Post by Sabata on Aug 15, 2013 8:16:44 GMT -5
A few things about Alignment before I get to explaining them.
Alignments are not meant to restrict a character's mentality in any way shape or form, merely help show your character's morality. Alignments are vague and open to interpretation, you might consider your character to be Neutral-Evil, while another might consider him or her Chaotic-Neutral. This guide is not meant to restrict your character's behavior, it's just a nice add-on to the profile.
Classic D&D Alignments:
On the base moral compass for Dungeons & Dragons, there are a total of nine alignments.
Basically speaking, Lawful and Chaotic mean follows the rules and doesn't follow rules respectively. Good and Evil mean generous or selfish. This is stripping down the ideas to their most basic and there's wiggle room in both axes. Ultimately, your character's alignment depends on how you see them or how they see themselves. While alignments can be nebulous and vague, keep in mind, be reasonable. The Evil Overlord who shoots puppies for fun is NOT Lawful Good.
Lawful Good: A character who believes a specified set of rules is for the greater good. Motivations can be secular or religious. Lawful good characters typically fit roles such as knights in old tales, righteous paragons of justice who fight in the greater good. The character doesn't need to be exactly like this, and they're specific "laws" and definition of good are subjective.
Neutral Good: Simply put, a character who is interested in the greater good, regardless of morality. Willing to go against ideas of both law and freedom so long as they follow what they themselves think is right. This type of character could possibly either blend Law and Chaos and maintain balance between them, or eschew them both as dangerous extremes.
Chaotic Good: Believes in freedom as the greater good. Could see laws as ultimately destructive and leading to corruption, could see people's natural instincts as good. A Chaotic good character could be a freedom fighter, or someone who is good but ultimately disagrees with the laws and authority that claim sovereignty over him or her.
Lawful Neutral: Focused upon the law, fairness, and justice, even if it means not doing the right thing. A by the books character with unswaying loyalty to the law. Similar to the Lawful good, they can believe law is the greater good, or they can believe that law is needed to function. Maybe they only follow the law because it's their job and they feel a duty to do so.
True Neutral/Neutral Neutral: Generally comes in two flavors. The first feels a need to maintain balance between all things. Perhaps this is out a sense of need for ultimate objectivity, perhaps this is out of a sense of nihilism or a seeing balance as enlightenment. The second perhaps solely wants to be left alone and be left unbothered by anything outside of their own lives.
Chaotic Neutral: Could be an anarchist, or simply someone who looks out only for themselves. They may value their own freedom above all else. Could indicate that they value freedom above all else, or simply dislike the idea of being tied down by law. Either way, these characters, like they're opposite Lawful Neutral, aren't necessarily involved in good or evil, perhaps simply uninterested or seeing them both as distractions from freedom.
Lawful Evil: Can use the law a defense or shield for their own depraved actions, or perhaps uses it as an excuse for evil. Likely follows the letter of the law, but by no mean follows the spirit of it. Perhaps a corrupt judge or police officer. May create the laws, but only to suit their own gain or liking.
Neutral Evil: This could be someone incredibly selfish, or extremely nihilistic, doing things simply because they can, regardless of what anyone says about it. They may have ethics of some kind or may simply be horrible people. Whatever reasons they have for their actions, those are actions are usually always centered around themselves or their own well being with a complete disregard, or perhaps even a joy, for hurting people in the process.
Chaotic Evil: Generally sees freedom as a reason for their evil, or evil as a reason for their freedom. Chaotic evil may want freedom and a lack of law, but only as a pretense that they can then do whatever they want to do. Maybe they want freedom, and the ends justify the means of whatever they do. Maybe law doesn't even mean anything to them, they just do what they want regardless.
Additional Alignments:
In addition to the above nine alignments, this site makes use of two additional alignments. These alignments are a tad different, both more nebulous and somehow more specific. Both tend to denote obsession and madness.
True Lawful: Similar to lawful neutral, but delving into extremism. A lawful neutral character is obsessed with the code they follow to the degree that it is literally all that matters, no matter the motivation. True Lawful is the kind of person that follows dogma and rules to a T, but somehow the meaning is lost on them so that all crime becomes evil and punishable only by erasure.
True Chaotic: A complete disregard for all rules of society. They may have a have a method to their madness, or just be mad, either way a True Chaotic character entirely eschews the norms and laws of society for their own interests. Following any rules or laws is complete coincidence only suits whatever goals they have ultimately, as lofty or insane these goals may be.