Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)

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In Dungeons & Dragons , alignment is a categorisation of the moral and ethical perspective of the player characters, non-player characters, monsters, and societies in the game.

The system in the original Dungeons & Dragons consists of three alignments: Law, Neutrality and Chaos. In Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, this became a two-dimensional grid, one axis of which measures a "moral" continuum between good and evil, and the other "ethical" between law and chaos. Those characters that fall on one of the extremes are "good" or "evil", "lawful" or "chaotic"; in addition, there is a middle ground of "neutrality" on both axes, describing characters that are indifferent, committed to balance, or conflicted about the struggle between good and evil (or law and chaos). By combining the two axes, any given character has one of nine possible alignments:

Lawful Good Neutral Good Chaotic Good
Lawful Neutral Neutral Chaotic Neutral
Lawful Evil Neutral Evil Chaotic Evil

For details of alignments in role-playing games in general, see Alignment (role-playing games).

Contents

[edit] History

Game creator Gary Gygax largely derived the alignment system from the cosmology imagined by science fiction writer Michael Moorcock. This is especially evident in the original Dungeons & Dragons game, in which "lawful", "neutral" and "chaotic" were the only three alignments available, with "lawful" including characteristics ascribed to "good" and "chaotic" those ascribed to "evil". The Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game revised the alignment system into the biaxial system that is currently used.

Gygax was also influenced by a novel by Poul Anderson, Three Hearts and Three Lions, in which the forces of law, the paladins of Charlemagne, were at war with the forces of Chaos, the faerie kingdom.[1] Note that elves were of chaotic alignment in the original Dungeons & Dragons.

The first edition of Dungeons & Dragons suggested that Lawful Good was the "best" alignment and Chaotic Evil the "worst". Later editions moved away from this perspective, but continue to discourage player characters of the three evil alignments (Lawful Evil, Neutral Evil and Chaotic Evil).

Certain character classes are restricted in the sorts of alignment they can take. A paladin traditionally must be of Lawful Good alignment; while a monk must be lawful, but not necessarily good. Bards and barbarians are never lawful in alignment, while rogues seldom are. Clerics and other priests must uphold the alignments favored by their deities, typically within a one-step margin. Druids must be neutral along at least one axis (although in prior editions of the game, they had to be neutral on both axes). Assassins are always evil. These restrictions are typically enforced by loss of powers; for example, if a paladin commits an evil act, he immediately loses all his special powers until he atones. Additionally, a Dungeon Master may penalize a player character who acts in marked variance from their declared alignment or may shift the character's alignment to match the actual behaviour.

Players are usually discouraged from playing outright evil characters, leaving these alignments only for non-player characters, as evil characters don't make for heroic fantasy.

The alignment system was originally designed as a tool for the Dungeon Master, and not something the player needed to be much concerned about. As the system became more detailed, many Dungeon Masters used alignments as an encouragement for role-playing, by making stricter judgments over whether player characters' actions matched their alignments.

Dungeon Masters sometimes allow characters to be of an alignment falling between two of the traditional nine alignments; for instance, a character could be neutral good / lawful good, meaning that he is primarily neutral good but has lawful tendencies. Indeed, this system was supported canonically in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons First Edition, particularly in alignments of the Outer Planes as depicted in the Manual of the Planes; for example, neutral good / lawful good is the alignment of the plane of Bytopia. These Dungeon Masters treat alignment as a two-dimensional plane rather than a grid, allowing for a much greater range of alignments. Dungeon Masters using nine strict alignments have often had conflicts with players over punishments for behaviour on the borderlines of one alignment and the next (earlier editions of the game included severe penalties for changing alignment, or for repeated or flagrant violations of one's current alignment).

[edit] Axes

[edit] Good vs. Evil

Good implies altruism, respect for life, and a concern for the dignity of sentient beings. Good characters make personal sacrifices for a greater good rather than for their personal convenience.

