Alignment
Good characters and creatures protect innocent life. Evil
characters and creatures debase or destroy innocent life,
whether for fun or profit.
Good implies altruism, respect for life, and a concern
for the dignity of sentient beings. Good characters make
personal sacrifices to help others.
Evil implies hurting, oppressing, and killing others.
Some evil creatures simply have no compassion for others
and kill without qualms if doing so is convenient. Others
actively pursue evil, killing for sport or out of duty to some
evil deity or master.
People who are neutral with respect to good and evil have
compunctions against killing the innocent, but may lack the
commitment to make sacrifices to protect or help others.
Lawful characters tell the truth, keep their word, respect
authority, honor tradition, and judge those who fall short
of their duties. Chaotic characters follow their consciences,
resent being told what to do, favor new ideas over tradition,
and do what they promise if they feel like it.
Law implies honor, trustworthiness, obedience to
authority, and reliability. On the downside, lawfulness
can include closed-mindedness, reactionary adherence
to tradition, self-righteousness, 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 freedom, adaptability, and flexibility.
On the downside, chaos can include recklessness,
resentment toward legitimate authority, arbitrary
actions, and irresponsibility. 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.
Someone who is neutral with respect to law and chaos has
some respect for authority and feels neither a compulsion to
obey nor a compulsion to rebel. She is generally honest, but
can be tempted into lying or deceiving others.
