Café de Nuit

So, I was just skimming through my copy of the 3e Raveloft Campaign Setting, when I noticed something that struck me. I'd always glanced over the actual Hala stats there, but I just noticed that Hala is considered to have a (True) Neutral alignment in 3e. But, and I've confirmed this, in 2e's Van Richten's Monster Hunter's Compendium Volume 3, the sidebar "Churches in Van Richten's World" on page 244 states that Hala's alignment is Neutral Good.

So... which of these is accurate?

Also, what's the consensus on a 5e writeup of Hala? Neutral Good Goddess whose Clerics have access to the Arcana and Life domains, and whose priesthood includes a mixture of Clerics, Celestial Warlocks and Divine Soul (Good) Sorcerers?

The alignment of Hala is really up to the individual DM to decide. To me, their actions as described in various 3.x supplements seem to support the Neutral alignment in the same way that St. Cuthbert is Lawful Neutral: not dedicated enough to be Good but certainly opposed to Evil. I always just ruled that clerics of Hala could not be Neutral Evil and always turned undead. Otherwise they're rather passive. Even their opposition to hags also seems borne more of self-preservation than anything else.

I can't comment on 5e. I've settled with 3.x.

As the basic themes for Halans are 'white witches' and 'nuns that heal people', I'd go with NG.

Remember that (in 3e, at least) worshipers could be one alignment step removed from their deity with no problem. So a true neutral Hala could have LN, NG, TN, NE, and CN followers. NG Hala would have NG, CG, TN and LG followers. LG and CG Halans don't really seem to fit with Hala's vibe to me, so maybe that 's why they changed it to TN in 3e?

I'd prefer her N, myself. It suits her better as a member of a pantheon of distant shaper gods, albeit the only one of her group that bothered to close the distance and help mortals out.

Also, it opens the door to some tasty intrigue. If Hala allows NE worshippers, what's to stop her eventually getting a Hag follower and all hell breaking loose in the orders of her faithful?

I would make NG but with one of her rules being not to get directly involved in the lives of others unless strictly necessary. People have to make mistakes to learn from them.

Rock wrote:I'd prefer her N, myself. It suits her better as a member of a pantheon of distant shaper gods, albeit the only one of her group that bothered to close the distance and help mortals out.

Also, it opens the door to some tasty intrigue. If Hala allows NE worshippers, what's to stop her eventually getting a Hag follower and all hell breaking loose in the orders of her faithful?

You might play that out with Bahlinda, who in one Dread Possibility came to inhabit the Sanctuary of the Forgotten Lady in Richemulot, where she is pretending to be one of Hala's witches while simultaneously gathering information about the goddess. See Gaz III p. 105-106 for details.