Aristotelian Personality Generator

8/13/2019 Aristotelian Personality Generator

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THE ARISTOTELIAN PERSONALITY GENERATOR

FOR DUNGEONS & DRAGONS FOURTH EDITION

ARISTOTLE AND VIRTUE

Aristotles concept of virtue is based upon the notion that moderation is the foundation of good

character. Virtues are not to be conflated with acts themselves. A good act alone does not make a

man virtuous. Rather, virtues are states of character conducive to the sort of acts that lead to the

well-being of ones self and ones community (both of which, for Aristotle, are largely

inseparable from the other). Contrasting with virtues are vices. A vice is a state of character given

to excess or deficiency, either of which tends to produce harmful consequences, though often a

vice is sustained by short-term desires and needs. A character prone to vice lacks the wisdom and

the will to overcome the secondary desires or fears that prove an impediment to long-term well-

being. Often this is a result of mere ignorance, though there are many who also suffer from

akrasia, the conscious inability to act in accordance with reason.

Related virtues and vices, of course, are not defined by strict boundaries. The state associated

with a virtue or a vice does not always lead to a certain action. An irascible character does not

always descend into a rage (though he may feel inclined to do so), just as the temperate character

may have a few too many drinks once in a while. It is up to the player to determine when it is

appropriate for his character to act on a vice or a virtue. In times of great duress, a character

given to vice will almost certainly succumb to the excess or deficiency from which he suffers,

though if the moment is trying enough, even the most virtuous character may waver from the

proper path. Virtues and vices, ultimately, are not abstract states, unfelt mechanisms that happen

to direct individuals towards certain acts. Rather, they are ever-present emotional conditions. So,


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while the cowardly character will instinctively feel an urge to flee from the battle, he may yet

muster the will to stand and fight. Likewise, in a rare moment of weakness, the courageous

character may flee from a surmountable threat, and the rash character may very well

acknowledge that a certain feat of daring is just a tad too risky. Again, vices and virtues provide a

basic framework for determining your characters inclination towards certain acts. They should

not be thought of as unwavering restrictions on the characters free will. Rather, vice representsan ongoing struggle for the heroic character, and even for the most wise and noble characters,

maintaining virtue in the face of adversity proves a difficult task.

ARISTOTELIAN PERSONALITY GENERATOR

To generate a personality, determine a characters Wisdom modifier. Apply that modifier to 5.

The number you receive is the number of virtues that your character currently maintains. If you

have less than 10 virtues, the difference between that number and 10 is the number of vices your

character is given to. If your character is Good, add 1 to your base modifier for determining

virtues. If your character is Lawful Good, add 2. If your character is Evil, subtract 2 from your

base modifier. If your character is Chaotic Evil, subtract 4. Evil characters must always have atleast 2 vices. Chaotic evil characters must always have at least 4.

There are ten categories with one virtue (the mean) and two vices (the excess and deficiency)

associated with each category. A character may only have one trait from each category. For

example, a character may not have both the excess and deficiency associated with liberality, just

as the character may not have the mean and excess or mean and deficiency. A player may either

choose his characters vices or roll on the random vice table on the next page (or roll for one vice

and then choose others that seem appropriately compatible).

These, of course, are not strict guidelines. A player may choose to give his character more vicesthan he would normally have, or a DM, to make sure all the characters are somewhat interesting,

may require each character (even the wisest and most morally upright) to have a minimum of one

or two vices. A player may also choose to have her character severely afflicted by one vice rather

than mildly afflicted by two or more. In this case, rather than being somewhat obstinate and

somewhat curmudgeonly, a player may choose to have her character be generally friendly

(ridding herself of the vice of being curmudgeonly) but severely obstinate to the point where her

character pursues the dictates of honor as an unyielding obsession.

In most cases, vices and virtues interact with one another with specific combinations producing

unique personalities driven by intersecting motivations. If, however, a player has difficulty

conceiving how a vice and a virtue are compatible, the player should be allowed to mix and

match until he produces a personality that seems to make sense. Again, virtues and vices are

meant to provide a general framework for roleplaying interesting characters. Their sole purpose

is to help players establish a consistent personality and contribute to the overall narrative in an

effectively dramatic manner.


