Alignments
The alignments are the views, beliefs, morals and tenets of an individual. Overall alignments tend to fall into static categories of any combination of good, neutral, or evil and lawful, neutral or chaotic. It is impossible for any individual to be good and evil, nor lawful and chaotic (with rare exceptions being grave insanity in the character or being controlled or possessed by some power). Of course, as people live to be longer, more knowledgeable and wiser, they can change. Thus there tend to be in-betweens, though these are very rare.
Good and evil is generally considered the moral tenets of humanoid (or sentient being) rights. On the good side of the spectrum, each creature is entitled to life, relative freedom, and the prospect of happiness, with cruelty and suffering being undesirable. On the evil side, rights or happiness is not a concern, nor is it considered; purpose is the determinant. On the other side with lawful and chaotic, lawful indicates social structure, order, boundaries, and so forth. Hierarchy is an example of social structure. Chaotic on the other hand indicates complete and total freedom without boundaries, no social structure, and so forth.
Neutral parties, those who do not stick with good nor evil, may be potential allies to any depending on alignment difference. For example: Lawful good and lawful neutral could work together to destroy a chaotic evil being. The paragraphs below explain the basics of the individual alignment combinations, what they represent, and an overall understanding of them:
Neutrality Absolute, or true, neutral creatures view anything which exists as an integral, necessary part or function of the entire cosmos. Each thing exists as a part of the whole, one as a check or balance to the other, with life necessary for death, happiness for suffering, good for evil, order for chaos, and vise versa. Nothing must ever become predominant or out of balance. Within this naturalistic ethos, humankind serves a role also, just as all other creatures do. They may be more or less important, but the neutral does not concern himself or herself with these considerations except where it is positively determined that the balance is threatened. Absolute neutrality is in the central or fulcrum position quite logically, as the neutral sees all other alignments as parts of a necessary whole. This alignment is the narrowest in scope.s and law Neutral Good Unlike those directly opposite to them (neutral evil) in alignment, the creatures of this alignment tend to see the cosmos as a place where both law and chaos are merely tools to use in bringing life, happiness, and prosperity to all deserving creatures, and that some regulation in combination with freedoms are needed if the best is to be brought to the world - the most beneficial conditions for living things in general and intelligent creatures in particular. Law, order, society and structure is not good unless it brings this to all; neither is randomness and total, complete freedom desirable if it does not bring such good. It is possible to have a balance of both as well, but only so long as this balance brings good to everyone affected by it. As such; whatever method is best to achieve happiness and prosperity to all, is usually the method people with this alignment will prefer at the time. Neutral Evil Similar to the neutral good alignment, that of neutral evil holds that neither groups nor individuals have great meaning and that law and chaos are unnecessary considerations, for pure evil is all-in-all. Either might be used, but both are disdained as foolish clutter useless in eventually bringing maximum evilness to the world. This ethos holds that seeking to promote weal for all actually brings woe to the truly deserving. Natural forces which are meant to cull out the weak and stupid are artificially suppressed by so-called good, and the fittest are wrongfully held back, so whatever means are expedient can be used by the most powerful to gain and maintain their dominance, without concern for anything. This type of thinking can be explained as an extremist's 'survival of the fittest': if you suffer or die, you simply weren't strong or smart enough. Lawful Good While as strict in their prosecution of law and order, those creatures of lawful good alignment will view the cosmos with varying degrees of lawfulness (social structure, order, boundaries) for good, and follow these precepts to improve the common weal. They are convinced that order and law are absolutely necessary to assure good, and that good is best defined as whatever brings the most benefit to the greater number of decent, thinking creatures and the least woe to the rest. Certain freedoms must, of course, be sacrificed in order to bring order; but truth is of highest value, and life and beauty of great importance. The benefits of this society are to be brought to all. Those under this alignment will often believe in society and the social structure, but with varying degrees as not every social structure is good. Lawful Neutral Those with this alignment believe that both law and order give purpose and meaning to everything. They view regulation as all-important, taking a middle road betwixt good and evil. This is because the ultimate harmony of the world (and the whole of the universe) is considered by lawful neutral creatures to have it's sole hope rest upon law and order; Without regimentation and strict definition, there would be absolutely no purpose in the cosmos. Therefore, whether a law is good or evil is of no real importance, considered immaterial beside the determined purpose, as long as it brings predictability, order, regulation and meaning. Social structure isn't just preferred, it's necessary. There are those who should be higher, and those who should be lower. There are those who serve, and those who oversee. Lawful Evil While creatures of this alignment are great respecters of laws and strict order, obviously all order is not good, nor are all laws beneficial, and life, beauty, truth, freedom and the like are held as valueless, or at least scorned. Lawful evil creatures consider order as the means by which each group is properly placed in the cosmos, from lowest