Basic Trope: There are benefits to being on either end of a Karma Meter, but not for being in the center.
- Straight: Alice and Bob are both loaded out with morality-based benefits, while
Charlie is not. - Exaggerated:
- Charlie gets literally nothing in his life for being neutral.
- Charlie is plagued with active detriments for being neutral.
- Downplayed: Being good or bad will result in both rewards and penalties. The "reward" to being neutral is not receiving any penalties.
- Justified:
- Charlie is a wild card and neither side of a Black-and-White Morality system is willing to ally with her.
- It's not a Karma Meter, but an Alliance Meter of morally grey factions. And none of them are willing to provide support to an unreliable ditherer, or give a selfish mercenary anything but the promised payment.
- Inverted: Being an All-Loving Hero or an Omnicidal Maniac results in Crippling Overspecialization, while a True Neutral character can tap into the best of both worlds.
- Subverted: Alice and Bob have benefits throughout the game for their morality, but only Charlie can get the Infinity +1 Sword or the Golden Ending.
- Double Subverted: Charlie actually gets the Penultimate Weapon and a Sudden Downer Ending.
- Parodied: ???
- Zig Zagged: Charlie gets the respect of some characters or benefits against some enemies, but these are only relevant in a few sections of the game.
- Averted: There are benefits or penalties to neutrality.
- Enforced: The developers feel that the good and evil paths are the game's strong suits, and disincentives neutrality accordingly.
- Lampshaded: "You know what your problem is, Charlie? You're just too wishy-washy to make a good hero."
- Invoked: A Villain with Good Publicity calls out Charlie's lack of commitment to any morals to turn people against her.
- Exploited: The villain manipulates Alice and Bob into going against their morality so that they lose its benefits.
- Defied: "Charlie, a lot of people don't trust someone without a moral code, but I'm not one of those people. Moral codes can lead you astray, but you just do whatever you think is right, and I support that."
- Discussed: "Charlie, if this were one of those games with a moral compass, you would be right in the middle, and it would not be doing you any favors."
- Conversed: "Ever noticed how games with a Karma Meter only ever seem to reward you for going to one end or the other?"
If you're really good or really evil, you'll get some bonuses at No Points for Neutrality.