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RANDOM VICE TABLE

1: Irascible [Excess Anger]

2: Self-Indulgent [Excess Appetite]

3: Oversensitive [Excess Empathy]

4: Cowardly [Excess Fear]

5: Obstinate [Excess Honor]6: Buffoonish [Excess Humor]

7: Envious [Excess Indignation]

8: Vain [Excess Self-Esteem]

9: Anguished [Excess Shame]

10: Servile [Excess Sociality]

11: Curmudgeonly [Deficient Sociality]

12: Indifferent [Deficient Shame]

13: Insecure [Deficient Self-Esteem]

14: Malicious [Deficient Indignation]

15: Morose [Deficient Humor]16: Depraved [Deficient Honor]

17: Rash [Deficient Fear]

18: Callous [Deficient Empathy]

19: Austere [Deficient Appetite]

20: Docile [Deficient Anger]

MOTIVATION SUMMARIES

Each triad of a virtue and its two associated vices is categorized according to a specific

motivation. These motivations are emotional or intellectual forces that impel characters towards

certain acts. Sometimes motivations conflict, sometimes motivations align with one another, butno character is simply an amalgam of competing, mechanical forces. Every character has free

will, the arm of reason, with which he struggles to keep the house of the soul in order. The

various motivations are as follows:

Anger: An emotion that compels characters to act against adversity with increasing force.

Appetite: An urge that compels characters to seek out material goods and pleasures.

Empathy: A complex process that compels characters to share in the emotional states of others.

Fear: An emotion that compels characters to avoid pain and risk.

Honor: An abstract notion that compels characters to observe and respect rules of conduct.

Humor: A curious force that compels characters to delight in the absurd or novel.

Indignation: An emotion that compels characters to ensure others are not rewarded for misdeeds.

Self-Esteem: A notion that compels characters to value and honor themselves.

Shame:An emotion that compels characters to avoid committing wicked and improper acts.

Sociality:A force that compels characters to seek affirmation and friendship among others.


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VIRTUES AND VICES

Anger

Irascible [Excess] - Patient [Mean] - Docile [Deficiency]

Description: Anger affects a character facing difficulty or conflict. The patient character

maintains his anger until it is absolutely necessary to show it. The irascible character is easy to

anger and often lashes out at inappropriate times. The docile character rarely can muster anyvisible anger at all and tends to be submissive to the will of others. In some cases, a docile

character burns with resentment, but it bears so little influence over his actions that it is seldom,

if ever, noticed by anyone else.

Appetite

Self-Indulgent [Excess] - Temperate [Mean] - Austere [Deficiency]

Description: Appetite affects a characters pursuit of sensible needs and pleasures. The

temperate character usually only partakes in what is reasonably sufficient, indulging himself only

when appropriate (e.g., a celebration or festival). The self-indulgent character seeks satisfaction

to the point of excess, typically bringing harm upon himself and wasting money in the process.The austere character feels little inclination towards any physical pleasure at all, generally

partaking only in the minimum of whats necessary for physical sustenance and social propriety.

It is often the case that an austere character is prone to stinginess, but the two traits are not

equivalent. An austere character can be exceptionally charitable in some cases, though if an

austere character is also envious or callous, he will almost certainly be stingy in every respect.

Empathy

Oversensitive [Excess] - Compassionate [Mean] - Callous [Deficiency]

Description: Empathy is the capacity to both be aware of and moved by another persons

emotional state. The compassionate character feels sympathy for others, allowing him to actappropriately when others are in distress. The oversensitive character feels the weight of the

world on his shoulders and is often distracted by excessive concern for the well-being of others.

The callous character feels little for anyone but himself, if even that. This isnt to say that the

callous character is necessarily amoral or indifferent to the well-being of others. A callous

character may very well be interested in morality and justice, he is just not affected by others

pain on a purely emotional level and often fails to perceive it at all. Callousness, however, does

tend to amplify the severity of other vices.

Fear

Cowardly [Excess] - Courageous [Mean] - Rash [Deficiency]

Description: Fear motivates a character to avoid unnecessary pain and danger. Though

unpleasant, fear is vital to the survival of all living beings. Of course, it is especially important

for adventurers, as they must be both wary and wise when making decisions. The courageous

character feels fear but has the will to overcome it when more pressing concerns deem it

necessary. The cowardly character tends to be overwhelmed by fear, shrinking from danger when

it presents itself. The rash character pays little to any sense of fear he may have, typically

plunging himself into dangerous situations with little regard for long-term consequences.


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Honor

Obstinate [Excess] - Magnanimous [Mean] - Depraved [Deficiency]

Description: Honor compels characters to act in accordance with what is just and fair. For

Aristotle, the virtue of magnanimity was the crowning virtue, as it is the one that binds all other

virtues together. Magnanimity can be thought of as the capacity to reason through moral and

ethical conflicts in order to arrive at what is truly right and just. The magnanimous character, assuch, strives to be benevolent and fair, dignified but rarely driven to needless acts of vengeance.

