Topic: Corruption: do you use these rules?

[EltonJ]

I was wondering if anyone does use Corruption.  In a world like Eberron, corruption isn't something that comes up -- usually.  There are grafts, the dalkyr, and other sources.  But one isn't corrupted by his actions.

[MisterK]

I was wondering if anyone does use Corruption.  In a world like Eberron, corruption isn't something that comes up -- usually.  There are grafts, the dalkyr, and other sources.  But one isn't corrupted by his actions.

I don't, at least, not as a star wars-like dark side corruption. There is a risk of corruption, but it comes from using external sources of power that "rewire" the being into something more useful to them. You don't get corrupted by performing despicable or unspeakable acts, you get corrupted because you literally sold yourself to something alien to achieve your goals, and that something alien is changing you inside.

[intothatdarkness]

In my setting I use something closer to what MisterK describes. Any form of corruption (or taint) comes from using a specific source of magical power. Some casters (anything designated Evil) are automatically considered tainted (as this is where their power comes from), but there's a secondary list of casters who are subject to taint at specific points (usually when acquiring a new list of spells or higher-level spells...with great power and all that). Those casters have the ability to recognize what's happening and renounce their path (by changing profession...yes, I allow this in my setting). If they remain on the (increasingly) evil path, they start losing a certain level of character autonomy and free will.

Non-casters can serve this power as well, obviously, but they're handled a bit differently.

I don't use this in any setting other than my own, because it's directly related to how that setting came to be. Back when I'd run Greyhawk campaigns, we didn't use corruption at all because it wasn't really part of that setting.

[pastaav]

In my game, I have two kinds of corruption. Anyone that becomes the target of evil spells (or evil items) suffers from being touched by evil and needs to be purified at a temple. If a character goes too long without seeking assistance from priests, the corruption starts to become permanent.

Doing evil acts does not normally cause corruption, but if you actively do actions to aid the forces of darkness, you risk getting temporary corruption. Anyone selling their soul to dark forces to get evil spells directly gets permanent corruption that cannot be clenched.

The number of corruption points (temporary and permanent) determines how easily a major evil can control the character.

Spells like Detect Evil will find people with corruption points but cannot tell if it is temporary or permanent corruption, so the players cannot use it to find the bad guy by just using the spell.