. You decide to kill her before she wakes up. You believe she is an evil cleric of Shar. After all, she's wearing all the armor and equipment of a Dark Justiciar. In your mind, it is best to kill her before she kills or tortures or kidnaps others. After killing her, the popup Tool Tip says, "You have just performed an action that could shift your alignment. Whenever you perform such an action, this indicator will flash, letting you know that you could change your alignment if you want to. You decide if your decision warrants a shift in alignment. Based on the action you performed, it would typically be considered an Evil action. However, you may have done it for good reasons. Therefore, it is your call to determine whether the action truly is Evil or Good. Was your action more Lawful or Chaotic... or perhaps it was neither and should be considered a Neutral action. You decide. The indicator will flash until you either click on it and cancel it, click on it and choose a new Aligment, or until you engage in a new dialogue or combat."
Another example would be: You are True Neutral and you decide to join Minthara. You say you're going to wipe out the grove, and she leaves to make preparations. The indicator flashes. You choose to cancel it because you are True Neutral, and you are actually tricking her. You have absolutely no intention of wiping out the grove. You're going to lure her into a conflict with the tieflings and druids so that you aren't facing an army of goblins by yourself. You also don't have to kill Minthara by yourself. You now only have to focus on Gut and Ragzlin. Smart move, True Neutral character.
Ah, but what if you weren't sure whether you were going to join Minthara yet or not? You still cancel it, but then after you reach the wall you decide to join Minthara. Another indicator flashes after you kill the tieflings on the wall and let Minthara in. You open up the popup and choose to shift your alignment to Neutral Evil because you have decided to join the Absolute and you want to benefit completely from being evil (or maybe even Chaotic or Lawful Evil - whatever you want). You have a pretty good idea if you join the Absolute, you're going to start getting a lot of evil aligned gear, and by shifting to that alignment, you will be able to use said really nice evil gear.
Hmmm. Now that I'm spelling it out, this could be the best way to go. Dang it! This leaves a lot of room for players to adapt their characters during the game so that they can change their alignment and not be stuck with it for the duration of the game.
Or maybe instead of what I've outlined above, it could be that every time you level up you can also shift your alignment. That could work too. It might not be as story driven, but it still allows for flexibility - that is, until you reach higher levels and don't level up as much.
Just thoughts, though. I'm not saying this option would HAVE to be like this.