Evil implies a concern for one's own ambitions or desires without concern for its consequences to others, or an intentional effort to cause pain and suffering for others. Some evil creatures simply have no compassion for others and kill without qualms if doing so is necessary or convenient to their goals. Others are actively malicious, killing for sport or out of duty to some evil deity or master. Psychopathy, as defined by the twenty points of Hare's Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) certainly comes close to this concept of evil; however, not all evil characters are psychopaths, nor are all psychopaths evil.

Characters who are neutral with respect to good and evil have compunctions against killing the innocent but lack the commitment to make sacrifices to protect or help others. Neutral characters are generally committed to others by personal relationships rather than by a general sense of moral obligation. A neutral character might be prepared to die for his family, or perhaps even his country, but would risk little to help a stranger in need.

Being good or evil can be a conscious choice, particularly in the case of characters or entities that recognize the objective existence of alignment in the default Dungeons & Dragons cosmology. For most people, though, being good or evil is an attitude that one recognizes but does not choose. Being neutral on the good/evil axis usually represents a lack of commitment one way or the other, but for some (particularly druids) it represents a positive commitment to a balanced view. While acknowledging that good and evil are objective states, not just opinions, these people maintain that a balance between the two is the proper place — if not for all people, then at least for themselves.

[edit] Law vs. Chaos

Law implies self-discipline, obedience to authority, and a favour of logic and reasoning over impulse. On the downside, lawfulness can include closed-mindedness, reactionary adherence to tradition, indecision, and a lack of adaptability. Those who consciously promote lawfulness say that only lawful behavior creates a society in which people can depend on each other and make the right decisions in full confidence that others will act as they should.

Chaos implies personal freedom, self-reliance, and emotionality. On the downside, chaos can include recklessness, resentment toward "legitimate" authority, and arbitrary actions. Those who promote chaotic behavior say that only unfettered personal freedom allows people to express themselves fully and lets society benefit from the potential that its individuals have within them.

A person who is neutral with respect to law and chaos has a normal respect for authority and is neither driven by emotions nor a strict code of conduct.

Devotion to law or chaos may be a conscious choice, but more often it is a personality trait that is recognized rather than being chosen. Neutrality on the law/chaos axis is usually simply a middle state, a state of not feeling compelled toward one side or the other. Some few such neutrals, however, espouse neutrality as superior to law or chaos, regarding law and chaos each as an extreme with its own blind spots and drawbacks.

[edit] Alignments

In Dungeons & Dragons there are nine separate alignment categories which characters can fall into:

[edit] Lawful Good

Lawful good combines honor and compassion for the innocent.

Lawful good characters uphold society and its laws, believing that these laws are created to work for the good and prosperity of all. They believe that an ideal society is one with a well-organized government and law-abiding citizens. They are both honest and benevolent, and will work within the established system to change it for the better, and will strive to bring order to goodness that other good-aligned characters might pool their resources to better the world. Lawful good characters combine commitment to oppose evil with discipline. Most lawful good characters live by a strict code of honor, or by the rules of conduct set down by their deity. They will generally selflessly act by these codes even at the cost of their own life.

It must however be stressed that blind obedience to local laws is not required by the Lawful Good alignment. For example, Paladins are not in violation of their alignment if they decide to take up arms against a usurper on behalf of the rightful king, even though that means going against the sedition laws instated by the usurper. This is because the word "law" is actually taken for the concept of "order", and order may fight order. A common theme of lawful good characters is conflict between the laws of the gods (or natural law) and the laws of man (or positive law).

An incorruptible policeman, a ruler or politician who acts for the good of the people, a heroic soldier who strictly obeys the laws of battle and a valiant Paladin are all examples of lawful good characters.

[edit] Neutral Good

Neutral good means doing what is good without bias for or against order.

Neutral good characters do good for goodness' sake, not because they are directed to do so by the law or by whim. These characters believe that the forces of law and chaos should not moderate the need for people to do good. These characters will support social structures only when they are for the good of the community. If overthrowing an existing social order is what needs to be done to foster good, then they will not be afraid to do so. Their need to help others and reduce suffering may take precedence over all else.

