I like little bespoke mechanics. Here’s one:

Levelling up by alignment

If you’re good, you get XP for giving gold to benefit the poor or needy. For example, starting a soup kitchen, tithing to a church, donating to an orphanage.

If you’re neutral, you get XP for spending gold to benefit the betterment of your body or mind. For example, researching a spell, buying a horse, or training a new skill.

If you’re evil, you get XP for spending gold on your own comfort or pleasure. For example, eating an expensive meal, indulging in narcotics, or paying for a personal valet.

Note: I’m not here to argue about the meaning of alignment in elfgames. if you’re concerned about words like “good” and “evil”, change them. Make suggestions in the comments. The point is, if alignment exists, I want it to mean something, and introducing a rule like this gives them a meaning in a way I like. This isn’t a particularly novel take — XP variants for different classes are common — but it’s fun to make different parts of the design bear weight, instead of everything belonging to class.

Idle Cartulary

Playful Void is a production of Idle Cartulary. If you liked this article, please consider liking, sharing, and subscribing to the Idle Digest Newsletter. If you want to support Idle Cartulary continuing to provide Bathtub Reviews, I Read Reviews, and other work, please consider a one-off donation or becoming a regular supporter of Idle Cartulary on Ko-fi.