to highest, strongest first, weakest last. Good is seen as an excuse to promote the mediocrity of the whole and suppress the better and more capable, while lawful evilness allows each group to structure itself and fix its place as compared to others, serving the stronger but being served by the weaker. By adhering to stringent discipline, those of lawful evil alignment hope to impose their yoke upon the world. It isn't uncommon for one of this alignment to rise up to the top. Chaotic Good To the chaotic good individual, freedom, randomness and independence are as important to life happiness and welfare of each individual. The ethos views this freedom as the only means by which each creature can achieve true satisfaction and happiness, and thus respect for individualism is also great. Law, order, social forms, and anything else which tends to restrict or abridge individual freedom is wrong, and each individual is capable of achieving self-realization and prosperity through himself, herself or itself. By promoting the Gods of chaotic good, characters of this alignment seek to spread their values throughout the world. Chaotic Neutral This view of the cosmos holds that absolute freedom is necessary. Above respect for life and good, whether the individual exercises such freedom chooses to do good or evil is of no concern, for they are complimentary balance arms. Neither are preferred, nor must either prevail, for ultimate chaos would then suffer. They view life itself as a complex net of laws and order. Divine, magical, natural and even sentient laws designed to prevent true freedom of body, soul and mind. As a result, death and it's afterlife, is a desirable end. Therefore, life can only be justified as a tool by which order is combatted, and in the end it too will pass into entropy. Chaotic Evil The major precepts of this alignment are personal freedom, randomness, and woe. Any creature which falls into this alignment holds that it's own individual freedom and choice is very important, and that other individuals and their own freedoms are unimportant, especially if they cannot be held by the individuals through their own strength and merit. Kindness, and good deeds are disdained and life has no value. As a result, law and order tends to discourage the individual, and instead promote groups. Groups in turn suppress the individual volition and success. As a result, these creatures believe in true anarchy, survival of the fittest, and unyielding selfishness. 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 whims. Alignment Change While involuntary change of alignment is quite possible (such as magical items or spells forcing a change in alignment), it is very difficult for a character to voluntarily switch from one to another, except within limited areas. Evil alignment can be varied along the like axis. The neutral character can opt for some more specific alignment. Your DM will probably require certain stringent sacrifices and appropriate acts - possibly a quest, as well - for any other voluntary alignment change. In fact, even axial change within evil or good, or radial movement from neutrality may require strong proofs of various sorts. Further voluntary change will be even more difficult. Changing back to a forsaken alignment is next to impossible on a voluntary basis. Even involuntary drifts will bring the necessity of great penance.
Good and evil is generally considered the moral tenets of humanoid (or sentient being) rights. On the good side of the spectrum, each creature is entitled to life, relative freedom, and the prospect of happiness, with cruelty and suffering being undesirable. On the evil side, rights or happiness is not a concern, nor is it considered; purpose is the determinant. On the other side with lawful and chaotic, lawful indicates social structure, order, boundaries, and so forth. Hierarchy is an example of social structure. Chaotic on the other hand indicates complete and total freedom without boundaries, no social structure, and so forth.
Neutral parties, those who do not stick with good nor evil, may be potential allies to any depending on alignment difference. For example: Lawful good and lawful neutral could work together to destroy a chaotic evil being. The paragraphs below explain the basics of the individual alignment combinations, what they represent, and an overall understanding of them:
Neutrality Absolute, or true, neutral creatures view anything which exists as an integral, necessary part or function of the entire cosmos. Each thing exists as a part of the whole, one as a check or balance to the other, with life necessary for death, happiness for suffering, good for evil, order for chaos, and vise versa. Nothing must ever become predominant or out of balance. Within this naturalistic ethos, humankind serves a role also, just as all other creatures do. They may be more or less important, but the neutral does not concern himself or herself with these considerations except where it is positively determined that the balance is threatened. Absolute neutrality is in the central or fulcrum position quite logically, as the neutral sees all other alignments as parts of a necessary whole. This alignment is the narrowest in scope.s and law Neutral Good Unlike those directly opposite to them (neutral evil) in alignment, the creatures of this alignment tend to see the cosmos as a place where both law and chaos are merely tools to use in bringing life, happiness, and prosperity to all deserving creatures, and that some regulation in combination with freedoms are needed if the best is to be brought to the world - the most beneficial conditions for living things in general and intelligent creatures in particular. Law, order, society and structure is not good unless it brings this to all; neither is randomness and total, complete freedom desirable if it does not bring such good. It is possible to have a balance of both as well, but only so long as this balance brings good to everyone affected by it. As such; whatever method is best to achieve happiness and prosperity to all, is usually the method people with this alignment will prefer at the time. Neutral Evil Similar to the neutral good alignment, that of