A doctor who treats both sides in a fight, a knight who stands up to his own master to protect a wrongfully accused servant and an aid worker who feeds the starving in a war zone are all examples of neutral good characters.

Neutral Good is sometimes described as the "purest" form of good, without bias towards law or chaos, though this has fallen out of favor recently with most of the gods of good being declared "Lawful Good", as well as their attendant servants.

[edit] Chaotic Good

Chaotic good combines a good heart with a free spirit.

Heroes of the downtrodden, chaotic good characters act as their conscience directs them with little regard for what others expect. They believe firmly in making their own way in life, and dislike others who try to intimidate or use their authority on them. They are kind and benevolent, and are strong individualists, hostile to the claims of rules, regulations, and social order. These people will actively work to bring down unjust rulers and organizations and to liberate the oppressed. They find lawful societies distasteful and will often avoid them, living as nomads or hermits.

Noble rebel leaders fighting corrupt or venal regimes, vigilantes acting for what they see as the greater good, mercenaries who only work for the good guys, and anyone who "robs from the rich to give to the poor" are all examples of chaotic good characters.

[edit] Lawful Neutral

Lawful neutral combines reliability and honor, without moral bias.

Lawful neutral characters are directed by law, logic, tradition, or personal code. Order and organization are paramount to them. They may believe in personal order and live by a code or standard, or believe in order for all and favor a strong, organized government, whether that is a compassionate democracy or an oppressive dictatorship.

A Lawful Neutral character feels that the laws should always be followed, for better or worse, and that if one doesn't like the laws or the rules, then they should be changed, not broken. They are very "letter of the Law" types.

This does not mean that Lawful Neutral characters are amoral or immoral, or do not have a moral compass; but simply that their moral considerations come a distant second to what their code, tradition or law dictates. They typically have a strong ethical code, but it is primarily guided by their system of belief, not by a commitment to good or evil.

A functionary, soldier, or employee who follows orders without question regardless of the result; a religious fundamentalist accepting every word of his creed as the absolute truth; and an impartial jurist who sticks rigidly to the rule book are all examples of lawful neutral characters.

Lawful Neutral is sometimes considered the "purest" form of law, without bias toward good or evil.

[edit] Neutral

The neutral alignment is without prejudice or compulsion.

Neutral characters do whatever seems to be a good idea. They do not feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good and evil or order and chaos. They think of good as better than evil; after all, they would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. However, they are not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way.

Most neutrals are simply tired of this concept of 'morality', and find that they draw no meaning from it. These characters are not neutral out of choice, but simply that they care not either way - they are passively neutral, but still fall under the banner of neutral.

An example is a simple farmer whose only concern in life is to work his fields to feed himself and his family.

Neutral is the most common alignment of sentient creatures and the alignment of almost all animals and other creatures of very low intelligence and thus incapable of ethical action. Even man-eating carnivores and animals trained to kill are neutral because they lack the capacity to distinguish between morally right or wrong behaviour. Dogs may be obedient and cats free-spirited, but they do not have the ethical capacity to be truly lawful or chaotic.

[edit] True Neutral

Some neutral characters commit themselves to a philosophy of neutrality. These people are said to be "true neutral". They are rare among adventurers.

True Neutral characters see good, evil, law and chaos as simply prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate that the middle way of neutrality is the best and most balanced road in the long run.

Some true neutral characters will actively support neutrality and balance in the world. They will avoid having to support any one side, whether that be good or evil, order or chaos; and will work to see that all of these forces remain in balance.

In Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, all druids were true neutral. The true neutral alignment is central to the philosophy of neutral druids. This is not true for the newer rules, as druids are allowed to be of any neutral alignment in the more recent 3.5 rules.

This is because a druid's main charges — plants, animals, and the health of the planetary ecology — essentially lack alignment or ethos. Therefore, druids can feel free to use almost any means necessary to protect them.

