In Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game, alignment is a categorization of the ethical and moral perspective of player characters, non-player characters, and creatures.
(wikipedia)
Choosing an ethical path helps us to guide our character realistically according to who they really are.
The basic categorisation is good, neutral, and evil. In this post, I'll be using notes I made from a website easydamus.com.
LAWFUL GOOD, "CRUSADER"
A lawfully good character behaves as one would expect a good person to behave.
They combine a commitment to fighting evil with an obedience to do so tirelessly.
They speak the truth, keep their word, help those in need, and stand up against injustice.
A lawfully good character hates to see wrongdoing go unpunished.
Lawful good combines honor and compassion.
They're convinced that order and law are absolutely necessary to assure good.
NEUTRAL GOOD, "BENEFICIARY"
A neutrally good character does the best thing a good person can do.
They are dedicated to helping others. They work with kings and officials, but they do not feel bound by them.
Order is not good unless it brings this to all; neither is randomness and total freedom desirable if it does not bring such good.
They feel that too many laws may unnecessarily restrict the freedom of good beings.
To a neutral good being, life and the assurance of other creatures' rights take precedence over all else.
CHAOTIC GOOD, "REBEL"
A chaotically good character acts as their conscience dictates, regardless of what others expect of them.
They go their own way, but are kind and forgiving.
They believe in goodness and what is "right," but they have little understanding of laws and restrictions. They hate when others try to intimidate them and tell them what to do.
They follow their own moral compass, which, while good, may not agree with the society around them.
To the chaotic good individual, freedom and independence are as important to life and happiness.
LAWFUL NEUTRAL, "JUDGE”
Lawful neutral characters act as they are told by law, tradition, or a personal code.
Order and organization are paramount to them.
Being lawful neutral means that you are reliable and honest without being a fanatic.
Whether a law is good or evil is of no import as long as it brings order and meaning.
Personal gratification of needs and desires is well and fine, as long as this doesn't interfere with the ultimate ordering of the cosmos; all other considerations are secondary.
NEUTRAL, "INDECIATED”
A neutral character does what feels like a good idea to them.
They do not feel a strong bias toward one side or the other when it comes to evil versus good or law versus chaos. Such a character considers good to be a better option than evil.
They are not committed to upholding good in some abstract or general way.
They view good, evil, order, and chaos as undesirable and dangerous extremes. They hold the middle path of neutrality as the best, most balanced path for long-term development.
Neutral means that you act naturally, without influence or coercion.
CHAOTIC NEUTRAL, "FREE SPIRIT"
A chaotic neutral character follows their own ideas of the moment.
They are individualists first and foremost.
They value their own freedoms, but they do not seek to protect the freedoms of others.
They avoid authority, resent restrictions, and oppose tradition.
A chaotic neutral character may be unpredictable, but their behavior is not entirely random.
They are no more likely to “jump off a bridge than to cross it”.
Chaotic neutral represents true liberation from social constraints and the zeal of benefactors.
LAWFUL EVIL, "RULER"
A lawfully evil villain methodically takes what they want within their code of conduct, regardless of who they hurt. They care about tradition, loyalty, and order, but they have no concern for freedom, dignity, or life.
They play by the rules, but ruthlessly and without compassion.
They judge others not by their actions, but by their race, religion, origin, or social standing.
They hate breaking laws or promises. Some lawfully evil villains have specific taboos, such as not killing in cold blood (but they have henchmen to do so) or not letting children be harmed.
Lawful evil represents methodical, deliberate, and often successful evil.
NEUTRAL EVIL, "THE CRIMINAL"
A neutrally evil villain does whatever he can get away with.
Quite simply, he goes after his own interests.
He sheds no tears for those he kills, whether for profit, fun, or opportunity. He has no love for order, nor does he have the illusion that following laws, traditions, or a code of conduct will make him better or more noble.
On the other hand, he does not have the discontented nature or love of conflict that a chaotically evil villain has.
Neutral evil represents pure evil with no honor or alternatives.
CHAOTIC EVIL, "THE DESTROYER”
A chaotically evil character does whatever their greed, hatred, and desire for destruction drive them to do.
They're hot-blooded, ruthless, cruel, moody, and unpredictable.
Fortunately, their plans are haphazard, and any group they join or start is poorly organized.
Usually, chaotic evil people can only be forced to cooperate by force.
Chaotic evil represents the destruction not only of beauty and life, but also of the order upon which beauty and life depend.
By promoting chaos and evil, those of this alignment hope to bring themselves to positions of power, glory, and prestige in a system ruled by individual caprice and their own whim.
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