The magnanimous character observes proper codes of conduct but not to the point where she will

not forgive the wayward. In contrast, the obstinate character is stubborn and often tyrannical in

her observance of proper conduct. She tends to value laws and rules for their own sake, and

rarely reflects on the complexity of ethical quandaries, instead pushing forward with her rigid

idea of whats right. Often, the obstinate character is excessively concerned with her own dignity,

and will needlessly pursue justice for even the most trivial slights. The depraved character has

little concern for codified values. She will twist and bend rules to her own ends, lying and

cheating whenever necessary. When driven to revenge, the depraved character does so less out of

a sense of honor than the view that anyone who impedes her goals must be dispatched as a matterof sheer practicality. Obviously, there are fewtrulymagnanimous individuals, but many lesser

individuals, seeking to strike a balance between the general axioms of ethics and the particular

moral circumstances of the moment, are inclined towards this virtue.

HumorBuffoonish [Excess] - Witty [Mean] - Morose [Deficiency]

Description: A characters sense of humor both defines what he finds amusing and his tendency

to attempt to amuse others. The witty character delights in clever phrases and novel jokes, though

he is tactful and reverential when appropriate. The buffoonish character takes a tremendous

amount of joy from all manner of silliness and tends to irreverently interject what he finds

humorous into any situation. The morose character finds little amusement in anything and tends

to be dismissive of those who do.


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Indignation

Envious [Excess] - Righteous [Mean] - Malicious [Deficiency]

Description: Indignation is a sort of moral anger or resentment that is directed towards those

who prosper undeservingly. The righteous character feels indignation only when the unjust and

wicked are rewarded for their misdeeds with good fortune. The envious character is indignant of

any good fortune that befalls anyone but himself. In some cases, envy manifests as sanctimonywhen it is buttressed by religious doctrine. The malicious character is one who feels little or no

moral indignation whatsoever. Some malicious characters even takes delight in others

undeserved misfortune! While it is often the case that an envious character will seem to act with

malice towards those he feels are undeserving of their good fortune, the envious character is

earnestly repulsed by what he perceives as somehow unjust. The envious character, on some

level, believes he is setting things right, whereas the malicious character, on some level,

recognizes that he is in the wrong. At its furthest extreme, malice manifests as a hunger for the

misery of others with no consideration for what anyone truly deserves.

The exact sense of what constitutes righteousness varies among different belief systems, and it is

even possible for a deluded character to be both evil and righteous at once. To differentiatebetween this virtue and its related vices, keep in mind that all of them are defined by a certain

motivating force. Indignation primarily concerns fairness and equality. The envious character,

given to excessive indignation, is troubled by any perceived inequality (especially when he is on

the lesser end). The righteous character feels no indignation towards those who enjoy better

fortunes through hard work or sheer chance. The righteous character concerns himself only with

inequality brought about by what he considers unjust deeds or situations. The malicious character

cares nothing for inequality, and as such, tends to promote inequality himself.

Self-Esteem

Vain [Excess] - Confident [Mean] - Insecure [Deficiency]Description: Self-esteem is the respect a character personally feels for herself. Though ones

self-esteem tends to relate to things such as honor and indignation, this is not always the case. A

character may despise herself while still despising others or seeking equitable treatment in the

public square. The confident character recognizes her positive qualities and takes pleasure in her

achievements without overestimating her true worth. The confident character understands that

pride must be earned through good acts. The vain character thinks of herself as being essentially

greater than others. Vain characters tend to demand excess praise, even when it is not justified.

The insecure character thinks little of herself, and though she may defend her honor, she

underestimates her virtues and the value of her achievements. Both insecure and vain characters

are especially susceptible to ridicule, but for different reasons. Vain characters cannot stand to

have their value questioned, especially by lesser beings (i.e., generally, everyone but himself).

For insecure characters, verbal barbs cut deeper than they would for more confident characters.

As such, some insecure characters can be driven to violence by the most minor insult.


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Shame

Anguished [Excess] - Humble [Mean] - Indifferent [Deficiency]

Description: Shame emerges when a character has committed an ignoble act or failed at some

important task. Shame, like fear, is a vital emotion for social beings. A humble character

experiences shame as a reminder that he is fallible and responsible for his own mistakes. A

humble character learns from shame but is not debilitated by it. An anguished character isoverwhelmed by shame, and it is often the case that anguished characters feel shame over trivial

acts or thoughts to which most would pay no mind. Anguished characters are tortured by the

memory of what has shamed them and will often pursue irrational acts to right the perceived

wrong. An indifferent character is unfazed by his failures and misdeeds, feeling little or no sense

of responsibility for the consequences of his acts. Though the two are often related, shame differs

from self-esteem to the extent that it concerns individual acts. A vain character might

overestimate his worth in general, but he may still feel shame when confronted with failure.

