Creature dispositions (an alternative to alignment)
A while back, I posted on the old blog about a system to assign dispositions to NPCs and adjust their reaction rolls. As so often happens, my original idea was more complex than it needed to be, and would have benefited a lot from paring down and streamlining. More recently, I was pondering how to differentiate monsters without using the traditional D&D alignment system, which is fraught with various issues and has fallen out of favor with some players and DMs, including myself. It occurred to me I could repurpose that old idea to fill the gap. The gist of it is that, instead of an alignment, each monster type, and if desired, NPCs, is assigned one of the following dispositions, which affects its reaction rolls in a particular way. Average : The creature has no strong tendencies, and makes an unmodified reaction roll. Benign : Generally seeking to avoid conflict; agreeable or meek. +1 to reaction rolls. Antagonistic : Inclined toward anger or hostility. -1 to reaction r...