The druidic order works to maintain the natural balance among the alignments. However, druids do realize that the actions of others — including their own — will prove significant to the cosmic balance. The druid sees the friction between alignments as the driving force in the world.

When faced with a tough decision, a druid usually stands behind the solution that best serves nature in the long run.

A good example of Druidic True Neutrality is a druid helping a village fend off gnolls. However, when the gnolls are close to near extinction, the druid will start taking the gnolls' side to protect them until their race is preserved.

[edit] Chaotic Neutral

Chaotic Neutral is freedom from both society's restrictions and a do-gooder's zeal.

Chaotic neutral characters follow their whims. They are individualists first and last. They value their own liberty but do not strive to protect the freedom of others. They avoid authority, resent restrictions, and challenge traditions. Chaotic neutral characters don't intentionally disrupt organizations as part of a campaign of anarchy. To do so, they would have to be motivated either by good (a desire to help people) or by evil (a desire to hurt people).

Chaotic neutral characters may be unpredictable, but their behavior is not totally random - they are not as likely to jump off a bridge as to cross it. However, they do act on momentary whims, and are known to be unreliable. As some would say, "the only reliable thing about them is that they cannot be relied upon!"

A wandering rogue who lives both by work for hire and petty theft, an eccentric mage who experiments with dangerous magic just to view the results, and a con-artist or hustler who plays all sides against the middle to further his own aims are all examples of chaotic neutral characters.

Chaotic Neutral is sometimes considered the "purest" form of chaos, without bias in favor of good or evil.

[edit] Strongly Chaotic Neutral

There are some Chaotic Neutral characters, such as the Xaositects, who choose to act in a manner that is as random as possible. Such people will regularly change their appearance, their attitudes, even the way they speak . These characters see chaos as the most important force in the universe (similar to how Lawful Neutral characters may see Law as a force upheld regardless of consequences). As a result, these characters might intentionally disrupt organizations on the simple basis that organizations are lawful entities which oppose chaos. Such characters may appear insane to those not similarly inclined towards chaos.

[edit] Lawful Evil

Lawful Evil is the methodical, intentional, and frequently successful devotion to a cruel organized system.

Lawful evil characters methodically take what they want within the limits of their personal code of conduct (which are frequently their laws, as this alignment tends to only work for people in positions of power) without regard for whom it hurts. They care about tradition, loyalty, and order but not about freedom, dignity, or life. They play by the rules, but do so without mercy or compassion. They are comfortable in a hierarchy and would like to rule, but are willing to serve. They are loath to break promises, and are therefore very cautious about giving their word unless a bargain is clearly in their favour.

This reluctance comes partly from their nature and partly because they depend on order to protect themselves from those who oppose them on moral grounds. Some lawful evil villains have particular taboos, such as not killing in cold blood (but having underlings do it) or not letting children come to harm (if it can be helped). They feel these personal morals put them above unprincipled villains but also know that they are protected by the orderly, systematic structure they exist in.

A ruthless dictator or king who cements his rule with laws (such as by making dissent a capital crime, banning opposition parties or denying rights to minorities), a scheming politician amassing ever greater personal power through underhanded means, and a member of a strict, hierarchical cult that practices human sacrifice and torture are all examples of Lawful Evil characters. Lawful Evil is sometimes called "diabolic" because devils are considered the embodiment of Lawful Evil.

[edit] Neutral Evil

Neutral Evil is pure pragmatism without honor and without variation.

Neutral evil characters do whatever they can get away with. They are out for themselves, pure and simple. They shed no tears for those they kill, whether for profit, sport, or convenience, and have no love of order. They hold no illusions that following laws, traditions, or codes would make them any better or more noble. On the other hand, they do not possess the restless nature or love of conflict that a chaotic evil villain has.

Some neutral evil villains hold up evil as an ideal, committing evil for its own sake. Most often, such villains are devoted to evil deities or secret societies.