neutral evil holds that neither groups nor individuals have great meaning and that law and chaos are unnecessary considerations, for pure evil is all-in-all. Either might be used, but both are disdained as foolish clutter useless in eventually bringing maximum evilness to the world. This ethos holds that seeking to promote weal for all actually brings woe to the truly deserving. Natural forces which are meant to cull out the weak and stupid are artificially suppressed by so-called good, and the fittest are wrongfully held back, so whatever means are expedient can be used by the most powerful to gain and maintain their dominance, without concern for anything. This type of thinking can be explained as an extremist's 'survival of the fittest': if you suffer or die, you simply weren't strong or smart enough. Lawful Good While as strict in their prosecution of law and order, those creatures of lawful good alignment will view the cosmos with varying degrees of lawfulness (social structure, order, boundaries) for good, and follow these precepts to improve the common weal. They are convinced that order and law are absolutely necessary to assure good, and that good is best defined as whatever brings the most benefit to the greater number of decent, thinking creatures and the least woe to the rest. Certain freedoms must, of course, be sacrificed in order to bring order; but truth is of highest value, and life and beauty of great importance. The benefits of this society are to be brought to all. Those under this alignment will often believe in society and the social structure, but with varying degrees as not every social structure is good. Lawful Neutral Those with this alignment believe that both law and order give purpose and meaning to everything. They view regulation as all-important, taking a middle road betwixt good and evil. This is because the ultimate harmony of the world (and the whole of the universe) is considered by lawful neutral creatures to have it's sole hope rest upon law and order; Without regimentation and strict definition, there would be absolutely no purpose in the cosmos. Therefore, whether a law is good or evil is of no real importance, considered immaterial beside the determined purpose, as long as it brings predictability, order, regulation and meaning. Social structure isn't just preferred, it's necessary. There are those who should be higher, and those who should be lower. There are those who serve, and those who oversee. Lawful Evil While creatures of this alignment are great respecters of laws and strict order, obviously all order is not good, nor are all laws beneficial, and life, beauty, truth, freedom and the like are held as valueless, or at least scorned. Lawful evil creatures consider order as the means by which each group is properly placed in the cosmos, from lowest to highest, strongest first, weakest last. Good is seen as an excuse to promote the mediocrity of the whole and suppress the better and more capable, while lawful evilness allows each group to structure itself and fix its place as compared to others, serving the stronger but being served by the weaker. By adhering to stringent discipline, those of lawful evil alignment hope to impose their yoke upon the world. It isn't uncommon for one of this alignment to rise up to the top. Chaotic Good To the chaotic good individual, freedom, randomness and independence are as important to life happiness and welfare of each individual. The ethos views this freedom as the only means by which each creature can achieve true satisfaction and happiness, and thus respect for individualism is also great. Law, order, social forms, and anything else which tends to restrict or abridge individual freedom is wrong, and each individual is capable of achieving self-realization and prosperity through himself, herself or itself. By promoting the Gods of chaotic good, characters of this alignment seek to spread their values throughout the world. Chaotic Neutral This view of the cosmos holds that absolute freedom is necessary. Above respect for life and good, whether the individual exercises such freedom chooses to do good or evil is of no concern, for they are complimentary balance arms. Neither are preferred, nor must either prevail, for ultimate chaos would then suffer. They view life itself as a complex net of laws and order. Divine, magical, natural and even sentient laws designed to prevent true freedom of body, soul and mind. As a result, death and it's afterlife, is a desirable end. Therefore, life can only be justified as a tool by which order is combatted, and in the end it too will pass into entropy. Chaotic Evil The major precepts of this alignment are personal freedom, randomness, and woe. Any creature which falls into this alignment holds that it's own individual freedom and choice is very important, and that other individuals and their own freedoms are unimportant, especially if they cannot be held by the individuals through their own strength and merit. Kindness, and good deeds are disdained and life has no value. As a result, law and order tends to discourage the individual, and instead promote groups. Groups in turn suppress the individual volition and success. As a result, these creatures believe in true anarchy, survival of the fittest, and unyielding selfishness. 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 whims. Alignment Change While involuntary change of alignment is quite possible (such as magical items or spells forcing a change in alignment), it is very difficult for a character to voluntarily switch from one to another, except within limited areas. Evil alignment can be varied along the like axis. The neutral character can opt for some more specific alignment. Your DM will probably require certain stringent sacrifices and appropriate acts - possibly a quest, as well - for any other voluntary alignment change. In fact, even axial change within evil or good, or radial movement from neutrality may require strong proofs of various sorts. Further voluntary change will be even more difficult. Changing back to a forsaken alignment is next to impossible on a voluntary basis. Even involuntary drifts will bring the necessity of great penance.