Shame also relates to empathy, but it is not uncommon that an empathic character lacks shame.

Even an oversensitive character, troubled by the suffering around him, may still feel little shame

for his own acts, instead blaming external conditions for everyones misfortune. Shame is alsooften tied to a characters sense of honor, but honor primarily concerns the actual drive to adhere

to specific codes of conduct. If a particularly obstinate character were to act dishonorably, it is

not a given that he will be stricken with shame. A sense of honor is no guarantee against

hypocrisy. Similarly, a depraved character may lie and cheat, yet still anguish over his every

misdeed. Certainly, knowledge of what is right and true is no guarantee against vice.

Sociality

Servile [Excess] - Friendly [Mean] - Curmudgeonly [Deficiency]

Description: Sociality is the tendency to seek out groups and the friendship of others. A friendly

character is pleasant to those whose company he seeks. He is not unwilling to extend courtesyand grant favors, though he does so for reasonable ends and is wise enough to show restraint

when dealing with others. The servile character is overeager for the friendship and affirmation of

others. He extends needless flattery, and may even endure abuse to keep himself in desired

company. A curmudgeonly character cares little for friendship beyond what he finds immediately

necessary and will actively drive away those who inspire only disinterest. Often, the

curmudgeonly character is sullen, rude, and abrasive even while seeking out company!

PERSONALITY ARCHETYPES

The above virtues and vices, obviously, do not precisely articulate every possible character trait.

Many personality archetypes find expression in combinations of the above virtues and vices.

Here are a few examples of some particularly troubled personalities:

The Depressive:Anguished, Insecure, Morose

The Liar:Depraved, Insecure, Malicious

The Miser: Austere, Callous, Envious

The Puritan:Austere, Obstinate, Vain

The Sycophant: Docile, Envious, Servile


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VIRTUE CHECKS

If the players are willing to have their characters free will impinged on from time to time, vices

can be incorporated into the game as threats like any other. Virtue checks are challenges in which

the DM rolls against a characters Will defense to determine if that character is compelled

towards an unwise course of action.

Virtue Check: A virtue check occurs when a situation emerges that enflames a

characters vice. The DM rolls a d20 against the characters Will defense. If the DM rolls

a natural 20 or exceeds the characters Will defense, the character must act in accordance

with the tested vice. If the DM rolls a natural 1 or falls short of the characters Will

defense, the character manages to resist his vice. The DM should modify her roll

according to the severity of the test:

Mundane Test:If the test involves a fairly normal situation, the DM simply rolls a

d20 with no further modifications.

Severe Test: If the test is unusually severe in nature, such as a temptation the likes

of which a character has rarely experienced, the DM rolls a d20 + 5. Supernatural Test: If the test is provoked by extraordinary, supernatural forces

beyond the limits of mortal powers, the DM rolls a d20 + 10.

Ultimate Test: If the test is directly provoked by an immensely powerful being,

such as an evil god, the DM rolls a d20 + 15.

If a character suffers from an especially severe vice (such as a single vice intended to

replace two lesser vices), add an additional +5 to the DMs roll.

Examples of Virtue Check Situations

Anguished: The character is offered a risky opportunity to make amends for a past failure.

Austere: The character is asked to partake in some festivities by an easily offended noble.Callous: The character is approached by a grieving friend seeking solace.

Cowardly:The character is asked to carry out an especially dangerous task.

Depraved: The character is asked about potentially incriminating evidence.

Docile: The character is shouted down by an angry thug.

Envious: The character is called to the aid of a pampered noble.

Indifferent: The character is given an opportunity to make up for a past crime.

Insecure: The character is asked to make a public speech.

Malicious: The character is called to the aid of some helpless villagers.

Obstinate:The character suffers an insult from a disrespectful rogue.

Oversensitive: The character sees an abandoned child or learns of a recent atrocity.

Rash: The character is offered an extremely dangerous opportunity for fame and glory.

Self-Indulgent:The character learns of a nearby festival or sees a snazzy coat in a store.

Servile: The character is asked for a favor by an overbearing friend.

Vain: The character is in a social situation where he must avoid drawing attention to himself.

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