An unscrupulous mercenary fighting for whoever pays him the most, a common thief who simply takes what she wants, or a psychopath who kills without remorse are all examples of Neutral Evil characters.

Neutral Evil is sometimes referred to as the "purest" form of Evil, without bias toward Law or Chaos.

Discussion amongst players of the more recent D&D ruleset argue that Neutral Evil is the most dangerous alignment in the game. While Chaotic Evil is considered a more destructive form of the evil represented in the game, the Neutral Evil character often poses a bigger threat towards the players of the game (either from within or from outside the player group).

Neutral Evil player characters can act unpredictably, killing seemingly when they feel like doing so. This can lead to trouble for the party, especially when the rest of the players are not aware of the actions of their Neutral Evil party member, because law enforcement is likely to try and apprehend the offending party member. In some campaigns, when the DM permits, the Neutral Evil character can easily be written out of the story in favor of a new character taking its place, as Neutral Evil characters tend to switch allegiances whenever they see fit. For example, when offered more power and wealth by an opponent of the player party who is in itself a powerful entity, the character might view the switch in allegiance a convenient way of leaving behind the 'weaker' players in an attempt to become more powerful.

[edit] Chaotic Evil

Chaotic evil characters do whatever their greed, hatred, and lust for destruction drives them to do. If they are simply out for whatever they can get, they are ruthless and brutal. If they are committed to the spread of evil and chaos, they are even worse. Most prefer to work alone but will sometimes join or form a group, which usually doesn't last very long. Typically, chaotic evil people can be made to work together only by force or through self-interest, and their leader lasts only as long as he can thwart assassination attempts.

These characters will commit any act to further their own ends. Chaotic evil is sometimes called "demonic" because demons are the embodiment of chaotic evil.

A ravaging barbarian who lives only to kill, a delusional murderer who kills in a vain attempt to silence his own demons, and a violent and reckless criminal who would stab the back of the man who helped him are all examples of Chaotic Evil characters.

[edit] Criticism

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The law-versus-chaos axis has generated some controversy and confusion. Different books, and even different parts in the same book, have interpreted law and chaos to mean different things. Among its different interpretations are a person's feelings on government and laws, a person's sense of honour, how orderly and logical a person's mind works, how flexible a person's mind is, whether a person prefers cities or countryside, and even how orderly a person likes to keep his or her house.

In his original Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, Gygax portrayed that the purest good was neutral good because it is goodness for its own sake, but some players consider lawful good as the epitome of goodness. Later versions of Dungeons & Dragons reference material, minus the direct contribution of Gary Gygax, support the latter view occasionally, but recent editions have varied in their portrayal of alignment. Some prefer Gygax's complex description of alignment in the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide, first edition. Others prefer the descriptions from the recent 3.5 edition of Dungeons and Dragons, cited above from the System Reference Document.

The use of alignment indicates the preponderance of a character's behavior, not the totality of it. A good character (who is not a paladin) can perform an evil act - such as striking at an innocent in a fit of rage - without losing their good alignment, so long as evil behavior does not come to outweigh the good that they do. Likewise, an evil character can still perform good acts, such as acts of charity and piety (especially public ones, that are likely to increase their reputations), while still primarily harboring hate and selfishness toward others as their primary motivations.

The system, however, does not actually require that every member of a certain race conform to the race's alignment; the alignment of a race is merely an indication of the race's overall disposition to good, evil, law, or chaos. A example of this principle can be found in Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark. Valen, a companion of the hero, is a tiefling, a race that is most frequently evil aligned, yet as an individual, he chooses to rebel against his evil disposition and pursue good. Another, more famous example is that of Drizzt Do'Urden. Drizzt is a member of the almost universally evil drow, but is himself chaotic good--not by choice, but rather as a result of his upbringing.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ DeVarque, Aardy R.. Literary Sources of D&D. Retrieved on February 23, 2007.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ DeVarque, Aardy R.. Literary Sources of D&D. Retrieved on February 23, 2007.

[edit] External links

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