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Post by Splendid on Sept 17, 2016 13:02:57 GMT -8
Foreword
You are free to use any method of alignment that you please, as long as you have given it thought. Nothing is black and white, nothing is easy, and the nine alignments may be too constricting for your character. Please feel free to create your character how you see fit. This is simply a starting place for those who do not understand the alignment system.
Character Alignment
Alignment is how we visualize the ethical and moral perspective of our characters. There are nine basic alignments as shown in the table below:
| Lawful Good | Neutral Good | Chaotic Good | | Lawful Neutral | True Neutral | Chaotic Neutral | | Lawful Evil | Neutral Evil | Chaotic Evil |
Lawful Good - they act with compassion in mind, but believe a well-organised and ordered society is best, and will follow the rule of law and have a sense of honour and duty above all else. They are the loyal and the hardworking, truthful and righteous knights. [For example: Spock, Superman, Ellen Ripley] Neutral Good - while they can be cooperative with the law and with officials, if either get in the way of the greater good, they do not suffer any inner conflict trying to do what they believe is best. They will do what they feel is the right thing whether it is good or bad for society, and do not feel beholden to the law. [For example: Luke Skywalker, Captain Kirk, Aragorn] Chaotic Good - they will do what they believe is necessary to bring change for the greater good, regardless of how it effects society, and do not believe in the rule of law if it gets in the way of change for the good. They believe in freedom, they are rebellious, they wish to do what is best but their methods are often chaotic compared to the rest of society. [For example: Han Solo, The Doctor (Doctor Who), Indiana Jones] Lawful Neutral - to them, the rule of law and duty is the most important thing; honour, order, rules, and a personal code suits them best. They are a soldier that always follows rules, a judge or enforcer who adheres mercilessly to the word of the law, or even a disciplined monk. They may not go out of their way to help others, but they will likely intervene to stop crime. [For example: Gil Grissom] True Neutral - there are two examples of a true neutral character: balanced neutral, which is very rare, and strive to philosophically maintain a balance of both axis of the alignments. Balanced neutrals will typically join the fight on the losing side, but may switch sides to save the others from total extermination. As for undecided neutral, they are always between the axis of Good-Evil and Chaotic-Lawful, and many animals, who lack the ability to make a moral/ethical judgement, are undecided neutral. [For example: Tyrion Lannister, Boba Fett] Chaotic Neutral - they follow their own heart without any regard for rules or traditions. While they embody freedom, their freedom comes first and foremost, and good and evil come second to their needs. They are governed by whatever they feel like doing in the moment. [For example: Calvin from Calvin & Hobbes, and Conan the Barbarian] Lawful Evil - they follow the rule of law because it is easy to exploit, and they have no concern for others. They will participate in merciless, organised, and planned killings. [For example: Cersei Lannister, Saruman, Emperor Palpatine] Neutral Evil - they are truly selfish, and would face no inner suffering to turn on their allies if it furthers their own goals. They have no compunctions about loss or harming others to achieve their goals, but they do not necessarily go out of their way to cause suffering. They do not have a great lust for killing, but they will do so for themselves. [For example: Littlefinger/Petyr Baelish] Chaotic Evil - they have no respect for the law, for people's lives, or anything other than their own desires. They are cruel and selfish. They are the most dangerous form of evil. They prioritize their personal freedom, but have zero regard for the lives or freedom of others. They kill, hurt, and are mercilessly cruel; they resent working in groups as they despise being given orders, and do not behave themselves unless there is no other alternative. [For example: Smaug, The Joker, Freddy Kreuger] - - - - - - - - - Roleplaying an evil character effectively . . .
A good evil can make a good story truly enjoyable, and they are some of the most important parts of a good story (I love to play confused, good, characters on the other hand!). But a lot of people think that a psychotic rage killer in the only way to go, but that is an old, tired trope, and this simply is not how to play an evil character. There's some great resources out there if you Google "how to play a Neutral Evil character", as people have struggled with this type of evil for a long time.
Evil can befriend others and have relationships
In fact, an evil character often perceives their point of view as "the greater good", just as a good character might. Evil is self-serving but they have their reasons, and that can make a really great villain. They often have families and friends they cherish, and will protect; an evil character may be tremendously horrible and stomp on the weak, but he will still do everything in his power to protect his daughter. An evil character, in fact, would probably go to much greater lengths and do anything to rescue the people they love, since they are not bound by moral compunction to achieve their goals.
An evil character first and foremost looks out for themselves, they fully embody the act of being selfish; and so when they choose to make themselves secondary, it is truly a feat to behold; now is it an act, in order to play the long-con and exploit someone's compassion as a weakness? Or is their own human heart the truest obstacle that stands between them and their ultimate goals?
You may set the pieces to fall so that they do so in your favour; if it is between you and a fellow for the last morsel of food that you possess, you will not share; if you divide rations among a group, you will make it so you have the larger piece every time. But are you not trustworthy, most of the time? Evil is not a psychotic rage monster 100% of the time. Consider the inner turmoils and human side of evil, it's far more complex than simply slaughtering and stepping on everyone you see.
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