D&D 5E Is trafficking in soul coins ostensibly evil?

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ECMO3

Hero

• Jul 4, 2024

• #1

I am playing a hell-focused high level campaign and most of the party is Good aligned (mostly Lawful Good in fact).

I am a Lawful Neutral character and I am the one using soul coins the most (essentially the treasurer). While using soul coins does have an immoral feel to it, I don't know that it is out of character for such an alignment. I mean the souls are dammed either because they were bad people or because they made a deal with a Devil. From a Lawful Neutral point of view isn't this what they deserve?

Thoughts?

 

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DrJawaPhD

Adventurer

• Jul 4, 2024

• #2

Depends on the exact circumstances but I would lean towards No, especially if the characters are in the Nine Hells where soul coins are a standard currency.

 

Paul Farquhar

Legend

• Jul 4, 2024

• #3

Alignment is a personality trait, it has no objective function. So the answer is, do your players feel guilty doing it?

 

T

Torquar

Explorer

• Jul 4, 2024

• #4

I'd say trafficking in souls for your own benefit is evil, yes. Even if the souls are evil, that's literally the business of Devils and Night Hags. Just because the souls are in handy coin form rather than wriggling Larvae doesn't make it less evil.

Also worth noting that only evil creatures can freely carry soul coins, neutral creatures are just as limited as good ones regarding the number they can carry.

 

Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero

• Jul 4, 2024

• #5

DrJawaPhD said:

Depends on the exact circumstances but I would lean towards No, especially if the characters are in the Nine Hells where soul coins are a standard currency.

Click to expand...

So would slavery not be an evil act if you're in a country where it's legal?

 

R_J_K75

Legend

• Jul 4, 2024

• #6

IIRC the Nine Hells is LE aligned. If your character is LN and he’s following the “law” of the Nine Hells then I’d say no.

 

Tonguez

A suffusion of yellow

• Jul 4, 2024

• #7

1 Soul coins can bind a Good soul
2 Freeing a soul from a soul coin is considered a good act, even if the soul belongs to an evil creature.
3 souls in soul coins are tortured and a person holding the coin can feel the souls rage or despair

Based on that Yes using Soul Coins is Evil as it is knowingly perpetuating the torture of a soul, doesnt matter what the souls alignment is, freeing it (ie destroying the coin) is a Good act

Now as to Lawful Neutral, using the coins in Hell is Lawful, so its up to you (and the DM) how the morality scale tips

 

Distracted DM

Distracted DM

Supporter

• Jul 4, 2024

• #8

I could say the "alignment is descriptive, not prescriptive" thing, but yeah you're asking about moral acts.

I'd say the semi-evil thing is to collect them intentionally. "We want this cool sword from this evil devil that will sell it to us for 300 soul coins, let's go out there and find some!"
The GOOD thing is to free the souls within. No material gain afaik, but you're freeing damned souls. Nice.
The REALLY EVIL thing is to destroy those souls as fuel for your hell-vehicle like in DiA :'D

If you're coincidentally coming across them and trading them.. it's walking the line.

 

GMMichael

Guide of Modos

• Jul 4, 2024

• #9

ECMO3 said:

. . . I mean the souls are dammed either because they were bad people or because they made a deal with a Devil. From a Lawful Neutral point of view isn't this what they deserve?

Click to expand...

You should probably ask a Good god. Failing that, your DM (more like a chaotic neutral god).

 

LuisCarlos17f

Legend

• Jul 4, 2024

• #10

If the sould is suffering then it has got a bad karma. Traficking with souls isn't better than slaves trade, or trading with organs of sentient creatures.

Even if you have got the right to punish and cause suffering to a evil soul, it couldn't be good for your karma.