Dungeons & Dragons’ Official Alignment Test Needs Updating

There are many factors that come into play when someone sits down to build a character for a new Dungeons & Dragons campaign, but picking their alignment can be tricky. From selecting a class to understanding a species, D&D character creation can be complex and time-consuming, and one of the things most players are expected to understand before launching into their adventure is Character Alignment. This helps players determine how their character may respond in certain situations, and D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast has provided an official test to help players understand how to align a character within Dungeons & Dragons‘ morality system.

A character’s alignment can be used to influence things like which class the D&D character plays and how they respond in social settings. D&D crosses aspects like law vs. chaos with good vs. evil for nine different alignment combinations. A character in D&D can be lawful, neutral or chaotic, and that is paired with good, neutral and evil. A lawful character’s choices might be guided by a church, government or other set of rules and laws, while a chaotic character marches to beat of their own drum, not phased by the rules that govern a kingdom, church or town.

For those who are unsure of which alignment their Dungeons & Dragons character should be, or for players who want to see what kind of choices a certain alignment would make, Wizards of the Coast offers an official alignment test for players to take on behalf of their characters. This test helps guide players who want to make sure their character fits into the correct alignment as dictated by the game’s developers. Questions range from topics about the player’s relationships to family members, friends, and their community to their thoughts on business, economics, and even criminal punishment.

Players can try out the official Dungeons & Dragons Online Alignment Test for themselves to determine where their characters fall on the game’s alignment chart. To ensure proper results, D&D players should try to put themselves in the shoes of the character they will be roleplaying and only answer questions in ways that make sense for them. For example, whether a player’s character is willing to kill a king or fight alongside their countrymen against evil will effect the outcome of their alignment, so if a D&D player wants to roleplay a traitorous rogue it would be better to select answers like “Rulers are invariably corrupted by power” and “If it’s no longer a good deal, then the deal is off,” while someone who wants to roleplay a helpful character should select options along the lines of “Share what food you had with others” and “Long live the queen!“

D&D’s Official Alignment Test Is Over 20 Years Old

There is an issue with the official Wizards of the Coast Alignment Test, however, and it comes down to its age. Originally published in 2000, the test is 20 years old, and it could do with a refresh to reflect the changes that have been made to Dungeons & Dragons over the decades. While most of the questions seem to work well for a basic character, they don’t seem to reflect the complexity of D&D with all that has been expanded through 5e. It might be nice for players to have an updated official version of the test that takes more of the new content into consideration and offers a more up-to-date approach to character alignment, especially for those playing characters that don’t fit the old-school, 3.5e-style gameplay.

Discovering a new character’s Alignment before settling in to play a new D&D campaign with friends is part of the intense process of character creation. With the help of tools like the Alignment Test, players who may not understand the requirements for various alignments can establish where on the sliding scale their character falls. Dungeons & Dragons gameplay is complex, so hopefully players will see Wizards of The Coast refurbish the old Alignment Test to reflect some of the game’s newer changes.

Source: Wizards of the Coast Online Alignment Test

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